2022 Series Poll: Houston Astros @ Baltimore Orioles

Quick Notes

The Astros arrive in Baltimore for one last road series of the regular season, this time against the upstart Orioles. For the second straight series there will be a motivation factor in favor of Houston’s opponent as the O’s sit just 4 games back of the 3rd Wild Card spot in the AL. Though their prospects of actually surging and claiming an October berth are quickly diminishing, especially when considering the quality of their opponents, Baltimore isn’t out of the fight just yet.

They’ll have to do it against some pretty rough customers though. After four games against the Astros they’ll close out the regular season with three more series against AL East opponents, including one each against the Yankees and Blue Jays. Things loosen up a little with a four game series against the Red Sox, but other than that it’s a gauntlet to October for the O’s.

But, if they don’t make it, this team is something for the Baltimore faithful to be both proud of and hopeful for. The Orioles had looked like a lifeless husk of a baseball team for multiple seasons coming into 2022, and have turned it around to become a legitimate October threat. A couple of more pieces added over the winter and this team looks like it will be ready to compete in one of the toughest divisions in baseball.

Meanwhile, the Astros can pretty much just coast through the rest of the season if they’re so inclined. Sitting at 99 wins, they’ve already locked up the AL West and a Wild Card round bye. The only thing still left on the table is locking up the top seed in the AL and, in the unlikely event of the Dodgers spiraling to end the season, possibly all of MLB. The O’s have a slightly better shot at the snagging the WC spot than the Astros catching the Dodgers though, just to give you perspective.

Still, this should be a fun series as Houston looks to pad its record and turn in yet another dominant 100+ win season of baseball. While they’ll certainly have an eye trained on October, I wouldn’t be surprised to see several starters get a rest as 2022 winds down and we all prepare to watch the glory of playoff baseball.

Offensive Stats: YTD, Last 7 Days

Pitching Stats: YTD, Last 7 Days

Last 10 Games: 4-6 Record, 1 Series Sweep, 3 Series Loss, -19 Run Differential (35 scored, 54 allowed)

W/L Splits: 42-32 at home, 35-39 on the road, 37-42 against teams over .500

Injured List: Chris Ellis: 60-Day IL (shoulder), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Starters

Game 1: Justin Verlander (RHP, 17-3, 1.78 ERA, 163 K’s) vs Kyle Bradish (RHP, 3-7, 5.05 ERA, 93 K’s)

Game 2: Jose Urquidy (RHP, 13—7, 3.96 ERA, 127 K’s) vs Dean Kremer (RHP, 7-5, 3.33 ERA ERA, 75 K’s) vs

Game 3: Framber Valdez (LHP, 16-5, 2.57 ERA, 176 K’s) vs Tyler Wells (RHP, 7-7, 4.25 ERA, 76 K’s)

Game 4: TBD vs Austin Voth (RHP, 5-3, 4.32 ERA, 81 K’s)

For Your Viewing and Listening Pleasure

Game 1: Thursday, September 22nd @ 6:05 pm CDT
Listen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Orioles - 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM
Watch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / Orioles - MASN 2

Game 2: Friday, September 23rd @ 6:05 pm CDT
Listen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Orioles - 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM
Watch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / Orioles - MASN 2 / MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Game 3: Saturday, September 24th @ 6:05 pm CDT
Listen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Orioles - 98 Rock FM
Watch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / Orioles - MASN 2

Game 4: Sunday, September 25th @ 12:05 pm CDT
Listen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Orioles - HD2 97.9
Watch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / Orioles - MASN 2