Well, not if manager Buck Showalter and his Orioles have any say in the matter.
On Wednesday, the O's completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, and along the way, snapped an 0-for-12 skid against Toronto this season. For their part, the Yankees dropped two of three games against the Rays and trail first-place Tampa Bay by a half-game in the division standings.
Get ready for another important faceoff in the AL East. The Yankees and O's are heading for a showdown in Baltimore on Friday, with the O's Kevin Millwood opposing A.J. Burnett.
The performances on the mound could be the difference in the series.
Burnett has been inconsistent all season and is coming off a rain-shortened outing on Saturday 11 at Texas, in which he allowed two runs and four hits in four innings. Overall, he is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in three September starts after going winless in August.
By contrast, pitching has not been a problem for Baltimore. At least, it has not been a problem lately. O's starters have posted seven quality starts in their last eight games and are 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA in their last nine contests. On Wednesday, Brad Bergesen allowed only one run on seven hits in the 3-1 complete-game victory against the Jays.
"You always want to roll with one another," Bergesen said. "I keep always saying, 'One guy goes out, has a good outing, and you want to go out the next day and do even better.' So, it creates that friendly competition. And right now I think we are really building off each other."
Millwood could use the help. The veteran is 1-7 with a 5.38 ERA in his 14 starts at home.
Yankees: Cano closing in on century mark
Robinson Cano, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI on Wednesday, has tallied a career-high 99 RBIs this season. He is one away from becoming the fourth second baseman in Yankees history to record at least 100 RBIs. He is already the third Yankees second baseman to hit at least 25 home runs in multiple seasons. The club is 23-2 when he hits a home run. ... The Yankees are 17-4 immediately following a shutout loss since 2008, including a 12-3 record in the last 15 of those games. ... The Yankees will play 13 of their first 16 games of the season at home to start the 2011 season. They will play the Rockies, Cubs, Brewers and Reds in Interleague Play.
Orioles: Arrieta's next start in question
Showalter put the odds at 50-50 that Jake Arrieta -- who is 22 2/3 innings over his career high -- will get one final outing. ... Second baseman Brian Roberts (right knee) returned to the lineup on Wednesday after being hit by Toronto reliever Jason Frasor's pitch in his eighth-inning at-bat on Monday night. He went 2-for-4. ... Nick Markakis extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a first-inning single on Wednesday night.
Worth noting
Andy Pettitte will rejoin the Yankees' rotation on Sunday and will be limited to about 90 pitches. To make room for the lefty's return, Javier Vazquez will be bumped to the bullpen for the third time this season. ... The Orioles have won four consecutive series for the first time since August 2004. ... Baltimore is 26-15 under Showalter and will match its 64-98 record from last season with six more wins.
Fri, 9/17 7:05 PM ET
| HITTER | AVG | AB | HR | RBI |
|---|
| HITTER | AVG | AB | HR | RBI |
|---|
A-Rod's mighty swings clip Orioles' wings
The Yankees were down to their last strike, and after what the O's cheered as the final pitch was called a ball, A-Rod allowed himself a small grin before sending a Koji Uehara offering over the fence for the game-winner.
Yankees Beat
Photos
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeter, SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .261 |
| Granderson, CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .247 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .259 |
| Rodriguez, Al, 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .271 |
| Cano, 2B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .323 |
| Berkman, DH | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .257 |
| 1-Nunez, E, PR-DH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .304 |
| c-Thames, M, PH-DH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .298 |
| Kearns, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .264 |
| b-Swisher, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .287 |
| Golson, RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 |
| Gardner, LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .278 |
| Cervelli, C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .253 |
| a-Posada, PH-C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .259 |
| Totals | 38 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 23 | .268 |
1-Ran for Berkman in the 8th.
| Baltimore | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts, B, 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .285 |
| Markakis, RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .290 |
| Wigginton, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .252 |
| Scott, DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .279 |
| Pie, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .279 |
| Jones, Ad, CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .283 |
| Wieters, C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .257 |
| Andino, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .227 |
| Izturis, C, SS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .241 |
| Totals | 30 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | .259 |
HR: Rodriguez, Al 2 (25, 2nd inning off Millwood, 0 on, 0 out; 9th inning off Uehara, 2 on, 2 out).
TB: Jeter; Granderson; Rodriguez, Al 8; Cano 2; Berkman 2; Kearns; Posada.
RBI: Rodriguez, Al 4 (111).
2-out RBI: Rodriguez, Al 3.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Jeter 2; Kearns; Teixeira; Gardner 2.
Team RISP: 1-for-9.
Team LOB: 11.
FIELDING
DP: 2 (Teixeira-Jeter-Teixeira 2).
HR: Jones, Ad (19, 4th inning off Burnett, AJ, 0 on, 1 out), Andino (1, 7th inning off Burnett, AJ, 0 on, 2 out).
TB: Wigginton; Pie; Jones, Ad 4; Andino 4; Izturis, C 2.
RBI: Markakis (53), Jones, Ad (63), Andino (4).
2-out RBI: Andino.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Andino.
SF: Markakis.
GIDP: Roberts, B; Wieters.
Team RISP: 0-for-4.
Team LOB: 4.
BASERUNNING
SB: Izturis, C (11, 2nd base off Burnett, AJ/Cervelli).
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnett, AJ | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5.08 |
| Robertson(W, 4-4) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.62 |
| Rivera, Ma(S, 31) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.31 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3.90 |
| Baltimore | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millwood | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5.14 |
| Johnson, Ji(H, 8) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Uehara(BS, 2)(L, 1-2) | 0.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.16 |
| Gonzalez, M | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.03 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 4.69 |
HBP: Izturis, C (by Burnett, AJ), Jones, Ad (by Burnett, AJ).
Pitches-strikes: Burnett, AJ 106-67, Robertson 17-12, Rivera, Ma 12-9, Millwood 118-73, Johnson, Ji 19-13, Uehara 26-17, Gonzalez, M 4-4.
Groundouts-flyouts: Burnett, AJ 9-4, Robertson 0-2, Rivera, Ma 2-0, Millwood 4-8, Johnson, Ji 3-0, Uehara 0-0, Gonzalez, M 0-0.
Batters faced: Burnett, AJ 28, Robertson 3, Rivera, Ma 3, Millwood 30, Johnson, Ji 5, Uehara 5, Gonzalez, M 2.
Umpires: HP: Ted Barrett. 1B: Tony Randazzo. 2B: Paul Nauert. 3B: Brian Gorman.
Weather: 73 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 4 mph, Out to CF.
T: 3:09.
Att: 32,874.
Compiled by MLB Advanced Media
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