The Baltimore Orioles will try to wrap up a challenging road trip with a three-game sweep.
That’s the scenario going into Thursday night’s game against the Miami Marlins, who have had their own troubles.
“We’re just focusing on ourselves,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “That’s all we’re focusing on.”
Baltimore has won consecutive contests following a five-game losing streak; four of the defeats came on the road. Miami has dropped four games in a row and five of its last six.
The Orioles are looking to wipe away some of their early struggles, and they realize the big picture still can be bright.
“It’s May 6, and there (are) 100-plus games left.” Albernaz said on Wednesday. “It’s a small blip in the season. We’re just trying to be the best version of ourselves each and every night and we’ll see what happens.”
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough’s team is 11-11 at home. Thursday’s game will be the seventh contest in a 10-game homestand.
The Orioles used big hits from Pete Alonso and Adley Rutschman in Wednesday night’s 7-4 victory. No Marlins player had more than one hit.
Alonso slugged his seventh home run of the season and pushed his RBI total to 20, so even though he started slowly this season, his numbers are perking up. Alonso is second on the team in both home runs and RBIs.
“We all know he can hit,” Albernaz said. “We all know the power is real. The at-bat quality has been outstanding.”
The Marlins might be in a mode of trying to manufacture runs, and McCullough said he won’t be shy with digging into the roster to do so. That should lead to more opportunities for Esteury Ruiz, even as a pinch runner.
“We’ll continue to try to find as many ways we can use Ruiz to impact games even when he’s not starting,” McCullough said.
Otto Lopez is batting .336 to lead the Marlins. The infielder was used as a pinch hitter, and he came through with a run-scoring double in the seventh inning Wednesday. He owns a nine-game hitting streak.
On the mound on Thursday, the Orioles will start left-hander Cade Povich (1-1, 4.41 ERA), who returned from the minor leagues Friday and was tagged for five runs in four innings of a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees. This will be the first time Povich faces the Marlins.
Miami is set to send out right-hander Max Meyer (2-0, 2.68), who didn’t allow an earned run in either of his last two starts that covered 12 total innings. He blanked the Philadelphia Phillies for seven innings Saturday while allowing only one hit and compiling seven strikeouts in a 4-0 victory.
Meyer has yet to face the Orioles in his four seasons in the major leagues.
The Marlins used pitcher Dax Fulton for four innings in relief in his big-league debut Wednesday. He gave up two runs and three hits, walking two and striking out three.
“I’m extremely excited to be here and incredibly blessed and hopefully we can get some wins,” Fulton said.
Orioles catcher/designated hitter Samuel Basallo has at least one hit in six of his last seven road games.
–Field Level Media
