Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees: Series Preview for Early April Battle

Tuesday, April 14th, 7:05 PM EDT

Apr 8, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez (50) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Miguel Gonzalez, RHP – BAL

Gonzalez struggled through the first inning in his first start of the year in Tampa, but induced a big double play from Desmond Jennings to escape a bases-loaded jam without giving up a run. After that he was fantastic, powering through the Rays lineup, until he was pulled in the sixth inning, charged with only one run. Unfortunately, he was out-dueled by Jake Odorizzi, who threw 6-2/3 scoreless innings, before handing it over to the bullpen, who completed the shutout.

Gonzalez was a tough-luck loser, but if he puts together more outings like that, he will certainly pick up a few wins along the way.

Apr 3, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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CC Sabathia, LHP – NYY

Sabathia took the loss in his first start, allowing five runs, four earned, but there were some promising things about his outing.

Sabathia is coming off knee surgery, which certainly raised some questions, especially when he intentionally gained weight because he feels it helps him pitch better. That said, he appeared to hold up, and his stuff improved as the game went on, after a difficult second inning.

With the weight gain and knee surgery, Sabathia was one of the biggest “if’s” coming into the season, but if his first start was any indication, he might be able to resemble his old form, and hold down the number three spot in the rotation.