Sunday afternoon Orioles game thread: vs. Yankees, 1:35

With 68 games still to be played, the Orioles have already equaled the win total of the 2018 team. Five more wins gets them to the number of wins of last year’s Orioles, and seven gets them to as many as the 2019 O’s mustered - the best full season team of the Mike Elias tenure to date.

Along with this current .500 record, the Orioles are only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot. They have three teams to pass, so it’s not like they can just waltz in even if they pull off a winning streak. The trade deadline is August 2. Every game between now and then seems like it will tip the scales one way or the other about how many trades should or will be made. A losing streak, especially, would seem to seal it.

Thanks to last night’s great comeback win, the Orioles aren’t on a losing streak. They even have a chance to win this series against a Yankees team that’s been dominating all opponents so far this season. That would be some great forward momentum to take into the coming four-game set against the Rays, who specifically dominated the Orioles last year.

When you’re emerging from the darkness as the Orioles seem to be, every game is like a big test. That’s true for the team as a whole and for individual players as well. It’s going to be Dean Kremer getting tested today. He hasn’t done very well against the Yankees in his career, but it seems like he’s a better version of himself this season and we haven’t seen him face the Yankees yet in 2022. If he turns in a good outing today, I’m going to feel a lot better about his chances of keeping it up the rest of the way.

Orioles lineup

1. Cedric Mullins - CF
2. Trey Mancini - RF
3. Ryan Mountcastle - 1B
4. Austin Hays - LF
5. Adley Rutschman - DH
6. Ramón Urías - 2B
7. Tyler Nevin - 3B
8. Robinson Chirinos - C
9. Jorge Mateo - SS

Not that anybody asked me, but I might have rather seen Ryan McKenna get a start in the outfield with Mancini as the DH and Rutschman getting the day off against a left-handed pitcher.

Yankees lineup

1. DJ LeMahieu - 3B
2. Aaron Judge - DH
3. Anthony Rizzo - 1B
4. Gleyber Torres - 2B
5. Matt Carpenter - RF
6. Aaron Hicks - CF
7. Isiah Kiner-Falefa - SS
8. Jose Trevino - C
9. Joey Gallo - LF

Pitching for the Yankees is Nestor Cortes Jr., a former Rule 5 pick by the Orioles who bounced across the league a bit before returning to New York and unlocking a new level last season. Cortes was an All-Star last week and now he seems like he might be among the Cy Young contenders.