The Baltimore Orioles will leave SoCal for the Bay Area to face the Oakland Athletics in game one of their three-game set this Friday from the Oakland Coliseum.
Orioles Preview & Projected Starter
Baltimore comes in at 74-47 after dropping two of three to San Diego. The Orioles were outscored 15-5 over the final games with the Pads, and they’ll look to take it out in the A’s this weekend. The Baltimore offense is scoring 4.95 runs per game, while batting .252, with a .329 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.09 ERA, with a 1.29 WHIP.
Kyle Gibson (11-7, 4.89 ERA, 121 Ks) will take the bump for Baltimore. The veteran righty got passed around in Seattle last weekend, allowing a season-worse nine runs in just 5.1 innings to the Mariners en route to his seventh loss of the year. Gibson tossed four straight quality starts prior to that outing, so while he has been much better this season, he’ll need to avoid slipping up again here in Oakland. The Mizzou alum handled the A’s well back in April (6.1 IP, 1 ER, W), and he’ll look to replicate that success here.
Orioles Player Trends & Props
• Adley Rutschmann collected multiple hits in the game three loss to SD, and he leads Baltimore in hits (119), with splits of .268/16/58.
• Ryan Mountcastle went yard in Wednesday’s defeat, and he’s posting an identical of .271/16/55.
• Gunnar Henderson has produced a run in three of the last four contests, he’s hit 19 homers with 56 RBI for the season.
• Cedric Mullins has totaled multiple bases in three of the previous four games, he’s batting .254, with 49 RBI for the season.
• Anthony Santander leads Baltimore in HR (21) and RBI (65).
Athletics Preview & Projected Starter
Oakland moved to 33-86 after losing to St. Louis. The Athletics gave the Cards a good game last night, and they’ll look to avoid a fifth straight loss here in game two. The Oakland offense is scoring 2.81 runs per game, while batting .222, with a .303 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 6.00 ERA, with a 1.62 WHIP.
Luis Medina (3-8, 5.31 ERA, 58 Ks) will get the ball for Oakland. The rookie righty was solid in DC last time out, holding the Nats to one run through four innings last time out. Medina has shown improvements throughout his first season, and he’ll look to give the DMV some more trouble with Baltimore coming to town.
Athletics Player Trends & Facts
• Brent Rooker has recorded a hit in five of the last six games, and he leads Oakland in home runs (19) and RBI (49).
• Zach Gelof had a career-day in St. Louis on Wednesday, recording four hits in the game three win, and he’s now batting .294 thru 28 big league games.
• Seth Brown has produced a run in three of the last four games, and he’s posted splits of .219/11/39.
Corey’s Free Pick
Baltimore used to be in Oakland’s position, but player development and a culture shift have turned them into AL Pennant leaders. The O’s currently sit atop the beat division in sports, and after dropping two straight, I don’t think they slip up here. Back Baltimore for game one of this series.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
