ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The first two times the Yankees began a series against the Orioles, they did so while leading them atop the AL East.
On Friday, they’ll arrive at Camden Yards looking up, though not as much as they could be.
As bad as the Yankees have been lately, having lost 18 of their last 25 games, the Orioles haven’t fully been able to capitalize.
During that stretch, the Orioles have gone just 12-12, meaning the Yankees have gone from 3 ½ games up on the Orioles (one game shy of their biggest lead of the season) to only trailing by two games entering Friday.
Still, the latest showdown between the top two teams in the division will carry some extra weight, with the Yankees sorely needing some momentum heading into the All-Star break and this being their penultimate series of the season against the Orioles.
“First-place team in our division, obviously an extremely talented lineup,” said Gerrit Cole, who will take the mound on Friday night for his fifth start of the season. “There’s no doubt it’ll be a good challenge and that’s exciting.”
Since the teams last saw each other on June 20 in The Bronx, the Orioles have slipped into an 8-11 stretch — not quite to the extent of the Yankees’ skid, but enough to keep them bunched up at the top of the division.
The Yankees will be trying to reverse course against the defending division champs, as the Orioles have won each of their first two series while going 5-2 with their athleticism on full display.
“Obviously, they’re a formidable group,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Couple close games, couple games where they put it on us a bit. You gotta play really well against that team to beat them.”
While the Orioles have pitched the Yankees tough — limiting them to just three runs per game while batting .197 with a .621 OPS — Boone’s lineup will miss Corbin Burnes, the Baltimore ace who tossed six innings of two-run ball against them in May but just pitched on Wednesday.
The Orioles are set to roll out lefty Cade Povich, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer.
Cole, meanwhile, will be getting his second shot against the Orioles (followed by Luis Gil and Carlos Rodón).
The first was his season debut on June 19 at Yankee Stadium, when he was limited to just 62 pitches and four innings as he continued his buildup from elbow nerve inflammation.
The reigning AL Cy Young winner has now thrown 90 pitches in back-to-back outings and is just about fully built up.
“I feel really good about where I’m at, in a vacuum,” said Cole, who has given up 13 runs in 17 ¹/₃ innings. “I’m still conscious that it’s early July for everyone else and it’s early April for me. That’s the challenge. That’s a challenge that can certainly be navigated.”
Looking at the Orioles, who will send five players to the All-Star Game next week, Cole pointed to their lineup depth and combination of team speed and power.
They entered Thursday’s game against the Cubs with the highest OPS in the majors (.772) and the most home runs (147) — nine of which have come in seven games against the Yankees.
And yet, this weekend will be the last time the Yankees see the Orioles until Sept. 24-26, at which point the battle for the division could be on fire.
“Obviously, the wins mean a win for you and a loss for them,” Cole said. “It probably means a little bit less with the schedule reshape than maybe it used to. But it’s still the most efficient way to gain games back in your standings or increase your lead. So the familiarity with it and the maximum efficiency of beating a team in your division, those are variables that mean more.”