Yankees @ O's Series Preview

Yankees @ Orioles
Camden Yards
(3 games)

Well, that was an ugly homestand. After starting out with two wins over the Angels, the Yankees dropped their last five, including two games each against division rivals Boston and Tampa Bay. Besides losing games the Yankees also seem to be losing a player every other day. In this homestand alone they lost Jorge Posada and Jose Molina. On the bright side, the Yankees should get a little bit of a boost today because Alex Rodriguez returns to the lineup.

The Yankees desperately need their starting pitchers to step up their game, and they need to step up right now. They currently have a team ERA of 5.77 which is the second worst in the sport, ahead of only Cleveland (5.82). CC Sabathia will start the opener for the Yankees and it's a big chance for him to give the Yankees a big start. Like I said in last night's game summary, he needs to give the Yankees at least eight innings and hold the O's to two runs or less.

Since April 24th the Yankees are 4-9 and are 13-15 overall. They are currently tied for third place in the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays, and trail the first place Blue Jays by 5.5

After going 6-2 to start the season the Orioles have lost 15 of their last 21 games. However, they have won three of their last four, including their last two in a row. Like the Yankees, the O's have no gotten any pitching all year. They have a team ERA of 5.51, which qualifies for the third worst in baseball.

Offensively they're being led by right fielder Nick Markakis. There will be more on him in the players to watch section below. Center fielder Adam Jones has also had a great start to the season. He's hitting .346/.413/.598 with five homers and 19 RBI. Brian Roberts, Luke Scott, and Aubrey Huff have also had pretty good starts to their years.

The O's won two out of the three games these two teams played to open the season. They also won last year's season series 11 games to 7.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Tonight @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS 880
CC Sabathia LHP (1-3, 4.85 ERA) vs. Jeremy Guthrie RHP (2-2, 5.05 ERA)

Game 2: Tomorrow @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS 880
Phil Hughes RHP (1-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Adam Eaton RHP (1-3, 7.18 ERA)

Game 3: Sunday @ 1:35 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS 880
Joba Chamberlain RHP (1-1, 3.77 ERA vs. Koji Uehara RHP (2-3, 4.42 ERA)

Players to Watch

YANKEES: Alex Rodriguez - The Yankees third baseman returns to the lineup this weekend after missing the first 28 games of the season recovering from surgery on his hip. The Yankees offense needs a spark, especially with the loss of Posada, and hopefully A-Rod can provide that. It's not a bad thing having him come back against Baltimore because throughout his career he has pounded O's pitching.

In 169 career games against Baltimore A-Rod is a .310/.391/.585 hitter, with 47 home runs and 144 RBI. Last season he hit .306/.427/.645 against them with 5 HR, 6 doubles, and 10 RBI. He has not hit as well at Camden Yards where his is only .287/.372/.553 hitter, and he has 22 HR and 72 RBI in 83 games. In nine games there last season he hit .287/.410/.500, with a homer and 3 RBI.

Rodriguez vs. Guthrie: .200/.368/.267 (3-for-15), 2B, RBI, 2 BB
Rodriguez vs. Eaton: .667/.800/1.667 (2-for-3), HR, RBI, BB
Rodriguez vs. Uehara: NR

ORIOLES: Nick Markakis - The O's right fielder has been mashing the ball so far this season, hitting .355/.438/.582, with 10 doubles, 5 HR, 29 RBI, and he's scored 31 runs. He leads the O's in batting average, OBP, runs , hits, walks and RBI, and he's tied for the team lead in homers and doubles.

In the three games against the Yankees in April, Markakis hit .500/.538/.900 with a homer and five RBI. He's always done well against the Yankees, throughout his career he's hitting .318/.392/.484, with 6 HR and 31 RBI in 56 games against the Yanks. And last season he hit .292/.370/.389, with a homer and 5 RBI in 18 games against them.

Markakis vs. Sabathia: .400/.333/.400 (2-for-5), 2 RBI
Markakis vs. Hughes: .500/.556/.750 (4-for-8), 2B, 3 RBI, BB
Markakis vs. Chamberlain: .400/.500 (2-for-6), RBI, BB

Injury Report

YANKEES
- Xavier Nady, RF: 15-day DL with an injured right elbow. It was thought that he would need season-ending surgery, but it is now being reported that he may avoid the surgery and miss just 4-6 weeks.
- Cody Ransom, INF: 60-day DL with a strained right quad.
- Brian Bruney, RP: 15-day DL with a sore right elbow.
- Chien-Ming Wang, SP: 15-day DL with hip abductor muscle weakness.
- Damaso Marte, RP: 15-day DL with a sore shoulder.
- Jorge Posada, C: 15-day DL with a strained right hamstring. He will miss at least 2-3 weeks.
- Jose Molina, C: Strained his left quad and is probably headed to the DL.

ORIOLES
- Dennis Sarfate, RP: 15-day DL after experiencing numbness in his right hand.
- Ryan Freel, LF/2B: 15-day DL with a head injury.
- Alfredo Simon, RP: Out for the season after having surgery on his rigth elbow.
- Rich Hill, SP: On the 15-day DL with a strained left elbow.
- Lou Montanez, LF: Day-to-day with a finger injury.