The Orioles head into tonight’s opener in Minnesota with a little more bullpen insurance and a familiar face on the mound.
Cam Sanders was brought up from Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon after left-hander Cade Povich was optioned yesterday, a move that could open the door for Chris Bassitt to join the rotation. Bassitt made his third rehab start Friday for Norfolk, and with the Orioles off Thursday, they can either roll with four starters for the next turn or insert him.
Povich’s latest outing was a short one. He went three innings against the Rangers yesterday, giving up three runs and four hits. Sanders, meanwhile, was with the big club in Houston on July 17-18, appeared in back-to-back games, picked up his first career win and save, and then got sent back down.
Tonight’s starter is Dean Kremer, who takes the ball against the team that first traded for him in July 2018 and later sent him to the Twins eight years after that. Kremer’s Twins debut went well enough: he allowed one run and three hits over five innings against the Royals. Now he gets his first home start, and his history at Target Field has not been spotless - two career starts there, seven runs allowed in 11 innings.
The Orioles are trying to chip away in the Wild Card chase after yesterday’s 10-5 win over Texas left them two games out for the final spot. Four teams are sitting ahead of them, including the Twins, who have dropped their last two and six of eight.
Baltimore’s offense has a few hitters rolling hard right now. Tyler O’Neill has been one of the hottest bats in the league this month, carrying the second-highest OPS in August at 1.382 among players with at least 20 plate appearances, per STATS.
Since the All-Star break, his 1.026 OPS ranks seventh in the majors and second in the American League behind only Yordan Alvarez (1.059). Since July 1, O’Neill is hitting .305 with two doubles, eight home runs, 14 RBIs and a 1.125 OPS over 24 games.
Jackson Holliday is giving the Orioles damage in big spots, too. His 1.063 OPS with two outs ranks fourth in the American League and seventh in the majors among players with at least 60 plate appearances.
Baltimore also did something unusual Sunday: the club had an extra-base hit in each of the first four innings, only the second time that has happened this season. The other came on May 22 against the Tigers at Camden Yards.
Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles after putting together a strong run of his own. He’s been solid over 21 starts, owning a 4.20 ERA, and in his last outing he struck out nine over six innings against the Angels while allowing two runs and three hits. Even more encouraging for Baltimore, he has given up two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts.
Rogers saw Minnesota once already this year - in his first start of the season and, for that matter, the first of his career against the Twins - and blanked them on three hits over seven innings. Josh Bell has done some damage against him, going 6-for-15 with two doubles. Since June 20, Rogers’ 1.99 ERA ranks fourth in the American League among pitchers with at least six starts, per STATS.
The Orioles’ rotation overall has been steadier since late May, posting a 3.73 ERA since May 24, fifth highest in the AL.
There’s also a little history attached to the matchup. The Orioles were swept by the Twins in six games last season after winning 10 straight against Minnesota from July 2, 2023-Sept.
29, 2024. Against the American League Central, though, Baltimore has won six of eight series.
Minnesota enters at 30-27 at home and 28-34 on the road. The Twins have been living in tight games lately: nine of their last 10 have been decided by two runs or fewer, pushing their season total to 63, tied for second most in the majors. They also have not scored in the first inning over their last 12 games.
One of Minnesota’s steadier power sources has been Kody Clemens, who is the first Twins player with at least 19 home runs in each of his first two seasons with the club since Tom Brunansky in 1982-87.
The Orioles’ lineup sends out Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Pete Alonso at first, Jackson Holliday at second, Tyler O’Neill at DH, Dylan Beavers in left, Leody Taveras in right, Coby Mayo at third, Colton Cowser in center and Carlos Narváez behind the plate.
Minnesota counters with Austin Martin in left, Ryan Jeffers catching, Royce Lewis at second, Josh Bell at DH, Luke Keaschall in right, Brooks Lee at third, Kaelen Culpepper at short, Victor Caratini at first, Ryan Kreidler in center and Dean Kremer on the mound.
The Orioles also made a round of prospect promotions. Right-hander JT Quinn was moved to Double-A Chesapeake, while infielder DJ Layton and outfielder Jordan Sanchez were bumped to High-A Frederick.
MLB Pipeline lists Sanchez as Baltimore’s No. 20 prospect, Layton at No. 24 and Quinn at No. 25.
Quinn, a second-round pick in 2025 out of the University of Georgia, had a 3.75 ERA in 21 games with Frederick and struck out 106 batters in 93 2/3 innings. Sanchez, 20, hit .247/.312/.392 with 11 doubles, a triple, eight homers and 47 RBIs in 66 games at Single-A Delmarva.
Layton, also 20, was a sixth-round pick in 2024 out of Charlotte Christian (N.C.) High School and hit .247/.397/.389 with 19 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 45 RBIs, 73 walks and 32 steals in 95 games.
In Other News...
Orioles May Have Found A Bigger Catcher Piece Than Fans Realized
Carlos Narvaez arrived in Baltimore at the trade deadline with the kind of profile that can be easy to overlook in the moment, especially next to a catcher like Samuel Basallo who carries so much of the long-term buzz. But the Orioles clearly see Narvaez as more than just depth. Manager Craig Albernaz has already singled out Narvaez for his preparation and defensive work, the sort of traits that matter when a club is trying to settle a young pitching staff and keep the game organized behind the plate.
The bigger picture is that Baltimore does not appear interested in asking Basallo to shoulder everything at catcher right away, which opens the door for Narvaez to play a meaningful role over the next two years. In that sense, the move may have been less about finding a backup and more about giving the Orioles a catcher who can help ease Basallo into the job while still handling real innings of his own. For a team thinking beyond the present, that kind of arrangement can end up mattering more than the flashier headline. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Prospect Bats Just Kept Making Baltimores Depth Hard To Ignore
The Orioles farm system kept giving Baltimore more to think about as Enddy Azocar turned in the kind of night that gets noticed up and down an organization. Named the Orioles Hangout MiLB Player of the Day, Azocar went 3-for-5 for the Keys with a double, a home run, four runs scored, three RBIs and a walk, another reminder that the club has several bats pushing for attention at the same time.
Norfolk had its own offensive bright spots even in a 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bisons, with Creed Willems leaving the yard and Randal Diaz collecting three hits, including two doubles and a home run. The pitching side included work from Michael Forret, Carson Dorsey, Cohen Achen and Esteban Mejia, but the bigger picture for Baltimore is becoming harder to ignore: the organization keeps finding more position players producing in bunches, and the depth chart is starting to look crowded in a good way. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Just Changed Their Farm System In A Way Fans Will Feel
The Orioles spent the deadline reshaping both their big-league roster and the pipeline behind it, and the changes were broad enough to be felt well beyond the clubhouse. Baltimore sent catchers Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers to Boston in exchange for Carlos Narvez and three prospects, then swung another deal to bring pitcher Michael Forret back from Tampa Bay, while also moving outfielder Taylor Ward for three right-handed pitchers.
For a franchise that has spent plenty of time talking about balance between now and later, these moves clearly tilted the organization deeper into the pitching side of the ledger. The major league roster changed, the minor league depth chart changed, and the farm system now looks heavier on arms than it did before, which is the sort of shift fans will notice as soon as the next wave of prospects starts moving up through the system. [Read more 🡒]