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Diamondbacks Notes: Lawlar, Marte, Infield

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Diamondbacks prospect Jordan Lawlar is doing everything he can to push for a major league promotion, as he’s currently mashing in Triple-A. Assuming he eventually cements himself in the majors, the question will be what position he plays.

He came up as a shortstop prospect but the Diamondbacks don’t have much need at that position. Geraldo Perdomo took over regular shortstop duties in 2022. The Diamondbacks are evidently pleased with him there as they recently signed him to an extension that runs through 2029 with a club option for 2030. They could move Perdomo to second or third base, where he has some experience. However, his bat has only been around league average in recent years, as his speed and defense at short are his primary ways of providing value.

That has made it seem like Lawlar would eventually move to second or third. He has always had tremendous offensive numbers in the minors, so his bat should play elsewhere. The Snakes have had Ketel Marte as their regular second baseman for years and he’s signed well into the future as well, which seemingly made third base Lawlar’s best path. However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that some scouts think Lawlar will take over at second and bump Marte to first.

There hasn’t been any reporting to suggest that the Snakes do plan on moving Marte to first, but perhaps their usage of Lawlar this year is a tell. With Triple-A Reno, he has 123 innings at second base so far. He has just 36 innings at third base this year and just 95 in his entire minor league career. He has hundreds of innings at shortstop over the years but just 54 in 2025.

It would be an interesting pivot if the club is making it. The Diamondbacks acquired Eugenio Suárez ahead of 2024 to cover the third base position. He was going into the final season of his contract, so it seemed possible that he was simply a stopgap until Lawlar was ready. Suárez struggled badly in the first half of last year but Lawlar spent most of 2024 injured, dealing with thumb and hamstring injuries. He only got into 23 minor league games last year, giving Suárez a chance to get back on track. Suárez destroyed baseballs enough in the second half that the club picked up their $15MM option on him for 2025, instead of going for the $2MM buyout.

Coming into 2025, it was still fair to expect that Suárez would eventually give way to Lawlar. Suárez turns 34 in July and will be a free agent at season’s end. That could still be the plan but the fact that Lawlar is playing a lot of second base is interesting. Marte has had some injury absences in his career and is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He is 31 years old and the club recently extended him through 2031, which would be his age-37 season. Perhaps they believe that moving him to first base would be the best thing for his long-term health.

Right now, Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith are sharing first base and designated hitter duties. Naylor is an impending free agent, so that could provide an opening for Marte to slide into as soon as next year.

This is all still fairly speculative but it’s a notable position for the Snakes to be in. It’s possible that they are simply moving Lawlar around to different positions, experimenting to see how things go. If he seems viable at multiple spots, that will give them more choice for how to proceed next offseason, with both first and third base set to be vacated going into the winter. Another factor could be that LuJames Groover is also one of the club’s top ten prospects and is currently hitting well at Double-A while playing third base regularly.

However it plays out defensively, Lawlar is generating a lot of excitement with his bat. He’s currently sporting a line of .356/.451/.644 with Reno this year. He won’t be able to maintain a .457 batting average on balls in play forever but he has five home runs and a 13% walk rate. He also has 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts through 26 games.

Photo courtesy of Michael Chow, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Claim Casey Lawrence

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The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Casey Lawrence off waivers from the Mariners, according to announcements from both clubs. The righty had been designated for assignment by Seattle over the weekend. The Jays opened a 40-man roster spot yesterday by transferring Ryan Burr to the 60-day injured list. Lawrence is out of options so the Jays will need to open an active roster spot once he reports to the club.

Lawrence, 37, is a veteran swingman who has bounced between the Jays, Mariners and Cardinals in his big league career. He has often served as a multi-inning reliever, soaking up innings to save an overworked pitching staff from further taxation.

This year, he has essentially been the 41st man on Seattle’s 40-man roster. He started the season with the Mariners on a minor league deal. They have selected his contract to the roster three times. In all three cases, he was designated for assignment within a few days. In the first two instances, he cleared waivers and then returned to the big league club once needed. He has a 3.60 earned run average in ten innings over four appearances.

