The Baltimore Orioles have won five of their last seven games after a 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Athletics in Sacramento. They entered today two games behind the final American League Wild Card position.
Baltimore also received a boost with Blaze Alexander’s reinstatement from the injured list. Alexander led off in the win and went 1-for-5, but he is not in tonight’s lineup. Jackson Holliday moves back into the leadoff spot, while Gunnar Henderson bats third after serving as a pinch-runner last night.
Orioles lineup and recent hitting trends
Pete Alonso is the designated hitter for a second consecutive game, with Coby Mayo starting at first base. Alonso is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts over his last two games and 1-for-24 against the Athletics across his last six games.
Mayo is 6-for-19 with one home run and five RBIs in his last five games. Samuel Basallo starts behind the plate, and Dylan Beavers returns to left field. Beavers is batting .346 (9-for-26) with three doubles and three home runs over his last nine games.
Holliday is 2-for-14 over his last three games and 5-for-24 over his last five. He went 3-for-6 and 2-for-4 in two games against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Shane Baz seeks run support against Oakland
Shane Baz will look for the run support that has been difficult to find. He has received 15 runs over 12 starts since June 18. Among pitchers with at least 50 innings during that span, Baz’s 1.95 run-support average is the lowest in the majors.
The right-hander is 4-14 with a 4.04 ERA in 26 starts. His 14 losses are tied with Tanner Bibee for the most in the majors. Baz is seeking his first win since June 12 against the Padres, and his eight-decision losing streak matches his career high.
One encouraging statistic is Baz’s home-run rate. He has allowed 0.65 home runs per nine innings this season, the lowest mark by an Orioles starter with at least 20 appearances since Kevin Gausman posted a 0.56 rate in 2014.
Baz started against the Athletics on May 9 and allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings, leaving him with a 5.48 ERA. He has a 4.10 career ERA in four starts against Oakland. In his only appearance at Sutter Health Park, he allowed four earned runs and five total runs over seven innings.
Max Muncy is 2-for-3 with a home run against Baz, while Lawrence Butler is 2-for-12 with a double.
Orioles bullpen and Oakland matchup
Baltimore’s home-run streak ended at 15 games after last night’s victory. Alex Hoppe became the 10th Orioles pitcher to record a save this season, tying the franchise record set in 1987.
Athletics right-hander Jack Perkins, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Indiana University, is 3-9 with a 6.68 ERA and a 1.483 WHIP in 31 games, including 11 starts. He has struck out 104 batters in 90 1/3 innings.
Perkins earned a “hold” on May 8 in Baltimore after retiring two batters in the ninth inning. He allowed one run and one hit, walked one batter and recorded two strikeouts. He also started against the Orioles last summer at Camden Yards and earned the win after allowing three runs and three hits over six innings. All three runs scored on Henderson’s first-inning home run.
In his most recent start, on Aug. 12, Perkins surrendered six earned runs and seven total runs on 12 hits in five innings against the Rays. He then followed with 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings in Kansas City and allowed one earned run, three total, over five relief innings in Houston.
Perkins has a 7.56 ERA and a 1.600 WHIP in 17 home games, compared with a 5.58 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP in 14 road games. He is allowing 1.69 home runs per nine innings this season after posting a 0.93 mark last year.
Butler is hitting .355 (22-for-62) with five home runs, 11 RBIs and nine walks over his last 17 games. The Athletics are 8-20 over their last 28 games.
Starting lineups
For the Orioles
- Jackson Holliday, 2B
- Pete Alonso, DH
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 3B
- Samuel Basallo, C
- Dylan Beavers, LF
- Coby Mayo, 1B
- Colton Cowser, CF
- Leody Taveras, RF
Starting pitcher: Shane Baz, RHP
For the Athletics
- Henry Bolte, CF
- Jeff McNeil, 1B
- Zack Gelof, 2B
- Lawrence Butler, RF
- Tommy White, 3B
- Donavan Walton, SS
- Max Muncy, DH
- Carlos Cortes, LF
- Jonah Heim, C
Starting pitcher: Jack Perkins, RHP
Source: www.masnsports.com
