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Some of you may be looking forward to series against the Red Sox or the Blue Jays to determine who emerges from the pack of Wild Card contenders. A few of you may even be optimistic enough to be looking at the final series of the year against Tampa Bay with a shred of hope in your hearts for the division race. This next series, however, is the key to the season — the Yankees need to figure out a way to beat the Baltimore Orioles. Yes, that is a sentence that I wrote without any hint of sarcasm.
The Orioles have been the gatekeeper for prolonged success in this division for a number of years now — when the Yankees won it in 2019, they absolutely decimated the inhabitants of Camden Yards. The Rays have done so this year, while the Yankees have dropped an embarrassing amount of games to one of, if not the worst team in baseball. It’s too late to get those games back, but they can at least prevent these final few matchups from being wasted. The Yankees need to generate a run to hold onto their postseason hopes, and a stretch of mediocre-to-terrible teams stand in front of them. Get the job done.
Before things kick off in Yankee Stadium South, we’ve got a fair bit of content for you to check out. Dan brings in the latest minor league update, the last one before the regular season concludes and potential postseason activities begin. Matt will preview the Orioles ahead of tonight’s first pitch, while Emma shines a light on Jean Afterman’s legacy in the front office. Erica argues that the Yankees have made an unfortunate habit of inefficiently deploying their players, Jesse opines on the Yankees’ inability to back up their trash-talk, and John examines the streakiness of the offense to see if it could have been foreseen before the season began.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: 7:05 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, MASN
Radio: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280
Venue: Orioles Park at Camden Yards
Fun Questions:
1. Assuming the Yankees can re-secure a wild card spot, who would you rather play against: the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners, or Athletics? Who would you least want to play against?
2. If they played an ALDS matchup today, who would you pick to advance between the White Sox and Astros?