O's game blog: O's host Yankees in series opener

After wins by 3-2 in 11 innings and 3-1 over Toronto to start the season, the Orioles (2-0) host the New York Yankees (1-2) tonight. It is the opener of a three-game set to begin the second series of the year.

The Yankees began the year on Sunday, losing 7-3 at Tampa Bay. They rebounded to win 5-0 in the second game, but lost the series finale 4-1 on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

In that series, Yankees starters pitched a combined 11 1/3 innings, allowing 19 hits and 11 runs. The Yankees bullpen pitched 13 2/3 scoreless innings with four walks, 17 strikeouts and a .146 batting average against.

On the mound tonight, right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (8-12, 5.44 ERA in 2016) pitches for the Orioles versus right-hander Luis Severino (3-8, 5.83 ERA in 2016).

Jiménez is beginning his fourth season with the Orioles. He's gone 26-31 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.466 WHIP. He posted an ERA of 3.66 in six seasons with Colorado and 4.45 in three seasons in Cleveland.

The Orioles went 9-13 in his starts in 2014, 18-14 the next season and 13-12 last year. That adds up to a record of 40-39 in his 79 career Baltimore starts.

Jiménez did not face the Yankees at all last season. In 11 career games, all starts, versus the Yankees, he is 4-5 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.672 WHIP.

The 23-year-old Severino is a native of the Dominican Republic, as is Jiménez. Severino went 2-4 with a 5.52 ERA in road games last season. He went 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 15 games in the second half.

He had outstanding stats last season for New York in 11 relief appearance, but terrible stats in his 11 starts. Out of the 'pen, he was 3-0 with an ERA of 0.39 and .105 average against. When pitching as a starter, he was 0-8 with an ERA of 8.50, allowing 11 homers and a .337 batting average in 47 2/3 innings. The Yankees went 2-9 in his starts.

In four games (two starts) in 2016 against Baltimore, he was 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA.

In the Yankees' three games against the Rays, Chase Headley went 7-for-11 (.636) with a homer and two RBIs. Jacoby Ellsbury went 5-for-11 (.455). Greg Bird was 1-for-12 (.083), Matt Holiday went 2-for-11 (.182) and Gary Sánchez was 1-for-14 (.071). The Yankees scored nine runs in that series and their pitching staff recorded a 3.96 team ERA with eight walks and 28 strikeouts.

Sánchez took the major leagues by storm last year when he hit 20 homers and drove in 42 runs in just 53 games with the Yankees. But here is an interesting comparison of two players and their career minor league stats.

Sanchez: .275/.339/.460 with .799 OPS in 2441 at-bats
Trey Mancini: .306/.357/.472/ with .829 OPS in 1878 at-bats