The Orioles will try to squeeze in Game No. 162 with a lineup that brings Gunnar Henderson right back into the mix. Baltimore is 79-82 and sits one game ahead of the Blue Jays for fourth place in the division.
Henderson is batting third after rejoining the lineup, while Heston Kjerstad is back in right field for his first appearance in the lineup since Sept. 14. Dylan Beavers shifts to left field, and Carlos Narváez is behind the plate.
On the mound for Baltimore is Shane Baz, making his 32nd start. He has already seen the Yankees twice this season.
On May 4 at Yankee Stadium, he gave up five earned runs and six total in 5 2/3 innings. On Aug. 18 at Camden Yards, he held New York to three runs and struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings.
The overall track record against the Yankees has been rough for Baz. In eight career starts against them, he is 0-3 with a 6.48 ERA and 1.740 WHIP. In the Bronx, he has allowed six earned runs, seven total, and issued 12 walks in 11 2/3 innings.
A few Yankees have handled him well. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 5-for-12 with a double and a homer against Baz, Austin Wells is 3-for-8 with a home run, and Ben Rice is 0-for-9 with four strikeouts.
New York is countering with rookie right-hander Elmer Rodríguez, a fourth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2021 who was traded to the Yankees in December 2024 for Narváez, who later came to the Orioles in the Adley Rutschman deal.
Rodríguez has made six starts and allowed 16 runs with 16 walks in 26 2/3 innings, and he is still looking for his first major league win. He spent 21 starts in Triple-A, where he posted a 2.45 ERA, and carries a 2.56 ERA across five minor league seasons. MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect.
One more note for Baz: Ben Rice has been punishing fastballs this season, hitting .301 and slugging .669 with 24 home runs against them.
In Other News...
Gunnar Hendersons Brutal Take Shows What Orioles Must Fix Fast
Gunnar Henderson was not in the lineup for the second game of the doubleheader, but the bigger note came afterward when he opened up about a disappointing 2026 season and what it meant to come up short of the postseason. The Orioles shortstop did not dress it up, instead pointing to the kind of small details and mental readiness that can get lost over the course of a long season, especially when the expectations in Baltimore are built around playing meaningful games in October.
Henderson also hinted at how much harder the year felt as he dealt with multiple batting coaches and saw pitchers keep adjusting to him as the season went on. For the Orioles, that makes his comments more than a personal reflection. It is a reminder that the fix may not be one big change, but a fast, careful reset in approach, communication and day-to-day consistency before those same issues carry into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Alonso Gives Orioles Fans One More Reason To Watch Yankees Finale
The Orioles head into their regular-season finale in New York with more than just a final box score to sort through. The Yankees have already shifted into postseason mode after getting eliminated from the AL East race, and with regulars getting time off, the afternoon start at 1:05 p.m. only adds to the sense that both clubs are treating this one a little differently than a typical Sunday game, weather permitting.
Pete Alonso gives Baltimore fans another reason to keep an eye on it. He is set to appear in his 162nd game of the season and enters the finale leading the AL in both RBIs and home runs, a reminder that even in a game with little on the line for the standings, there is still individual hardware and late-season milestones in play. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Late Push Exposed Who Came Through And Who Let Fans Down
The Orioles 2026 season spent a long stretch drifting between promise and disappointment, with playoff expectations giving way to early setbacks and a trade-deadline fire sale that signaled just how far things had slipped. Even so, Baltimore stayed alive in the race until the final week, and September gave the club a clearer read on who handled the pressure when the margin for error disappeared.
Pete Alonso and Anthony Nunez were among the players who answered the call during the late push, while Gunnar Hendersons offense faded at a time when the Orioles needed him most. For a team that never quite let go of the chase, the last month ended up exposing both the contributors who kept hope alive and the players who left too much on the table. [Read more 🡒]