O's game blog: Looking for another win in the series opener

After a three-game sweep by a combined 18-5 score at Boston, the Orioles begin a three-game series in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium tonight. New York has begun the year 1-2. They lost 3-2 in 10 innings to Toronto in their opener. They won their second game 5-3 on Saturday and lost to the Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday.

So New York scored just eight runs in that opening series. The top four in tonight's batting order - DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton - are a combined 7-for-45 (.156) with no homers and two RBIs to begin the season. The No. 3 and No. 4 batters - Hicks and Stanton - are a combined 1-for-20.

The Yankees, as a team, hit .218/.313/.307/.620 in the opening series, ranking 11th in the American League in batting average, 10th in OBP, and 13th in slugging and OPS. They are 4-for-24 with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles are batting .304/.363/.384/.747 after their series at Fenway Park. They rank third in the AL in batting average, fifth in on-base, ninth in slugging and sixth in team OPS. They rank third in the league in batting average with runners in scoring position at .325 (13-for-40).

The Orioles' plus-13 run differential is second in the majors to Houston at plus-26.

Both the Yankees (1-2) and Orioles (3-0) pitched well to start the year. New York gave up nine runs and ranks sixth in the majors in team ERA at 2.25. The O's allowed five and rank third at 1.67, behind only Minnesota (0.77) and Philadelphia (0.96).

The Yankees allowed only three runs in each of their first three games of a season for the 16th time in franchise history and first since 2001. They recorded at least 10 strikeouts in each of their first two games for the fourth time in franchise history (first three to begin 2016 and 2003). Yankees relievers have allowed only two runs (one earned) and struck out 14 batters in 15 2/3 innings The bullpen ERA of 0.57 is the third-lowest 'pen ERA in the majors behind the Orioles (0.00 in 9 2/3 innings) and Philadelphia (0.00 in 7 1/3 innings). The Yankees' 0.51 WHIP is lowest among major league bullpens. The Orioles are sixth at 0.86.

Batting .692 (9-for-13), O's center fielder Cedric Mullins is the major league batting leader at this early point. More notes on Mullins and his red-hot start:

* His nine hits are currently tied for the major league lead.

* The nine hits set an Orioles record for the most in the club's first three games of a season (previous record was eight, done three other times).

* He has recorded a multi-hit game in each of the first three games, including setting a career-high with five hits Sunday.

* Mullins became the first player in O's history to record four hits in the first four innings of a game on Sunday against Boston, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Mullins became the first player in club history to record three doubles and five total hits in the same game.

* It was the 11th time in club history in which the leadoff batter collected five hits and first since Hanser Alberto on Aug. 30, 2019. It was the fourth time in O's history in which the leadoff batter reached base safely six different times. The others to do that are Brady Anderson (July 6, 1992), Bob Boyd (June 29, 1958) and Cal Abrams (June 23, 1954).

On the mound tonight, right-hander Jorge López makes his O's season debut. In nine games (six starts) in 2020, he went 2-2 with a 6.34 ERA after the club claimed him on waivers from Kansas City on Aug. 9. He was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Sept. 4 against New York. Over five innings, he allowed three hits (New York went 3-for-19) and three runs (no earned runs) with one walk and two strikeouts on 88 pitches. In three career games, he is 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.538 WHIP against the Yankees.

Lefty Jordan Montgomery, who went 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 2020, will start for the home team. They went 5-5 in his starts last season. He got a no-decision on Sept. 12 versus the Orioles, allowing three hits and one run (it was unearned) over 5 2/3 innings. In seven career games (all starts), he is 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA against Baltimore with 43 strikeouts to 11 walks in 37 innings.

The Orioles went 3-7 against New York last year, which included an 0-4 mark at Yankee Stadium. When the Orioles beat the Yankees on Sept. 4 in that game López started, they ended a 19-game losing streak in this series. They are 3-23 against New York since April 4, 2019.