Schlittler has been the story of the Yankees' first month and a half. He's allowed one earned run or fewer in four of his six starts, walked four batters across 133 faced, and just punched out into eight innings against Boston in his last outing. That is not a normal sample for a guy with this little big-league track record, and the Orioles' lineup — without Westburg, Mountcastle, Holliday, and Kjerstad — is exactly the kind of group he should bully.
Shane Baz finally got his first win in orange last week, going 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Astros. It was his best start of the year, but "best start of the year" with a 4.50 ERA still says plenty about the spring he's had since the extension. Baltimore needs the version of Baz they paid for, not the one who's been navigating traffic every other inning.
The Yankees being -308 favorites with Schlittler on the mound is not a typo, and 92% of DK tickets are piling onto New York anyway. The total moved from 8.5 at Pinnacle to 9 at DK, which tells you the public sees Baz as the soft spot and isn't worried about Schlittler giving anything back. Hard to argue with the read, even if the price is brutal.
Watch the Ben Rice situation before first pitch — he was pulled Sunday with a left hand contusion after a 2-for-2, homer-and-a-double afternoon. If he's out, the Yankees lose a hot bat against a pitcher they should be hunting. Otherwise, the script writes itself: Schlittler eats six or seven, the Bronx bullpen closes, and Baltimore flies home 1-3 on the trip.
- Day-To-DayBlaze Alexander (3B) — Alexander is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.05/08
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch (SP) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson (LF) — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayKeagan Gillies (P) — Gillies will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a quad injury, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.05/08
- 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.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJackson Holliday (2B) — The Orioles sent Holliday (hand) to Double-A Chesapeake on Thursday to resume a rehab assignment.05/08
- 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.05/08
- 15-Day-ILCade Povich (SP) — The Orioles placed Povich on the 15-day injured list Friday with left shoulder inflammation.05/08
- 15-Day-ILDean Kremer (SP) — Kremer (quadriceps) is expected to miss several weeks, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILTrevor Rogers (SP) — Rogers (illness) has rejoined the Orioles in Miami after doing some throwing at Camden Yards this past weekend, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILColin Selby (RP) — The Orioles placed Selby on the 60-day injured list Saturday due to right shoulder inflammation, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILZach Eflin (SP) — Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista (RP) — Bautista (shoulder) threw a baseball Tuesday for the first time since undergoing surgery last August, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILYaramil Hiraldo (RP) — Hiraldo is scheduled to meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday to receive a second opinion on his inflamed right shoulder, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.05/08
- 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.05/08
- Day-To-DayRyan Weathers (SP) — The Yankees placed Weathers on the paternity list Wednesday.05/08
- Day-To-DayBen Hess (SP) — Double-A Somerset placed Hess on its 7-day injured list April 18 due to an unspecified injury.05/08
- 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.05/08
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton (DH) — Stanton (calf) has not been cleared to resume running, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.05/08
- 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.05/08
- 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.05/08
- 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.05/08
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt (SP) — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.05/08
Orioles fans, if there's a silver lining, it's that the schedule eventually turns. Just not today.