The New York Yankees are one victory away from securing the American League East division as they begin the final series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
Back in The Bronx to wrap up the season this week, the Yankees are coming off a successful trip to the West Coast that included a series win over the Seattle Mariners and a sweep over the Oakland Athletics.
Holding a six-game lead over the Orioles for the division, the Yankees need to win just one game before the season ends in order to wrap up the division.
The Yankees are 8-2 in their last 10 games and 18-12 in their last 30 games. Meanwhile, the Orioles have been in a rut, going 3-7 in their last 10 and 13-17 in their last 30.
The Orioles currently lead the season series 6-4. Now, it’s time to check out the probable pitchers for this crucial series.
Yankees probable pitchers
Getting things started for the Yankees on Monday night will be Clarke Schmidt, who will make his fourth start since returning from the injured list this month. The 28-year-old has a 1.76 ERA in his last three starts since coming off the injured list.
He’ll be going against Dean Kramer, who has a 4.19 ERA this season and a 3.12 ERA over his last seven starts. He’s 1-0 against the Yankees in two starts this season and went 4.2 innings in a no-decision the last time he faced them.
For the second game of the series on Wednesday night, southpaw Nestor Cortes will get the ball. He’s 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA this season and has a 2.90 ERA over his last seven starts. He’s gone six innings in each of his two starts against the Orioles this season.
Meanwhile, Cortes will go up against deadline-acquisition Zach Eflin, who has a 2.01 ERA over his last seven starts since joining the Orioles. Eflin is 0-2 in three starts against the Yankees this season.
Rounding out the series will be a battle of aces on Thursday night headlined by the reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who is coming off his best start of the season after tossing 9.0 innings of one-run ball in a win over the Athletics last week.
Cole has a 2.55 ERA over his last seven starts and tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball against the Orioles during his last start against them in July. He takes on Corbin Burnes, who has shaken off a rough month of August to dominate September with a 1.20 ERA over his last five starts.
