Not often does the sixth series in the season count as a crucial one. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Orioles are in that situation, as they welcome the Cleveland Guardians to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for a three-game series.
The Orioles are coming off a split with the Toronto Blue Jays, with the first game being made up in July as part of a doubleheader. The next two games saw the O’s get their first two save opportunities of the season after going the first 13 games without one.
Félix Bautista earned the save in the first game, his first since August 23 of 2023. The second game saw the Birds blow the save opportunity, which also made them unable to win the series, their fifth straight without a series victory.
The Orioles (6-9) currently sit in last place in the AL East, 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees. The Birds are 3-7 over their last 10 games and carry a -6 run differential.
The Guardians (8-7) are in second place in the AL Central, 1.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games, as they hold a -2 run differential.
The Orioles will send Charlie Morton (0-3, 8.78 ERA) to the bump, where he will be opposed by left-hander Logan Allen (0-1, 3.60 ERA).
The second game will feature Dean Kremer (1-2, 8.16 ERA) vs. right-hander Gavin Williams (1-0, 3.46 ERA). The final game will be Tomoyuki Sugano (1-1, 3.86 ERA) against righty Tanner Bibee (1-1, 4.40 ERA).
The Orioles continue to be an enigma, as they have yet to put together a complete game. The offense is up and down, the starting pitching fails to get through five innings and the bullpen still has some question marks.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
One of the things that seems to be plaguing the Orioles right now is the ability of the pitching staff to work deeper in games.
The Birds currently are 29th in innings pitched (74.2), 29th in BABIP (.333), 20th in wins (4), 30th in ERA (5.30) and 25th in fWAR (0.5).
Needless the say, the Orioles need to be better. With Zach Eflin on the IL and Grayson Rodriguez still at least a couple weeks away, the rotation is under a lot of scrutiny.
Morton, Kremer and Sugano need at least five-inning efforts and to keep the Guardians under three runs in order for the Orioles to win their first series of the season.
ROSTER MOVES
The Orioles did make a move to help the bullpen today.
The club activated right-hander Scott Blewett, who will wear No. 67. In a corresponding move, they have optioned right-hander Colin Selby to Triple-A Norfolk.
Blewett was claimed off of waivers on Monday after being designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins. You can read more about the transaction by clicking the link here.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUP
The Birds will begin play tonight at 7:05 p.m. EST, with games two and three set to begin at 6:35 p.m. EST.
Games one and two will be available on MASN2 with game three expected to be on MASN. You can also tune into your local Orioles Radio Network station.
Will the Birds be able to send off the Guardians and turn their season around, or will Cleveland knock the Birds from their nest and add to their early woes?
How do you see this series playing out? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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