So that was cool! The Orioles emerged from a grueling 10-game road trip with something like momentum, taking three of four from the AL-best Tampa Bay Rays on the road. The starting pitching was solid, the hitters clutch, and the defense frequently stepped up.
Now, they welcome the second-place Yankees to Camden Yards. The Yankees have a comfortable grip on a wild card spot, but they’re not without flaws. They’re really missing Aaron Judge, hovering around .500 since he fractured his rib in late May. They’re not hitting for average (.229 as a team), though they do hit for power. They didn’t do much to improve themselves at the trade deadline, making three main acquisitions, first baseman Luis Garcia Jr., outfielder Heliot Ramos, and calling up their #1 prospect George Lombard Jr. in place of the struggling Anthony Volpe at short. Lombard Jr. has been very good; the other two not so much.
Nonetheless, the Yankees’ pitching staff has been excellent, and that outlook could get even better with the return of Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.30 ERA), fresh off the IL after missing July and most of August with elbow inflammation.
It’s been a stop-and-start year for Rodón, who missed Opening Day after getting bone spurs removed from his left elbow back in October 2025, and didn’t debut ‘til late April. He pitched well when he did pitch this season, going 4-2 in nine starts with a 3.30 ERA, and 52 strikeouts over 46⅓ innings. But the elbow flared up again, and the Yankees put him on the 15-day IL on July 3 (retroactive to June 30). Rodón didn’t end up needing surgery, settling for a PRP injection instead, but the recovery dragged, and he ended up missing 41 games.
This will be his first start since June 28, so we might expect that the lefty could be on a pitch count limit in this game. Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O’Neill have both had success against him. Carlos Narváez has only faced Rodón six times, but he’s got three hits, including a homer.
The Orioles are countering with Shane Baz, who is pitching well overall, but getting unlucky somehow: to wit, the righty has a 3.52 ERA in his last seven games, but is also 0-4 in that stretch. Baz doesn’t have a win since June 12, in fact. Blame the lack of run support, mainly. His last start, however, in Minnesota, was sloppy, as he allowed five runs on nine hits in just three innings. Hopefully that was just a blip.
Orioles lineup
- Jackson Holliday 2B
- Pete Alonso DH
- Tyler O’Neil RF
- Coby Mayo 1B
- Gunnar Henderson SS
- Christian Encarnación-Strand 3B
- Leody Taveras CF
- Christian Franklin LF
- Carlos Narváez C
Yankees lineup
- Trent Grisham CF
- Ben Rice DH
- Heliot Ramos LF
- Luis García Jr 1B
- Spencer Jones RF
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2B
- George Lombard Jr. SS
- Ryan McMahon 3B
- Austin Wells C