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Saturday night Orioles game thread: vs. Yankees, 7:05 pm

After a late comeback attempt fell flat Friday night, the Os will look to even the series vs. New York.

By John Beers
/ new
Los Angeles Angels v Baltimore Orioles Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Yes, the Orioles lost Friday night. Yes, Aaron Judge hit a couple of baseballs very far and that made all of Birdland very sad. The fact though that the Orioles were almost able to battle back and steal a game against the best team in baseball should give all Os fans plenty of confidence heading into Saturday’s match-up.

Before 2022, suggesting that the Orioles should have confidence facing Gerrit Cole with a pitcher that has an ERA only slightly below five would’ve seemed laughable. These are the Never Say Die Orioles, though. Gerrit Cole is no longer an insurmountable task. Jordan Lyles, even with his 4.76 ERA, is a pitcher that we can truly get behind. Let’s not lose perspective of the fact that Lyles in Camden Yards is actually one of the best pitchers in the AL. The veteran righty has a 2.72 ERA at home this season, holds opponents to a batting average 20 points lower than on the road and has yet to allow a home run as an Oriole in Baltimore (*immediately knocks on everything wooden within reach, given Friday night’s HR Derby).

Cole is also much more susceptible to damage away from the Bronx this season. Last year’s runner-up for the AL Cy Young has a 4.25 ERA on the road this year, compared to a minuscule 2.09 in Yankee Stadium. While the home run splits aren’t as drastic for the Yankees’ righty as they are for Lyles, the walk rate is. Cole allows just over one walk per nine innings when at home, but that number balloons to over four per nine innings on the road. The Orioles did also rough him up for five runs the last time they faced each other in the Bronx, despite drawing no walks. So, if Lyles can maintain his home form, and the Orioles can be a little more patient in their approach against Cole, there seems to be every opportunity to force a Sunday afternoon rubber match with an Os win on Saturday.

Orioles’ Lineup:

  1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF
  2. Adley Rutschman (S) C
  3. Trey Mancini (R) DH
  4. Anthony Santander (S) RF
  5. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
  6. Austin Hays (R) LF
  7. Rougned Odor (L) 2B
  8. Ramon Urias (R) 3B
  9. Jorge Mateo (R) SS

Yankees’ Lineup

  1. DJ LeMahieu (R) 1B
  2. Aaron Judge (R) CF
  3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
  4. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
  5. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
  6. Matt Carpenter (L) RF
  7. Aaron Hicks (S) LF
  8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) SS
  9. Kyle Higashioka (R) C

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