The Orioles are coming off a 5-1 homestand and are winners of six of their last eight series. After sweeping Detroit last weekend, the young Tigers will be out for revenge from their home park.
The Orioles have the second best record in the AL and have won eight of their last nine games. During the early part of the season, the bullpen, which ranks first in MLB with a 1.8 WAR, has been led by young phenom Yennier Canó, crafty lefty Danny Coulombe and “The Mountain”, Félix Bautista.
Canó retired 24 straight batters before a hit by pitch to Justin Turner but has yet to allow a player to reach via base hit or walk through 25 faced batters.
With the emergence of Canó, who has a 0.00 ERA and WHIP, the Orioles bullpen is locking down games in the later innings, as shown by their 2.88 ERA (third best in MLB).
The Orioles will send Kyle Gibson, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish to the mound in this four-game series. The Tigers will counter with Joey Wentz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull.
ROSTER MOVES
It was announced earlier this morning that the Orioles have called up infielder Joey Ortiz from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned Terrin Vavra to Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
Ortiz was tearing it up in Triple-A, slashing .359/.389/.500 with 23 total hits, five doubles, two triples and eight RBIs in 16 games. He also has walked five times and struck out 12, tallying one stolen base.
Vavra has had a slow start to the 2023 season, as he’s hitting .231/.310/.231 in 15 games played. All six of his hits have been singles, and the lefty utility man has walked three times and struck out eight.
The 24-year-old Ortiz will wear No. 65, and his first appearance will be his major league debut.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
Heading into the Detroit series, our BATTERY ❌-FACTOR is the Orioles’ ability to get to the Tigers’ bullpen.
The Tigers come in with a bullpen ERA of 4.14 (4th worst in AL) and a -0.2 WAR. Against the Orioles last week, the Tigers’ bullpen pitched 9.2 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, accumulating a 3.91 ERA.
The O’s knocking out the starters, getting to the bullpen early, will allow the Orioles’ starters to take control of the game and the offense to set the pace.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUPS
Baltimore Orioles (16-8): Managed by Brandon Hyde
1. Cedric Mullins CF
2. Adley Rutschman C
3. Ryan Mountcastle 1B
4. Anthony Santander DH
5. Ramón Urías 3B
6. Jorge Mateo SS
7. Adam Frazier RF
8. Ryan McKenna LF
9. Joey Ortiz 2B
SP. Kyle Gibson RHP (4-0, 3.60 ERA)
Detroit Tigers (9-14): Managed by AJ Hinch
1. Zach McKinstry 3B
2. Riley Greene CF
3. Spencer Torkelson 1B
4. Nick Maton SS
5. Kerry Carpenter RF
6. Eric Haase C
7. Miguel Cabrera DH
8. Akil Baddoo LF
9. Jonathan Schoop 2B
SP. Joey Wentz LHP (0-3, 7.56 ERA)
Games one and two will start at 6:40 p.m. EST, followed by a 1:10 p.m. EST start Saturday and 1:40 p.m. EST start Sunday. You can catch each game on MASN2 or on your local Orioles Radio Network station.
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