Coming off a very disappointing series loss to the Oakland Athletics, the Orioles now matchup against Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim for three games.
Taking the bump for the Orioles in this series will be Bruce Zimmermann, Spenser Watkins and Chris Ellis.
So far this year, Baltimore native Bruce Zimmermann has been the ace for the squad. In his two starts this year, Zimmermann has combined for nine scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. His WHIP only sits above one due to two walks in each of his first two starts.
Behind these starters, who rank No. 1 in the AL in starter ERA, will be a bullpen that is looking to continue its dominance. Dillon Tate and Keegan Akin finally got scored on in Oakland, and to be honest, that is a good thing. Keep them level-headed and humble as they continue to thrive in those relief spots.
For the offense, there’s really nothing good to say going into this series. Besides Anthony Santander’s whopping .453 OBP and Austin Hays’ four doubles, I struggle to find a positive with this lineup so far.
Cedric Mullins is very due, as he currently sits at a .196 average, .660 OPS and a sub three OBP. We know this truly is a slump for Mullins, and there is no better place to break out of that than on late night TV in California.
This lineup will see Reid Detmers in game one, followed by Noah Syndergaard in game two and José Suarez in game three.
This will be yet another test for the Orioles, who now see their fourth, let’s call it ‘near’, playoff caliber team. This Angels team is hard to assess, so we’ll leave it at calling them that until further notice.
The Baltimore Battery’s ❌-Factor in this series is simple; it’s the offense.
So far, this Oriole pitching staff has done EVERYTHING they can to keep every game winnable. And yet somehow, this team still sits at 4-9. We’ve talked about the hitting with RISP, which may be the worst we’ve seen in quite some time.
Against a lineup that includes Trout, Rendon and Ohtani, scoring runs is simply necessary. Actually taking advantage of RISP will be what either wins or loses these games for the Birds. If they continue this trend of inept hitting in this situations, just consider this a sweep before it starts.
Here’s your game one starting lineups:
Los Angeles Angels (8-5):
1. Shohei Ohtani DH
2. Mike Trout CF
3. Anthony Rendon 3B
4. Taylor Ward RF
5. Matt Duffy 1B
6. Jack Mayfield 2B
7. Max Stassi C
8. Jo Adell LF
9. Andrew Velazquez SS
SP. Reid Detmers LHP
Baltimore Orioles (4-9):
1. Cedric Mullins CF
2. Trey Mancini DH
3. Ryan Mountcastle 1B
4. Anthony Santander LF
5. Austin Hays RF
6. Ramón Urías 2B
7. Robinson Chirinos C
8. Kelvin Gutiérrez 3B
9. Jorge Mateo SS
SP. Bruce Zimmermann LHP
Game one of this series begins at 9:38 pm EST, with games two and three starting at 9:07 p.m. EST and 4:07 p.m. EST, respectively. You can catch the games on MASN or on the flagship radio station for the O’s, 98 Rock FM/WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM.
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