Opposite dugout: Yankees still searching for consistency

Manager: Joe Girardi (9th season)

yankees-logo.jpg

Record: 25-28

Last 10 games: 4-6

Who to watch: CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.281 average, .342 on-base percentage); RF Carlos Beltran (12 HR, 51 hits); RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 3.71 ERA); LHP Andrew Miller (6 saves, 1.25 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2

Pitching probables:

June 3: RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN
June 4: RHP Ivan Nova vs. RHP Tyler Wilson, 7:15 p.m., FOX
June 5: LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 1:35 p.m., MASN

Inside the Yankees:

The first time the Yankees came to Camden Yards, they were a team close to wandering off the edge of the cliff. The Yankees entered the three-game series riding a five-game losing streak and were sitting seven games under .500. Things didn't improve much after they dropped two out of three against the Orioles and left Charm City with a 9-17 mark.

Yet despite the sour start to the month, the Yankees actually turned things around in May. They rattled off 15 wins following the series against the Orioles and finished the month just three games under .500. And as June gets underway, the Yanks are treading water in a competitive American League East, but still has plenty of work to do.

Offensively, it's been a struggle. The Yankees are batting .231 as a team, dragged down by disappointing averages from elder superstars Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, who are hitting .181 and .177, respectively. Right fielder Carlos Beltran isn't letting his age slow him down, though. The 39-year-old is hitting a respectable .270 and leads the team with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs.

The pitching staff is led by right-handers Masahiro Tanaka and Nathan Eovaldi. Tanaka is 3-1 on the year and leads the starting rotation with a 2.78 ERA. Eovaldi, meanwhile, has a team-high six wins and sports a not-too-shabby 3.71 ERA in 10 starts. He'll get the start in Friday night's opener, followed by Ivan Nova and left-hander C.C. Sabathia. Nova is hovering around the .500 mark this season, while Sabathia - who has faced the Orioles 34 times in his 16-year career - is 2-2 in his last four decisions, but has kept opponents to two runs or fewer in all four of those starts.

To find out where the Yankees have stashed their bright spot to the season, look no further than their bullpen, which is easily one of the top units in baseball. The much-anticipated trio of Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller has lived up to the hype, posting a combined 14 saves and a collective 1.82 ERA. Opponents are batting just .178 against the three relievers and strike out more than 48 percent of the time. In fact, Betances had his eight-game streak of relief appearances with at least two strikeouts snapped on Tuesday in Toronto, but the right-hander leads all relievers with 50 strikeouts on the season.




Showalter, Jimenez, Pena and Jones wrap up 12-7 wi...
Orioles hit seven home runs and split four-game se...
 

By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://www.masnsports.com/