Albert Suárez makes his first start since April 28 as the O’s look to secure the series win in Chicago.
The Orioles haven’t had an easy time of it in their first two games against the White Sox, but two wins are two wins. Another victory at Guaranteed Rate Field today would mean a guaranteed series win in the four-game set.
The Birds’ rotation plans were thrown into flux when today’s originally scheduled starter, Dean Kremer, was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday with a right triceps strain, just after John Means also landed on the IL with what sounds like a serious elbow injury. Means’s departure opened a rotation spot back up for Cole Irvin, and now with Kremer on the shelf, Albert Suárez too will get another crack at starting today.
Suárez, as you may recall, made a glorious return to the majors in April after a seven-year hiatus, beginning his O’s career with two scoreless starts and one rough one before moving to the bullpen, where he’s also pitched well. Part of me was hoping the Orioles would use this opportunity to call up lefty prospect Cade Povich, who has excelled at Triple-A Norfolk, but the O’s have made it clear that they have a road map for each of their prospects and aren’t going to rush them if they feel they aren’t ready. So it’s Suárez for now, and Povich will wait his turn.
Suárez hasn’t pitched more than four innings since April 22, so he might not be able to pitch deep into this game. The Orioles are also likely to be without the services of Danny Coulombe, Yennier Cano, and Craig Kimbrel, all of whom pitched in the first two games. So Brandon Hyde might have to get creative with his pitcher usage this afternoon.
The White Sox will counter with veteran Erick Fedde, who, like Suárez, pitched in the Korea Baseball Organization last year (Fedde with the NC Dinos, Suárez with the Samsung Lions). The former Washington National has been Chicago’s best starter by ERA this year, posting an impressive 3.10 mark in 10 starts. He’s expected to be trade bait for the hapless White Sox at the deadline, but the O’s will do their best today to damage his trade value a bit.
Orioles lineup:
SS Gunnar Henderson
C Adley Rutschman
RF Ryan O’Hearn
1B Ryan Mountcastle
DH Anthony Santander
CF Colton Cowser
2B Jordan Westburg
LF Kyle Stowers
3B Ramón Urías
RHP Albert Suárez
White Sox lineup:
CF Tommy Pham
DH Andrew Vaughn
1B Gavin Sheets
RF Corey Julks
SS Paul DeJong
3B Bryan Ramos
LF Andrew Benintendi
2B Nicky Lopez
C Martín Maldonado
RHP Erick Fedde