Baltimore @ Athletics preview
Sutter Health Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 7, 2024 ) Baltimore 6, Athletics 3
The Baltimore Orioles were an easy pick as one of the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball this season -- well, through 55 games, at least.
In their past two series, Baltimore has pieced together six straight wins after sweeping the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners.
The Orioles have a chance to continue their impressive play on Friday when they open a three-game series against the host Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
Keying the recent six-game stretch has been Baltimore's pitching staff, which has allowed just 11 total runs during the streak. Starter Zach Eflin threw six innings of three-run ball in Baltimore's 4-3 victory in Seattle on Thursday, while Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson hit back-to-back homers to clinch the Orioles' second straight series sweep.
Following consecutive postseason appearances, the Orioles were written off by many after the horrid start, but the team knows there's plenty of baseball left to be played.
"This group's won a lot of games in the last two years. You don't win that many games if you're a quitter," Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. "So these guys haven't quit. They didn't quit earlier in the year. They kept competing; it just didn't go our way. They're continuing to do what they've done all year. I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not, because we've seen it for a couple years."
Right-hander Dean Kremer (5-5, 4.70 ERA) will look to extend the Orioles' momentum on Friday in his 13th start of the year. Kremer allowed just one earned run over six innings in a 4-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday. The 29-year-old has a 5.23 ERA with a decision in two career starts against the A's.
The Athletics snapped a nine-game losing skid with their 14-3 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Thursday, thanks to Tyler Soderstrom's grand slam and a two-run home run. The A's had dropped 20 of their past 21 games prior to the offensive explosion in the series finale against Minnesota.
Max Muncy and Jacob Wilson also homered for the A's, who scored their most runs since an 18-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2024. Wilson, a 23-year-old rookie is hitting .363, trailing only the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge in average. Soderstrom, also 23, leads the club with 14 home runs and 42 RBIs -- another sign of a youthful team that hopes to be turning the corner.
"When he gets going, he's really a spark for this team," Muncy said of Soderstrom. "We saw it in the beginning of the year when he was hitting a bunch of homers and we were winning. That's how it is. When he's playing well, it's fun to watch. ... A win like that shows us that we can do it and we are a good team. I'm hoping that's really a momentum thing and we just keep it going."
The Athletics rank fifth in the majors in both batting average (.256) and slugging (.421) and seventh in home runs (79). The pitching staff is dead last in team ERA (5.79) and runs allowed (392).
The club has yet to name a starter for the series opener.
--Field Level Media