Following what may be the worst loss for the Baltimore Orioles since 2007, not many things are looking up right now for the Birds.
Regardless, baseball still needs to be played. The O’s next stop will be the Nation’s Capital, home of the Washington Nationals, who the Birds will see for three games.
The league’s worst combined staff ERA of the Orioles (5.43) will face off against the second worst (5.14) of the Nationals. In a series that features bats like Gunnar Henderson and James Wood, it is likely to be a high-scoring affair.
Dean Kremer (2-2, 6.41) will kick things off on Tuesday night against left-hander Mitchell Parker (2-1, 1.85). Game two will see Tomoyuki Sugano (2-1, 3.43) against veteran righty Trevor Williams (1-2, 5.95), and finally, game three will be a lefty battle of Cade Povich (0-2, 6.38) against MacKenzie Gore (2-2, 3.41).
This series will need the big part of the order to get back on track for it to be bearable. In the three games against the Cincinnati Reds, the big four of Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle went a combined 8-for-42 with four RBIs on four home runs, three of which were solo shots.
The Nationals bring a squad full of young firepower in their lineup, and the O’s starting rotation struggles show how badly they need these four to produce at the plate.
ROSTER MOVES
Prior to the start of this series, the Orioles placed right-hander Cody Poteet on the 15-day injured list with what the team is calling right shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Brandon Young is back with the club after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.
Poteet appeared in Sunday’s Cincinnati 24-2 massacre, pitching 2.2 innings of five-run relief out of the bullpen. Young, who made his big league debut the day before, gave up three earned runs in his four-inning start.
BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR
The BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR for this series will highlight the pitching struggles on the Nationals’ side.
Much like the O’s rotation, the Nats’ bullpen has struggled mightily and is the reason for the majority of their losses.
Washington will be throwing some quality arms in this set, especially Gore. In order for the offense to help out their starters, the bats need to get into this bullpen of the Nationals as early as possible.
The offensive production will come against that pen, and the earlier in game one they have to enter, the better the rest of the series will go. The offense taking smart at-bats that are focused on raising the Nats starters’ pitch counts will go a long way.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUP
Luckily for O’s fans, one of many prayers as of late has been answered. This series can be viewed on the all new MASN+ streaming service.
This service allows viewers to pay either a monthly ($19.99) or a pro-rated yearly fee ($89.99) to watch Oriole games live without blackout restrictions. No cable subscription will be required, and this set against the Nationals will be the first chance to check it out.
*Note: If you use a cable subscription for the MASN app or website, you will still be able to view games this way without paying the MASN+ subscription.
This inter-league MASN showdown begins on Tuesday evening, with each of the three games scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. EST. Each game can be viewed on MASN2, MASN+ or on your local Orioles Radio Network station.
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!
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 Justin’s content? Follow him on X – @orioles4life96
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment