The Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles have been counted out for much of the past couple of months after rough patches early in the season.
But glimmers of hope keep emerging, and the latest of those upticks belongs to the Orioles.
The teams will begin a three-game series Friday night in Baltimore before heading to the All-Star break.
The Orioles, who have won five of their last six games, are coming off a doubleheader sweep of the visiting New York Mets on Thursday. A 3-1 victory in the opener came via three eighth-inning runs, and then a 7-3 triumph followed.
“Anytime we can steal a game like that (in Game 1), it can only give us a little extra confidence going into the next game and our next series,” Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson said.
It has been a strange week already for the Orioles. Baltimore traded reliever Bryan Baker on Thursday, suggesting a willingness to deal away assets. And then the Orioles popped up and won two games.
So there is bound to be some belief that they can still make something of the season.
“There’s still time, and despite making a move this morning,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “And I’m sure our obituary was probably getting written somewhere this morning because we made a trade.”
The Orioles aren’t ready to buy into a demise.
“Just got to buy in together and continue to believe within ourselves,” Henderson said. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing that we’ve got to do — and continue to go out there and win ballgames.”
The Marlins were blanked 6-0 on four hits by the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, so they dropped the final two games of the series after winning the first two games in Cincinnati. Until the last two results, Miami had won 11 straight road games.
“We put ourselves in a good spot by winning the first two here,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “But unfortunately, couldn’t capitalize with one of the final two and win a series.”
In nine of Miami’s last 10 losses, the Marlins have scored two or fewer runs.
This matchup vs. the Marlins will be the third consecutive series for the Orioles against a team from the National League — after matchups with the Atlanta Braves and the Mets.
Right-hander Dean Kremer (7-7, 4.53 ERA) will go to the mound for the Orioles, seeking to match last season’s win total (8-10). He’ll make his 18th start of the season after starting 24 games last year.
Kremer is 2-0 in his last four starts, though he was tagged for five runs in 4 1/3 innings Saturday at Atlanta. He won in his only previous matchup with the Marlins, allowing one run in six innings in July 2023.
The Orioles lost some bullpen depth Thursday by trading Baker to the Tampa Bay Rays in return for a draft pick.
Miami’s starting pitcher will be right-hander Edward Cabrera (3-3, 3.33). He also is one victory shy of matching his 2024 win total (4-8). He took the loss Sunday in a 3-1 setback to Milwaukee despite matching his season high with seven innings.
Cabrera’s lone appearance vs. the Orioles, in 2024, resulted in a no-decision. In 5 1/3 innings, he allowed three runs.
–Field Level Media