This time, he didn’t clear waivers, as the Jays now have a need for such a pitcher. They recently optioned Easton Lucas, dropping their five-man rotation down to four. Thanks to some off-days, the club planned to go with a four-man rotation for a while, but a rainout on Saturday seemingly altered those plans.

Both Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt had to start yesterday to cover the doubleheader, which was the result of the postponement. The club is off today then has Bowden Francis on schedule for tomorrow. José Berríos could start on regular rest on Wednesday after starting on Friday. But neither Gausman nor Bassitt would be on regular rest for Wednesday’s game. Jake Bloss started for Triple-A Buffalo yesterday and won’t be an option by Wednesday either. Lucas was only optioned a week ago, on April 21. He can’t return to the big league within 15 days of that move unless replacing an injured player on the roster. Eric Lauer is an option as he’s been in the Triple-A rotation and tossed five innings on Thursday, though he’s not on the 40-man roster at present.

Perhaps Lawrence will make a spot start or simply give the club a long relief option for the next few days. Paxton Schultz tossed 57 pitches in relief of Gausman in the first game of yesterday’s twin bill, one of six relievers the club used yesterday. Schultz might not be available for a few days after that, so Lawrence could step in as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

It’s entirely possible that it will be another short stint for Lawrence on a club’s roster, just with the Jays this time instead of the Mariners, something he recently spoke to Tim Booth of The Seattle Times about. “I think I’m used to kind of the movement of it,” Lawrence said. “And I think it’s one of those things where you understand your role in the team and you’re willing to do whatever is going to help the team. Right now, it’s kind of doing this.”

Though living out of a suitcase is surely a challenge, Lawrence seems to be focused on appreciating what time in the majors he does have left. “I’ve been fortunate, like I said, and I never take it for granted,” Lawrence said. “Especially when you’re like this, you’re kind of riding the roller coaster a little bit. So I take every day for what it’s worth, and really try to be where my feet are, just be a part of the team.”

Though he’s still carving out some playing time, he’s self-aware enough that his mind has wandered to what’s next. “I know that at 37, I’m on the back end of my career. And I know when I’m done playing, I want to get into player development or front office, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say, I’ve had those conversations of, ‘Am I ready for that yet?’ But I’m not there yet,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images

Orioles Promote Kade Strowd For Major League Debut

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Kade Strowd has been recalled to the big league club. He will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Left-hander Grant Wolfram was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.

Strowd, 27, was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. A 12th-round pick from 2019, he has been a reliever throughout his minor league career. He does have three starts but they were all at the lower levels and of the opener variety.

At the upper levels, he has generally been able to get decent amounts of strikeouts and ground balls, but with some control issues. From the beginning of 2023 to the present, he has 116 2/3 innings pitched between Double-A and Triple-A. He has a 5.55 earned run average and 11.9% walk rate in that time but a 29.1% strikeout rate and ground balls on about half the balls in play he’s allowed.

So far this year, he has ten innings pitched at Triple-A with an unsightly 8.10 ERA. However, his .481 batting average on balls in play and 36.1% strand rate are both far to the unlucky side in that small sample. He has struck out 36% of batters faced this year and kept his walk rate down to 8%.

For Baltimore, the pitching staff got a lot of usage recently. Their game on Friday was postponed by rain to Saturday, meaning they played three games in the past two days. Wolfram pitched on both days and might not have been available for tonight’s contest, so Strowd comes up to give them a fresh arm. It could be a brief stay for Strowd, since the O’s don’t have a starter listed for tomorrow and Kyle Gibson is on the taxi squad, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. If Gibson gets the ball, then someone will need to be bumped off the active roster.

Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Cardinals Designate Ryan Loutos For Assignment

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The Cardinals have designated right-hander Ryan Loutos for assignment, per the team. He’s the corresponding move for the previously reported promotion of infielder/outfielder Jose Barrero. The Cards have formally announced the selection of Barrero’s contract and optioned infielder Thomas Saggese to Triple-A Memphis.

Loutos, 26, made his big league debut with the Cardinals last summer, appearing in three games and tossing 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball. The undrafted free agent originally signed with the Cards after the 2021 draft and has steadily climbed the minor league ranks, posting solid numbers with the exception of a rough 2023 campaign.

In 2024, Loutos pitched 53 innings and tallied 18 saves in Triple-A. He logged a 3.40 ERA in Memphis, punched out 25.8% of his opponents and issued walks at a 10% clip. It wasn’t necessarily a dominant performance, but Loutos sat 94.3 mph with his heater and induced swinging strikes at a roughly average rate. His velocity is up a bit this season, sitting 94.6 mph in Triple-A, and he’s held opponents to three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks with six strikeouts in seven innings. All three of those runs allowed came in his first appearance of the season. He’s since rattled off seven shutout frames.

The Cardinals will have to either trade Loutos or place him on waivers within the next five days. Waivers would be another 48-hour process, meaning the maximum length of his stay in the proverbial DFA limbo will be one week.

Orioles Claim Walter Pennington

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The Orioles have claimed left-hander Walter Pennington off unconditional release waivers, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The Rangers had designated the lefty for assignment last week. His transaction tracker at MLB.com listed him as released by the Rangers over the weekend but the O’s put in a claim. The Orioles had an open 40-man spot and won’t need to make a corresponding move.

Pennington, 27, made his major league debut with the Royals last year but was flipped to the Rangers in July as part of the Michael Lorenzen trade. Between those two clubs, he tossed 18 innings in the big leagues last year. He allowed 3.00 earned runs per nine, with a 20.2% strikeout rate, 13.1% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate. He has posted some strong minor league numbers in recent years. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he logged 134 innings on the farm with a 2.69 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and grounders on more than half of the balls in play he allowed.

This year, Pennington hasn’t pitched in any official action. The Rangers optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock on March 9th. Per his transactions tracker, he was transferred to the club’s Arizona Complex League affiliate on March 28th. MLBTR has learned that he is healthy and has been working on some mechanical stuff in extended spring lately.

The O’s had an open roster spot and are intrigued enough to bring him into their system, with the southpaw likely reported to Triple-A Norfolk soon. The Orioles aren’t hurting for lefty relievers, as they currently have Keegan Akin, Gregory Soto, Cionel Pérez and Grant Wolfram on the big league squad. Still, clubs always like to add more pitching depth when they can and both Pérez and Wolfram have poor numbers at the moment.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR's Steve Adams hosted a chat today at 1:30pm CT, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

 

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Pirates Notes: Horwitz, Lawrence, Rotation

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The Pirates are inching closer toward the 2025 debut (and Pirates debut) of first baseman Spencer Horwitz. The 27-year-old has yet to play this year after undergoing wrist surgery in February, but he set out on a minor league rehab stint yesterday and went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk in three plate appearances with Double-A Altoona. Horwitz will need several games in the minors before he’s up with the big league club, but it’s a positive sign to see him take the field.

With Horwitz injured, the Pirates have split first base reps up among Enmanuel Valdez, Endy Rodriguez, Jared Triolo and (more briefly) Matt Gorski. Valdez has connected on a pair of homers and held his own in 74 plate appearances. Rodriguez and Triolo have both struggled. Gorski was only just called up for his MLB debut a few days ago. He’s 1-for-4 with a homer. As a whole, Pittsburgh first basemen have combined for a .192/.286/.374 batting line on the season. The resulting 83 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 17% worse than average at the plate) ranks 20th in the majors.

Horwitz, one of the Pirates’ key offseason acquisitions, should provide considerably more offense. In parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays, he slashed .264/.355/.428 with 13 home runs and 21 doubles in 425 plate appearances. He’s a .316/.433/.471 hitter in 945 Triple-A plate appearances.

