Baltimore @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 11, 2024 ) Chi. Cubs 8, Baltimore 0
The Baltimore Orioles will look like a different team when they open a three-game series against the host Chicago Cubs on Friday.
The Orioles unloaded a big chunk of their roster leading up to the trade deadline, even making a deal with the Cubs to acquire 17-year-old shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz for right-hander Andrew Kittredge.
In recent days, the Orioles also unloaded outfielder Cedric Mullins and left-hander Gregory Soto to the New York Mets, first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano to the San Diego Padres, right-hander Bryan Baker to the Tampa Bay Rays, right-hander Seranthony Dominguez to the Toronto Blue Jays and third baseman Ramon Urias to the Houston Astros, acquiring multiple prospects along the way.
The Cubs, meanwhile, were in the buyers' market all week. Their additions were Kittredge, right-hander Michael Soroka (from the Washington Nationals), left-hander Taylor Rogers (from the Pittsburgh Pirates) and utility player Willi Castro (from the Minnesota Twins).
The Orioles plan to start left-hander Trevor Rogers in the series opener.
Rogers (4-1, 1.49 ERA) faced four sub-.500 teams in July and went 3-1 with a 1.03 ERA.
He most recently allowed one hit over seven shutout innings in an 18-0 win against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, the largest shutout in team history.
"There's always that voice in the back of my mind that's like, 'Maybe it's just a fluke,'" Rogers said of his recent success. "I've had a lot of practice shutting that voice down and staying within my process, staying within myself."
Rogers arrived from the Miami Marlins at last season's trade deadline but was optioned to Triple-A three weeks later, where he remained until May of this season.
"I've worked my butt off to get here and I'm trying to enjoy it but also stay in the moment because I know how quickly things can turn in this game," he said. "Just trying to stay even-keeled, stay in the middle, appreciate and be grateful for the starts that I do have. And if they go my way, enjoy it for the next five hours or so, and then move on to tomorrow."
Rogers has never faced the Cubs in his career.
Chicago plans to send rookie right-hander Cade Horton to the mound on Friday.
Horton (4-3, 3.67 ERA) is also coming off a superb month of July in which he went 1-1 with a 1.52 ERA in four starts.
He enters the game with a shutout streak of 12 2/3 innings.
"I just feel like, every time I go out there, I try to just execute a pitch and really slow the game down," Horton said.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Horton does a remarkable job of focusing on the next pitch and not thinking about the previous one.
"I'm saying that as a compliment, because that's hard to do in this game," Counsell said. "I think Cade's excellent at it, and it contributes to his success."
Counsell can also see Horton's confidence building with each start.
"You have outings, like the last seven to 10 starts, and they're not all good, but you take what you need to learn from the ones that aren't so good," Counsell said. "He continues to do that, and that's what kind of keeps pushing him forward and keeps getting him better."
--Field Level Media