The Orioles are suddenly in the thick of the Wild Card race, and they get one more crack at the Angels before heading out on a long road trip.
Baltimore sits a half-game out of the final Wild Card spot, with the Mariners and Twins one game back. The Guardians and Rangers are both at 57-58, while the Orioles are 56-58. A win today would pull them to within one game of .500 for the first time since April 30, when they were 15-16.
After this one, the Orioles fly to Dallas to open a three-city, 10-game trip.
Baltimore’s lineup has Christian Encarnacion-Strand hitting cleanup, with Jackson Holliday in the fifth spot and at shortstop. Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter. Dylan Beavers starts in left field, Leody Taveras is in right, and Jeremiah Jackson is at second base.
For the Orioles, Brandon Young takes the ball after seeing his streak of quality starts stop at three. He gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Phillies and now carries a 3.31 ERA. Young has never faced the Angels, though Tyler Heineman is 2-for-4 against him.
Young has been especially tough on left-handed hitters since the break, holding them to a .146 average and .195 slugging percentage over his three starts.
The Angels counter with right-hander Ryan Johnson, a 2024 second-round pick whose numbers have been rough overall. He made 14 relief appearances last season and put up a 7.36 ERA and 1.977 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings. This year, in nine starts and three relief outings, he has a 7.63 ERA and 1.587 WHIP in 46 innings.
Johnson did shut down the Orioles on June 23 in Anaheim, allowing one hit and striking out eight over six scoreless innings. In his last two starts, though, he has given up 13 runs and 14 hits in 7 2/3 innings against the Giants and Brewers.
Baltimore’s starting lineup also includes Pete Alonso at first base, Colton Cowser in center, and Yohel Pozo behind the plate. The Angels will go with Wade Meckler in left, Mike Trout at designated hitter, Nolan Schanuel at first, Zach Neto at short, Vaughn Grissom at third, Moisés Ballesteros catching, Jose Siri in center, Josh Lowe in right, and Oswald Peraza at second.
In Other News...
Orioles Catching Depth Just Took Another Turn After The Rutschman Trade
Baltimores catching depth chart has been in constant motion, and Chadwick Tromp became the latest name to come and go. The Orioles announced the veteran backstop was designated for assignment as part of the roster shuffle tied to the clubs moves behind the plate, then cleared outright waivers and moved on from the organization after serving in a reserve role in Baltimore and previously with Atlanta.
The timing fits the larger reset around the position, with the Orioles making room for Jake Rogers before the roster picture shifted again in the trade with Boston that brought in Carlos Narvez and prospects. For a team trying to stabilize the catching pipeline while juggling short-term depth and long-term pieces, Tromps departure is another small but telling sign that the Orioles are still sorting out exactly what the group will look like from here. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Rogers Gives Orioles A Rotation Lift At The Perfect Time
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The timing mattered for a team trying to find some footing after the deadline, and Rogers delivered in the kind of outing the Orioles were hoping to see more often. Baltimore backed him with long balls from Tyler ONeill, Coby Mayo and Leody Taveras, scoring all five runs via the home run, and the result was back-to-back victories that offered at least a temporary lift as the roster settles into its next phase. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Rogers Has Forced A Tough Orioles Decision
Trevor Rogers has turned a late-season run into a real conversation for Baltimore, and his latest outing only added to it. At Camden Yards, Rogers and Reid Detmers both pitched well in a game the Orioles won 5-2 over the Angels, a reminder that even in a year defined by roster turnover, Baltimore still has a few arms capable of stabilizing things down the stretch.
Rogers has been strong in recent starts, enough that the Orioles are weighing what comes next as he heads toward free agency. With Baltimore still hanging around the Wild Card race after dealing key players at the deadline, his performance has made the left-hander one of the more interesting decisions on the board this offseason. [Read more 🡒]