Horwitz has primarily been a first baseman and started at first in yesterday’s rehab game, but he doesn’t necessarily need to take over full-time reps there. The former 24th-round pick has just over 600 innings of left field work in his pro career and another 434 frames at second base. Both positions have been even more problematic for the Bucs than first base.

At second base, the Pirates have seen Adam Frazier, Nick Gonzales, Tsung-Che Cheng and the aforementioned Valdez and Triolo combine to bat .200/.300/.303. In left field, the group of Tommy Pham, Jack Suwinski, Alexander Canario, Ji Hwan Bae, Frazier and Gorski has combined for a staggering .150/.220/.187. No team in baseball has received less production from its left fielders than the Pirates.

Wherever Horwitz slots into the lineup, he should give a boost to a Pirates team that is hitting .224/.304/.341 on the whole. Pittsburgh ranks 23rd in the majors in both runs scored and home runs. Pirates hitters are 26th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage and 28th in slugging percentage.

The pitching has been better in Pittsburgh, particularly in the bullpen. Pirates relievers rank 14th in the majors with a solid 3.65 ERA, and Pittsburgh has seven relievers who’ve tossed at least nine innings with an ERA of 3.38 or better. Unfortunately, their most dependable arm so far, righty Justin Lawrence, is out with an elbow injury. Pirates assistant GM Bryan Stroh rather ominously revealed yesterday that Lawrence is headed for a second opinion on that ailing elbow (link via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). There’s still no firm timetable for Lawrence’s return, but Stroh already indicated that he’ll miss more than the minimum 15 days on this current IL stint.

Lawrence, 30, came to the Pirates via waivers this March and has been a terrific pickup. He’s fired 11 1/3 innings of one-run ball, holding opponents to just five hits. The former Rockies hurler has walked six batters and plunked another pair of hitters, casting some doubt on his ability to continue anywhere close to this level, but even with some expected regression in terms of ERA, the right-hander has looked quite intriguing thus far.

Lawrence is throwing more sliders than ever before and missing more bats than ever before. He’s also begun sporadically using a four-seamer after previously throwing a sinker as his only fastball. Lawrence has punched out a whopping 34.1% of his hitters, helping him to offset a 13.8% walk rate. His 14.5% swinging-strike rate is well north of league average and is way up from the 9.3% career mark he carried into 2025. An absence of some note would sting, and seeking a second opinion is an inherently worrisome update.

The rotation hasn’t been quite as sharp as the bullpen, due in no small part to Jared Jones’ elbow injury and early struggles from southpaw Bailey Falter and righty Carmen Mlodzinski . Falter gave up seven runs (five of them earned) in a start for the second time this season yesterday. The lefty blamed his inability to throw his offspeed pitches for strikes when assessing his performance after yesterday’s game (link via the Post-Gazette’s Colin Beazley).

Falter is now sporting a 5.93 ERA on the season. He and Mlodzinski (6.95 ERA) have both been weak points in an otherwise solid rotation. Each of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney have kept their ERAs under 4.00 — well under in the case of Skenes and Heaney.

The veteran Heaney has been an outstanding addition, giving the Bucs 31 1/3 innings of 1.72 ERA ball with a hearty 26.3% strikeout rate and a tidy 5.1% walk rate. The 33-year-old’s one-year, $5.25MM deal with the Pirates in March caught many off guard, but he’s been a godsend in the wake of Jones’ injury and has probably already made some clubs second guess themselves for passing on him when he lingered in free agency. The Pirates won’t want to talk about the trade deadline anytime soon, but as things stand, Heaney could be a nice arm for them to market if they can’t turn things around after an 11-18 start.

Naturally, with Jones ailing and both Falter and Mlodzinski struggling, there’s plenty of attention on the Pirates’ young arms. Thomas Harrington made a brief MLB debut earlier this season, but it’s top prospect Bubba Chandler who has Bucs fans buzzing the most. The 22-year-old righty is a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport and widely considered among the best four to five pitching prospects in particular.

Chandler is out to a brilliant start in Triple-A Indianapolis, tossing 20 1/3 frames with a 1.33 ERA, a 36.5% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate. That comes on the heels of a 1.83 ERA in seven starts (39 1/3 innings) with Indianapolis late in the 2024 season. The Pirates have been cautious with the touted righty’s pitch counts early in the season, but he tossed a season-high 70 pitches in five one-hit frames his last time out.

Chandler may not be built up to the extent he was in his Triple-A run late last year, when he averaged 87 pitches and 5 2/3 innings per start, but he certainly seems stretched out enough to be a rotation upgrade in Pittsburgh. There’s no firm indication as to when Chandler might be promoted, but we’re fewer than two weeks away from the one-year anniversary of when the Pirates promoted Skenes under similar circumstances; Skenes made his MLB debut on May 11 last year.

Eury Pérez, Ryan Weathers Begin Rehab Assignments

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The Marlins’ rotation has some reinforcements on the way, as both right-hander Eury Pérez and left-hander Ryan Weathers began rehab assignments over the weekend. Pérez tossed one inning for Single-A Jupiter on Saturday while Weathers logged three innings for the same club on Sunday.

The timing is fairly notable with Pérez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. Back in February, he said that he was targeting a return around the All-Star break this year. It now seems as though he’s on pace to beat that timeline.

A rehab assignment for a pitcher can normally last as long as 30 days, though that can be extended for Tommy John recoveries. For those pitchers, it’s possible to extend the 30-day rehab window by an extra 10 days. That extension can happen as many as three times, meaning the total rehab assignment can eventually get up to 60 days. But even if Pérez ends up rehabbing for close to 60 days, that would only take him to mid-to-late June, well before the mid-July All-Star break.

Prior to his surgery, Pérez was in the process of establishing himself as a future ace. He was one of the top prospects in the sport before his debut. He made it to the majors in 2023, only 20 years old at the time, and tossed 91 1/3 innings over 19 starts. He allowed 3.15 earned runs per nine with a 28.9% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. Ideally, he’ll be able to pick up right where he left off when he returns.

The Marlins control him through 2029, so he could be a pillar of their rotation for years to come. The baseball industry is expecting Sandy Alcantara to be traded this summer, so perhaps Pérez can take over as the rotation’s anchor.

As for Weathers, he was once a top 100 prospect with the Padres but struggled in his initial attempts against big league hitters. He was acquired by the Marlins at the 2023 deadline and then finally had some major league success in 2024. He posted a 3.63 ERA in 16 starts for the Marlins last year with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate.

Unfortunately, health has been stalling that breakout. A left index finger strain kept him on the injured list for most of the second half of last year. He then suffered a forearm strain before Opening Day of this year, which has led to him spending the entire season on the IL so far. He will likely return ahead of Pérez since he’s not coming back from surgery and also seems to be further along in his build-up.

The Marlins optioned Connor Gillispie yesterday, dropping them down to four starters. He allowed seven runs in two innings against the Mariners on Saturday, bumping his ERA to 8.65 for the year. That temporarily gives them a four-man rotation of Alcantara, Max Meyer, Cal Quantrill and Edward Cabrera. Perhaps Adam Mazur will get a chance to replace Gillispie, since he has a 1.44 ERA in Triple-A at the moment. Valente Bellozo is also on the 40-man and is sitting on a 1.59 ERA in Triple-A.

By the time Weathers and Pérez get back into the mix, the club will want to open spots for them. Alcantara isn’t going anywhere. He’s out to a rough start, with a 6.56 ERA through five outings, but the club will give him lots of time to get back on track after missing 2024 while recovering from his own Tommy John surgery. Meyer has options and can technically be sent to the minors but he’s been the club’s best pitcher this year, with a 3.18 ERA, 33.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 56.1% ground ball rate.

Cabrera and Quantrill are perhaps less secure. Quantrill is sitting on a 7.83 ERA right now. He’s never been a huge strikeout guy but his 12.5% rate this year is even lower than his own standards. Cabrera has always combined strikeouts with walks to mixed results, which is still the situation. He has punched out 26.9% of opponents this year but has also given out free passes at an 11.9% rate. He currently has a 6.14 ERA on the year, though he missed some time with a blister and has only made three starts.

It’s possible the rotation outlook will change by the time Weathers and Pérez are back in the mix, due to other injuries or shifts in performance, but the Marlins may have to make some decisions about who holds onto a rotation job. The picture will likely change again ahead of the July trade deadline. As mentioned, it’s expected that Alcantara will be moved this summer, though the club may hold onto him if his struggles continue. Quantrill is on a one-year deal and should be available as well, though he would also have to turn his results around to have trade appeal. Cabrera has been in plenty of trade rumors over the years but is under club control through 2028.

Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images

Submit Your Questions For A Mailbag Episode Of The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

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On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. We’re now a few weeks removed from the offseason and even the early-season extensions. The trade deadline is still a few months away. That gives us some time to dig into the mailbag!

If you have a question about a past transaction, a look ahead to trade season or anything else baseball-related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it. iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Opener: Glasnow, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles

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As the 2025 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Glasnow undergoing testing:

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow exited yesterday’s start prior to the second inning due to what the club referred to as “discomfort” in his throwing shoulder. Glasnow noted after the game that the soreness is something he’s been dealing with recently due to changes to his delivery. He was slated to undergo testing last night, so more information should be available today.

Losing a starter of Glasnow’s caliber is always difficult, but it’d be particularly frustrating for the Dodgers, given the timing. Los Angeles has been using four starters since Blake Snell landed on the IL, but with Tony Gonsolin nearing a return, they surely hoped to be back up to five starters in the near future. Glasnow hasn’t been his best self to this point in the year. He’s posted a lackluster 4.50 ERA with a 5.38 FIP, and it’s not hard to imagine a trip to the IL to rest his ailing shoulder helping him get back on track.

2. Cardinals roster move incoming:

The Cardinals are reportedly poised to select the contract of Jose Barrero today. Barrero, 27, has parts of four MLB seasons under his belt and most recently played for the Reds back in 2023. He’s struggled to hit in the majors over the years but has played quality defense both at shortstop and in center field, and it’s that strong glove that’s convinced the Cardinals to call him up for their bench mix. Thomas Saggese was optioned to the minors to make room for Barrero on the active roster, but a 40-man roster move will still be necessary to officially add him to the roster. With no obvious 60-day IL candidates currently available, the most likely avenue to open up a roster spot for Barrero would be designating a player for assignment.

3. Series Preview: Yankees @ Orioles

A series that many fans in New York and Baltimore circled as a clash between likely playoff teams is scheduled to begin at 6:35pm local time this evening, but the situation facing the Orioles as the division-leading Yankees arrive in Camden Yards is far different than most anticipated. The O’s have struggled to a 10-17 record and are coming off a sweep at the hands of the AL-best Tigers. The Yankees, meanwhile, have arguably exceeded the expectations placed on the team after losing Juan Soto to free agency and Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery. They’ve picked up nine wins in their last 13 games, propelling them to a 17-11 record overall.

The looming three-game set has far more stakes for the Orioles than it does for the Yankees. New York would surely like to pad its two-game cushion over the second-place Red Sox, but another sweep would put Baltimore ten games below .500 before the month of May even begins. The series starts with Yankees youngster Will Warren on the mound opposite longtime NPB ace Tomoyuki Sugano as both compete in their first full big league seasons. Carlos Rodon will take on a yet-to-be-determined Orioles starter in Game 2 of the series. Baltimore lefty Cade Povich is scheduled to take on Yankees veteran Carlos Carrasco in Game 3.

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