Gerrit Cole’s return to the Yankees mound on Wednesday couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Orioles closed in on the Yankees for the AL East lead.
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner’s 2024 debut is especially timely considering the Yankees just placed Clarke Schmidt on the disabled list from their starting rotation.
The line follows this convenient narrative, but their first matchup in pinstriped uniforms was not a friendly one.
Cole has struggled to perform consistently against the Orioles’ young power hitters over the past two seasons.
He’s 1-2 with a 4.09 ERA in five starts during that span.
Ramon Urias and Cedric Mullins each faced Cole in four games during that span, each recording five hits and one home run.
Baltimore’s offense has grown from strength to strength all season, and is on track to lead MLB in expected slugging percentage and quality of contact, per Statcast.
Rookie Cade Povich still has a lot to prove, but he showed great potential for the Orioles.
Povich pitched six scoreless innings in his last game against Atlanta.
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The Yankees haven’t been at their usual best against lefties on the road, batting just .234, but that’s a good number for the Orioles’ top prospect who has come up the pipeline with a talent for inducing strikeouts.
With two lineups competing for contact hitters, the overs could be considered in a game where high expectations are placed on the Yankees ace, but the real value lies with the underdogs.
play: Orioles, (+150, FanDuel Sportsbook)
