The Baltimore Orioles are in a winning mode again, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in their hottest stretch of the season.
The teams meet Friday night in Baltimore to open a three-game interleague series.
The Diamondbacks added to their season-high winning streak, which now sits at four games, by beating the host Cincinnati Reds 5-4 on Thursday afternoon. Corbin Carroll drove in the tiebreaking run with an eighth-inning single as Arizona completed a three-game sweep.
Walks by Tucker Barnhart and pinch hitter Pavin Smith preceded Carroll’s hit.
“I was really proud in the way we built that inning,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It was Tucker to Pavin and then a big hit by Corbin. It was fun to watch.”
Baltimore has won five of its past six games, coming off a 7-6, 12-inning escape at Washington on Wednesday before a day off. The Orioles own the best record in the American League, while Arizona is 2-4 against AL teams this season.
There were twists and turns in the Orioles’ latest game, which saw the Nationals tie the contest with two runs in the ninth inning and do it again with two runs in the 11th.
“There was a lot of stuff that happened the last four or five innings,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “Proud of our offense, the way we kept going. … A lot to unpack there. Definitely relieved we won the game.”
The Orioles will try to keep things going with Cole Irvin (3-1, 2.86 ERA) heading to the mound trying to extend his streak of scoreless outings to four games.
The left-hander has thrown a combined 20 shutout innings over his past three starts, winning all three.
Baltimore won each of the past five times Irvin started. He has made only one career appearance against Arizona, taking a loss on Sept. 1, 2023, after giving up four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
If Hyde has to go to the bullpen behind Irvin, he can’t know what he will get from Craig Kimbrel. The closer has three blown saves in his past five appearances, and on Wednesday he failed to close out the ninth before exiting and seeing Keegan Akin squander the rest of the ninth-inning lead.
“We’re going to stick with (Kimbrel),” Hyde said. “This guy (has) got a big-time track record. … It’s important that we get him right.”
The Diamondbacks will send Brandon Pfaadt (1-2, 4.61) to the mound. He has gone six starts without a victory since he was the winning pitcher in his season debut March 31 against the Colorado Rockies. He gave up a season-high 10 hits in six-plus innings during a loss to the San Diego Padres on Saturday.
Pfaadt is set to make his 27th career outing (26th start) across two seasons, but he will be opposing the Orioles for the first time.
The right-hander will have to contend with Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, who is tied for the AL lead with 11 home runs.
Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson had three hits on Thursday after posting a total of three hits in his previous five games.
“I’m just working on swinging at pitches I can handle,” Pederson said.
The Friday game is the opener of Baltimore’s nine-game homestand that also will include visits from the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.
–Field Level Media
