Yankees at Orioles
After belting a majors-best 211 homers en route to winning the AL East last season, the Baltimore Orioles have wasted little time flexing their muscle in 2015 - albeit with mixed results. The Orioles, who have gone deep a league-high 11 times, look to avoid their fourth loss in five outings when they open a three-game series against the visiting New York Yankees on Monday.
Adam Jones rebounded from a dismal 1-for-11 start to the campaign by homering twice among his seven hits this weekend while adding five RBIs and as many runs scored. The offensive support notwithstanding, Baltimore was felled by a pair of porous pitching performances as it yielded 23 runs en route to dropping two of three to Toronto. The Orioles claimed 13 of the 19 meetings last season with the Yankees, who did not have the services of Alex Rodriguez as the slugger sat out the entire 2014 campaign due to a league-imposed drug suspension. The three-time MVP has been productive at the plate (6-for-20, six RBIs), including ripping a three-run double to highlight a seven-run first inning as New York snapped a three-game skid by breezing to a 14-4 triumph over Boston on Sunday.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, WPIX (New York), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Michael Pineda (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (0-0, 6.23)
Pineda put his best foot forward in his first start, but some shoddy play in the field by his teammates left him saddled with a no-decision against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Dominican allowed two runs on six hits in as many innings while striking out six - including slugger Jose Bautista on three occasions. Pineda pitched well in a pair of outings versus Baltimore last season, allowing one run on two hits in five innings of a no-decision on Aug. 13 before permitting just one hit over 7 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win on Sept. 22.
After the Orioles exercised a $4.75 million option on Chen at the conclusion of last season, the team didn't receive much bang for its buck in his first outing of 2015. Staked to four-run lead before even taking the mound, the 30-year-old Taiwan native saw his pitch count elevate rapidly and exited after yielding three runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings to take a no-decision versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Chen, who had a career-high 16 wins last season, has struggled mightily against New York - posting a 2-4 mark with a gaudy 5.44 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York, which opens a 10-game road trip on Monday, begins a stretch of playing 25 of its next 35 away from home.
2. Baltimore OF Travis Snider belted a three-run homer on Sunday to improve to 7-for-18 to start the season, but is 0-for-6 with three strikeouts in his career versus Pineda.
3. The Yankees have committed a majors-high 10 errors this season.