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As we approach May in baseball, calling a series between the Yankees and Orioles “important” may seem excessive. However, given that these teams are part of the highly competitive AL East division, every game carries added significance. While it’s true there is still plenty of time for both clubs to recover from losses over the upcoming four games, one cannot dismiss the tension associated with meetings between fierce divisional opponents such as the Yankees and Orioles in baseball today.
The New York Yankees have been performing at a level that was expected of them last year but required some health and star power this time around. The acquisition of Juan Soto has proven to be an excellent move for the team, with his impressive .318 batting average and seven home runs so far in 2024. Leading the Yankees’ ranks in a multitude of categories like homers, RBIs, walks, hits, doubles, and even averages and runs scored, Soto has been nothing short of phenomenal for his new team. By season’s end, he could be looking at an Ohtani-level payday if that is what he desires.
In today’s game against the Orioles, Clarke Schmidt will take to the mound for New York. While Schmidt has been solid this year with a 25.1 innings pitched and just ten earned runs allowed in five starts so far, it remains unclear whether his early exits from games are due to him being taken out before things get too bad or if he’s exceeding the pitch count limit set by the Yankees coaching staff. Regardless of the reason behind this trend, Schmidt has been a winning machine for New York this year; as of today they haven’t suffered a defeat while their promising young star is on the mound.
The Baltimore Orioles have also started off well in 2024 but are alternating wins and losses over their past five games with two narrow defeats against Oakland Athletics who weren’t deemed nearly as inferior ahead of the season kicking off. The team has been hitting exceptionally well this year, boasting four batters batting .300 or better while another couple is just a few points short of that mark. As always for Baltimore, they are placing tremendous importance on their pitching staff’s efficiency to allow them sufficient time to switch things over the bullpen in each game they play.
Grayson Rodriguez has taken to his first four games well as an Orioles starter this year with 24 innings pitched and just seven earned runs conceded during that period, but he had a disastrous outing against Los Angeles Angels last time around where he allowed seven earned runs in only 4.1 innings of play. However, Rodriguez has managed to hold the Yankees batters quiet when playing against them thus far – giving up merely two hits off twenty total at-bats by New York’s hitters during their previous encounters.
Despite both teams being well acquainted with each other and aware of one another’s strengths, it is challenging to predict the outcome in this particular matchup as both squads have proven themselves formidable opponents so far this season. The Yankees are technically underdogs for today’s game but on the run line, Baltimore has a 1.5-run advantage that comes with an unfavorably high price tag of -198 at present odds provided by sportsbooks around town. I am opting to take the Under in this matchup as both bullpens are robust and Schmidt’s impressive record against New York lends itself well for today’s contest between these division foes who share a storied history that is bound to make each game played more significant than others throughout baseball season.
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