It’s CC Sabathia’s birthday, so a win would be fun for him, though he faces a tough foe in Chris Tillman, easily the best starter on the O’s staff with a 3.29 ERA (75 ERA-).
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Yankees LHP CC Sabathia (5-7) starts on his 36th birthday Thursday to close out the four-game series.
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 20: Brett Gardner #11 of the New York Yankees hits a sacrifice fly and drives in a run against the Baltimore Orioles during their game at Yankee Stadium on July 20, 2016 in New York City.
During a four-game streak that has seen the Yankees (48-46) knock Baltimore from first place and match a season high by getting two games above.500, NY has received sharp performances from Masahiro Tanaka, Ivan Nova, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda. Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira combined to go hitless in 11 at-bats.
He also is 6-0 against teams from the AL East after allowing one run and four hits in seven dominant innings during Saturday’s 2-1 win at Tampa Bay. Following a strikeout of Nolan Reimold, both runners scored on Schoop’s double to right to make it a 4-1 game. Baltimore announced RHP Vance Worley will start Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. He also stumbled and fell on the mound while trying to throw a pitch in the sixth, with the ball skittering onto the grass and resulting in a balk. I really do. I just have no confidence in them doing the smart thing and selling at the deadline if they continue this little hot streak. 500 was April 12 when they were 4-2.
“I think you have to look at, you took three of four against a good Baltimore team, and you have to move on”, Joe Girardi said. “San Francisco’s going to be no easy task”. You can’t have a letdown because you lost today. “It’s good that we had a four-day break before that, but obviously nobody wants to be sick, and when you have to really do a physical job every day it makes it that much harder”. “It would have been great to get the sweep, but to win three out of four is still big”.
Still, the Yankees can be pleased with themselves in taking the four-game series from the Orioles.
The Orioles were without center fielder Adam Jones (back spasms), catcher Matt Wieters (sprained right foot) and outfielder Joey Rickard (sprained right thumb), while first baseman Chris Davis and third baseman Manny Machado were playing their first games back after being ill. I’m going to list two season statistics and you are going to guess whether they are Tillman’s or preseason American League Cy Young front runner, Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.
The last Orioles pitcher to permit one or fewer runs while going at least seven innings for so long was Jim Palmer, who did it in six straight starts in 1978. Sabathia gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out two on the day.
Brad Brach worked a scoreless eighth and Zach Britton a flawless ninth for his 30th save.
“If Dellin was available for us, maybe Dellin comes in in that situation”, Girardi said.
Yankees: 3B Chase Headley didn’t start for the second straight game with an excused absence to be with his ailing child.
Turner hit his 16th and 17th home runs, a two-run shot off Strasburg in the first and a three-run shot off the right-hander in the third, to set a career high.
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Since June 22, he is 0-3 with a 7.94 ERA and during those starts he has allowed 39 hits and walked 10 in 28 1/3 innings.
