BALTIMORE – Four hours before first pitch, the stands at Camden Yards are empty and the Yankees are hitting balls over the fence (early batting practice).
Things might not change when the game starts tonight.
The Yankees come to Baltimore off their first series loss of the season, but the Orioles have much bigger problems.
At 3-16 and with attendance at an embarrassing level, there’s not much hope in Charm City. Manager Dave Trembley is on the hot seat and the Orioles are searching for answers with an injury-plagued, underachieving roster.
Phil Hughes (2-0, 2.19 ERA) takes the mound for the Yankees in his first start since taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning in Oakland. The fifth starter has been everything the Yankees could have hoped for in his first two starts.
He is opposed by the veteran Kevin Millwood (0-3, 3.38), who is searching for his first win as an Oriole.
The story in Baltimore is as much about what’s in the stands as what’s on the field. Camden Yards was full every night in the mid-’90s, which makes the current empty seats even more striking. Earlier this month, 9,129 fans showed up for a game, the lowest total in the history of the stadium.
Tonight could be one of the larger crowds of the year. The Yankees usually turn this place into the Bronx South, bringing tons of supporters with them. This afternoon, there were plenty of Yankees gear to be seen at the Inner Harbor and vendors across the street from the stadium are selling as much Yankees merchandise as Orioles.
Here’s how the current Yankees with a minimum of 10 at-bats have fared against Millwood:
AB H Avg. HR RBI
Swisher 29 10 .345 3 7
Granderson 28 6 .214 1 3
Jeter 25 8 .320 0 2
Rodriguez 21 9 .429 1 2
Cano 18 6 .333 1 3
Winn 18 11 .611 2 6
Posada 14 3 .214 1 2
Teixeira 13 4 .308 1 1
Only one Oriole on the active roster has faced Hughes a minimum of 10 times:
AB H Avg. HR RBI
Markakis 14 6 .429 0 3