Steven Okert vs Kyle Bradish

Okert pitched last night...he's starting this game? Is he an opener?

Okert pitched last night...he's starting this game? Is he an opener?

Probably.  He hasn't started a game this year so it looks like they're going to be playing the modern game of pitching dominoes. 

O's have a 4-man bullpen today, assuming Baumann, Cano, and Felix don't pitch. I wonder if a move is coming.

Irvin was in the pen last night.  I am guessing he may be there again and GRod is on the way, maybe to start, Wednesday against  the Dodgers. 

The Orioles lineup.

Gunnar Henderson SS
Adley Rutschman DH
Anthony Santander RF
Ryan O’Hearn 1B
Aaron Hicks CF
Ramón Urías 3B
Colton Cowser LF
Adam Frazier 2B
James McCann C

Kyle Bradish RHP

Hays, Westburg and Mountcastle all on the bench and Mullins out, resting his quad.  This has become a deep team.

He had Achilles soreness.  Maybe it flared up.

I jinxed us.  I said we were a deep team and now we are 2 men down.

What's Hicks' injury? He's been scratched a couple times recently. Combined with his shaky hitting performance the last couple weeks, maybe an IL trip for him is how the relieve some of the roster crunch, at least temporarily.

Need to see something from Cowser and soon.

Need to see something from Cowser and soon.

Hyde's been talking about this a lot... he loves having a five man bench and the versatility it gives in the late innings and match ups. He's well aware that he might not be able to maintain it depending on how the starters do

Need to see something from Cowser and soon.

An Orioles loss with him on the team?  We haven't seen that yet.  Hays playing CF?  Is that what you're hoping to see?

Need to see something from Cowser and soon.

He has 20 at bats.  Plenty of time for CC to get it going.

PITCH PERFECT: O's starting pitchers have a 2.70 ERA (20 ER/66.2 IP) with 51 hits (6 HR), 21 total runs, 20 walks, three hit batters, and 59 strikeouts in 11 games this month, including eight quality starts...Last night snapped an eight-game stretch of Orioles starters throwing at least 6.0 innings, the team's longest since 2015, and marked the first time a starter surrendered more than four runs since June 30...Overall, Baltimore's 2.76 ERA (30 ER/98.0 IP) in July is the second-best in the AL and third-best in MLB this month (see box at right).

 

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Baltimore is batting .311/.381/.549 (80-for-257) with 16 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 55 runs scored, and 28 walks as a team in the last seven games since July 5...During that time, the Orioles lead MLB in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, hits, total bases (141), and extra-base hits (32) while ranking second in home runs and OPS (.930)...In the previous five games from June 30 to July 4, the O's slashed .198/.261/.290 (32-for-162) and scored an MLB-low 10 runs...The Birds have recorded at least 11 hits in three straight games for the second time this year, joining April 24-26...The team has not done so in four straight games since July 18-21, 2017.

 

QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his 17th start of the season, eighth at home, and first career start against the Marlins today...Made 23 starts in his rookie season with the Orioles in 2022...Went 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA (64 ER/117.2 IP) with 111 strikeouts to 46 walks...Was one of 13 O's players (7 pitchers) to make their debut in 2022...Started on the bump for Adley Rutschman's debut on May 21 vs. Tampa Bay...Tossed 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings across four starts from August 26 to September 6...Acquired by the Orioles along with RHP Kyle Brnovich, RHP Zach Peek, and RHP Isaac Mattson from Los Angeles-AL in exchange for RHP Dylan Bundy on December 4, 2019...Originally drafted by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of New Mexico State...Teammates at NMSU with INF Joey Ortiz.

 

HITTING HIS STRIDE: Has pitched to a 4-3 record with a 2.73 ERA (21 ER/69.1 IP) and seven quality starts in his last 12 outings since May 6...Has allowed three earned runs-or-fewer in 11 of those games...Tossed a season-high 10 strikeouts on June 8 at Milwaukee...Did not allow a home run in a career-high-tying three straight starts from May 28 to June 8 (also: 10/2/22-4/19/23)...Completed 7.0 innings in two of those outings (6/14 vs. TOR & 6/25 vs. SEA)...Won consecutive starts for the first time this season from June 20-25.

https://img.mlbstati...pbthlogcfra.pdf

couple of random notes...

Hyde set up the rotation this way for the second half to try to keep Wells innings down a little bit

Grayson Rodriguez starts tomorrow