Dean Kremer is back on the bump looking to secure a series win for the Birds.
The 2022 Orioles won 83 games. The 2023 Orioles have won 82 games…and they still have 31 left on the calendar. If they continue to win at their current clip then they might just flirt with 100 wins on the season. That’s pretty neat! Sure, 100 itself is a somewhat random and insignificant threshold, but it would still be fun to see it in the Orioles’ win column.
But we still have some time before that becomes part of the conversation. For now, it’s about winning a series against the lowly White Sox. That’s the job tonight.
Dean Kremer is on the hill. I continue to not be entirely sold on Kremer as a starter long term, but he’s had himself one heck of an August. Across four starts he’s thrown 24.1 innings (averaging more than six innings per start), and he’s got a 2.59 ERA. Much of that success is from limiting opposing offenses to two home runs, and both of them came in the same game. When he keeps the ball in the park he does alright.
Jacob Webb and DL Hall have both appeared in two of the last three games, so it would seem unlikely that either pitches tonight. But just about everyone else should be available.
It feels like we should all fully expect a “punt” lineup tomorrow, a day game before a west coast trip. If the Orioles win tonight that would be much easier to swallow. Get the series win, rest up the A squad, and hope to steal one from a flawed opponent.
On scoreboard watch we will keep an eye on the Rays playing the Marlins in Miami. That game starts about half an hour before this one. The pitching matchup is Aaron Civale vs. Sandy Alcantara.
Orioles Starting Lineup
- Adley Rutschman, C
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Anthony Santander, DH
- Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
- Ryan O’Hearn, RF
- Austin Hays, LF
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Ramón Urīas, 3B
- Adam Frazier, 2B
Dean Kremer, RHP (12-5, 4.31 ERA)
Rutschman catches on back-to-back days, something that has become a rarity this month. Not much to note otherwise. This is the lineup you expect against a right-handed starter. Hays is back after a night off. Santander takes the DH spot again while O’Hearn patrols right field.
White Sox Starting Lineup
- Tim Anderson, SS
- Andrew Benintendi, LF
- Luis Robert Jr., CF
- Eloy Jiménez, DH
- Yoan Moncada, 3B
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B
- Oscar Colás, RF
- Lenyn Sosa, 2B
- Korey Lee, C
Jesse Scholtens, RHP (1-6, 4.15 ERA)