We’ve got a lopsided one, as Baltimore’s Brandon Young makes his third-ever MLB start against a two-time Cy Young Award winner in Jacob deGrom.
As the injuries pile up for the Orioles, keeping starting pitchers rested seems more urgent than ever. Today would be Tomoyuki Sugano’s scheduled start date, but the 35-year-old rookie has failed to complete five innings in his last three start and seems to be showing signs of fatigue.
So today the Orioles announced a substitute: Brandon Young, reportedly sporting a fresh haircut (hey, smart for summer), has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk to give a tired rotation a rest. It’s not a long track record, or a very good one, for the 26-year-old right hander, who made two starts for Baltimore in April, posting a 6.23 ERA with nine strikeouts and eight walks in 8 ⅔ innings. Shortly after being optioned back to Norfolk, Young landed on the injured list with shoulder discomfort and was only reinstated this past Friday. In five starts in Triple-A this season, he’s got a 2.63 ERA.
It’s a pretty deep end for Young to get thrown into in just his third-ever MLB start: he’ll get to face two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom. The veteran righty has a mind-numblingly long injury history, but there’s no denying it: when he’s on the mound, he’s an ace. In 15 starts this year (which is six more than he made for Texas in his first two seasons there), the right-hander is 7-2 with a 2.24 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Two pieces of good news for the O’s entering this matchup: one, deGrom’s 8.86 K/9 rate is his lowest since 2016, and also: he’s not a lefty. His last time out, deGrom allowed two runs to Pittsburgh over six innings on five hits and a walk.
The Orioles are stacking the box with lefties tonight, with six in the lineup including the switch-hitting Dylan Carlson. Jordan Westburg returns to the lineup after missing some time with an injured finger. The two “Ramones,” Laureano and Urías, get a day off.
Orioles lineup
Jackson Holliday 2B
Jordan Westburg 3B
Gunnar Henderson SS
Ryan O’Hearn 1B
Gary Sánchez DH
Colton Cowser LF
Cedric Mullins CF
Dylan Carlson RF
Chadwick Tromp C
Brandon Young RHP
Rangers lineup
Josh Smith 1B
Sam Haggerty DH
Corey Seager SS
Marcus Semien 2B
Adolis García RF
Evan Carter CF
Josh Jung 3B
Jonah Heim C
Alejandro Osuna LF
Jacob deGrom RHP