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The Orioles went .500 against the New York Yankees yesterday, splitting the series opening doubleheader. In game one, Mike Wright got the win in relief after a solid start from Jimmy Yacabonis. But Yefry Ramirez took the loss for the O's in game two.
On the year, the Orioles are now 4-4 against the Yankees. New York has an overall record of 59-30 and at the start of play Tuesday they trail the first place Boston Red Sox by 2.5 games in the AL East.
Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (7-2. 4.58 ERA) will get the start tonight for the Yankees. It will be interesting to see how he does, considering that it's his first start since since June 8, when he injured his hamstrings on the basepaths while facing the Mets. In two games started against the Orioles this year, Tanaka is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 11.2 innings, including four home runs allowed.
In 27 at-bats against Tanaka, Adam Jones has a .407 batting average, three home runs and seven RBI. Manny Machado has not been so lucky against Tanaka over the course of his career. In 29 at-bats he's only hitting .172, although he does have two home runs.
Right-hander Andrew Cashner (2-9, 4.39 ERA) will oppose Tanaka for the O's. In his last start against Minnesota, Cashner allowed two earned runs in six innings but still took a loss. He has faced the Yankees twice so far in 2018, going 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings. With an 0-5 record at Camden Yards, he is still looking for that elusive first home win.
Brett Gardner continued his year-long assault on Orioles pitching in game two last night when he went 4-for-6 with three runs and three RBI. In 2018, he is slashing .382/.462/.618 in 34 at-bats against the O's. In 14 career at-bats against Cashner, he is hitting .286. But the Yankees' big thumpers, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, haven't had much success in limited at-bats against Cashner. Stanton is hitting .083 in 12 career at-bats and Judge is hitting .125 in 8 at-bats.