The closest divisional race in baseball resides in the AL East between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
The owners of the two top records in the American League get together for the start of a three-game series Tuesday night when the Yankees host the Orioles.
The Yankees lost three of four in Baltimore April 29-May 2 when they scored six runs and Aaron Judge’s batting average was .197. The Yankees are 30-11 since the first series and have held the division lead since May 14.
New York is 5-5 over its past 10 games and is attempting to avoid its second three-game losing streak of the season. After cruising to an 8-1 win in Boston on Friday, the Yankees were outscored 17-7 in the final two games and ended the series by allowing nine stolen bases in Sunday’s 9-3 loss.
Judge hit his 26th homer but the Yankees finished with six hits and struck out 14 times, including twice with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a one-run game.
“(The Red Sox) were able to get on base and then once they got on base, they were able to get into scoring position,” Judge said. “They were 6-for-15 with guys in scoring position. We (were) 0-for-5. You’re not going to win a lot of ballgames like that.”
Perhaps more concerning is the health of first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who exited with a lower arm injury after a collision as a runner at first base in the seventh inning.
The Orioles are 27-13 since their 7-2 win concluded the series in Baltimore and their 47 wins are the second-most in the AL. Baltimore also is 18-6 in its past 24 since dropping three straight at St. Louis on May 20-22.
Baltimore is coming off taking two of three at home from the National League-best Philadelphia Phillies. After opening the series with a 5-3, 11-inning loss, the Orioles followed up a 6-2 win with Sunday’s 8-3 victory by hitting four homers.
Gunnar Henderson hit his eighth leadoff homer while Colton Cowser, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg also homered in Baltimore’s fourth game with four homers this season.
“To go at it the way they have, it’s been a tough stretch and we played really well through a really tough stretch, and it doesn’t get any easier but nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “This is the big leagues. Now we’re going to go to a real cool baseball environment and, hopefully, play well next series.”
Nestor Cortes (3-5, 3.59 ERA), who is 3-2 with a 1.77 ERA at home, opens the series for the Yankees. Cortes is 0-1 with a 4.30 ERA in his past four outings and completed seven innings for the fifth time Thursday when he allowed two runs on six hits at Kansas City.
Cortes allowed four runs in six innings at Baltimore on April 30 and is 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 10 career appearances (eight starts) against the Orioles.
Albert Suarez (3-0, 1.61) will make his eighth start and fifth in place of Dean Kremer. Suarez is facing the Yankees for the first time in his career and allowed four hits in 5 1/3 innings of last Tuesday’s 4-0 home win over the Atlanta Braves.
