The Baltimore Orioles (52-35) will be going for the series win when they face the Minnesota Twins (45-44) in the final game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Gibson, 8-6, 4.73 ERA, will get the start for the Orioles. The Twins will counter with Joe Ryan, 8-5, 3.42 ERA.
Baltimore and Minnesota split their last 10 meetings.
**This preview was written before Saturday’s game was played**
The Orioles were one of the biggest surprises in the first half of the season, with the team not only having a winning record but also challenging for the AL East title. They are only three games behind Tampa Bay in the division standings and will try to reduce the gap before the All-Star break with a win on Sunday, which will give them their fifth win in their last seven games and the series win.
Baltimore is averaging 4.84 runs per game. Their .252 batting average is 14th in the league. Their .322 on base percentage is 15th, while their .419 slugging percentage is 11th.
Austin Hays leads the Orioles with a .312 batting average, while Anthony Santander leads the team with 14 home runs and 47 RBI.
Baltimore’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.48 runs per game. Opponents have a .253 batting average a gainst the Orioles, which is 23rd in the league. Their 4.19 ERA is 16th, while their 1.31 WHIP is 19th.
In his last start, Gibson gave up three hits and four runs in six innings, leading to an 8-4 loss to the Yankees. They will need a better effort from him if they want to win this game.
Austin Hays (Hip) and Aaron Hicks (Achilles) are questionable for this game.