Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will take the mound Tuesday in the Bronx for the 1st game of a 3-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. The Bombers arrive as the odds-on favorite to grab a win within the AL East Division, but Cole’s luck of late hasn’t been filled with run support as he has been left with a no-decision from 5 of his last 6 starts.
Baltimore Orioles @ NY Yankees ~ Tuesday, May 23, 7:05 p.m.
Yankees ML -170 ; Orioles ML +140
Game Total Over/Under 8
Probable Starting Pitchers: Kyle Bradish vs Gerrit Cole
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If you have taken the time to read my weekly Mets and Yankees Preview, you are aware of the fact that the Yankees had quite a week last week. With 3 wins from a 4-game set against Toronto to start last week, the Bombers finished off with a sweep of the Reds over the weekend.
Brought out the brooms.
Presented by @Delta #DeltaCleanSweep pic.twitter.com/GFNdz75X9P
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 21, 2023
Gerrit Cole’s last start came in Game 3 of the Blue Jays series on May 17, and he simply didn’t get a lick of run support as the Jays found the W, 3 – 0. After opening up the 2023 campaign with four straight wins, Cole has been left with a no-decision over 5 of his last 6 starts, but he is still carrying an unblemished 5 – 0 record into Tuesday’s game.
No one can blame Cole for that loss since he pitched 7 solid innings without giving up a single run, as the bullpen was the cause for the loss in a 0 – 0, 9-inning game that needed 10 innings to give the Jays the win.
The Yankees are, however, 8 – 2 over Cole’s 10 starts, and that is one reason why the Yanks have a heavy juice flow on the Moneyline at -170. Another reason for the big chalk is the way the Yankees are playing at the moment, and a big 6 – 1 week surely has the line setters’ attention.
The Yankees’ closing situation is one that I find extremely odd now that Aroldis Chapman is pitching with the Kansas City Royals. Aaron Boons has 7 different relievers pick up a save this year, by far the most in baseball since most teams give that job to one player and not a committee.
One big concern I have right now is the injury report which is mounting up on the daily. The Yankees have 8 pitchers on the IL at the moment and none of them are due back before mid-June. Meanwhile, Domingo German was caught with a substance on his throwing hand in his last start so he picked up a 10-game suspension that will keep him off the field until May 28.
Amazingly, all five teams in the AL East Division are carrying winning records into this week, and no one seems to be talking about what the Orioles have done thus far. If the Rays weren’t playing as ridiculous as they have been playing to start the season, the chatter would be about the 31 – 16 Orioles.
"I don’t think we’re trying to make any sort of a statement."
The Orioles might have anyways with their first three-game sweep in Toronto since 2005. https://t.co/NMfzcK9Efv
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) May 22, 2023
While the Yanks dismantled the Blue Jays to start last week, the Orioles pounded out 3 wins over Toronto over the weekend. For the first time since 2005, Baltimore swept the Jays off the field, and that gives both of these teams momentum coming into this series to start this week.
Kyle Bradish is putting up a stellar sophomore campaign after 2022 didn’t exactly work out too well. Bradish only won 4 of his 23 starts a season ago, and the 4.90 ERA has been reduced by a full run through his first seven starts of 2023. Now at 3.90, Bradish is coming off an impressive start against the Angels in which he only gave up 1 earned run in a 3 – 1 win.
The Orioles are 5 – 2 when Bradish starts, and to be honest, I have a bit more confidence in the Orioles at +140 than anything near all of that juice with the Yanks. Even with Cole on the bump, the Yankees offense falls asleep at the wheel and the bottom of the order is simply not getting anything done. Bradish will certainly be aware that Aaron Judge is on the verge of another MLP campaign and Anthony Rizzo is coming up with some big hits to lift the Yanks.
As long as Bradish understands who he needs to avoid and where the outs can be found, I like the Orioles to pull off the mild upset for Game 1 of this series in the Boogie Down. I am not just one of those people who loves the Yanks and can’t see past it because I will fade them any damn time I feel the need to do so.
Tuesday Orioles vs Yankees Best Bet
I am not convinced that the Yankees are going to roll over the Orioles because Cole has been getting zero run support from the Yanks offense. Kyle Bradish should know how to navigate this lineup despite not having a wealth of history to rely on, so I suggest you fade the Yanks and grab that lovely priced +140 on the Birds on Tuesday!
Baltimore Orioles ML +140 (2U)Â
I will track my results going forward as each day’s game concludes, so good luck on the diamond tonight, and think dog, baby! 2 Units will be my normal bet around here ($100/1U).
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