The Baltimore Orioles (73-67) will be trying to keep their playoff hopes alive when they face the Washington Nationals (49-92) in the final game of their two-game interleague series on Wednesday night.
Tyler Wells, 7-6, 3.91 ERA, will get the start for the Orioles. The Nationals will counter with Patrick Corbin, 6-18, 6.30 ERA.
Baltimore and Washington split their last 10 meetings.
**This preview was written before Tuesday’s game was played**
The Orioles aren’t playing well at the moment and they’ve lost three of their last five games. They are now 5.5 games behind the Blue Jays, who are in the third AL Wildcard spot and will try to avoid falling further behind their rivals with a win on Wednesday.
Baltimore is averaging 4.16 runs per game. Their .235 batting average is 21st in the league. Their .303 on base percentage is 25th, while their .388 slugging percentage is 19th.
Cedric Mullins leads Baltimore with a .265 batting average, while Anthony Santander leads the team with 27 home runs and 79 RBI.
Baltimore’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.16 runs per game. Opponents have a .257 batting average against the Orioles, which is 26th in the league. Their 3.90 ERA is 13th, while their 1.29 WHIP is 18th.
In his last start, Wells gave up two hits and one run in two innings, leading to a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays. They will need a better performance from him if they want to get the win.