2022 Series Poll: Baltimore Orioles @ Houston Astros

Quick Notes

The Baltimore Orioles arrive in Houston as one of the darlings of the 2022 season due to finally looking like a team prepared to take the next step in their baseball evolution. The O’s have spent years languishing at the bottom of the AL East and MLB in general, doing their best to mirror the hapless Astros of the early 2010’s. However, during that time, they have also worked to revamp their farm system and seem to finally be drawing returns on the lean years.

Things haven’t quite come full circle just yet though. While they are within striking distance of a Wild Card spot, it will still be an uphill battle for them considering the teams they’re competing against and the overall quality of the AL East. Former Astros exec and current Orioles GM Mike Elias has pledged to start spending in support of the team this offseason, so one can expect a more potent Baltimore squad next season even if they don’t quite make it to an October run for this one.

What’s a little surprising about the improved Orioles is that there doesn’t really seem to be any one player who is blowing away opposing pitchers at the plate across the course of the entire season. There are a good number of slightly above-average players and several impressive streaks, no doubt, but not any single one with monster stats.

Anthony Santander seems to be having the best season stats-wise, and he has been red hot coming into this series with a .346/.370/.654 slash line over the last week. Catcher Adley Rutschman has been good in 2022 as well, though obviously he’s playing a little less often than Santander due to his position. Astros pitchers would also do well to be wary of Cedric Mullins, who hasn’t been quite as good this year as he previously was, but has been on a tear in the last week.

As for relief pitching, you can expect to see Felix Bautista closing games, with Dillon Tate and old friend Cionel Perez covering the high leverage innings for the O’s. Bautista and Tate have both been cash money for the Orioles this season, turning in ERA’s of 1.62 and 2.72, respectively. As for Perez, he’s rocking a sparkling 1.66 ERA and has seemingly bloomed since the last time we saw him in an Astros uni, but his 1.22 WHIP suggests his appearances might be a high-wire act.

Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, and Austin Voth have all been tapped to start for Baltimore this series. Of the three, Kremer has been the most effective so far with a 3.45 ERA across 75.2 innings. Bradish and Voth have been decidedly less so, with Bradish really stinking up the 2022 season with a 6.25 ERA.

Offensive Stats: YTD, Last 7 Days

Pitching Stats: YTD, Last 7 Days

Last 10 Games: 6-4 Record, 3 Series Wins, +16 Run Differential (58 scored, 42 allowed)

W/L Splits: 37-24 at home, 28-35 on the road, 34-39 against teams over .500

Injured List: Tyler Wells: 15-Day IL (side), Travis Lakins: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alexander Wells: 60-Day IL (elbow), Chris Ellis: 60-Day IL (shoulder), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Starters

Game 1: Kyle Bradish (RHP, 1-5, 6.25 ERA, 73 K’s) vs Lance McCullers Jr. (RHP, 1-1, 2.45 ERA, 11 K’s)

Game 2: Dean Kremer (RHP, 5-4, 3.45 ERA ERA, 59 K’s) vs Jose Urquidy (RHP, 12-4, 3.63 ERA, 104 K’s)

Game 3: Austin Voth (RHP, 4-1, 4.73 ERA, 65 K’s) vs Justin Verlander (RHP, 16-3, 1.87 ERA, 148 K’s)

For Your Viewing and Listening Pleasure

Game 1: Friday, August 26th @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Orioles - 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Orioles - MASN 2 / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW

Game 2: Saturday, August 27th @ 6:10 pm CDT
Listen: Orioles - WBAL NewsRadio 101.5 FM/HD2 97.9 / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Orioles - MASN 2 / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW

Game 3: Sunday, August 28th @ 1:10 pm CDT
Listen: Orioles - 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Orioles - MASN 2 / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW