Are the Orioles better than the Yankees? What we learned this week

Jun 20, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
By Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner
Jun 21, 2024

NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t shy away from it.

“The first couple series,” he said, “they’ve had their way with us.”

Thursday’s 17-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles put the Yankees down, 2-0, in the series tally between the foes battling for the top of the American League East.

Advertisement

The Yankees (51-26) are still a half-game ahead of the Orioles (49-25), but they are just 2-5 against them this season with six games remaining between the clubs.

Several of the Yankees’ warts were exposed during this week’s three-game set in the Bronx, though they won the first tilt and took the second into extra innings. Thursday’s battle was just an old-fashioned beatdown by the Orioles.

“It’s going to be back and forth all the way until the end of September,” Aaron Judge said. “That’s for sure.”

Let’s talk about what we learned this week.

Who’s better?

Kuty: It’s a cop-out, but it’s too soon to tell. The Yankees weren’t at full strength, losing Aaron Judge for most of Game 1 and all of Game 2 after he was hit on the hand with a fastball Tuesday. It was huge for the Yankees to see Gerrit Cole look great in his return Wednesday, but he threw just 62 pitches as he ramps up his workload. Are the Orioles younger and more athletic? Yes, but we already knew that. Was it on display in this series? Sure. But even the ridiculously-good-all-year Luis Gil finally stumbled Thursday. The Yankees are better than this.

Kirschner: Your points are fair. Not having Judge for 1 1/2 games was a blow to the Yankees’ lineup. But we must evaluate them based on what we’ve seen through their first seven games playing against each other. The Yankees have more star talent carrying their lineup in Judge and Juan Soto, but I like the depth of the Orioles’ order more than I do the Yankees’ depth. Baltimore’s bullpen is better and its starting pitchers, even with the injuries, have produced more fWAR than the Yankees’ starters. What should scare any Yankees fan is the Orioles have the talent in their minor league system to make any trade they want to get even better. Both teams are great, but I’m giving the edge to Baltimore. By the way, did you know the Orioles haven’t lost in 22 straight series against AL East opponents?

Kuty: Nope. That’s crazy. Did you know that the Yankees have only now lost consecutive series for the first time this season? But I totally get what you’re saying. Plus, maybe I could defend the fact that the Yankees had to start newbie Ben Rice in two games at first base, but that’s their depth. And Clay Holmes continued his recent trend of being shaky, and it didn’t feel at all like the O’s let Yankee Stadium throw them off. Maybe I’m being soft.

Advertisement

Kirschner: As I wrote the other day, I don’t think playing Rice is a bad thing because of how poor Anthony Rizzo was before his injury. It also gives them a free look at first base ahead of the trade deadline. The Orioles are full of confidence. I don’t think much is going to shake them. There will likely be lots of overreaction to what we saw in this series but the Yankees are still good. It’s not all doom and gloom, but weak spots must be addressed.

Biggest worry

Kirschner: The Yankees’ bullpen was exposed in this series. This unit has trended downward over the last month, and now it’s in the gutter. New York allowed 11 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings pitched (not including Jose Trevino’s mop-up duty on Thursday) in the three games. As you mentioned, Holmes wasn’t sharp. Caleb Ferguson and Victor González continued to look unreliable. Ron Marinaccio hasn’t looked great since getting recalled from Triple A. The Yankees signed Tim Hill, who was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox, on Thursday and he gave up a three-run home run in his first outing. This group needs reinforcements. As currently constructed, it’s not good enough for October.

Kuty: Completely agree. Holmes is capable of stretches of greatness. Maybe fans didn’t love how he did it, but he did go 20 straight appearances without allowing an earned run to start this season. But are soft-contact types the ones you really want to rely on in extra innings with the ghost runner on second base? Because it ain’t just Holmes. The Yankees’ bullpen is filled with them, especially with Ian Hamilton hurt. I think I’m actually a little less concerned about all the running lately on Trevino than many seem to be. The guy had a rough week. He’s a former Platinum Glove winner who’s still an elite pitch framer and he’s been better offensively this season than many have expected. Let’s see if his struggles throwing out runners continue. The infield corners were a worry before this series and the Yankees should be looking for upgrades at one of them.

Kirschner: The Yankees came into Thursday’s game with the second-best offense in MLB, but they could use another solid bat in their lineup. I agree that the corner infield, particularly third base, should be upgraded if possible. Boone could use Rice and DJ LeMahieu as a platoon at first base. LeMahieu hasn’t looked good enough to be an everyday player.

What stood out most

Kuty: There isn’t exactly bad blood between the Yankees and the O’s. But tension? Definitely. The Yankees weren’t happy about the Orioles throwing up and in on them, and while nobody admitted it, it seemed pretty clear the Yankees went back at Baltimore. When Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was asked Wednesday night if he thought González was intentionally throwing at star shortstop Gunnar Henderson in the seventh inning, he played coy. “I have no idea,” he said. “Good question.” These teams are on a collision course. Things are only going to get hotter. Makes me miss when division opponents played each other in six series instead of four.

Kirschner: The Orioles made a statement this week. They didn’t have any of their best starting pitchers in this series. The Yankees wouldn’t have faced Albert Suárez, Cade Povich or Cole Irvin without the injuries affecting the Orioles’ regular starters. Baltimore’s lineup also jumped all over Gil, who entered Thursday’s game with MLB’s lowest opponents’ batting average. It was an eye-opening day (and series) for the Yankees. With the Atlanta Braves coming to New York this weekend, the Yankees may find themselves trailing the Orioles in the American League East by Monday.

(Photo of Judge: John Jones / USA Today)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.