The Baltimore Orioles are assured a winning month, having won 13 games in June. Unfortunately, since June 12, the Birds have struggled as they have played .500 baseball, going 7-7.
Between shakey bullpen play and streaky offense, the Orioles are ready to end June and start July strong.
Enter the Minnesota Twins, who, despite leading the AL Central, are two games under .500. In June alone, the Twins have had two three-game losing streaks and a five-game losing streak. This prompted a players only meeting Wednesday night after being swept by the Atlanta Braves.
The Orioles have recently promoted top prospect Jordan Westburg to the big leagues. In his first series, he went 5-for-12 (.417 avg) with two RBIs and provided a little spark, though the Orioles dropped their most recent series to the Reds.
To open this three-game series, Dean Kremer (8-3) will take the mound. Kremer, who is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts, is coming off a season-high seven-inning no-decision. Kyle Bradish (4-3) and Cole Irvin (1-3) will round out the starters for the series.
For the twins, they will open with Pablo López (3-5), who is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his last two outings. López will be followed by Bailey Over (4-4) and Sonny Gray (4-2) in games two and three, respectively.
ROSTER MOVES
Prior to the start of tonight’s series opener, the Orioles made a couple of roster moves.
Firstly, left-hander Keegan Akin was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower back discomfort, retroactive to June 29.
To replace Akin on the 26-man roster, the O’s have recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The Orioles could have various players or areas to be included here, but this series is going to rest solely on the shoulders of the team’s All-Star catcher, Adley Rutschman.
Over his last 61 at-bats, Rutschman is slashing just .213/.294/.361 with five extra base hits and six RBIs. During this time, he has walked only seven times while striking out 10 times.
On top of his mini-slump at the plate, Rutschman has thrown out a miniscule 9-of-51 base runners (18%) on the season. The Orioles will need Rutschman to break out of his slump in a big way to help guide the team to a series victory.
The first game of this set is slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. EST Friday night. Game two will be at 4:05 p.m. EST Saturday, with the series finale Sunday at 12:05 p.m. EST on Peacock.
Will the Orioles end their home stand with a winning record, or will the Twins stand in their way?
How do you see this series playing out? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Stephen’s content? Follow him on X – @SRJHeckman, and listen to the official podcast of The Baltimore Battery, The Final Strike, anywhere you get your podcasts!
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment