The O’s will look for their first three-game win streak of the season as Tomoyuki Sugano looks to continue his scoreless innings streak.
Where to watch: FOX, foxsports.com
Probable pitchers: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (3-1, 3.00 ERA, 17 Ks) vs. LHP Kris Bubic (2-2. 2.75 ERA, 37 Ks)
It’s May 3rd, and the 2025 Orioles have yet to win three games in a row. Yet, after winning Friday’s series opener against Kansas City, the Orioles now have won back-to-back for only the second time all season. Tonight, they’ll send their de facto ace to the mound looking for that all too elusive “winning streak”.
For those who want to believe May will be the month the Orioles start to turn this season around, Dean Kremer dominating last night and Sugano taking the mound today together give fuel to that optimism. The 35-year-old Japanese rookie has been the Orioles’ most consistent starter through 1+ month of the 2025 season. He’s shown an ability to quickly adapt to major league hitters and seems to be becoming more confident with every start.
Last time out against the Yankees, Sugano showed a side to his game we’d yet to see since he joined O’s. He racked up an MLB career-high eight strikeouts while generating 17 whiffs. Sugano came into that start against New York with only nine Ks in all of 2025, so to see him baffle the AL’s most potent offense felt like a major step toward proving he’s a legitimately above-average major league starter.
The man they call Tommy Sugar will face the Royals for the second time this season, and should feel confident after the outing he had in Kauffman Stadium. Four weeks ago, Sugano pitched 5.1 innings of one-run ball in Kansas City, propelling the Orioles to an 8-1 win—their only W of that series. The former pitching triple-crown winner in Japan befuddled the Royals by consistently attacking low in the zone with his cutter, splitter and two breaking balls. The only mistake Sugano made that day was hanging a curveball to Bobby Witt Jr., who belted it to left for a solo homer.
What might make Orioles fans particularly uneasy about this matchup is the pitcher opposing Sugan, Royals’ lefty Kris Bubic. Any time the Orioles face a southpaw, it’s reason enough for Birdland to get concerned. The O’s are dead last in the MLB with a .172 average and .236 slugging percentage against LHPs.
General Manager Mike Elias recently took the blame for the Orioles’ disheartening start to the season, and part of Elias’ shortcomings are down to the players he signed/kept on the roster to hit lefties. Jorge Mateo is hitting .222 against lefties with only two extra-base hits. Ramón Laureano is even worse with a .125 average and only one extra-base knock vs. southpaws. Gary Sánchez is 0-for-16 against LHPs.
Mateo and Laureano both make the lineup tonight against Bubic, who dominated the O’s four weeks ago in Kauffman. The 27-year-old lefty held the Orioles to one unearned run over 6.2 innings at the beginning of April, only giving up four hits and striking out eight. Brandon
Hyde went heavy on right-handed bats that day, despite Bubic being a reverse splits pitcher. Tonight, Hyde has taken a half measure to correct that, keeping Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn and Heston Kjerstad in to square off with Bubic. The O’s will also have Coby Mayo on the bench for the first time all season, with their No. 2 prospect getting the call up after Ramón Urías landed on the IL with a hamstring strain.
Orioles Lineup
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- Adley Rutschman (S) C
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
- Ryan O’Hearn (L) DH
- Ramón Laureano (R) LF
- Heston Kjerstad (L) RF
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) 3B
- Jorge Mateo (R) 2B
Royals Lineup
- Jonathan India (R) LF
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS
- Vinny Pasquantino (L) 1B
- Maikel Garcia (R) 3B
- Michael Massey (L) 2B
- Hunter Renfroe (R) RF
- Cavan Biggio (L) DH
- Freddy Fermin (R) C
- Kyle Isbel (L) CF