Since their last appearance at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees obtained five new players and also moved further away from the .500 mark.
One of those newcomers is Anthony Rizzo, who is off to a hot start in pinstripes and the first baseman will make his home debut when the Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a three-game series on Monday.
The Yankees are seeking their fourth straight win with Rizzo and Joey Gallo in the lineup, and are eight games over .500 after going 6-4 on a 10-game road trip.
Rizzo homered in each of the first two games against the Miami Marlins this weekend and in Sunday’s 3-1 win, he hit the game-tying single as the Yankees also improved to 15-7 since falling to .500 following a loss to the New York Mets in the first game of a doubleheader on July 4.
“Every game intensifies as you move forward,” Rizzo said. “It’s fun. It’s what you play baseball for. Being able to come to New York and join this team that has had a lot of success in years past is amazing, and it’s a good feeling.”
Gallo is not off to as quick of a start with the Yankees but did get his first hit Sunday since being acquired from the Texas Rangers. He started in right field Friday and Saturday before playing left field Sunday and will likely see some time in center field.
“I’ve been hearing for some time that New York was in play for me,” Gallo said. “I grew up a huge Yankees fan. My family’s from New York, so it was pretty surreal that they told me I was going to the Yankees
The other newcomers to debut are relievers Joely Rodriguez and Clay Holmes, who each pitched Sunday. The final new arrival will make his debut Monday when Andrew Heaney (6-7, 5.27 ERA) starts after being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels shortly before Friday’s deadline.
Heaney is 2-1 with a 4.84 ERA in four starts since allowing seven runs in three innings against the Yankees June 29. He last pitched on Wednesday when he allowed three runs in six innings and got eight strikeouts in a no-decision against the Colorado Rockies.
The left-hander is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in three career starts against the Orioles.
Baltimore is coming off a four-game split in Detroit where it sandwiched two close victories around a pair of 6-2 losses. The Orioles are 6-3 in their past nine games since July 23 but did not score after a two-run opening inning Sunday.
“We went out in the first inning and were extremely aggressive,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “That got us a quick lead, but we stayed that aggressive all day and it resulted in a lot of quick outs.”
Jorge Lopez (2-12, 6.19), who is 0-6 with a 7.43 ERA in his past nine starts, seeks his first win since June 6. The Orioles have scored 22 times in Lopez’s past three starts, allowing him to get no-decisions. He allowed five runs in two innings before Baltimore beat Miami on Wednesday.
Lopez is 1-3 with a 7.23 ERA in six career starts against New York.
