The Orioles have been much better at home than on the road this season while Pittsburgh has struggled away from their park, so Baltimore would love to sweep this short series. The Pirates started slowly but have been playing better of late and need to keep it going to avoid becoming a seller at the trading deadline. They would probably be happy with a split against a good team on the road.
This series will be contested from Tuesday, June 6 through Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Both games will be televised regionally on the MLB Network.
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Pitching Matchups
In Tuesday’s matchup, the Pirates are slated to send Ivan Nova to the hill. He is 5-4 on the season with a sparkling 2.92 ERA. Nova doesn’t have big strikeout numbers but has only walked six batters in 70 innings, and unbelievable low number. If he can keep avoiding free passes his ERA should be able to stay low moving forward.
The Orioles are scheduled to counter with Kevin Gausman. He is just 3-4 on the season with a 5.92 ERA and is allowing opposing batters to hit a ridiculous .324 against him. Gausman has been better of late, allowing only two earned runs apiece in each of his last three starts.
On Wednesday, Pittsburgh will start Chad Kuhl, who is 1-5 with a 6.02 ERA. He has been hit pretty hard on the season and doesn’t have great swing-and-miss stuff or control, which may be a problem against a good offense.
The Orioles will rely on left-hander Wade Miley to get the job done. He is 2-3 with a 2.82 ERA, although his 1.43 WHIP portends some trouble ahead. Miley has been pretty lucky this season but the Pirates aren’t a great offensive club so he could be OK. Baltimore will definitely be favored in the second game.
Key Stat
3.5. That’s the number of games out of first place both teams currently reside. The Orioles are 29-26 on the season but sport a run-differential of minus-9. Baltimore will try to keep pace with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, although both teams seem to have better rosters.
If they can’t catch them, the Orioles could be in the running for the second wild card, as there aren’t many American League teams shining early on outside of the Astros, Yankees and Red Sox.
The Pirates have a steeper hill to climb. They are within striking distance of first place in the National League Central, but are just 26-31 overall and have a run-differential of negative-25. Pittsburgh is actually in last place in the division, although all of the teams are extremely muddled and that could change quickly.
The Cubs are in the N.L. Central and figure to eventually pull away from the rest of the pack, so the Pirates are in a tough spot despite being close to the lead currently.
Injury Report
The Pirates won’t have the services of pitcher Jameson Taillon, who is going to make one more rehab start before rejoining the rotation. Taillon has been recovering from testicular cancer but is luckily on the mend.
The Pirates will welcome him back, and the Orioles will catch a break by not facing him. Taillon is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in six starts this season and has a bright future. Kuhl is not nearly at his caliber and needs to have his best stuff in order to keep the Orioles bats at bay.
Baltimore hasn’t gotten it all to click on the season, but Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo are a fearsome quartet in the heart of the order.
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