Starting Pitching Has Finally Come Good

The Orioles are riding a 3 game win streak and looking for a fourth against the AL West leaders, Seattle Mariners. On the mound this week will be Tomoyuki Sugano, Cade Povich, and Zach Eflin. 

After an extremely rough start, the rotation has settled over the past few weeks. Baltimore’s team ERA of 5.27 is still horrendous, but they are down to 28th in the league instead of last place. Orioles starters gave up just 1 run in the past 3 games. Sure, the White Sox are in the basement of the American League, but at least Birdland has someone to look down on. 

The Orioles are now 6-4 in their last 10, the first time they have had a winning record in any 10-game stretch this season. Now they will be put to the test against a good Seattle ball club.

The Bats Are Their Way…Can the Team Survive Until then?

Return of the Moo Man: Colton Cowser Off the 60 Day IL

The Orioles got great news yesterday when OF Colton Cowser returned to the big leagues following a long recovery from a broken thumb. Cowser sustained the injury while sliding into first base during the opening series against Toronto. The O’s need all the help they can get right now, Heston Kjerstad was the only OF who played in the White Sox series and was on the opening day roster. Ramon Laureano has missed 2 weeks with an ankle sprain, Tyler O’Neill has missed 3 weeks with a shoulder problem, and Cedric Mullins strained his hamstring last week. The Orioles OF for a week consisted of Kjerstad (hitting .185), Ryan O’Hearn (1B by trade), Dylan Carlson (was supposed to be emergency depth in Triple A), Jordyn Adams (did very little in spring training, and Cooper Hummel (got cut by Baltimore twice in one week). Woof.

Cowser can play a good CF, and his goofy mannerisms will hopefully bring good energy to the clubhouse. Last year’s rookie of the year runner-up will be called on right away. But it’s not just the outfield that has been bitten by the injury bug. 

Looking Toward Jordan Westburg’s Return, Ryan Mountcastle to the IL

Jordan Westburg has been out since mid-April with a hamstring issue, but he recently has been rehabbing in Norfolk and might be ready to join the team next week. 1B Ryan Mountcastle is now on the IL with yet another hamstring problem, third time is not the charm for these wounded birds. In fact, the only Orioles opening day starters who haven’t gone on the IL this season are Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, and Ryan O’Hearn. Against the White Sox, the Orioles didn’t need their full contingent of bats, but the Mariners will be a much tougher test.

Seattle Mariners, Led by a Man Named “Big Dumper” Are Leading the AL West

Cal Raleigh, Mariners catcher and Big Dumper himself, is on a tear this season with an MLB-leading 23 home runs. Raleigh just won AL player of the week after hitting a ridiculous 6 HR in 6 games. He leads the Mariners in most major categories (runs, hits, HR, RBI, walks) and is pounding baseballs into the Pacific for a whopping 1.016 OPS. 

The Mariners will go as far as Dumper will take them this season. Even though he is a catcher by trade, Raleigh has played in every game this season at either catcher or DH. Elsewhere on offense, SS JP Crawford leads the team with a .272 avg and a solid 2.0 bWAR. Star CF Julio Rodriguez is second on the team in HR (10), RBI (32), and WAR (2.2) while contributing solid defense at T-Mobile Park.

Pitching has been the calling card for the Mariners over the past few years, but a number of injuries have prevented them from rising to the top of the American League. Closer Andrés Muñoz has been an absolute stud. Muñoz has a 1.40 ERA and 17 saves, giving up just 4 ER all year. The Orioles better hope they aren’t down in the ninth inning, because he has been nearly unhittable. Starting pitchers Bryan Woo (70 IP, 5-2 W-L, 2.82 ERA) and Luis Castillo (68, 4-2, 3.02) lead the top of the rotation. 

Series Pitching Matchups

Game 1- Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 3.23) against George Kirby (0-2, 11.42)

SP George Kirby has been a workhorse for Seattle over the past few years, but he’s looked off in his two starts since coming back from an elbow injury. Kirby has given up 5 and 6 runs in his two starts, yet to get past the fifth inning. He will start game 1 against the Orioles ace, Tomoyuki Sugano. The O’s will need to jump on Kirby early and take advantage of Tomo time to steal game 1. 

Game 2- Cade Povich (1-4, 5.29) against Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.64)

Cade Povich starts for the Orioles against Emerson Hancock. Povich has MLB level stuff, and should be throwing as often as possible to work out the kinks. When Povich has good command of his curveball, he can make hitters look silly. He needs to learn how to pitch and get better at hitting his spots. Cade will never be a high velocity guy, so he needs to develop a good feel for changing speeds and hitters’ eye level. 

Emerson Hancock was a big time prospect who struggled last year and the beginning of this season. He was even sent down in April. However, he has given just 6 ER in his last 3 starts. Hancock mostly relies on a mix of fastballs and changeups with an occasional breaking ball, but the underlying numbers aren’t great for him. His chase %, expected batting avg, and k% are all in the bottom 15th percentile.

Game 3- Zach Eflin (4-2, 4.46) against Bryan Woo (5-2,2.82)

The first two pitching matchups probably favor the O’s, but they have to face Seattle’s best in Bryan Woo on Thursday. Woo leads Mariners pitching in most major categories. His fastball slider combo is one of the best in the bigs. Opponents are hitting .184 against his four-seamer and just .111 against the slider. He also throws a sinker and sweeper to righties, and favors a change up against lefties that breaks away from hitters. 

The Orioles will get Zach Eflin on the bump. Eflin has a 4.46 ERA, but this is a small sample size due to injury. Most of the runs came when Eflin gave up 8 runs to the Nationals because the Orioles bullpen was completely gassed. Eflin had to stay out there when he wasn’t at his best. In his last start, he went 7 scoreless against the White Sox with 6 strikeouts, his best of the year.