Baltimore Orioles Head to NY for First 2014 Series

Apr 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (31) throws in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

After a great final game of the series win in Detroit (summary here) in what may be remembered as a critical early game of the season, the Baltimore Orioles head to New York for their first series against the Yankees. The 1:05 game will be the home opener for the Yankees – sure to be a bit strange for Pinstripes people as the final home opener for Derek Jeter, along with it being odd for Orioles fans to see that Brian Roberts fellow on the dark side of the field.

It will be interesting to see what new Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez can really do against the evil empire. Will he handle them fine as a key component of the Birds’ rotation? Or will he revert to his historic performance record of a 6.45 ERA over four games? That sample size is small indeed, and though Ulbaldo was overcome by a couple of homers in his first outing, one could also see some great ball movement and the makings of a dominant pitcher.

The two members of the Yankees that Jimenez has most often faced are Kelly Johnson and Brian McCann from their days together in the National League. McCann is 8-for-25, though with only one homer as his single extra-base hit. Johnson is 8-for-43, though has an addition nine walks. Carlos Beltran is 4-for-11 with two homers. On the other hand, Mark Teixeira is but 1-for-18 and Ichero Suzuki 3-for-12.

AB

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

BA

Kelly Johnson

43

33

8

4

0

0

1

9

4

.242

Brian McCann

28

25

8

0

0

1

3

3

4

.320

Mark Teixeira

18

16

1

0

0

0

1

2

7

.063

Carlos Beltran

12

11

4

1

0

2

3

1

0

.364

9

9

2

0

0

0

1

0

2

.222

Ichero Suzuki

12

9

3

0

0

0

2

0

2

.250

7

5

2

0

0

0

1

2

0

.400

7

7

1

0

0

0

1

0

1

.143

Derek Jeter

3

3

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

.000

Brian Roberts

3

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

.000

The Yankees will look to Hiroki Kuroda to open their home season. Last year in four games, Kuroda was 1-2 against the Orioles, with a no-decision won by the O’s. Two of these starts were terrific, whereas two were very poor. On April 7, Kuroda pitched what I recall as the most dominant game against the Orioles in 2013, giving up five hits in a complete game shutout. And again on July 7^th he pitched seven shutout innings in a game he departed with a 1-0 lead, though the Orioles would later score two in the 9^th inning to win. But in the other two starts against the Birds, he gave up nine runs in eight innings.

In the 39-year-old’s first start this season against Houston, he yielded two runs on three hits in six innings.

Among Orioles hitters, Nick Markakis has the best numbers against Kuroda, being 7-for-19 with a homer. Matt Wieters is 6-for-19, and though Chris Davis is only 5-for-24, he has two homers and a double. Nelson Cruz is a mere 1-for 15 and J.J. Hardy is but 3-for-24 – maybe his back will need another day of rest.

AB

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

BA

Chris Davis

24

20

5

1

0

2

5

1

7

.250

J.J. Hardy

24

24

3

1

0

1

1

0

3

.125

23

22

6

1

0

0

0

1

1

.273

Nick Markakis

19

19

7

1

0

1

1

0

1

.368

Nelson Cruz

15

14

1

0

0

0

0

1

4

.071

8

8

1

0

0

1

1

0

1

.125

6

6

1

0

0

0

1

0

2

.167

Matt Wieters

21

19

6

2

0

0

0

1

1

.316

If the Orioles can win two games in this series and come home again at 4-5, it will be fine.