Orioles-Yankees series preview: The O’s face another AL East heavyweight

After a grueling 11-day, 10-game road trip, the Orioles finally return to Camden Yards for the first time since Aug. 6. And this time, they’re coming in with some swagger.

The Orioles just went toe-to-toe with the best team in the American League, taking three out of four from the Rays in a hard-fought series that had a postseason feel. So now, facing the second-best team in the AL, the Yankees, doesn’t seem like such an intimidating challenge for the O’s.

The Yanks are comfortably headed to the postseason, currently 8.5 games ahead for the first AL wild card spot, but they’re a team with some flaws, particularly since Aaron Judge went down with a fractured rib at the end of May. The Yankees have essentially been a .500 team (33-32) during Judge’s absence after going 36-23 before his injury. Judge just started playing catch last week and isn’t particularly close to a return. Also on the shelf is Cody Bellinger with a left hamstring strain. He’ll start a rehab assignment this week but won’t appear in this series.

The Yankees have an offense that is extremely reliant on the long ball. They can’t hit for average (an AL-worst .229) and can’t get on base (.308 OBP, second-worst) but they sure can hit some dingers, even without Judge. The Yankees’ 171 homers are second-most in the majors, and they’ve got nine players in double digits, led by All-Star Ben Rice’s 33 blasts. Keeping the Yankees in the ballpark will be the key for O’s pitchers to neutralize their offense.

The Yanks’ attempts to bolster their lineup at the trade deadline haven’t panned out as yet. Luis Garcia Jr., acquired from the Nationals, has a .664 OPS in 11 games. Former Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos has been terrible, going just 3-for-36 as a Yankee so far. But one new face has been a big hit: #1 prospect George Lombard Jr., called up on Aug. 4, has stabilized the shortstop position after replacing the struggling Anthony Volpe.

What’s made the Yankees successful is their stellar pitching staff, which has a 3.26 ERA that leads the majors by a wide margin. Second-year righty Cam Schlittler is an AL Cy Young favorite who currently leads the league in ERA (2.19), IP (152.0), and WAR (5.1) and is rocking an 11.2 K/9 rate. Fortunately, the Orioles won’t face him in this series. The bullpen has also been stout, with journeymen Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn emerging as top late-inning options ahead of quality closer David Bednar, who is 27-for-30 in save opportunities.

The Yankees are a good team. But the Orioles proved in Tampa that they’re capable of shifting their game into another gear against even the best opponents. If the O’s can bring that momentum back home to Baltimore, this could be a heck of a series. But if the Birds revert to their old ways, well, things could get ugly fast.

Game 1: Tuesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

LHP Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.30) vs. RHP Shane Baz (4-12, 4.00)

Rodón, fresh off the IL after a bout of elbow inflammation, will be making his first start since June 28. That was after he’d already missed all of April while recovering from offseason elbow surgery. In his nine starts between his injuries, Rodón struggled with his control, issuing 26 walks in 46.1 innings. He could be on a pitch count limit in this game. Gunnar Henderson, who’s been swinging the bat much better of late, has had some success in his career against Rodón, homering twice. Pete Alonso, Tyler O’Neill, and Carlos Narváez have each homered once.

Shane Baz, despite pitching decently overall, has been something of a bad-luck charm for the Orioles. The O’s have a 6-18 record in his starts and have lost nine of the last 10, and Baz himself doesn’t have a win since June 12. In many cases that’s been due to a criminal lack of run support from the O’s offense; Baz has thrown six quality starts in that span without a victory to show for it. In his most recent start, though, Baz only had himself to blame, coughing up a 4-1 lead in Minnesota and exiting after a season-low three innings. Baz’s previous start against the Yankees this year was one of his worst; he surrendered six runs in 5.2 innings on May 4 in the finale of the Yanks’ four-game sweep in the Bronx.

Game 2: Wednesday, 6:35 PM, MASN, MLB Network (out of market)

TBD vs. RHP Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.11)

Bassitt’s return to the Orioles last Friday, after more than two months on the IL, went pretty well. He held the Rays in check for two runs in 5.1 innings. The trade of Dean Kremer gives Bassitt plenty of leeway to hold onto the fifth starter’s spot for a while, even if his overall 2026 performance has been less than impressive. The 37-year-old is very familiar with some of the veterans in the Yankee lineup. He’s been particularly successful in his career against Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3-for-17 with seven strikeouts) and Austin Wells (3-for-13). He’s also held Trent Grisham to a 3-for-19 performance, though two of the hits were homers.

The Orioles were originally scheduled to face Max Fried in this game, but the Yankees placed him on the 15-day injured list yesterday with a bone bruise in his elbow. It’s the same injury that Fried suffered in a game against the Orioles in May, sidelining him for two months. The Yanks have yet to announce a replacement starter, but it could be righty Will Warren, who would be working on six days’ rest.

Game 3: Thursday, 6:35 PM, MASN

RHP Gerrit Cole (6-6, 3.22) vs. RHP Kyle Bradish (7-11, 3.65)

For the first time in two years, the Orioles will have to deal with Gerrit Cole, who owns a career 7-3 record and 2.39 ERA against the Birds. Of course, only two players remain from the last O’s starting lineup that faced Cole in September 2024 (Henderson and Colton Cowser), so this will be a bit of a different look for him.

Cole, after undergoing Tommy John (R.I.P.) surgery and missing the entire 2025 season, has returned to his ace-like self since debuting on May 22 this year. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his last eight outings, throwing six quality starts in that span. His underlying stats — a 1.085 WHIP and 9.6 K/9, among others — are about on par with what they were in 2024, which aren’t quite at the standard of his Cy Young 2023 season but still make him a pretty tough customer.

Bradish, in five appearances since signing his five-year, $90 million extension, has had three quality starts, including a gutty effort against the Rays on Saturday in which he battled for six innings despite not having his best stuff. He’s made two starts against the Yankees this year with wildly different results. On May 2 they torched him for five runs in four innings at Yankee Stadium, including a Grisham homer. But Bradish came back two starts later in Baltimore and dominated the Yanks for six shutout innings.

How do you expect this series to play out, Camden Chatters? Let us know in the comments.