The Orioles got out of the weekend losing two of three and watching the Yankees stack runs on basically anyone they ran out there. Reward for the effort: a Monday night date with Cam Schlittler, owner of a 1.51 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP through seven starts, including eight innings of one-earned-run ball his last time out against Boston. Shane Baz draws the short straw.
Baz isn't a lost cause — he flashed a new sinker for six strikeouts over 5.2 against Houston — but the underlying profile is rough. Lefties are hitting north of .370 against him, and the heater has been getting smoked. A Yankee lineup that just hung 11 on Sunday and runs lefty bats through Bellinger, Volpe, and (health permitting) Ben Rice is not the spot to nurse a fastball back to confidence.
Speaking of Rice: he exited Sunday's game with a left hand contusion after a Max Fried pickoff throw clipped him at the bag, but X-rays were negative and he's listed day-to-day. He had already homered (his 12th) and doubled before leaving. Rice currently leads the majors in OPS, so whether he's in the lineup is the single biggest swing factor for this game outside the pitching matchup.
- Day-To-DayBlaze Alexander 3B — Alexander is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch SP — no
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson LF — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayKeagan Gillies P — Gillies will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a quad injury, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- Day-To-DayLuis Vazquez SS — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Vazquez has been diagnosed with a broken right thumb, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJackson Holliday 2B — The Orioles sent Holliday (hand) to Double-A Chesapeake on Thursday to resume a rehab assignment.
- 10-Day-ILHeston Kjerstad LF — The Orioles announced Monday that Kjerstad (hamstring) will be re-evaluated soon to determine his readiness for a rehab assignment, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILCade Povich SP — The Orioles placed Povich on the 15-day injured list Friday with left shoulder inflammation.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRyan Weathers SP — The Yankees placed Weathers on the paternity list Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayBen Hess SP — Double-A Somerset placed Hess on its 7-day injured list April 18 due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Dominguez will miss "a few weeks" after an MRI revealed a low-grade AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton (calf) has not been cleared to resume running, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Chivilli (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly three weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGerrit Cole SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cole (elbow) is expected to need a "couple more" rehab starts before being activated from the 15-day injured list, David Lennon of Newsday reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodon SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Rodon (elbow) is likely on track to return from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Sunday in Milwaukee, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Baltimore's bigger picture is grim. Craig Albernaz — first-year manager, returned not long ago from a broken jaw and seven facial fractures after taking a liner in the dugout — went on record this weekend taking ownership of the slow start. The offseason splash of Alonso, Ward, Helsley, and Baz hasn't moved the needle, and the rotation is duct-taped together with Eflin, Kremer, and Rogers all on the shelf.
The market sees what you see: Yankees -271, total nine, no real edge in either direction once you account for the juice. The honest read is that this is a get-right spot for the home team unless Schlittler picks tonight to finally look mortal. Orioles backers are essentially betting that regression has to start somewhere — fine theory, tough night to plant the flag.