I'm going back on that same train
that brought me here before
While my baby walks the streets of Baltimore
We haven't seen this bunch yet. How are they doing, anyway?
Not great. It's better than last year, not that there was really anywhere to go but up after losing 110 games. They're playing at a 69-93 pace this season. Baby steps. They're not giving up as many runs as they did last season, despite the fact that their one decent starting pitcher, John Means, had Tommy John surgery in late April and won't pitch again until 2023. The other starters... well, they're not good. They're just not as wretched and awful as last year's bunch. And several of the relief pitchers have actually been genuinely good, especially closer Jorge Lopez and LOOGY Cionel Perez. You probably recall that Lopez and Keegan Akin, who's been decent enough out of the pen himself, were both part of the rotation last season - they went 5-24 between them, with ERAs over 6.00, so you might say this role suits them better. You might say.
The Orioles' best player last season, by an order of magnitude, was centre fielder Cedric Mullins and up until yesterday he seemed to be bent on proving that his 2021 was one of those fluke seasons that happen from time to time. But right fielder Anthony Santander is having something of a bounceback season and while Ryan Mountcastle's sophomore season doesn't look quite as impressive as his rookie campaign, that's probably because he hasn't seen the Blue Jays yet. Last year he hit .324/.403/.662 with 7 Hrs in 18 games against the Jays.
The Orioles have already played the Yankees 13 times - they went 4-9 - before their first meeting with the Blue Jays. They've played 8 with Boston (and won 5 of them) while going 2-4 against Tampa Bay.
So who's pitching?
Mon June 13 - Bradish (1-3, 6.45) vs Manoah (7-1, 1.81)
Tue June 14 - Lyles (3-5, 4.97) vs Kikuchi (2-2, 4.44)
Wed June 15 - Zimmerman (2-5, 5.52) vs Berrios (5-2, 4.73)
Thu June 16 - Wells (3-4, 3.86) vs Gausman (5-5, 2.67)
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20220612215450909