New York Yankees: 5 Predictions for Their 3-Game Set with the Orioles

The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles will be begin a three-game series on Monday night that will end on Wednesday night.

Surprisingly, the Orioles are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays atop the competitive AL East at 14-8. The Yankees, on the other hand, have struggled to pitch well and sit in third place at 12-9.

The teams will battle it out for the top spot in the division in this early-season divisional matchup, and it figures to be an exciting series at Yankee Stadium.

It's time for the Yankees to start pitching well and winning series, and that's what I predict will happen against Baltimore.

The Yankees Will Get to Jason Hammel Early and Often

The Orioles acquired Jason Hammel from Colorado this offseason in exchange for Jeremy Guthrie, and Baltimore has been the clear winner of the deal up to this point.

On the season, Hammel owns a 1.73 ERA and a 3-0 record over 26 innings. He has struck out 25 and has a WHIP of 1.00.

Many of the regulars in the Yankees' lineup have great numbers against the right-hander, though, and I predict that he will get hit hard for the first time this season.

Raul Ibanez sports a .385/.429/.692 line with a home run in 13 at-bats against Hammel, Derek Jeter owns a .308/.308/.615 line with a home run and four RBI in 13 at-bats and Alex Rodriguez has recorded a .400/.471/1.200 line with four home runs and nine RBI in just 15 at-bats.

Look for those three to have big games against Hammel.

Robinson Cano has the potential to have a nice game as well, as he owns a .286/.267/.500 line against him with a home run and four RBI in 14 at-bats.

The Yankee offense will be firing on all cylinders in the first game of the series, en route to a decisive victory over their divisional foes. 

The Captain Will Continue to Silence the Haters

How dare you call the Captain "old."

Well, I guess it might actually be a good thing that Jeter heard countless people saying that he's too old to perform, as it probably gave him a little extra motivation to get back to his old ways.

This season, he has been one of the most consistent hitters in the game.

Through 91 at-bats, Jeter leads the league with a .396 batting average and 36 hits. He also has four home runs and 13 RBI, which is incredible considering the fact that he had six home runs and 61 RBI all of last season.

I listed Jeter's statistics against Hammel on the previous slide, but here's what to expect from him against the other two starters in the series, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta.

Jeter absolutely owns Matusz, tallying 11 hits through 22 at-bats. Five of those 11 have gone for doubles.

He also hits exceptionally well against Arrieta. In 15 at-bats, Jeter has recorded six hits (three doubles) and two RBI.

The offense will rely on Jeter in this series to set the table for the big hitters, and all signs point to him doing just that.

Phil Hughes Will Show Signs of Improvement

Aside from Freddy Garcia—who has since been demoted to the bullpen—Phil Hughes has been the worst starter in the Yankees' rotation.

After four starts, Hughes' record sits at 1-3 and his ERA sits at a gaudy 7.88.

He's lasted just 16 innings—that's an average of four innings per start for all of you non-mathematicians out there—and has struck out 17 to go along with six walks.

Possibly the most concerning statistic is his inability to keep the ball in the park. He's already allowed five long balls.

Hughes performs well against the current members of the Orioles' lineup, though. Only two regulars own lifetime averages of over .300 against him.

Nick Markakis has hit .345/.367/.552 with 10 hits (three doubles and a home run) against him, but is hitting just .244/.326/.390 this season.

Wilson Betemit owns a .500 average against Hughes, but that's over the course of just six at-bats. Similar to Markakis, though, Betemit has gotten of to a slow start in 2012.

Through 14 games (51 at-bats) he owns a line of just .235/.264/.490.

Look for Hughes to record a quality start in the second game of the series.

Joe Girardi Won't Make Many Trips to the Mound

The Yankees may be throwing two of their most inconsistent starters in this series—Kuroda and Hughes—but they will vastly outperform their expectations.

Kuroda is coming off a fantastic start against a potent Texas lineup, even though he was the hard-luck loser to an even better performance by Yu Darvish.

He will be making his first career start against the Orioles, and hitters relying solely on scouting reports as opposed to experience gives Kuroda an advantage.

Hughes owns a 4-2 record against the Orioles in his career, albeit with an ERA of 5.24.

Through 55 innings against them, he has rung up 42 on strikes.

Hughes has never been very good at keeping a low ERA in his career, but the fact that Baltimore's lineup doesn't have great success against him bodes well for him limiting the damage in Game 2.

Ivan Nova, who has performed like the team's No. 2 starter so far this season, will get the ball for Game 3.

He has a 3-0 record with a 3.34 ERA against Baltimore in his career, striking out 28 over 32.1 innings pitched.

I fully expect the Yankees' starters to stay out of long, arduous innings in the series, so expect Girardi to watch intently from his spot in the dugout.

The Yankees Will Sweep the Orioles

In the Yankees' second series of the season (April 9 through April 11), the team swept the Orioles at Camden Yards.

I predict similar results in this series, as I believe the Orioles will begin to show their true form as one of the lesser teams in the American League.

The offense will fire on all cylinders against Baltimore's young crop of pitchers, while the Yankees probable starters will outperform their expectations and do well in shutting down the opposing offense.

Mariano Rivera will make at least one appearance in the series, although it may not be in a save opportunity.

He last pitched on April 27, so expect him to get some work in during Game 2 or 3, even if the O's deficit is more than three runs.

The Yankees are coming off of a series victory over a strong Tigers team, and I expect the momentum to carry over into this series.

The team will build even more momentum after this sweep, putting them in great position to play well against the Kansas City Royals, who they play in their next series at Kauffman Stadium.