New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles: Nestor Cortes vs. Dean Kremer

Five shutouts in 30 games isn’t anything to be happy about, and hopefully we avoid ending the month of April with the Yankees blanked for the sixth time. Perhaps in a fortunate stroke, they’ll face off against a starter who they’re very familiar with and one they’ve touched up on more than one occasion.

Dean Kremer, a 28-year-old righty, will be making his 10th start against the Yankees in his career, owning a 5.04 ERA against the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Judge in particular might just be licking his chops, as he’s notched a 1.700 OPS and clubbed three homers off Kremer. On the year, Kremer has a 4.61 ERA despite one of the best walk rates in baseball — indeed, both starting pitchers limit free passes well.

Kremer and Nestor Cortes are both in the top 20 in MLB in walk rate, but Cortes has been overall much more effective. His ERA is more than a full run lower than Dean’s, and his xERA of 2.52 also indicates how well he’s managed contact in his first six starts this year. As a nice bonus, he’s also averaging exactly six innings per start — not exactly the textbook definition of a workhorse, but has so far been counted on for some much-needed length in the early goings.

The cast of characters in the Yankees’ lineup is identical to yesterday, though there is a tweak. Giancarlo Stanton will clean up while Anthony Rizzo slides down to fifth, and Gleyber Torres swaps places with Austin Wells at sixth and seventh, respectively. As a reminder, Alex Verdugo is out on paternity leave.

How to watch

Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards — Baltimore, MD

First pitch: 6:35 pm EDT

TV broadcast: YES, MASN

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM

Online stream: MLB.tv

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