We’ve obtained a late one tonight. Let’s hope the Orioles make it price staying up for.
The O’s kick off a three-game sequence towards the Athletics at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park with a 9:40 ET begin time for the opener. These subsequent six video games towards the crummy A’s and Rockies signify the Orioles’ finest probability to make some hay within the wild card race, or, in the event that they go significantly poorly, may put the dagger within the Birds’ 2026 season for good.
The Orioles are glad to welcome Blaze Alexander again to the lineup tonight. Blaze has been out since July 12, the final sport earlier than the All-Star break, when an errant pitch from the Royals’ Lucas Erceg broke his left hand. The O’s have badly missed Alexander’s bat. He was arguably the Orioles’ hottest hitter earlier than he went on the shelf, batting .365 with a .942 OPS for the reason that begin of May. Let’s hope the prolonged absence hasn’t cooled him down.
With Alexander again within the fold and left-hander Jacob Lopez on the mound, Craig Albernaz is giving Gunnar Henderson the evening off, simply the second sport all season by which he hasn’t been within the lineup (the opposite was on May 3 towards the Yankees’ Max Fried). Gunnar, within the midst of his most difficult season as an enormous leaguer, has been lengthy overdue for a time without work, which hopefully will give him a little bit of a psychological reset.
In Henderson’s absence, Jackson Holliday will bat from the #3 gap for the primary time this 12 months, and Alexander will leap proper again into the fireplace on the leadoff spot. With Tyler O’Neill on the IL, Dylan Beavers will get a uncommon begin towards a lefty. Pete Alonso will as soon as once more nurse his sore calf within the DH spot, and lefty-masher Coby Mayo will man first base and the cleanup position.
SS Blaze Alexander
DH Pete Alonso
2B Jackson Holliday
1B Coby Mayo
3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand
RF Leody Taveras
CF Christian Franklin
LF Dylan Beavers
C Carlos Narváez
CF Henry Bolte
2B Jeff McNeil
3B Zack Gelof
RF Lawrence Butler
1B Tommy White
DH Max Muncy
LF Carlos Cortes
C Jonah Heim
SS Alika Williams