The American League East is the most difficult in baseball right now, as the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in last place despite a record of 25-23, which would have them in a tie with Minnesota for the lead if they were in the AL Central. The two hottest teams in the East, the Baltimore Orioles (31-16, 7-3 in their last ten) and the New York Yankees (29-20, 8-2 in their last ten) meet in The Bronx for three games starting on Tuesday night. Let’s break down each matchup as you consider your MLB betting for the week.
MLB Series Spotlight: Baltimore Orioles at N.Y. Yankees (May 23-25) | MLB Lines
Kyle Bradish (2-1, 3.90 ERA) (BAL) vs Gerrit Cole (5-0, 2.01 ERA) (NY)
When: Tuesday, May 23, 7:05 pm ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Kyle Bradish started the season in long relief but joined the starting rotation on April 19, making six starts. His first was extremely shaky, as he got shelled for seven runs on eight hits in just 2 ⅓ innings against Boston, but since then, he’s gotten progressively stronger. His last two starts, against Pittsburgh and the Angels, lasted a combined 12 ⅔ innings and saw the opposition score just two runs (one earned) on seven hits, while he struck out 11 but issued just a single walk.
Bradish drew Yankees ace Gerrit Cole as his counterpart for the series opener. Cole has only allowed more than two earned runs in a start once this season, and that came in Tampa Bay on May 7. He has blanked his opponents four times this season, including a six-inning gem in Toronto on Wednesday in which he scattered seven hits and a pair of walks while striking out six. Unfortunately, the Yankees’ offense couldn’t score at all, and the Blue Jays won, 3-0, in ten innings. I don’t see the Yankees hanging Cole out to dry again, as they have won 8 of the 10 games Cole has started this season. Yankees to win.
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Tyler Wells (3-1, 2.94 ERA) (BAL) vs Nestor Cortes (4-2, 5.21 ERA) (NY)
When: Wednesday, May 24, 7:05 pm ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Live Stream: ESPN+
Tyler Wells either shuts opponents out or gives up home runs – there hasn’t been an outing this year in which he permitted any scoring without giving up a long ball. He struggled on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits (including two dingers) over five innings in a loss to the Angels, but the start before that saw him throw seven innings of no-hit ball against Pittsburgh, striking out while walking just two.
Nestor Cortes has permitted at least three earned runs in four of his last six starts, including a six-run, seven-hit outing that lasted just 4 ⅓ innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. Luckily, the offense bailed him out of the decision with a 9-8 win. He looked more effective in Toronto on Thursday, permitting two runs on five hits, including a home run, striking out six and walking just one. I don’t see him outdueling Wells, though. Orioles to win.
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Kyle Gibson (5-3, 4.27 ERA) (BAL) vs Clarke Schmidt (2-4, 6.00 ERA) (NY)
When: Thursday, May 25, 7:05 pm ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Kyle Gibson keeps alternating between decent outings and poor ones; two starts ago, he gave up four runs on seven hits over five innings of a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Friday, though, he held the Blue Jays to a run on five hits over seven innings of a 6-2 win. If you follow the trend, the Yankees should be able to get to him on Thursday.
Clarke Schmidt has calmed things down after giving up 14 runs combined in his first four starts of 2023 without finishing five innings once. He did get hit hard by Tampa Bay last Sunday, giving up seven earned runs on six hits, but he followed that by holding the Reds to a pair of runs on five hits over five innings. With the bats the Orioles have, this should be a high-scoring game. Yankees to win, take the over.
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