The Baltimore Orioles are coming off a tough series loss against the Seattle Mariners, their only series loss in June.
As they head into July, the Orioles will continue their 10-game, 11-day road trip by visiting the Minnesota Twins, starting tonight. The O’s will look to start July off strong, as they search for back-to-back winning months for the first time since 2016.
The Birds, who lost to the Mariners 9-3 Wednesday, will look to continue their streak of wins. Baltimore will also look to improve on its 17-25 road record.
The Twins will send out Joe Ryan, Sonny Gray and Devin Smeltzer to face an Orioles team that is scoring 4.1 runs per game this season.
The Orioles will counter with Spenser Watkins, Jordan Lyles and Tyler Wells to face a Twins team that counters with 4.51 runs per game.
Tyler Wells had a stellar June, pitching to a 4-0 record in five starts and holding a 3.23 ERA on the season. He has been one of the most reliable starters for the Birds and seems to get better with each outing.
❌-FACTOR:
One of the things that hurt the Orioles most was their inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities. This is why the Baltimore Battery ❌-FACTOR for the series will be the O’s offense with runners in scoring position (RISP).
Against Seattle, the Orioles went 2-for-18 (.111 BA) with RISP for the series. Granted, they scored nine runs in game one, but most of that was aided by five home runs from the offense.
For the Orioles to succeed and win this series against the Twins, they will need to take advantage of scoring opportunities when they arise. Winning the battle here could be the difference between a winning road trip and a losing one.
Game 1 Starting Lineup:
First pitch of this three-game series is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. EST Friday at Target Field. You can catch each game on MASN or on your local Orioles Radio Network station.
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