Orioles-Yankees Preview
The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles will be glad to see improved weather after two frustrating rainouts.
The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, where the projected weather forecast for the Bronx is calling for no rain and temperatures in the 60s.
When the series finally starts, the Yankees will be excited to welcome center fielder Aaron Hicks back into the lineup. Hicks was slated to leadoff before the Monday game was postponed and was slotted as New York's third-place hitter before the Tuesday game was postponed about 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch.
Hicks is returning after missing more than two months with a strained back and playing in five minor league rehab games. He was injured on March 1 -- shortly after signing a $70 million, seven-year extension -- and needed two cortisone shots during his recovery.
The Yankees will hope to get the version of Hicks they saw last season. The switch hitter set career highs with 27 homers and 79 RBI while batting .248. He played in a career-high 137 games last season, but injuries have been a theme. Hicks has been on the injured list in each of his seven seasons, with 10 total stints on the injured list.
"I feel like he's one of the most underrated players in the game," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Monday. "So to get him back, we're obviously very excited."
Hicks is rejoining a team with 13 players on the IL. Despite the injuries, the Yankees are 18-7 in their past 25 games after clinching a series in Tampa Bay with a 7-1 win on Sunday.
The Orioles went 2-4 against the Yankees during their respectable 7-10 start to the season. At 14-26, Baltimore is two games better than it was through 40 games last season.
Chris Davis hit one of Baltimore's four homers Sunday in a 5-1 home win over the Los Angeles Angels, batting cleanup for the first time since Aug. 27. Davis is hitting .290 with five homers and 15 RBI since April 13 and was slated to bat seventh Tuesday.
"I hope he continues to swing the bat the way he's been the last couple of weeks," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters Monday afternoon. "I think his approach has been fantastic and I'm looking to see more good things."
J.A. Happ, who is coming off his best outing of the season, starts the opener for the Yankees.
Happ is 2/3 with a 4.36 ERA but on Thursday, he held the Seattle Mariners to one hit in five-plus innings of a 3-1 win.
The left-hander is 7-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 22 career appearances (21 starts) against the Orioles. Happ allowed three home runs in 8 1/3 combined innings in two starts against Baltimore on March 31 and April 6.
Domingo German, who leads the majors in wins, will start the nightcap for the Yankees on Wednesday. German is 7-1 with a 2.70 ERA this season. He has won a career-high four straight starts and last pitched Friday in Tampa Bay when he allowed three runs in five innings.
The right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA in three career appearances against Baltimore.
David Hess (1-4, 5.50) starts the opener for Baltimore and hopes Wednesday goes better than his last start against the Yankees. He allowed three homers in five innings of a 15-3 loss against the Yankees on April 7 in Baltimore.
Hess last pitched on May 7 and took a no-decision against Boston, allowing three runs on three hits in four innings.
Hess is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three career appearances against New York.
Andrew Cashner (4-1, 4.25) will start for Baltimore in the nightcap with a shot at surpassing win total from his 4-15 season in 2018.
After giving up six runs in four innings of the season opener in New York on March 28, he was won four straight decisions.
Cashner last pitched on May 8 and allowed one run in six innings during a no-decision against Boston.
The right-hander is 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA in eight career starts against the Yankees.
--Field Level Media
