Must-win series shifts to the Bronx

The regular season is down to three games.

Three games against the Yankees in the Bronx. Three games in jeopardy because the forecast is calling for rain through the weekend.

Anyone interested in a Monday tripleheader?

The Orioles are 2-5 at Yankee Stadium this season and a combined 5-12 over the past two seasons. They haven't swept a three-game series in the Bronx since June 1986.

There's no real momentum in baseball because it's dictated by the next day's starting pitcher, but few people thought the Orioles could take two of three from the Blue Jays.

It happened.

Few people thought the teams would be tied for the top wild card, that the Orioles had anything left in the tank. The theory that this team quit needs to be stomped out like a camp fire. Enough of that idiocy.

I'll forgive anyone who doubted in March that Hyun Soo Kim and Ubaldo Jimenez would be two of the central figures in this playoff run. Kim needs to play every day. Jimenez needs to stay in the rotation. These are no-brainers.

Baseball is a ridiculously funny game.

The Orioles visited Yankee Stadium for Derek Jeter's final home game on Sept. 26, 2014 and they're back this weekend to close out Mark Teixeira's career. No word on whether Evan Meek will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Yovani Gallardo will throw in the bottom of the first inning, though both teams are excluding their starters from the game notes. It's the game within the game.

Left-hander Wade Miley is the confirmed starter on Saturday and Kevin Gausman is expected to go on Sunday if the weather allows it. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters in Toronto that Dylan Bundy could be available out of the bullpen.

Gallardo has allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of his last nine starts, but the exceptions have been brutal. The Yankees torched him for seven earned runs (eight total) in 1 1/3 innings on Aug. 26 in the Bronx, and the Rays tallied six runs over 3 1/3 innings on Sept. 15 at Camden Yards.

Gallardo also faced the Yankees on July 20 and allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings in a 5-0 loss in the Bronx. He's 1-3 with a 7.62 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in five career starts over 26 innings and 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA in three career starts at Yankee Stadium, with 13 earned runs (14 total) and 15 hits over 14 1/3 innings.

Starlin Castro is 16-for-45 with three doubles against Gallardo, Chase Headley is 10-for-26 with a home run, Jacoby Ellsbury is 6-for-16 with a double and triple, and Teixeira is 4-for-13 with three home runs.

Didi Gregorius is 1-for-14 and Billy Butler is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts.

The Orioles eliminated the Yankees from the wild card race last night and the teams are playing tonight. We said it wouldn't get weird.

Keep in mind that Yankees manager Joe Girardi would love to rain on Showalter's parade, no matter the forecast. He's going to treat this series like it's Game 7.

I'm hopping on a train this morning to New York and will be on MLB Network's "The Rundown" this afternoon. I'm bringing an umbrella and renewed confidence that the Orioles could host a wild card game.

Stay tuned.