Baltimore will begin another crucial series when it travels to Cleveland for a series opener on Tuesday night. The Orioles took two out of three against Houston over the weekend and have not lost consecutive games since Aug. 18—that streak will be on the line in this game. Cleveland dropped three out of four at Seattle in its last series and has seen its American League Central lead shrink.
Baltimore has been one of the pleasant surprises in the MLB this season, putting together a better first half than expected and then using that momentum to get even hotter since the All-Star break. The Orioles have only lost consecutive games three times during the second half of the season, and they have yet to lose three straight contests. They have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs, especially after winning three straight series against the Red Sox, White Sox and Astros over the past 10 days. Baltimore is in fourth place in the AL East, but it is just 1.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot heading into Monday’s slate.
VICTORY FORMATION ?? pic.twitter.com/mqlzX9QUB8
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 28, 2022
The Orioles have not been a great offensive team, though, ranked No. 21 in team batting average (.237). Center fielder Cedric Mullins leads the way with 129 hits, while right fielder Anthony Santander has 116 hits, including a team-high 23 home runs. They will be facing a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 8 with an ERA of 3.67. Right-handed pitcher Spenser Watkins is going to start for Baltimore on Tuesday night. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks across six innings against the White Sox, striking out five. Watkins has only pitched six innings in four of his 17 starts, but he does have a 3.72 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 38.2 innings on the road.