Charlie Morton leads the O’s in Game 1 of a double header against the AL East leading Blue Jays.
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Charlies Morton (6-8, 5.48 ERA, 99 K) vs. LHP Easton Lucas (3-2, 5.82 ERA, 22 K)
Much like the weather in Baltimore, the Orioles are getting hot at the wrong time. With two days left before the MLB trade deadline, and the O’s eight games out of a playoff spot, Baltimore has actually looked like a resurgent ball club over their last three games.
After outscoring the Rockies 23-1 over the last two games of that series, the Orioles bludgeoned Chris Bassitt and the Blue Jays in an 11-4 win yesterday. It’s likely all for not with an impending fire sale coming in the next 54 hours, but at least it gives Birdland a little something to get excited about.
Charlie Morton will likely make his final start for the Orioles today against the Jays, with the 41-year-old right-hander a prime trade candidate. After a disastrous first month of the season, Morton’s been largely steady for the O’s since. After rejoining the rotation at the end of May, Morton has a 3.81 ERA and 59 K in 54.1 innings.
Uncle Charlie will be hoping to improve on his previous performance against the Blue Jays, when he allowed 7 H and 4 ER in 3.1 IP during his Orioles debut. Starting pitching is always for contending teams at the trade deadline, so a strong final Orioles outing should convince a pitching-needy team to pull the trigger on a deal for Morton.
Opposing Morton is 28-year-old rookie Easton Lucas. The Blue Jays’ left-hander has walked an odd path throughout the beginning of his major league career after making his debut for the Athletics in 2023. He had a couple cups of coffee in the Majors for the A’s, Tigers and Blue Jays last year, but never stayed on anyone’s roster long enough to exhaust his rookie eligibility.
In five appearances this year for Toronto, Lucas has either been pretty good or really terrible. He combined for 10.1 shutout innings across his first two outings, and his most recent spot start at the end of May saw him throw 4.2 scoreless frames against the A’s. However, he did have a two-start stretch at the end of April when he allowed 14 ERs and 5 HRs across just 6.2 innings—which ultimately led to his first demotion.
Orioles Lineup
- Jordan Westburg (R) 2B
- Ramón Laureano (R) DH
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
- Ramón Urías (R) 3B
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- Coby Mayo (R) 1B
- Colton Cowser (L) LF
- Alex Jackson (R) C
Blue Jays Lineup
- Nathan Lukes (L) CF
- Davis Schneider (R) DH
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
- Bo Bichette (R) SS
- Addison Barger (L) RF
- Ernie Clement (R) 2B
- Joey Loperfido (L) LF
- Will Wagner (L) 3B
- Ali Sánchez (R) C