Opposite dugout: Yankees benefiting from resurgent offense, lockdown bullpen

Manager: Joe Girardi (8th season)

Record: 17-11

Last 10 games: 7-3

Who to watch: CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.355/.427/.409 with 11 SB), LF Brett Gardner (.309/.444/.404 with 13 RBIs, 8 SB), 1B Mark Teixeira (10 HR, 23 RBIs), DH Alex Rodriguez (6 HR, 16 RBIs), RHP Dellin Betances (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV, 26 Ks in 15 1/3 IP), LHP Andrew Miller (0.00 ERA, 11 SV, 23 Ks in 13 2/3 IP), RHP Michael Pineda (4-0, 2.97 ERA, 38 Ks in 37 1/3 IP)

Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2

Pitching probables:

May 7: RHP Chris Tillman vs. RHP Nate Eovaldi, 7:05 p.m., MASN
May 8: RHP Miguel Gonzalez vs. RHP Adam Warren, 7:05 p.m., MASN
May 9: LHP Wei-Yin Chen vs. RHP Chase Whitley, 1:05 p.m., MASN
May 10: RHP Bud Norris vs. RHP Michael Pineda, 1:05 p.m., MASN

Inside the Yankees:

For all the proclamations of doom, the hoopla surrounding Alex Rodriguez's return to baseball and the lack of starting pitching, the Yankees have done surprisingly well, and find themselves in first place in the American League East. Time will tell whether they can sustain the success over the long haul of a season or whether they'll cave under expectations, age and a lack of depth. But for the first five weeks of the season, the Bronx Bombers have looked a lot like their old selves - and they're in familiar territory, first place in the American League East. They've won five of six series and are 14-5 since April 17, and that kind of success will do wonders for a team's confidence, especially one that brought lots of doubters into the season.

The pitchers the pinstripers will throw at the Orioles in their four-game series - right-handers Nate Eovaldi, Adam Warren, Chase Whitley and Michael Pineda - won't be confused with the dominant rotations of recent vintage. But with the tandem of righty setup man Dellin Betances and lefty closer Andrew Miller lurking in the late innings, they don't have to be. All they have to do is be effective enough to pitch into the sixth inning, let manager Joe Girardi mix and match to get through the seventh and then turn his two-headed monster loose. Betances has vultured his way to a 3-0 record as a setup man, recorded one save and has yet to allow an earned run in 15 1/3 innings, posting 26 strikeouts. Miller, signed as a free agent in the offseason to a four-year, $36 million deal, has flourished as a closer, going 11-for-11 in save opportunities, posting a 0.00 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings, and fanning 23.

The Yankees lead the American League in ERA (3.24), strikeouts (245) and saves (13), and are tied for second for the fewest home runs allowed (21). They may not boast a lot of household names in the rotation, but their pitchers have been largely effective, even if the stats from the back end of the bullpen skew things in New York's favor.

Eovaldi, obtained from the Marlins in an offseason trade, has yet to reach the seventh inning in five starts, but he got tantalizingly closer in his last outing, working 6 2/3 innings at Boston on May 2. He'll get the ball for Thursday's series opener. Eovaldi has been much more effective on the road than at home, where he's posted a 6.52 ERA with no decisions in two starts. He allows plenty of baserunners - lefties are hitting .404 against him and opponents have a .378 mark overall. He's made one start against Baltimore in his career and it came earlier this season: five innings on April 15 at Camden Yards, during which he yielded two runs on eight hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Friday night starter Warren is still trying to reach the sixth inning five starts into 2015. The O's have some experience against him, though Warren will be making his first start against them. In 10 career appearances, he's 1-2 with an 8.18 ERA over 11 innings. You never quite know what you're going to get from Warren and his splits are all over the map. He's got a sparking 1.64 ERA at Yankee Stadium, but is 0-1 in his home park for his career; by contrast, he's 2-0 in night games, but with a 5.57 ERA.

Whitley goes Saturday afternoon. Last year, when injuries and inconsistency wrecked the Yankees rotation, Whitney was a boon, posting a 4-3 record in 24 games, including 12 starts. Orioles manager Buck Showalter may play the numbers and stack his lineup with left-handed batters, since they hit .421 (8-for-19) against Whitley; by contrast, right-handed hitters are 4-for-29 (.138). Small sample sizes, yes. But borderline members of rotations are sometimes prone to aggressive hitters who aren't afraid to swing the bat. The Orioles have had success against Whitley, who is 0-1 with a 14.29 ERA in three games, including one start, against him. But May has been a strong month for the righty - he's posted a career 1.71 ERA in May.

Pineda has been the Yankees' best starting pitcher, and they have responded by winning five of his six starts, most recently on Tuesday in Toronto. That night, Pineda improved to 4-0 with eight shutout innings of five-hit ball with a walk and six strikeouts. In five career starts against the Orioles, Pineda is 2-0 with a 2.85 ERA. No one has ever questioned his stuff - well, except for when those nasty pine tar allegations got him in trouble early last season - but Pineda has weathered a litany of physical issues that have hampered his progress. Weight problems, tendinitis, a torn labrum - you get the feeling that he could be special if he could stay healthy. And so far this season, he has.

Rumors of the Yankees' offensive demise have been greatly exaggerated. They have three players with six or more home runs, the only major league team that can make that boast. Rodriguez has come back from his Biogenesis-related suspension to regain his power stroke - he's got six homers and 16 RBIs, and recently tied Willie Mays with 660 career blasts, fourth on the all-time register (A-Rod hits Thursday night starter Chris Tillman at a .500 clip with three homers, so he might not be tied with Mays for long). While Rodriguez has adjusted to the designated hitter's role, first baseman Mark Teixeira has returned from a lost 2014 season filled with wrist and hand problems to hit 10 homers and drive in 23 runs, both team-leading marks (though his average is lagging at .209). Third baseman Chase Headley had a seven-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday night and left fielder Brett Gardner is doing his usual workmanlike job, getting on base at a .404 clip to give the run-producers opportunities.

But no Yankee has a hotter stick than center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who signed a seven-year, $153 million contract in December 2014. He's slashing .355/.427/.409 with 11 walks and 11 steals. Ellsbury is on a nine-game hitting streak, tearing it up at a .487 clip over that span. But he's only got one extra-base hit (a double) and two RBIs over his binge, though he has swiped seven bases during that time.