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• New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles
• Thursday, May 25 at 7PM ET
• Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York
In one of the biggest surprises early on in Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles are looking like one of the top teams in the American League. Who in the world saw this coming? Baltimore has been near the bottom of the AL East for years, but they’re making a splash this spring. This week, they’ll be hosting New York for a key series and believe it or not, the Yankees are underdogs against the Orioles in Thursday’s matchup.
New York started off the year quite inconsistent, but the good news for them is that they’re finally starting to get back to a top level. However, the Orioles have been strong since Day 1 in ’23 and their fans are starting to think that they’ll be able to punch a ticket to the postseason. Entering the campaign, no one, and we mean no one, gave the Orioles a realistic chance of grabbing an AL Wild Card spot.
| Yankees vs. Orioles odds |  |  |  |  |
| Orioles to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Yankees to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Now, though, Baltimore is in a strong position to get things done. For them to be taken seriously, though, they’ll need to post some strong showings against top teams in the AL whenever they face off. From our chair, Baltimore has a great chance to get things done this week against the Yankees. However, there’s no question that things will be tough since the action will take place at Yankee Stadium.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Orioles indeed are favorites, as they hold -115 MLB betting odds to post a victory for Thursday’s showdown. On the other side of things, the Yankees hold +125 odds to record a win. Yankee Stadium should be packed on Thursday, especially with the weather being so nice. Despite Baltimore looking to make noise, we’re going with the Yankees as our pick to grab the win.
We are Baltimore. You can’t clip these wings. pic.twitter.com/4eQAdPtmjy
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 22, 2023
The over should hit between the Yankees and Orioles
Looking ahead to this matchup, the over should hit between the Yankees and Orioles. Starting with Baltimore, they’re going to be sending out Kyle Gibson for the start. On the year, Gibson is 5-3, but he’s posting a 4.37 ERA. While that ERA is not the worst in the world, it’s still a bit high, especially for a pitcher who is about to go up against a talented lineup that the Yankees feature. The lineup includes Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and others.
Meanwhile for the Bronx Bombers, right-handed hurler Clarke Schmidt will be getting the nod this time around for manager Aaron Boone. Schmidt has easily been one of the biggest disappointments for New York this season. Entering this next start, he holds a 2-4 record and a 6.00 ERA. Schmidt’s poor performances only add to the frustration that Carlos Rodon is still working his way back from his back injury.
"I'm glad he's here. I know how bad he wants to get out there. I know it's killing him."
Aaron Boone on Carlos Rodón's recovery: pic.twitter.com/5ZQqnphlkI
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 23, 2023
“He can’t get over the hump with the back, so we’ll have other people look at it,” manager Aaron Boone said in a recent interview with the New York Post discussing the health of the star pitcher. “He’s continuing to throw through all this to get to that place we need to get him to, and that hasn’t happened.”
It’s up in the air when Rodon will be able to make his Yankees debut, but people are hoping it can happen as soon as possible. With Schmidt, he can get people off his back with a strong showing vs. Baltimore, but we doubt it will happen. The over/under for this one has been set at 6.5 runs. With Gibson and Schmidt playing so poorly, we have a good feeling that a lot of runs will be scored. We’re going with the over as our pick.
Orioles are long shots to win the AL East
As excited as people are for the start of the season for Baltimore, the Orioles are long shots to win the AL East. As of this writing, the O’s are 31-16, only three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. However, they hold +1200 MLB betting odds to win the division. The Rays are heavy favorites to win the AL East, as they’ve been listed at -210. In a bit of a surprise, the Yankees hold the No. 2 odds to win the AL East at +450.
With Baltimore being so close to Tampa Bay, Orioles supporters think this team could shock the world and take them down late in the season. Do we think the O’s will be able to keep up this kind of play for the rest of the year? It’s tough to answer that question right now.
You just never know what might end up happening. Baltimore has already stunned so many baseball fans out there, so we’re not going to rule them out to win the division just yet. Who knows, maybe the Rays will go on a cold streak and open up the door for Baltimore to climb into first place. This will be something to watch the rest of the way.
