Dean Kremer takes the mound as the O’s look to sweep the Blue Jays and move into a playoff spot.
The Orioles and Blue Jays have a whole bunch of baseball left to play against one another this season; 12 additional games beyond tonight to be exact. Almost every other week from now until the end of the season, the two AL East bird teams will be facing off. It is a scheduling oddity that seemed to favor Toronto a few months ago. But man, can things change fast!
This series already belongs to the Orioles, winners of the opening two games in the set, including an exciting 6-5 victory on Tuesday. It’s up to Dean Kremer to finish up a crucial sweep tonight.
His opponent on the mound is José Berríos, a high-priced pitcher that was struggling through a nightmarish season prior to July. Last month he straightened things out with a 3.00 ERA over 36 innings, striking out 42 and walking just seven. That looked more like the player that Toronto hoped they were spending $131 million on. But he took a step back in his most recent outing, allowing five runs over 3.2 innings to the Twins.
Weather could, once again, be a factor in this game. There is a chance of rain throughout the evening in Baltimore, peaking between 7 or 8 p.m. The Jays are off tomorrow while the O’s are likely taking the train up to Boston for a one-off game in Beantown, so even a lengthy delay shouldn’t stop them from getting the game in if Mother Nature gives them the chance.
Orioles Starting Lineup
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Adley Rutschman, C
- Anthony Santander, RF
- Ryan Mountcatle, 1B
- Terrin Vavra, DH
- Austin Hays, LF
- Rougned Odor, 2B
- Ramon Urías, 3B
- Jorge Mateo, SS
Dean Kremer, RHP (4-3, 3.43 ERA)
Blue Jays Starting Lineup
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B
- Alejandro Kirk, DH
- Teoscar Hernández, RF
- Bo Bichette, SS
- Matt Chapman, 3B
- Raimel Tapia, CF
- Danny Jansen, C
- Santiago Espinal, 2B
José Berríos, RHP (8-4, 5.19 ERA)