O's game blog: Jimmy Yacabonis faces Yankees

After completing a winless road trip by going 0-6 through Philadelphia and Minnesota, the Orioles return to Camden Yards today. They'll host the New York Yankees in today's single-admission doubleheader. It starts a four-game series and eight-game homestand leading into the All-Star break.

The Orioles (24-65) lost Sunday to Minnesota and were swept four straight in that series. That is the 10th time this year the Orioles have been swept in a three- or four-game series. They have lost six in a row, 13 of 14 and 24 of 29 games.

Entering the series with the Orioles, Minnesota had lost six in a row and 11 of 13 and was coming off a 1-8 road trip. They then beat the Orioles by scores of 3-2, 6-2, 5-4 and 10-1. The Orioles are 12-36 on the road.

The Yankees (58-29) have the second-best record both in the American League East and all of the majors. They trail Boston by two games. New York has won eight of 12, is 24-16 on the road and 3-3 versus the Orioles in 2018.

Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis (0-0, 8.53 ERA) today will make his fourth big league appearance of this year and his second as a starter. His first one was promising. It was against Seattle on June 28. Over four-plus innings, he allowed six hits and two runs with one walk and five strikeouts on 67 pitches.

A 13th-round pick out of St. Joseph's University in 2013, Yacabonis is being tried as a starter this season at Triple-A Norfolk. In 14 games, he's gone 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA. In his last game on Tuesday, he went four innings, allowing one hit and no runs on 67 pitches. In his last nine starts for Norfolk, he has been held to between 59 and 75 pitches.

After that start versus Seattle, Yacabonis said you have to take advantage of any chance you get at this level, no matter whether the big league team is 41 games under .500 or 20 games over.

"It doesn't matter if we're winning games or losing games, whenever they give you the ball ... to come up here and they give you the opportunity, you've got to take advantage of those chances, those opportunities," he said. "Obviously, we want to win ballgames. That's why we're here. That's our job. Either way, I just see every time they give me the ball as an opportunity to try and have success."

Left-hander CC Sabathia (6-3, 3.02 ERA) gets the Game 1 start for New York making his 17th start. After pitching to an ERA of 5.92 in May, Sabathia is 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA over his last six starts. In six road starts, the 37-year-old Sabathia is 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA.

This would be his third straight season with a sub-4.00 ERA after recording at least a 4.50 ERA in all three seasons from 2013-15. Sabathia leads active major league pitchers in career strikeouts (2,917), complete games (38) and quality starts (309). He ranks second in wins (243), innings pitched (3,406 1/3) and starts (525).

He has been outstanding at the start of his starts. He has an ERA of 2.25 in the first and second innings and 1.69 in the third. Lefties bat .185 and right-handers hit .264 against him. Sabathia has made 42 career starts against Baltimore, going 19-10 with a 3.61 ERA. In 25 career starts at Oriole Park, he is 11-7 with an ERA of 3.58.

He is one of four players currently on a 40-man roster who were active in 2001, along with Adrián Beltré, Bartolo Colon and Albert Pujols. Sabathia has recorded wins against 29 major league teams, but has not defeated the Miami Marlins.