MILWAUKEE — The Yankees will be seeing the team they spent most of last season staring down for the first time.
After another 15-5 win over the Brewers on Sunday, the Yankees fly to Baltimore and begin a four-game series against the defending AL East champions on Monday.
“We’re excited,” Aaron Judge said. “We’ve watched them from afar and they’re a great team. They’ve got a great young team. They did a lot of good things last year, especially winning the division. are excited to get out and have fun.”
The series begins with the Yankees holding a one-game lead over the Orioles with a month to go until the end of the season, but manager Aaron Boone insisted there is not much focus on the divisional showdown.
“We know they’re a really good club, but it’s just part of a long season,” Boone said. “You know that’s a team, especially if you’re going to go to their place, you’ve got to play really well if you’re going to beat them. Especially this time of year, I’m not really interested in barometers or messages or anything like that. No. It’s important to have consistent performance.”
The Orioles, who finished 101-61 last season, are loaded with young talent and have become an even more formidable opponent after adding ace Corbin Burnes in a trade with the Brewers during the offseason.
“I like what we have here,” Anthony Rizzo said. “We have tremendous respect for their actions and actions. [Brandon Hyde] It’s a great team because I manage them. …It’s going to be a good series. This sector will be tough until the end of the year. ”
Anthony Volpe, celebrating his 23rd birthday, hit a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning Sunday to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
Entering his 7th and final at-bat of 49, Volpe jumped on the cutter up the middle and flew in the opposite direction, hitting his first home run since April 8th.
“He put a charge on that ball,” Boone said. “That ball is smoking. I feel like he’s still making the right at-bats, competitive at-bats. He hasn’t been as good lately, but I feel like he’s in a good spot.”
Marcus Stroman walked a season-high five batters and threw just half of his 88 pitches over four innings for strikes.
He worked his way through traffic through the first four innings, hitting a leadoff triple in the third, but was unable to survive the fifth when the Brewers erased a four-run lead with an RBI three from former Yankee Jake Bowers. There wasn’t. Run a home run.
“I struggled a little bit mechanically,” Stroman said. “Too many walks overall. That’s not like me. I just have to get back in the zone.”
Infielder John Barty (left groin strain) began rehab at Double-A Somerset on Sunday, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a third baseman playing five innings.
Berti is expected to play again on Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday, before potentially rejoining the Yankees.
Gerrit Cole (neuroinflammation) pitched flat again on Saturday and could be on the mound this week.
“All I know is that [Saturday] It was a pretty intense day from a flatland standpoint,” Boone said. “Looks like it went well.”
Tommy Kahnle completed a 15-pitch live batting practice session in Tampa on Saturday. He is expected to pitch again on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Yankees acquired reliever McKinley Moore on a permanent transfer last week after assigning him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
