The O’s look to bounce back from a disappointing loss Friday as Cole Irvin takes on his old team.
After a disappointing loss like Friday’s defeat to the A’s, the quick turnaround for this afternoon’s match up could be exactly what Baltimore needs. Go out and beat Oakland today and no one will dwell on the game that got away in Game 1 of the series.
Orioles starter Cole Irvin will have extra motivation to help the O’s right the ship as he faces off against the team that traded him to Baltimore. This will be the third time Irvin faces the A’s since they shipped him east before the start of the 2023 season. When he took them on in Baltimore last season thing did not go that well. Although the Orioles got the 8-7 win, Irvin was knocked around by his former teammates to the tune of five hits and six runs over four innings.
That start came last April and thing went much better for Irvin when they faced off again in Oakland. In his second start against the A’s, the southpaw pitched five innings, only allowing one run on four hits. Irvin is also coming off his best start of 2024, as he threw 6.2 shutout innings last time against a hot Kansas City team.
The Orioles’ bats will look to continue their resurgence against left-handed pitching as they take on Oakland lefty JP Sears. The the 28-year-old faced off against the O’s twice last season, giving up 12 hits and 10 runs across nine innings combined. Ryan Mountcastle has been particularly dominant against Sears, going 5-10 with two HRs and six RBIs. Sears has drastically increased his sweeper usage this season, which could prove opportunistic for Anthony Santander. Tony Taters is 2-4 against sweepers this year including this tater.
Orioles Lineup
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Adley Rutschman (S) DH
- Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
- Anthony Santander (S) RF
- Jordan Westburg (R) 3B
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- James McCann (R) C
- Colton Cowser (L) LF
- Jorge Mateo (R) 2B
Starting pitcher: LHP Cole Irvin (1-1, 4.64 ERA, 13 Ks)
Athletics Lineup
- Esteury Ruiz (R) LF
- Tyler Nevin (R) RF
- Brent Rooker (R) DH
- Shea Langeliers (R) C
- Abraham Toro (S) 1B
- JJ Bleday (L) CF
- Max Scheumann (R) 2B
- Nick Allen (R) SS
- Darell Hernaiz (R) 3B
Starting pitcher: LHP JP Sears (1-1, 3.38 ERA, 16 Ks)