Yankees open series against Angels

When and where to see

Tonight: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 9:00 p.m. with the Pregame Show

Tomorrow: YES & the YES app will air the postgame show following the game on Prime, where coverage begins at 9pm

Thursday: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 8:30 p.m. with today’s Yankees batting practice

Pinstripe Pulse

The Yankees, at 37-18, have the best record in the American League and are 1.5 games ahead of second-place Baltimore in the AL East. This division looks like a two-team race heading into June, with Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay all trailing by 9.5 games or worse. Anthony Volpe has a .333 batting average during his 19-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors this year and the longest by a Yankee since the start of the 2013 season. Aaron Judge leads the MLB with a 1.039 OPS and recently had a stretch where he became the first major leaguer in history to record 12 doubles and 11 home runs in 20 games. Juan Soto, fifth in the majors with a .979 OPS, has a .310 batting average with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. Although it ended in his last start, Clarke Schmidt recently threw 24.1 consecutive scoreless innings on the road, the longest streak by a Yankee since Hall of Famer Mike Mussina in 2003.

How about that

The Yankees’ rotation is on a streak rarely seen in baseball! Over the last 14 games, all of their starting pitchers have gone at least five innings and allowed two runs or less, tying them with three other teams for the longest streak in MLB, dating back to 1997. 1893when the pitching mound was moved 60 feet and six inches from home plate. The only other clubs to achieve such success were the 1907 Phillies, the 1968 Pirates and the 2022 Mets.

Know the enemy

At 20-33, the Angels have the second-worst record in the AL, better than only the White Sox at 15-40. The Halos are last in their division, eight games behind the West-leading Mariners and nine games out of the wild card position. While the team is playing without several key players sidelined by injuries, including Mike Trout (left knee surgery) and Anthony Rendon (left hamstring strain), Taylor Ward leads the team with 11 home runs and 32 RBI and has a .274 batting average. Jo Adell is the only other active Angel in double figures with 10 home runs. Kevin Pillar has a .407 batting average in 54 at-bats with the Angels since joining the team after being designated for transfer by the White Sox, passing the waivers list and opting to become a free agent rather than accepting an outright transfer to Triple-A. Luis Rengifo has a .369 batting average since April 18. After playing in only 49 games last year due to left shoulder surgery, Long Island native Logan O’Hoppe has a .266 batting average and 12 extra-base hits this season. The Angels’ bullpen ERA is 4.81, fourth-worst in the major leagues, and they are one of five teams to allow at least 26 home runs by relievers.

Probable pitchers

After throwing 12.0 innings in his last two starts without allowing a single earned run, Nestor Cortes will look to stay in top form tonight when he takes the mound opposite Griffin Canning. Luis Gil and Tyler Anderson are scheduled to start tomorrow, both pitchers ranking in the top eight in the AL in ERA. Gil ranks fifth with a 2.11 while Anderson ranks eighth with 2.52, percentage points ahead of Schmidt. Gil will look to earn his sixth straight win and Carlos Rodón will try to earn his fifth straight when he faces Patrick Sandoval in the series finale.

A look ahead to the Dodgers

After completing their current California tour, the Yankees host a team from Golden State in their next home game when Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and the Dodgers travel to the Bronx for three big games! With so many big names on both sides, including a handful of players who could go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, you won’t want to miss the action. YES and the YES app will have special coverage of the series’ opening game starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 7, with a one-hour pregame show from the stadium.

The story of my number

A new show featuring some of your favorite Yankees stars is now streaming on the YES app! Hosted by Gracie Cashman, The story of my number, presented by the New York Lottery highlights pinstripe icons who talk about their lives on and off the field through the prism of the numbers. Don Mattingly will be the subject of an episode released Thursday. Aaron Boone, Tino Martinez and Andy Pettitte are the subjects of the shows now available on the YES app. Future editions will focus on Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia.