In which the Orioles throw their ace out there to try to salvage the series split.
Whew, the Orioles righted the ship and got a much-needed win in Game 3 of this four-game series last night. Zach Eflin looked much better than he has to this point as an Oriole, and the bats broke out against a Cleveland reliever named Xzavion.
Today, they’ll play a Sunday afternoon Game 4 with the chance to salvage a series split against the AL’s best team. They’re stacking the odds by sending out Corbin Burnes. The right hander has been the pinnacle of consistent excellence this year. At 11-4 with a 2.47 ERA, there are only five pitchers win more wins and none with a better ERA. He’s gone six or more innings in 17 consecutive starts, and has thrown a quality start in eighteen. I’m with Paul Folkemer, who wrote in his series preview that we’re tempting the wrath of the baseball gods by pointing out that Burnes has not yet thrown a stinker in 22 starts as an Oriole. But what are we gonna do, lie? He’s been a total machine.
The Orioles have never faced right hander Gavin Williams, a first-round pick for Cleveland in 2021. Williams debuted last year and posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 16 starts. This season he missed the first three months with elbow inflammation. At 1-3 with a 3.72 ERA in six starts since July, he hasn’t been dominant but he’s been fairly effective, striking out more than a batter per inning (9.62 K/9). In that stretch, he’s only completed six innings once.
Sunday’s lineup is stacked with lefties, with only the hot Eloy Jiménez and Coby Mayo hitting from the right. The youngster Mayo has a pair of walks in five at-bats but is still looking for his first hit. Mayo has crushed right handers in Triple-A, with a .315 average and 1.065 OPS.
There have been times this season where the Orioles have looked nothing like a first-place team. But the Guardians are no slouches. At this point, a series split would feel nice. Is this the starter matchup that’ll help them do it?
Orioles lineup
1. Colton Cowser LF (L)
2. Anthony Santander RF (S)
3. Gunnar Henderson SS (L)
4. Ryan O’Hearn 1B (L)
5. Adley Rutschman C (S)
6. Eloy Jiménez DH (R)
7. Cedric Mullins CF (L)
8. Coby Mayo 3B (R)
9. Jackson Holliday 2B (L)
Guardians lineup
- Steven Kwan LF (L)
2. Lane Thomas RF (R)
3. José Ramírez 3B (S)
4. Josh Naylor 1B (L)
5. David Fry DH (R)
6. Andrés Giménez 2B (L)
7. Tyler Freeman CF (R)
8. Daniel Schneemann SS (L)
9. Austin Hedges C (R)