The Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals will square off at Nationals Park in The Battle of the Beltways this week. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Orioles are road favorites and the game total is 9.5 runs.
Baltimore (9-7 SU and 10-6 RL) took two of three from the Chicago White Sox over the weekend. The Orioles will turn to right-hander Dean Kremer (0-0 with a 9.49 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in three starts this season) on Tuesday evening in the nation's capital.
Washington (5-11 SU and 9-7 RL) will host Baltimore after dropping two of three home games to Cleveland. The Nats are countering with right-hander Josiah Gray (0-3 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in three outings).
The Orioles are in the thick of the AL East race again this year, sitting only one game out of second place after 16 games. Baltimore is young, hungry, and believes — a combination that should keep it in the postseason race from start to finish. Baseball is a marathon but don't tell the O's they're getting ahead of themselves.
Baltimore averages 5.88 runs per game (2nd) with a .260 BA (9th) and a .807 OPS (4th). The Orioles have hit the sixth-most long balls (22) and stolen the second-most bases (24) in MLB this year. The pitching staff has compiled a 5.27 ERA (26th) and a 1.37 WHIP (17th) with two quality starts (27th).
Dean Kremer's struggles continue.
4/1 @ BOS: 3.0 IP, 5 ER
4/7 vs. NYY: 5.0 IP, 4 ERThrough 1 inning tonight: 2 H, 3 ER, HR#Birdland pic.twitter.com/Zl5J9hSd9n
— Rocco DiSan gro (@RoccoDiSangro) April 12, 2023
Kremer takes the mound Tuesday following three forgettable starts. The 27-year-old has surrendered four or more runs in all of his outings, giving up five home runs in 12.1 total innings. It's been an issue for the right-hander, but one he hopes to correct soon.