O's game blog: Lyles against Cole in Game 3

After a more lackluster loss on Monday by 6-2, the Orioles lost 5-4 to the New York Yankees Tuesday night in a game where they had the winning run on second base against closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth. They had scored once and were in position to pull off a walk-off victory, but Chapman got Cedric Mullins on a popout to preserve the win.

Tonight the clubs play the third game of this four-game series with right-hander Jordan Lyles (2-3, 4.38 ERA) making his eighth start and facing right-hander Gerrit Cole (3-0, 2.95 ERA).

New York (27-9) has the best record in the majors and leads the American League East by 5 1/2 games over Tampa Bay. New York’s record is three games better than the team with the No. 2 record in the big leagues, which is the Los Angeles Dodgers at 24-12. The Yankees have won eight of nine and 20 of 23 games, going 13-5 in road games and 14-6 within the AL East.

New York's 27-9 start matches the best 36-game start by any team in the majors in the last 38 years, since 1985. They join the 2016 Cubs (Won WS), 2005 White Sox (Won WS), 2001 Mariners (Lost ALDS), 2002 Red Sox (second in AL East) and 1998 Yankees (Won WS). And this matches the third-best 36-game start in the bigs in the last 75 years, trailing only the 1984 Tigers (31-5) and 1977 Dodgers (28-8).

The Orioles (14-23) have lost five in a row and six of seven. They are now 9-9 at home, 8-9 in the past 17 games and 11-15 over 26 games since April 20. They are now 5-6 on the year in both one-run and two-run games. They are 4-10 versus the AL East, going 4-4 at home and 0-6 on the road.

The Orioles are the only team to win a series against the Yankees this season, as New York is 9-1-1. But the O’s will now need to win the next two nights just to split this one. They have lost five straight games to the Yankees since winning that earlier series, two games to one, April 15-17 in Baltimore.

O’s pitching has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) and 22 hits in 18 innings in this series. After going through a recent stretch when their starting pitchers recorded four straight quality starts, the Baltimore staff has a rotation ERA of 6.60 over the past seven games, with one quality start.

Lyles will make his third start against New York tonight, and he is 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in the first two, allowing 13 hits and seven runs in 10 innings. He is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA and 1.339 WHIP in four career games against them.

Lyles has allowed two earned runs or fewer four times on the season and has two quality starts, but gave up four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings on Friday night at Detroit. He threw 91 pitches, and of the six times this season an O’s starter has thrown 90 or more pitches, Lyles has been on the mound for five of them.

Lefty batters are hitting .295 with a .977 OPS against Lyles, and right-handers are batting .294/.717. He is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three home starts, allowing four earned runs over 18 2/3 innings. And he has not allowed a home run at Oriole Park this year. Lyles had a 1.9 homer rate in 2020 and 2021 that is down to 1.2 this season.

Right-hander Gerrit Cole (3-0, 2.95 ERA) will start opposite Lyles. For the year, he has thrown 36 2/3 innings, allowing 29 hits with 12 walks and 46 strikeouts. Cole has a 1.118 WHIP with a 2.9 walk rate and 11.3 K rate.

He has thrown four consecutive quality starts, going 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in this span with five walks and 34 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. The Yankees are 6-1 in his 2022 outings.

Cole has never won a Cy Young Award, but he finished fifth in the voting in 2018, second in 2019 and 2021, and fourth in 2020. Since that 2018 season, over 114 starts, he is 61-21 with a 2.85 ERA, 12.6 K rate and 0.995 WHIP.

He has not started against the Orioles this year. But he is 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA in seven career games. Over 44 2/3 innings he has walked seven and fanned 44 Baltimore batters.   

The Orioles are tied for 12th in the majors with nine Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) after ranking 24th with -30 DRS in 2021, per Sports Info Solutions. Baltimore is tied for fifth in the big leagues with three DRS from shortstops after ranking tied for 26th in 2021 with -15 DRS. And Jorge Mateo is tied for second among major league shortstops with four DRS this season.