New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: Series preview

That series with the Red Sox went about as well as one could have expected. Now the Yankees will host the Orioles for the final home series of the regular season. The Bombers should, in theory, pummel a 100+ loss team, but the O’s have been a pain all year. New York is somehow only 10-6 against Baltimore in 2018. I don’t care how they do it, but just win.

Game one: CC Sabathia vs. Yefry Ramirez

The wheels have really come off Sabathia, haven’t they? The 38-year-old has a 6.35 ERA (3.68 FIP) over his last five starts. I’ve seen enough of Sabathia to know he can break out of a slump at any time. Just when you think he’s finished, he finds another gear. A strong start here would build some confidence ahead of the playoffs.

Ramirez, meanwhile, is a former Yankees farmhand. The 24-year-old has pitched to a 5.50 ERA (4.64 FIP) across 55.2 innings. He last faced the Yankees on August 26th, tossing three innings of scoreless ball.

Game two: Lance Lynn vs. David Hess

Lynn sure came back down to Earth after those first couple of brilliant outings. He has a 4.47 ERA with a 2.14 FIP in pinstripes. That includes 4.1 innings of shutout ball against the O’s. Tom recently wrote about what Lynn can do to get his results to match his peripherals, and it’s well worth the read.

Hess, meanwhile, is a rookie right-hander. The 25-year-old owns a 5.22 ERA (5.68 FIP) over 91.1 innings. He has an astronomical 1.87 HR/9 rate, so here’s hoping the Bombers can take advantage of that. This will be the Yankees’ first look at Hess.

Game three: J.A. Happ vs. TBD

How great has Happ been since joining the Yankees? The trade market didn’t have a ready-made ace available, but the veteran southpaw sure has pitched like one. The 35-year-old sports a 2.39 ERA (4.23 FIP) over 52.2 innings with New York. Happ faced the Orioles once since the trade, tossing six innings of two-run ball on August 25th.