Let’s play two! A four-game series kicks off with a doubleheader today, with Zach Eflin making his team debut.
The Orioles and Blue Jays kick off a four-game series at Camden Yards with a doubleheader that includes a makeup game from the May 14th rainout. It’s a single-admission doubleheader, for those planning to attend in person.
Hopefully, the Orioles can use this series to put whatever issues have been eating at them to rest. On paper, this series looks good for Baltimore. The Orioles have been busy this week bolstering their rotation and their back-end bullpen ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline, while the last-place Blue Jays have already started trading away key players in a rebuild (Yimi García, Nate Pearson and Danny Jansen).
Game 1 – Monday, 3:05 PM, MASN
RHP Zach Eflin (5-7, 4.09 ERA, 87 SO) vs. RHP Yariel Rodríguez (1-3, 3.69 ERA, 42 SO)
Speaking of additions to the Orioles rotation, Game 1 will see Zach Eflin, traded from the Rays a few days ago, make his team debut. Last season, his eighth, he finished sixth in the Cy Young voting with a 16-8 record, 3.50 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. True, his 2024 stats are all worse (5-7 record, 4.09 ERA, 1.16 WHIP), but then again, the Rays’ offense tanked this year and apparently so did its defense, to judge by Eflin’s pretty-good 3.66 FIP. Last time out, as it happens, Eflin faced the Blue Jays, giving up two runs in 5.2 innings.
Starting against him for Toronto is Yariel Rodríguez (1-3, 3.69 ERA), a 27-year-old rookie who’s made nine starts since being called up this year from Triple-A in April, then enduring a month-and-a-half on the IL with back pain. Rodriguez is walking lots of hitters (4.4 per 9 IP), but also striking out a lot, too (9.7 per 9 IP).
Orioles lineup
1. Colton Cowser LF (L)
2. Anthony Santander DH (S)
3. Gunnar Henderson SS (L)
4. Ryan Mountcastle 1B (R)
5. Ryan O’Hearn RF (L)
6. Jordan Westburg 2B (R)
7. Cedric Mullins CF (L)
8. Ramón Urías 3B (R)
9. James McCann C (R)
Blue Jays lineup
1. George Springer RF (R)
2. Spencer Horwitz 2B (L)
3. Vlad Guerrero Jr. DH (R)
4. Josh Turner 1B (R)
5. Daulton Varsho CF (L)
6. Alejandro Kirk C (R)
7. Davis Schneider LF (R)
8. Ernie Clement 3B (R)
9. Leo Jiménez SS (R)
Game 2 – Monday, 30 min. after end of Game 1, MASN
LHP Cade Povich (1-4, 6.27 ERA, 24 SO) vs. RHP Bowden Francis (3-2, 5.82 ERA, 34 SO)
Cade Povich has been called up from Triple-A to make today’s start as the Orioles’ 27th man. Povich has been good in Triple-A this season, at 5-1 with a 3.39 ERA and 78 K’s in 63.2 innings. But it’s been rockier at the big league level, where he’s posted a 6.27 ERA in seven starts, with two blowups against Oakland (1.0 IP, 8 R) and Toronto in his MLB debut (5.1 IP, 6 R). He has shown flashes of potential, especially when he’s keeping the walks down. We’ll see how he does tonight.
The 6’5, 220-lb. Bowden Francis is making just his fourth start this season, as 13 of his 16 appearances have been out of the bullpen. It appears he started the season as a starter option for Toronto, taking the game ball on April 1 and 7, but these two outings went disastrously, as he gave up 12 runs in 8.1 innings. Francis made one spot start on June 9, holding Oakland scoreless over four innings. Whatever happens today, don’t expect to see him long on the mound.