The Baltimore Orioles will try to close the distance between them and the AL East leading New York Yankees when they face off in a three game series this weekend. A series that also has some intrigue in the MLB betting world.
Coming into the season, the Orioles were one of the favorites to win the division, but a slow start to the season has them sitting in 3rd place, three and a half games behind the Yankees and half a game behind the Boston Red Sox.
A sweep of the weekend series against New York will have the Orioles only half a game behind the Yankees and in sole possession of second place in the division if the Red Sox lose a game this weekend.
Despite their recent poor play, the Orioles still have a chance to clinch their division, which is good news for their fans. However, the team needs to start playing better or they will miss out on the postseason again with teams like the Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and Tampa Bay Rays competing for the two AL Wildcard spots.
After a disappointing loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday, the Orioles will try to get back on track on Friday against a team they have had a degree of success against in recent years.
Dylan Bundy, who has been Baltimore’s best pitcher this season, will take the mound in the first game of the series. Bundy has won his last two starts against the Yankees, and won’t be intimidated by the Bronx Bombers, who are one of the league leaders in homeruns, thanks to the play of rookie Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.
Despite his recent success against New York, the Yankees have been able to hit Bundy very well and the current lineup is 10-35 against Bundy with a .390 OBP.
The Orioles will face Jordan Montgomery, who hasn’t looked particularly sharp this season. Montgomery gave up three earned runs and three hits in five innings to the Orioles last time he faced the team.
Luis Severino will start for the Yankees on Saturday and is the biggest threat to hand Baltimore a loss this weekend. Severino didn’t pitch well in his first meeting against the Orioles this year, allowing 4 earned runs in five innings. The Yankees will be expecting a better performance from him while he will be hoping to get some run support from his teammates.
Chris Tillman will take the mound opposite Severino on Saturday and will need to be more consistent than he has been recently to give his team a chance to win the game.
Sunday’s matchup is the trickiest of them all considering the starting pitchers for both teams. Masahiro Tanaka, who pitched brilliantly to start the season has been giving up a lot of runs recently, leading to the Yankees losing his previous three starts.
Kevin Gausman will get the start for Baltimore on Sunday. Despite the fact he is playing just as badly as Tanaka right now, he remains undefeated against the Yankees, and will be trying to keep the streak going.
If Bundy and Gausman play like they have in the past, there’s no reason the Orioles can’t take two out of three games against the Yankees this weekend.
“The Yankees and Orioles have already met 3 times this season. Baltimore has won 2 of those 3 series so far. Now, with the Yankees having the hold field advantage for this weekend series, they head into the matchup as MLB betting favorites at -170 to win the series. New York is leading their division, with Baltimore in 3rd place of the standings and they’re not that far behind from each other. The Yankees are gaining good momentum, so they’re a good pick.” says line director David Strauss, MyBookie Online Sportsbook.
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Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees Game Odds
Spread:
Baltimore Orioles +1½-160
New York Yankees -1½+140
Total:
9½ O-110 / U-110
Moneyline:
Baltimore Orioles +130
New York Yankees -150
Odds By MyBookie
Featured Image Credit: By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Dylan Bundy”) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
