The Baltimore Orioles are heading to the Bronx for a pivotal showdown with the New York Yankees, marking their first matchup of the season. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET, and the stakes are high as the Orioles aim to close the gap on the AL East leaders.
After a month of hovering around .500—the team has hit that mark nine times already, according to Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer—the O's are eager to make a statement. To avoid making it an even 10 times, they'll need to take down a Yankees squad that's 8-2 in their last 10 games and sits 1.5 games ahead of the Rays for the best record in the American League.
On the mound for Baltimore is left-hander Cade Povich, recently recalled and looking sharp in his two starts this season. He limited the Pirates to two runs over 5.2 innings in his debut, then followed up with 6.2 innings of one-run ball against the Giants on his 26th birthday. Povich has also shown he can handle the Yankee Stadium pressure—in his only previous start there, he allowed just one earned run over 4.2 innings, striking out five without a walk, and the Orioles went on to win in extra innings.
Key to Povich's success tonight will be keeping the ball in the park. While the Yankees rank just 25th in MLB with a .213 average against left-handers and have the sixth-worst strikeout rate versus southpaws, they lead the league with 18 home runs off lefties and rank eighth in slugging percentage (.420) against them. Povich's career 1.4 HR/9 against the Yankees is a concern, but walks have been his bigger nemesis—he's issued 17 free passes in 19.2 innings against New York.
Countering Povich is Yankees right-hander Will Warren, also 26, who takes the ball for New York. In four starts against the Orioles last season, Warren posted a 4.95 ERA over 20 innings. However, he had the upper hand in both of his home starts, including an 8-4 win in his final outing of 2025. The Orioles went 4-9 against the Yankees last year, so they'll be looking to flip the script in this early-season divisional clash.