New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: J.A. Happ vs. Andrew Cashner

On the heels of their series victory against Tampa Bay, the first place Yankees will open their four-game set at Camden Yards tonight as they take on the last place Orioles. Starting for New York is 36-year-old left-hander J.A. Happ, with his 4.44 ERA (5.38 FIP) over 48.2 innings. Baltimore will deploy 32-year-old righty-hander Andrew Cashner who owns a 4.10 ERA (4.71 FIP) across 48.1 innings.

Though he’s pitched better of late, Happ has been the Bombers’ worst regular starter in 2019. Cashner, meanwhile, boasts the Orioles’ best record. That their stats are nearly identical speaks to the divergent paths these two teams have taken to get here.

Keys to watch:

1. Neutralizing Núñez: Renato Núñez (64 wRC+) has struggled at the plate against just about everyone except Happ this season. He’s 7-for-15 with three home runs against the lefty for his career, including a blast on Wednesday.
2. Seizing early momentum: The Yankees trailed the Rays in all three games during their last series. But with all their high leverage relievers rested and ready, the Bombers will try to hand their elite bullpen a lead tonight. If they can take the life out of the lowly Orioles in the early innings, chances are that Baltimore won’t be able to mount much against the Yankees’ endgame relievers.

Here are the lineups:

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 ET. You can watch the game on YES, MLB Network (out-of-market only), or stream via fuboTV. Let’s go Yankees!