Game 59: I Run This

The Yankees lost the first game they played against the Orioles this season by a score of 4-5. On that night in late April, the Yankees scored two in the top of the ninth and brought the winning run to the plate against Alfredo Simon, but came up just shy of a victory when A-Rod grounded out to shortstop to end the game, allowing the Birds to pick up just their fourth win in twenty tries.

The O's may have laughed first this season, but the Yanks have been laughing ever since. They Bombers have won all nine games the teams have played in the meantime by a combined score of 57-22.

In terms of pitching decisions, the biggest beneficiary of the Bombers beating on Baltimore has been CC Sabathia. The Big Fella has five victories on the season and three of them have come courtesy of the Birds. The decision in the game that followed the close loss detailed above went to Sabathia. CC's last two wins came exactly a month apart but they were both against the Orioles.

Since he became a Yankee Sabathia has started eight games against the O's and won seven of them, allowing well under a hit per inning, striking out more than twice as many as he's walked and pitching to an ERA of 2.88.

When the CC faced the O's a week ago he took the first step towards breaking out of a stretch of five starts during which the Yankees went 1-4 and he amassed an ERA of 6.28. CC wasn't spectacular, as he allowed homers to Adam Jones and Luke Scott, but he went seven innings and allowed three runs. Maybe one more go against the Orioles will be what it takes to leave his May struggles behind.

Tired of the basement placed in?
Take responsibility for your action in the race, then.
Instead of put cheer in our bone, paperhood promote,
negativity, and fear in our own neighborhood,
Since royalty breed to be (uh-huh),
And I puts small seed where small seed need to be,
I didn't make the laws, but they make sense to my ass,
While waitin' for the world end, won this,
Stunned his behind out the way of who reign,
I run this...

[Song Notes: I don't want to tempt fate with the tone of the preview but I didn't have much else to run with, and nobody does braggadocious rap lyrics quite like Slick Rick.]

-Lineups-

Yankees:

After leaving last night's game with soreness in his thumb, Brett Gardner will have the thumb x-rayed. He is replaced by Kevin Russo in left field tonight.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Francisco Cervelli C
Kevin Russo LF

LHP CC Sabathia

Orioles:

Julio Lugo 2B
Miguel Tejada 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Ty Wigginton 1B
Luke Scott LF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Garrett Atkins DH
Cesar Izturis SS

RHP Chris Tillman