New York has dropped 4 straight — swept in Milwaukee, then dropped the opener here 3-2 on Monday despite Coby Mayo (a .158 hitter coming in) clubbing a 3-run shot off Brent Headrick in the 7th. Ryan Weathers carried a no-hit bid into that 7th inning for Baltimore. Aaron Boone's read on it all: "We're really good. We had a bad series." The standings still say 26-16, but the vibes do not.
Will Warren has been one of the steadier stories in the Yankees rotation while Gerrit Cole rehabs in Double-A Somerset and Clarke Schmidt sits on the 60-day. 4-1 with a 3.46 ERA is exactly the kind of stabilizer this team needs right now, especially with the offense suddenly losing 4-3 games on repeat.
For Baltimore, this is Trevor Rogers' first start back from the IL after a bout with the flu knocked him out since late April. The Orioles activated him off the 15-day Tuesday — no rehab assignment, just a bullpen on Saturday and straight back into a divisional start against the Yankees. Asking a guy with a 4.75 ERA to walk into that cold is a choice, but the rotation behind Rogers (Kremer on the IL, Povich on the IL, Eflin had Tommy John) doesn't leave Craig Albernaz a lot of options.
- Day-To-DayJose Caballero SS — Caballero is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest in Baltimore.
- 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-DayBen Hess SP — Double-A Somerset placed Hess on its 7-day injured list April 18 due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Stanton will undergo tests on his injured right calf in hopes of being cleared to ramp up his running this week, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 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.
- 15-Day-ILGerrit Cole SP — Cole (elbow) completed five innings in his rehab start with Double-A Somerset on Sunday, allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters.
- 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.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
- Day-To-DaySamuel Basallo C — Manager Craig Albernaz stated after Monday's win over the Yankees that Basallo (knee) is fine, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 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 — Holliday (hand) will play at third base in a rehab game with Double-A Chesapeake on Sunday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILDean Kremer SP — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Kremer (quadriceps) has begun a throwing program, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — The Orioles announced Monday that Helsley (elbow) hasn't been cleared to start a throwing program, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
The Orioles' injury list reads like a depth chart someone fed to a shredder — Jackson Holliday rehabbing at Double-A Chesapeake, Jordan Westburg out long-term with the elbow, Felix Bautista, Ryan Helsley, Heston Kjerstad, all on the shelf. That 19-23 record makes a lot more sense in that context, and the fact that they've still taken 2 of the last 3 (including Monday's win) is genuinely impressive.
The market still likes New York — Pinnacle has the Yankees -133 on the moneyline, the run line at -1.5 (+116), and the total sitting at 8.5. DraftKings has the public piling on the Yankees side (84% of bets on the spread, 79% of handle on the ML) but the EV grades are negative across the board. The most palatable number on the board, by a hair, is Baltimore +1.5.
Bottom line: Warren vs. a rusty Rogers is the kind of matchup the Yankees should win on paper. But this is the same Yankees team that just got walked off twice in Milwaukee and shut down for 6 innings by Ryan Weathers. If they don't take this one, the conversation gets a lot louder.