The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles will meet tonight in a rubber match that has seen a dropped fly ball by two-time Gold Glove center fielder Adam Jones, the first Yankees triple play in 45 years, and Yankees' pitcher Phil Hughes serve up three long balls in three innings Saturday afternoon. The game will be at Yankees Stadium at 8:05 p.m., and is ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball game. It will be broadcast on ESPN, and can be live streamed on ESPN.com.
The series has been a wild one, indicative of the competitiveness in the American League East division, which both the Yankees and Orioles are a part of. In the first game the Yankees received a wonderful start from staff ace CC Sabathia, and took advantage of Jones' costly gaffe in center field. When Sabathia got in trouble the next inning, New York's patchwork infield that was without Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter due to injury, took care of their pitcher, turning a 4-6-5-6-5-3-4 triple play.
Yesterday, Hughes surrendered home runs to Ryan Flaherty, Nick Markakis and Nolan Reimold and Jones picked up two hits and an RBI in a series-evening win. If Baltimore can come out on top tonight, it will be their third consecutive series victory over an American League East opponent. One season ago, the Orioles compiled a 43-29 divisional record that helped fuel a playoff berth.
The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the hill, in place of veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte who is nursing back spasms. Kuroda's had a rocky start to 2011; he was forced to leave his first start after just one and one third innings after being struck on the pitching hand by a line drive against the Boston Red Sox. In his second start, he went five and one third innings against the Cleveland Indians, striking out six but also walking four batters.
The Orioles will send Wei-Yin Chen to the mound. In two starts Chen has a 3.75 ERA, seven strikeouts and a 1.17 WHIP against the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.
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