Heading into the final stretch of the MLB’s regular season, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles have renewed a rivalry that got to the tipping point in the late 90s when the Orioles had its stretch of great seasons. Now it is 2012 and the Yankees and Orioles are back at it with the two teams tied for first on top of the American League East.
The Yankees have been choking as of late, dropping an important series against the Orioles this past weekend and trying to avoid a sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday night. The Yankees will be in Baltimore for another important series this weekend and if they lose, they could be on the outside looking in come October.
As for the Orioles, they have all the momentum behind them. They took two of three against the Yanks on the road and are looking to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday night. Basically, they’re the polar opposite of the Yankees.
With the help of a great staff led by Wei-Yin Chen, the O’s are looking like the American League East division winners at this point unless the Yankees right the ship.
An injury-prone rotation for the Yankees is what is causing them to lose. Ivan Nova and Andy Pettitte have missed a ton of action and the only two pitchers who want to do anything are CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda. Phil Hughes is not the same as he used to be and Freddy Garcia isn’t channeling last year’s spirits at all.
If the Yankees do lose the majority of its upcoming games, they could be battling the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels for a wildcard spot. However, any way you look at it, a battle between the O’s and the Yanks will be something to remember this September.
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