O's game blog: Bruce Zimmermann faces the Yankees

The Orioles were behind 2-0 in the early innings and took a 4-2 lead. They were tied at 4-4 but then took a 5-4 lead. And then 6-4. And they won the series opener at Yankee Stadium by that 6-4 score in a strong start to a week-long American League East road trip to New York and Boston.

Ramón Urías hit a go-ahead homer off losing pitcher Gerrit Cole in the top of the sixth inning. It was No. 3 for Urías, who is 6-for-13 his past three games with a double and a homer, and who has hit two homers his last six games.

Trey Mancini went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and leads the Orioles with 15 multi-hit games. Mancini owns a season-long 17-game on-base streak, the fourth-longest active streak in the AL and tied for the eighth-longest active stretch in the major leagues.

In the month of May, Mancini is batting .382/.460/.474 (29-for-76) and ranks among AL leaders in on-base percentage (4th), hits (T-4th), and batting average (6th). For his career, Mancini owns a line of .286/.358/.460 with 40 extra-base hits (20-2Bs, 3B, 19 HRs), 60 runs scored, and 67 RBIs in 122 May games.

Robinson Chirinos has four RBIs his last four games and after producing just one in the previous 18 games.

The Orioles (18-25) have won four of their past five games and improved to 6-14 on the road and to 8-12 in games versus the AL East.

They are 4-7 against the Yankees, going 3-4 at home and 1-3 on the road.

The Orioles have a winning record since April 30:

* They went 6-14 (.300) the first 20 games.
* They are 12-11 (.522) the past 23 games.

The Orioles bullpen has pitched to a 2.69 ERA in 22 May games, the second-best mark in the majors this month, behind only the Houston Astros bullpen's 2.12 ERA. Orioles relievers have held opposing batters to a .223 average in May, the fifth-best in the big leagues this month. On the season, O's relievers boast a 3.08 ERA, the third-best in the majors.

O's lefty Bruce Zimmermann (2-2, 3.48 ERA) makes the start tonight, his ninth. The Orioles are 5-3 in his outings, and he has allowed two earned runs or fewer six times and made three quality starts. 

Zimmermann seems to often get off to a good start in his starts. Over the first three innings of his eight 2022 outings, his ERA is 1.13.

Lefty Jordan Montgomery (0-1, 3.35 ERA) gets the start for the Yankees. They are 2-6 in his games, and he allowed three runs over five innings last Thursday against the Orioles in Baltimore. In his first two starts of the year against the Orioles, he gave up two runs over 10 2/3 innings.

Yesterday, Orioles Athletic Trainer Brian Ebel was named to the Maryland Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame.