O's game blog: The series begins in the Bronx
The Orioles are 2-1 vs. Yankees this year, 17-12 since 2023
After a big win on Thursday night and splitting their four-game series at Tampa, the Orioles road trip moves on to the Bronx for three games this weekend with the New York Yankees.
The Yankees (43-31) lead the AL East by 2.5 games over the Rays, by three over Toronto, by five over Boston and by 11 over the Orioles.
New York beat the Los Angeles Angels Thursday 7-3 to snap a six-game losing streak. New York’s offense produced just six runs, a .155 batting average and was shutout three times during their losing streak.
The Yankees are just 8-11 the last 19 games. They are 22-15 at home and 8-9 this month.
Slugger Aaron Judge leads the majors in all four of these categories, batting .366 with an OBP of .463, while slugging .728 and with an OPS of 1.192.
When the Orioles took two of three from the Yankees in April, Judge went 7-for-11 with two homers and five RBIs. He has an OPS of 1.896 this year off the Orioles and a career slugging percentage of .740 off Baltimore pitchers.
But Judge has slumped lately, going 3-for-27 his last eight games with 16 strikeouts.
On the mound
Lefty Max Fried (9-2, 1.89 ERA) provides the huge challenge for the O’s batters tonight. Fried allowed six runs in a May 30 game versus the Dodgers, but has given up two earned runs or less in his other 14 starts. He has allowed one earned run or less nine times and has 11 quality starts.
Fried in the latest AL stats —
Tied for first in wins
2nd in ERA
3rd in opponent OPS (.560)
5th in average against (.201)
6th in WHIP (0.95) and strikeouts (90)
The O’s send righty Tomo Sugano (5-4, 3.38 ERA) to the mound for his 15th start. He has allowed seven runs in nine innings his last two games. After posting an ERA of 2.72 his first eight games, that ERA is 4.28 his last six games.
Sugano had big swing and miss stuff against the Yankees, throwing five scoreless on 95 pitches April 28 in Baltimore. He produced a season high eight strikeouts and a season-best 17 whiffs on 42 swings in that game. Yankees batters whiffed on nine of his 12 splitters they swung at that night.
A few more notes
After allowing 5.33 runs per game in the month of May, the Orioles are allowing 3.53 runs per game in the month of June. The difference of 1.80 in runs allowed per game between May and June is the largest in MLB, per Stats Perform.
On offense, the O's have homered in a season-best 10 straight games, the longest active run in the majors ahead of the Phillies (9 G). The Birds last homered in 11 straight games from Aug. 4-21, 2024 (16 G).
The O’s are 8-4 their past 12 road games
The O’s are 10-10 this year versus the AL East, going 1-1-4 in six series. New York is 8-11 in the division, going 2-4 in six series. The Yankees are 2-8 in their past 10 AL East games in 2025.
Since 2023 the Orioles are 74-50 versus the AL East, going 17-12 against the Yankees in that span.
Baltimore is 6-1-1 its last eight series versus the Yankees dating to 2023. They are 4-1 in the last five series between the teams since last season.
Damn fine win there Birdland!
Scott Blewett and Ramon Urias were the heroes, just as we figured!
Dang fine win Birdland.
Yankees were 12-3 in Fried's starts. He had allowed 2 ER or less in 14 of 15 games.
O's did not start Gunnar, Adley, Ced and Cowser.
And they won. In the Bronx.