The Baltimore Orioles have been turning heads lately, as they have yet to lose a series in the month of June.
Coming off a series win against Chicago that ended a 2.5 year losing streak, the Orioles have used strong pitching and timely hitting to bring their record with-in six games of .500.
The Orioles travel to Seattle to take on the Mariners for a three-game set starting tonight, with both teams on the upward trend.
The Mariners will send George Kirby, Robbie Ray and Chris Flexen to the mound to face an Oriole offense that has utilized speed, clutch hitting and sneaky power to keep opposing teams on their toes until the very last pitch of a ballgame.
Jorge Mateo showed off last series, stealing two bases, hitting a home run, scoring four runs and collecting three walks, with a hit-by-pitch. Between his electricity on the base paths and his strong defensive play, Mateo was the catalyst that sparked the offensive showing last series.
The Birds will send Tyler Wells to the mound to start the series, who has erupted in June as the O’s top pitcher, winning three straight decisions and going at least five innings in each start.
For the month, Wells is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA across 21.0 innings, striking out 12. One of the things that has helped Wells is the ability to keep the ball in the yard, as he has allowed only one home run over the last three games.
To round out the series, the Orioles will send Dean Kremer out for the second game and Austin Voth in a bullpen game for game three.
โ-Factor:
The Baltimore Battery has dubbed Orioles outfielder Austin Hays as the โ-Factor for the series.
Hays has been a spark plug lately for the Orioles. Whether it be throwing out a runner, making an acrobatic catch or collecting a timely hit that changes the game, Hays has been a catalyst this month.
Hays has 22 RBIs for the month, to go with 13 extra bases hits, including five home runs. He’s also among the league leaders in outfield assists with six on the year and has one error in 133 chances for a fielding percentage of .992.
If Hays continues to come up with big hits and defensive plays during this series, he will be the guy that will help guide this series in the Orioles’ favor.
Game 1 Starting Lineup:
Game one of this late-night series starts at 10:10 p.m. EST from T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Get the coffee going, Birdland!
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