Friday, 30 August: Miguel Gonzalez vs. CC Sabathia
| Career Numbers | Gonzalez vs. Yankees | Sabathia vs. O's |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 32.2 | 197.1 |
| ERA | 2.48 | 3.19 |
| WHIP | 1.071 | 1.135 |
| Slash Line (Past Teams) | .202/.275/.311 | .243/.288/.360 |
| Slash Line (Current Players) | .149/.213/.253 | .264/.301/.398 |
It's been some time since Gonzalez last started, as he's been working out of the pen lately. He'll jump back in the rotation tonight against the Yankees, a team he's had some success facing. He's kept the OPS down below .600, which is fantastic. Former Yankee lineups get on base at just a .275 clip. His numbers tick up slightly at Yankee Stadium, but not by much (.618 OPS). Small sample size and all, but his numbers against current Yankee players are exceptional. Robinson Cano has 18 PA and just a .284 OPS.
CC Sabathia has pitched a ton against the O's in his career, to varying degrees of success. He feasted on the O's weak lineups earlier in his career, but hasn't achieved the same success against the tougher lineups the O's have thrown against him more recently. Overall, he still has solid splits. He's also very good at Yankee Stadium. Nick Markakis leads the O's with 70 PAs, yet he's got a sub-.700 OPS. Oddly enough, Alexi Casilla has a 1.167 OPS in 30 PAs.
Saturday, 31 August: Scott Feldman vs. Ivan Nova
| Career Numbers | Feldman vs. Yankees | Nova vs. O's |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 32.0 | 63.2 |
| ERA | 4.78 | 4.95 |
| WHIP | 1.830 | 1.35 |
| Slash Line (Past Teams) | .318/.399/.473 | .275/.324/.498 |
| Slash Line (Current Players) | .348/.422/.585 | .307/.354/.548 |
Opposite of Gonzalez when facing the Yankees is Scott Feldman. He's got 32 innings, although not all have come as a starter. In any case, he's been knocked around pretty well by Yankee lineups. None of his current numbers inspire any confidence for this game. He has pitched three times at Yankee Stadium and allows an OPS greater than .800. He's managed to contain Ichiro Suzuki pretty well, but has struggled with guys such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson (although the PAs for these three combined make up fewer than Suzuki's).
Likewise, Ivan Nova does not have the best career numbers against the O's. He pitched against just one team (Tampa Bay Rays) more than he has the O's, yet he's allowing an OPS greater than .800. Additionally, his numbers at home are nothing to scream about. Nova might be the one guy that Nick Markakis has determined he knows how to hit well. In 33 PA, Nick has amassed a 1.041 OPS with 11 hits (just 1 homer, naturally). Matt Wieters has 4 homers in 27 PA. This game should truly be a matchup of two guys who struggle against their opposing lineups.
Sunday, 1 September: Wei-Yin Chen vs. Phil Hughes
| Career Numbers | Chen vs. Yankees | Hughes vs. O's |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 30.0 | 86.2 |
| ERA | 5.10 | 5.30 |
| WHIP | 1.133 | 1.50 |
| Slash Line (Past Teams) | .237/.288/.439 | .300/.345/.487 |
| Slash Line (Current Players) | .274/.315/.500 | .264/.296/.446 |
If you went solely by ERA and OPS, you'd think Chen has had some struggles against the Yankees in his career. He's actually managed to keep the lineup somewhat in check, however (at least for the first 6 innings). He's got even better numbers at Yankee Stadium (.608 OPS). His numbers against the current lineup get a little scary, especially that .500 SLG number. Both Jeter and Cano have OPS numbers greater than .800.
Phil Hughes has pitched 86.2 innings against the O's and has gotten rocked on a regular basis. His 15 homers allowed to Oriole hitters mark the most he's allowed to any team, including the Blue Jays, whom he pitched an additional 30 innings against. His numbers against the current lineup are a bit disconcerting, though. Nick Markakis has an .876 OPS in 46 PA, but none of the remaining major players in the O's lineup have good numbers. Nate McLouth owns a 2.00+ OPS, but through 16 PA.