Baltimore will play the second game of its three-game series on Wednesday night at Cleveland. The Orioles entered the series fresh off a series win over Houston, while Cleveland was coming off a series loss in Seattle. This story was published prior to Tuesday night’s series opener between these teams.
Experts keep expecting Baltimore to fall out of the playoff hunt, but the Orioles continue to deliver against some of the best teams in the majors. They won three straight series coming into this one, beating the Red Sox, White Sox and Astros. Baltimore was unable to complete the sweep at Houston on Sunday, but it picked up narrow wins on Friday and Saturday. The Orioles will be at home for 10 straight games following the conclusion of this series. They are in fourth place in the American League East, but they are just two games back of Toronto for the final AL Wild Card spot (heading into Tuesday’s slate).
It's game day ?? pic.twitter.com/ViAMwYYTC1
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 30, 2022
Baltimore has not been a great offensive team this season though, ranked No. 21 in batting average (.237). Center fielder Cedric Mullins leads the way with 129 hits, while right fielder Anthony Santander has a team-high 23 home runs. They are going up against a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 8 in the majors with an ERA of 3.67. Right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles is expected to make the start for Baltimore on Wednesday. He allowed two runs on nine hits across seven innings against Chicago last Thursday, with his only run coming on a solo homer to lead off the game. Lyles has a 3.27 ERA over his last six starts, but he has a 5.85 ERA on the road this season.