Yanks ask youngster Green to stifle Orioles
The Orioles can’t seem to catch a break in the Bronx. It doesn’t help that they’re trying to cool off an unconscionably hot rookie.
New York’s Gary Sanchez appears positioned to inflict even more damage in this afternoon’s middle contest of the division series, with a 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch at Yankee Stadium. Online sports book Bovada.lv likes Joe Girardi’s club as a 1.5-run favorite, while Baltimore represents a -110 underdog. The over/under run figure sits at nine.
The Yanks are a season-high five games over .500 at 66-61, thanks largely to a certain catcher’s torrid performance at the plate. Sanchez boasts a .403 batting average with 10 homers and 20 RBIs through his first 20 MLB tilts. In a few hours, he’ll wield the lumber in support of Chad Green (2-3, 3.66 ERA). The South Carolina native has held opposing hitters to a .247/.296/.453 slash line since returning from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 15.
Conversely, the O’s (70-58) continue to lose ground in the wild-card race. Skipper Buck Showalter asks Dylan Bundy (7-4, 3.33), he of the 74 strikeouts across 81 frames, to step up here. Most recently, the former top prospect limited the Nationals to three base knocks in six solid innings of work.
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Complicating matters for the visitors is the health of Adam Jones. The star center fielder strained his left hamstring during last night’s 14-4 setback. Baltimore, having already dropped four of its five affairs in New York this year, can hardly afford to operate at less than full capacity. The Yankees understand what must be done, though, and that means further misery for Showalter’s bunch.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: ORIOLES/YANKEES UNDER 9 RUNS