Orioles Look to Bounce Back Against A’s Righty Aaron Civale

After a disappointing outing on Friday night, the Baltimore Orioles are hoping to turn things around this afternoon against the Oakland Athletics. They faced Jacob Lopez, a struggling starter with a 6.60 ERA, and managed to scrape together only two runs, both coming from solo home runs. Now, the challenge intensifies as they prepare to face Aaron Civale, a more competent right-handed pitcher with a solid 2.95 ERA.

Civale, now in his eighth season and having bounced around six teams since 2023, has shown flashes of brilliance, but luck has played a significant role in his success. As noted in John Beers’ series preview, his 2.95 ERA stands in stark contrast to his expected ERA of 4.19, indicating that he may not be as invincible as his numbers suggest. With a hard-hit rate approaching 50% and a strikeout rate of just 6.60 per game, there’s a glimmer of hope that the Orioles could capitalize on Civale’s inconsistencies.

Gunnar Henderson has been particularly effective against right-handed pitching this season, boasting a .427 batting average and one home run in just seven at-bats against Civale. However, the rest of the lineup has struggled, with Adley Rutschman at 1-for-9, Pete Alonso at 1-for-5, and Taylor Ward yet to register a hit in 10 at-bats against the righty.

On the mound for the Orioles is Shane Baz, who holds a 1-3 record with a 4.99 ERA and 33 strikeouts. The young pitcher has shown potential at times, highlighted by a strong performance against Houston where he allowed only one run in 5 2/3 innings. However, his last outing against the Yankees was a different story, as he surrendered five runs in the same number of innings and issued five walks.

While the Athletics sit atop the standings, they are not as formidable an offensive force as the Yankees. Baz has faced some of these hitters before; Shane Langeliers has had the most success against him, going 4-for-10 with a home run, while Lawrence Butler is 2-for-10, and Nick Kurtz has yet to find success, going 0-for-7.

This matchup presents an opportunity for the Orioles to find their rhythm. Can they seize the moment and capitalize on Civale’s vulnerabilities?

Orioles Lineup:
1. Gunnar Henderson SS
2. Tyler Ward LF
3. Adley Rutschman C
4. Pete Alonso 1B
5. Samuel Basallo DH
6. Leody Taveras CF
7. Dylan Beavers RF
8. Coby Mayo 3B
9. Jeremiah Jackson 2B

Athletics Lineup:
1. Nick Kurtz 1B
2. Shane Langeliers C
3. Tyler Soderstrom LF
4. Brent Rooker DH
5. Carlos Cortes RF
6. Jacob Wilson SS
7. Lawrence Butler CF
8. Zack Gelof 3B
9. Jeff McNeil 2B

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.