Baltimore Orioles Throwing Out New Look Rotation Against Yankees

The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have both set their rotations for their opening series. O’s fans will get an early look at Brandon Hyde’s creativity.

After having Alex Cobb, the original Opening Day starter for the Baltimore Orioles, go down with a groin injury, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he was going to have to get creative when it comes to his starting rotation.

Fans will get an early look at this creativity when the Orioles travel to New York to take on the Yankees in this weekend’s opening series. Both teams have released their starting rotations, so let’s compare the two and see if their’s any hope we witness a series win out of the gate for Baltimore.

Here’s how the rotations will match up in New York (2018 stats shown):

• Thursday: Andrew Cashner (4-15, 5.29 ERA) vs Masahiro Tanaka (12-6, 3.75 ERA)
• Saturday: Nate Karns (DNP) vs James Paxton (11-6, 3.76 ERA w/Seattle)
• Sunday: Dylan Bundy (8-16, 5.45 ERA) vs J.A. Happ (17-6, 3.65 ERA)

Baltimore Orioles set to rely on the bullpen in Saturday’s contest.

The rotation may not be impressive, but it’s safe to say that it won’t be boring. Talk of using the “opener” strategy has been prevalent around camp, with candidates such as Jimmy Yacabonis and Miguel Castro serving as initial guesses as to who could fulfill this role. We now know that it will be recently signed Nate Karns who will serve as the first “opener” for the Baltimore Orioles and we get to see this experiment very early on in the second game of the season.

Karns was tabbed as a starting rotation candidate, but an early setback prevented the veteran from getting in a starter’s workload in spring training, leaving many to ask if he would begin the year on the injured list. That won’t be the case.

Instead, Karns will build up his workload as an “opener” and will see his first major league action since 2017 against the New York Yankees, on the road. Welcome to the American League East, Nate Karns.

A look back at recent performances from both pitching staffs.

This will be Andrew Cashner‘s second Opening Day start, coming against a team he has a lot of experience against. He is 2-3 all-time against the Yankees in his seven career starts, going at least six innings in every start. Cashner’s only start at Yankee Stadium came last April. He gave up just one earned run on two hits across six innings, picking up the win in the process.

Cashner has had success against New York hitters, holding the duo of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge to a .133 batting average in 40 at-bats and surrendering only one home run. Keeping the ball in the yard is a must if the Orioles want a chance at winning any games this series.

Dylan Bundy hasn’t been as successful against the Yankees, losing his last four decisions against the Bronx Bombers. In two starts last season, Bundy allowed nine runs on 11 hits while striking out 10 and allowing six walks. Current hitters on the Yankees roster have posted a .352 career- OBP and .820 OPS against Bundy.

On the flip side, the Orioles will avoid Luis Severino, who is shut down with inflammation in his rotator cuff, but that doesn’t mean the trip will be made any easier. Even without Severino and CC Sabathia, the Yankees’ rotation is strong, experienced, and has been effective against the Orioles throughout their careers. Masahiro Tanaka will take the ball on Thursday for the Yankees, a very common opponent for the Baltimore Orioles In four starts against the Orioles last year, Tanaka struck out 27 hitters in 22 innings.

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He is 0-2 in his three career Opening Day starts, failing to make it out of the third inning in his last Opening start back in 2017 against the Tampa Bay Rays. I vividly remember that game because it was the first time I ever drafted a Yankee in fantasy baseball. He didn’t make a good impression.

The lineup James Paxton faced in last season’s 10-strikeout performance against the Orioles is largely gone and very few hitters in this year’s lineup have significant at-bats against one of the newest Yankees. Paxton’s successful 2018 campaign can be partially attributed to his change in pitch location. Throwing his four-seamer up in the zone more often resulted in a higher percentage of swings and misses. He now joins a team at the forefront of the analytical movement across baseball which will surely bring even more out of the six-year veteran.

You want breakout potential from this O’s lineup? Joey Rickard and Renato Nunez have combined to hit .346 against Sunday’s starter J.A. Happ with five extra-base hits. And you didn’t want Joey Rickard in the lineup.

In all seriousness, this series has the potential to be quite the sight. While Andrew Cashner ended spring training on a high note, no one knows how Nate Karns will respond to his first action since 2017, and Dylan Bundy is coming off an ugly 2018 and less than inspiring spring. Regardless, we will be watching. Follow us on Twitter @BirdsWatcherFS to join us and come hang out!