It’s been a long and grueling MLB season with more twists and turns than a theme park roller coaster.
Through it all, the Baltimore Orioles persevered and clawed through one of the most battle-tested seasons they have experienced in quite some time.
With three games left, there is still much to be decided over the last few days of the 2024 regular season.
The Orioles currently hold the top AL Wild Card spot, while the Minnesota Twins currently are on the outside looking in. A victory by the Orioles would officially eliminate the Twins from the postseason.
For the Birds, they will send rookie Cade Povich (2-9, 5.59 ERA) to the mound, as he looks to build on his strong September against the organization that traded him to Baltimore two years ago (3.27 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, .185 BAA).
Povich will be followed by two “to be determined” starters, as the Orioles will be looking to set up their playoff rotation. Expect to see Albert Suárez start one of these games for Baltimore.
For the Twins, they will open with Pablo López (15-9, 4.11 ERA). He will be followed by Zebby Matthews (1-3, 5.71 ERA) and Bailey Ober (12-8, 3.94 ERA).
Three games left in the season, with positioning for the postseason yet to be finalized, leads us directly into our final BATTERY ❌-FACTOR of the regular season.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The Orioles are the top spot in the AL Wild Card standings currently. With the Twins still fighting to get in, it will not be a series that the Birds can just show up to.
The Orioles need to focus on themselves, and that is why the BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for this series is to take care of business and focus on themselves.
The Birds can secure home field advantage for the Wild Card round by winning just one more game. They need to play their game, handle their business and the rest will fall into place.
With so much on the line, this series has big implications for the postseason picture. The Orioles are battle-tested, and the playoff atmosphere will only help the Birds going forward.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUP
Game one begins Friday night at 8:10 p.m. EST. Game two will begin at 7:15 p.m. EST and the final game of the regular season at 3:10 p.m. EST.
Games one and three will be available on MASN2, while Saturday’s game will be on FOX. If you can’t watch, you can always tune in to your favorite local Orioles Radio Network station.
Will the Twins ruffle the Birds feathers, or will the Orioles send Minnesota on an early golf trip?
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 (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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