John Means is on the bump as he looks to improve on his last outing and complete the O’s sweep of their local rivals.
Sweeps are fun! A sweep of the Nationals would be more fun than usual. It’s not because they are especially good, because they aren’t. But there is some semblance of a rivalry there due to proximity and the ongoing MASN legal battle, plus the fact that a sizable portion of the Nationals fanbase is made up of former Orioles fans.
What’s more important here is getting John Means back on track. The O’s ace will be making his second start since return from a lengthy stint on the IL. His first outing did not go well, and his spin rate was down slightly. That was after a trio of rehab starts that were quite underwhelming as well. He will be hoping for something better today.
The bullpen could use the rest as well. Tanner Scott and Dillion Tate have pitched in back-to-back days, and Tyler Wells is on the IL. Paul Fry and Cole Sulser should be available, but some of the better bullets may be avoided. Conner Greene seems like almost a guarantee to be the first name called out of the ‘pen if Means has early struggles. It would be an MLB debut for the hard-throwing 26-year-old
Orioles’ Starting Lineup
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Trey Mancini, DH
- Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
- DJ Stewart, RF
- Maikel Franco, 3B
- Ryan McKenna, LF
- Domingo Leyba, 2B
- Pat Valaika, SS
- Austin Wynns
LHP John Means (4-3, 2.72 ERA)
Nationals Starting Lineup
- Alcides Escobar, 2B
- Trea Turner, SS
- Juan Soto, RF
- Josh Bell, 1B
- Ryan Zimmerman, DH
- Josh Harrison, LF
- Carter Kieboom, 3B
- René Rivera, C
- Victor Robles, CF
RHP Paolo Espino (2-2, 3.00 ERA)
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