O's game blog: Orioles begin three-game series against the Yankees

The Orioles' homestand, which began with a four-game split against Toronto, continues tonight as the Orioles begin a three-game series with the American League East-leading New York Yankees.

The Orioles (38-73) beat the Blue Jays 6-5 on Sunday and won the last two games of that series despite being outhit 12-6 and 13-6 in those games. They are 7-5 over the past 12 games, 10-7 in 17 and 16-15 since June 28.

The Yankees (72-39) just complete a four-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox for the first time since Aug. 6-9, 2009. They lead the division by eight games over Tampa Bay and are a season-high 33 games over .500. New York is 31-12 since June 15 and a major league-best 49-23 since May 12.

Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa (1-6, 5.55 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles, and it will be his first since June 30. Ynoa has been throwing better lately. Over his past six games his ERA is 1.26 and his batting average against is .157. In 14 1/3 innings he has allowed eight hits and two earned runs, recording three walks and nine strikeouts.

Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (7-6, 4.78 ERA) gets the start for the Yankees. Two starts ago, on July 25, he gave up 12 runs over 3 1/3 innings against Boston. He has allowed four runs or more in four of his past six starts, registering a 10.59 ERA in that span. In this stretch opponent batters are hitting .322 with a .987 OPS against Tanaka. In nine road starts he is 1-4 with a 7.40 ERA. In two 2019 starts versus the Orioles, he has allowed two earned runs over 11 2/3 innings.

New York is 9-1-5 in its last 15 series and 22-3-6 in the last 31. The Yankees +133 run differential is fourth-best in the majors, behind the Dodgers (+172), Astros (+147) and Twins (+141). They are a majors-best 35-20 (.636) against clubs with records of .500 or better, with Houston next at 41-26, .612.

In the first series of the year the Orioles won two of three games at Yankee Stadium. Since then the O's have lost nine in a row to the Yankees this year. So they are 2-10 in the season series, and the last three matchups have resulted in New York sweeps of three, two and four games. The Yanks have won 12 consecutive games at Camden Yards since July 11, 2018.