Orioles have chance to end struggles and put Yankees out of their misery this weekend

The Baltimore Orioles are heading into a crucial weekend series against the New York Yankees. They were just swept by the surging Chicago Cubs and saw their lead in the American League East shrink to two games over the Bronx Bombers. Cade Povich, Grayson Rodriguez, and Dean Kremer will take the ball in the three games against the Yankees.

Baltimore will have a tall task, as they'll have to face Gerritt Cole, Luis Gil, and Carlos Rodon this weekend. And it doesn't help that the Orioles are coming into this series cold after being swept by the North Siders.

Regardless, the O's still have a great opportunity ahead of them. The Yankees are also struggling, so Baltimore can put their own struggles in the rearview mirror and kick the Yankees while they're down.

This weekend's series between the Orioles and Yankees is vital to the AL East race

This series represents an opportunity for the Orioles to put a little distance between themselves and the Yankees. While they've lost three in a row and gone 4-6 in their last 10 games, the Yankees have gone 3-7 in their last 10. Should the Orioles sweep this series, they'll increase their lead over their AL East rivals to five games.

The last time the Yankees were in Baltimore, the Orioles took three out of four against them, and when the two teams met at Yankee Stadium, Baltimore won two out of three. They'll head into this series with a bit of an advantage, as they've gone 5-2 against the Bronx Bombers this season and are once again facing them at home.

A sweep will also ensure that the Orioles win the season series against the Yankees. But more than anything, this series is a chance for the O's to put their recent struggles behind them and take command of the AL East. They won the division last year with 101 wins and finished 19 games ahead of the Yankees.

After the All-Star break, the Orioles will have a little bit of a break in their schedule. They'll face the struggling Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins to kick off the second half, and after a series with the San Diego Padres, they'll match up with the Toronto Blue Jays.