Two young, upstart teams are set to collide in Charm City this weekend, with the Pittsburgh Pirates (21-17) visiting the Baltimore Orioles (24-13) for the second straight year. Last year's series went to the Orioles, but Pittsburgh is looking a lot different these days. Both clubs are trying to end playoff droughts this year, so this will be a nice test early in the season. The first game of this series is set for Friday at 7:05 p.m. EDT, with Oriole Park at Camden Yards opening its doors for all interested parties. This game also marks the introduction of the Bird Bath Splash Zone at Camden Yards, which should energize an already enthusiastic home crowd.
They're still the first-place team in the NL Central, but Pittsburgh has gone 1-9 in their last 10 games. Over that stretch, the Pirates have only scored 15 total runs (1.5 per game), while they're allowing 5.80 per game in that same span. April may have gone well in the Steel City, but May has been miserable thus far.
Let's start with the offensive struggles, as Pittsburgh has dropped to 11th in runs per game. In their last 10 games, Pittsburgh's team OPS is only .566. They're hitting .181 in those games with only five home runs. Even their base stealing has fallen off. Pittsburgh loves to run, leading the league in stolen bases (48) and times caught stealing (15). Although nobody wants to get caught, a 76.2% success rate at a high volume is very productive. Over the past 10 games, their clip is only 60% (9-15), which isn't nearly as rewarding over an extensive stretch. Most of Pittsburgh' s offensive numbers are on the right side of things (such as the fourth-highest walk rake), but things aren't working right now. It happens to every team at some point in every season.
Now onto the pitching, which Johan Oviedo is tasked with getting back on track. Along with allowing nearly six runs per game over the last 10, they're walking four batters and allowing an average of 9.6 hits in those games. The team is one of the best at limiting homers, and the Pirates' bullpen is among the 10 best in ERA. They just need to start avoiding hard contact again. As this game's starter, Oviedo can rebound from his two worst starts this season, which both occurred during Pittsburgh's recent slide. He combined for 7.1 innings and 14 runs allowed (13 earned) in his last two starts. After winning three of Oviedo's first four starts in 2023, the Pirates have lost the past three. That Oviedo has allowed five or more runs in each of those games didn't help.