The Baltimore Orioles will look to extend their season-best, five-game winning streak when they visit the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon.
The Orioles maintained their winning ways when Taylor Ward hit a two-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of a 3-2 victory in Friday night’s series opener in the first game for both teams following the All-Star break.
Baltimore has had some close results recently, including those that have been relatively low-scoring. Across their 11 games in July, they’ve had three 3-2 outcomes, going 2-1.
“For us, it’s being able to win these (low-scoring close games),” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “We have to be able to navigate these games.”
The Astros are 0-3 in one-run games this month. Since pulling to within two games of the .500 mark, Houston has lost four of its last five.
“At the end of the year, you want a chance, you just need to be close,” first baseman Christian Walker said. “Anybody can get hot at the right time.”
The Astros will use right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-5, 4.50 ERA) as their starting pitcher on Saturday. He’ll look to make amends for one of his rough recent outings, when he gave up eight runs in four innings in an 8-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on July 8. He has lost his past four decisions, last recording a victory on May 28 vs. Texas.
Still, his next win will give him a career-high total in his three seasons in the big leagues. He’s 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA in two career matchups against Baltimore while throwing 11 2/3 innings.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.48 ERA) will try to continue his strong stretch as a Baltimore starter. Across his last four outings, he has allowed two runs in 24 1/3 innings and has gone 3-0.
Rogers has faced the Astros twice in his career, going 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA covering 12 1/3 innings.
The Orioles have some interesting bullpen numbers, as seven relievers have at least one save this season. Ryan Helsley with eight is the only pitcher on the staff with more than four, but he’s on the injured list.
“The best thing about everyone in our ‘pen, they don’t care when they pitch,” Albernaz said. “They just want the ball and they want to help the team win.”
Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has gone 34 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout. He began play Friday with the second-longest active streak in the majors in that category.
The Orioles added infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the roster to replace infielder Blaze Alexander, who suffered a hand fracture when he was hit by a pitch Sunday in the final game prior to the All-Star break.
The Astros were active as well in setting up their roster for the first post-break series. They added outfielder Lucas Spence to the roster from Triple-A Sugar Land and reinstated pitcher Kai-Wei Teng from the injured list.
–Field Level Media
