The Orioles look to secure their first sweep of the season as they take on the AL-worst White Sox.
Where to watch: MASN
Probable pitchers: RHP Charlie Morton (1-7, 7.09 ERA, 45 Ks) vs. RHP Adrian Houser (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 Ks)
The Orioles come into this Sunday’s game against Chicago in an unfamiliar position: on the brink of a series sweep. The O’s have won only four series all season, and in the previous three, they split Games 1 and 2 each time. How they got here against the lowly White Sox wasn’t pretty or all that confidence-inspiring; a 2-1 win and a 4-2 win over a team that has lost 161 of their last 200 games is hardly something to get excited about. Still, this Baltimore team needs anything it can get to build its confidence, and sweeping Chicago would be a step in the right direction.
To finish off the potential sweep, the O’s will turn to 41-year-old Charlie Morton. The second-oldest pitcher in baseball has put on a real Jekyll and Hyde act over his first two months with the Orioles. In March/April he was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball, posting a 9.45 ERA over 26.2 innings while giving up a .981 OPS to opposing hitters.
In May, he was much closer to the pitcher Mike Elias & Co. hoped they signed, posting a 3.98 ERA and a .677 OPS against in 20.1 innings. Morton is coming off his first quality start of the season on Memorial Day vs. St. Louis. The 18-year MLB vet tossed six innings against the Cardinals, allowing two runs on four hits while punching out 5. The game against the Red Birds was also the first time the Orioles won a game that Morton pitched, with Baltimore 0-12 in his previous 12 appearances. As we start the month of June, we’ll all hope Morton builds on his May form instead of reverting to his April performance.
Further good news for Morton and Orioles fans alike is that Uncle Charlie has a history of dominating the White Sox. In five career starts vs. the Southsiders, Morton is 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA, .173 batting average against and 28 Ks in 30.1 innings. He last faced the White Sox in his opening start of the 2024 season, when he tossed 5.2 shutout innings while striking out six.
Opposing Morton for Chicago is long-time former Brewer, Adrian Houser. The 32-year-old signed with the White Sox only 12 days ago after his release from the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. The change of scenery has so far been exactly what Houser needed; in his first two starts, he put up back-to-back outings of six shutout innings against the Mariners and Mets.
Having spent the entirety of his career in the NL before joining the White Sox, Houser has very little experience against the Orioles. In his only ever start vs. Baltimore, back in April 2022, Houser took the L after allowing two runs over 3.2 innings in a 2-0 Orioles win.
The one Oriole that does have a history of success against Houser is outfielder Dylan Carlson. The former Cardinals outfielder has hit .400 with a 1.067 OPS against the right-hander who spent the first seven years of his career in Milwaukee.
Orioles Lineup
- Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
- Ramón Urías (R) 3B
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Ryan O’Hearn (L) DH
- Coby Mayo (R) 1B
- Dylan Carlson (S) LF
- Jorge Mateo (R) CF
- Heston Kjerstad (L) RF
- Maverick Handley (R) C
White Sox Lineup
- Chase Meidroth (R) SS
- Mike Tauchman (L) DH
- Miguel Vargas (R) 1B
- Andrew Benintendi (L) LF
- Lenin Sosa (R) 2B
- Joshua Palacios (L) RF
- Luis Robert Jr. (R) CF
- Edgar Quero (S) C
- Josh Rojas (L) 3B