The AL East is absolutely, historically bonkers, and frankly, nobody in baseball is ready for this kind of chaos in late August. Entering Wednesday night, the last-place Orioles are sitting at 61-65. You know what’s wild about that? That record would put them *just two games* behind the AL West-leading Astros. Seriously. We’re talking about a division that, if current trends hold, could be the first to ever have five teams with winning records. Think about that: we haven’t seen anything close since the 1991 Angels or the 2005 Nationals finished exactly .500. This isn’t a fluke either. This is likely the fifth consecutive season without a single 90-loss team in the AL East, a streak untouched by any other division in the last seven years. Every single one of these games, every series victory, feels colossal because there are zero pushovers.
Warren Gets a Lifeline Against a Familiar Foe
Looking to grab a series win for the Yankees tonight is Will Warren, who just caught a break and got back into the starting rotation. This is his 25th start this year, and while he’s got a 4.42 ERA and a 4.20 FIP over 118 innings, his great start to the season has been totally wiped out by struggles in the last couple of months. Remember, this is the same dude who was on the mound against *our* Mariners just last week, August 12th, right there in Yankee Stadium. Fortunately for Warren, he’s actually had some solid outings against this particular Baltimore squad in 2026, giving up just three runs in 12 innings while racking up 15 strikeouts. He knows how to pitch to these guys.
Bassitt’s Struggles and a Tricky Mix
Across the diamond for the O’s, it’s age 37 for Chris Bassitt, who’s in his first year in Baltimore after three seasons up in Toronto. He’s had his share of tough times this year in 13 appearances and 11 starts, putting up a 5.11 ERA and 4.65 FIP over 61.2 innings. What’s interesting about Bassitt is how he’s handled the Yankees specifically. He never faced them in his first six MLB seasons, but since 2021, he’s been a total Yankee killer with a 2.06 ERA in 56.1 innings across nine starts. Although, even that dominance “slightly improved” last year, which tells you he’s not quite what he was. He might not have the pure swing-and-miss stuff anymore, but he stays serviceable by managing hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground with a seven-pitch mix. He’s even refined that mix this year, essentially using just four pitches against righties: his sinker about half the time, with his curveball as the main secondary, plus some cutter and changeup thrown in.
Lineup Battle and What’s Next
Tonight’s matchups look spicy. Trent Grisham is leading off for the Yankees, followed by Ben Rice, Luis García Jr., and Heliot Ramos. Then it’s a bold choice of three high-strikeout guys in Jazz Chisholm Jr., Spencer Jones, and Ryan McMahon, before George Lombard Jr. and Austin Wells close out the order. For the O’s, Jackson Holliday is back at lead-off, with Pete Alonso right behind him. Gunnar Henderson gets bumped up to third in the order, followed by Samuel Basa. This series finale is absolutely massive. A series victory here for the Yankees, given the insane AL East standings, means more than it would in almost any other circumstance. Every single game is a gut punch or a massive win in this division right now. You can’t miss a pitch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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