New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: Series Preview

**Saturday: Ryan Weathers vs. Kyle Bradish** **(1:35 pm ET)**

Ryan Weathers has been somewhat the talk of the town in The Bronx due to the impending returns of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón. Whether or not he will be moved to the bullpen (along with talks about Warren doing the same if Weathers is able to better prove himself) is still up in the air, and this start against an AL East foe will certainly be one for manager Aaron Boone and his staff to use when decision-making time rolls around. Weathers has also been a great option at the backend of the rotation for the Yankees this season. His last four starts have been good for at least 5.0 innings pitched, with two of his last five hitting the seven-inning mark, and his outings at home have been very solid, coming in with a 3.38 ERA in four starts and 29 strikeouts in 24 innings. The home run could be a little bit of a troublesome outlook for Weathers against an Orioles lineup that has a handful of players who are power threats. He’s given up four of his five in his four starts at home. Kyle Bradish, on the other hand, has officially returned full-time to the Orioles rotation following a 2025 season which he mostly spent recovering from 2024 Tommy John surgery. And, while it’s a boost for Baltimore to have an arm like Bradish (one that they know can be high-end over 150+ innings), he still appears to be settling in in 2026. He comes into the series against the Yankees with a 4.20 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 30 innings. His problems have been on the walk, as he has posted 17 walks in those innings, so if the Yankees can maintain their discipline in this start, it should work out well for them.

**Sunday: Max Fried vs. Shane Baz (1:35 pm ET)**

Max Fried has been nothing but stellar for the Yankees once again this season. His 47.1 innings pitched leads all of MLB, and his 2.09 ERA is ninth-best amongst starters. He sits with a 203 ERA+, and he hasn’t given up a single run in his last two starts (14.0 innings pitched). Fried’s last time out against the Orioles came in September of last season, when he pitched seven shutout innings with 13 strikeouts to his name. His first time against the Orioles (when he was with the Atlanta Braves back in 2021), he pitched a complete-game shutout, but in between those two outings, he’s otherwise struggled against Baltimore. The Yankees ace will have some work to do, as his opposition is a pitcher that Yankees fans have become very familiar with over the last few seasons. Shane Baz joined the Orioles for the 2026 season following five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays organization. After Baltimore acquired him for a hefty package (four prospects and a 2026 draft compensation pick), Baz agreed to a five-year extension worth $68 million. And after six games started, the return on investment hasn’t been positive yet. His 4.50 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched isn’t going to get the job done, but it’s also still early in the season, and there’s plenty of arm talent to work with if Baz is able to find his stride.

Monday: Cam Schlittler vs. TBD (7:05 pm ET)

Everything about Fried being stellar applies just as much (if not more) to Cam Schlittler. The young right-hander leads MLB in fWAR among starters, and he falls second in starter ERA with a 1.51 mark. In his short major league career, Schlittler has faced the Orioles twice and come out on the right end both times. His first start against them came at Camden Yards in Baltimore, and while he didn’t end up with a “one” in the win column, he pitched 5.1 excellent innings, finishing with six strikeouts, three hits, one walk, and only one earned run allowed. Less than a week later, Schlittler continued his case for the Yankees’ postseason rotation by delivering an excellent seven innings of shutout baseball with nine strikeouts. Now, following his dominant postseason outings and a long offseason, Schlittler is going to head back out to the mound for his first appearance against the Orioles since that late-season push. The Orioles have an open spot in their rotation due to Trevor Rogers having the flu, so at this time, it is unclear who might start for them on Monday. They had a doubleheader yesterday, and the starters in those two games—Chris Bassitt and Brandon Young—would have to go on short rest if they were to pitch. The 37-year-old veteran Bassett seems more likely of the two since he’s no stranger to the Yankees, and while he has an ugly 5.46 ERA across six starts, it’s better than Young, who is smarting a bit after getting blasted by the Astros for 10 runs.