Sunday afternoon Orioles game thread: vs. Yankees, 1:05

It’s been a rough first two games at Camden Yards this year. In each one, the Orioles turned to their bullpen to protect a lead over the Yankees. In each one, an O’s reliever (first Mike Wright, then Miguel Castro) coughed up a three-run homer with two outs and two strikes on the batter, giving the Yankees a lead they never relinquished.

Well...third time’s the charm, right?

The O’s have already sealed their first series loss of the year, but today they’ll try to avoid getting swept. They’ll be sending David Hess to the mound for the first time since his 6.1 no-hit innings in Toronto last Monday. Will Hess and his newly increased velocity have the same kind of success today?

There are no big surprises in the Orioles’ lineup, with Chris Davis back in the starting order after riding the pine on Saturday (though he had two hitless at-bats off the bench, running his Orioles-record drought to 0-for-40 dating back to last year). Shortstop Richie Martin has the day off, with Jonathan Villar sliding over to short as Hanser Alberto plays second.

Can the O’s emerge from their first home series of the year with a win? We’ll soon find out.

Orioles lineup:

CF Cedric Mullins

LF Dwight Smith Jr.

SS Jonathan Villar

RF Trey Mancini

3B Rio Ruiz

DH Renato Nunez

1B Chris Davis

C Jesus Sucre

2B Hanser Alberto

RHP David Hess