A pitching-strapped Toronto turns to the bullpen for a spot start against Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes.
The Orioles haven’t lost a series against AL East opponents in their last nineteen tries. Tonight, if they win Game 2 against Toronto, they guarantee themselves twenty in a row, with a series tie at worst.
The chances aren’t terrible, given that staff ace Corbin Burnes is scheduled to pitch against a Blue Jays bullpen collective forced to make a spot start as Alek Manoah suffered an elbow injury last week. Toronto announced just this afternoon that veteran reliever Trevor Richards would get the game ball first, with Bowden Francis expected to contribute in a bulk role, as well.
In his brief tenure as an Oriole, Corbin Burnes has been as good as advertised. The only category he hasn’t excelled at is strikeouts, which have ticked down each year from 2020. But his BaseballSavant page is ace-worthy, a sea of red (a good thing) and in 12 starts, he’s 5-2 with a 2.35 ERA, with a 2.17 ERA in May over 6 starts, including a 1.42 ERA in his last three. Last month, Burnes held Toronto to one run over six innings.
In a relatively small number of career AB’s, there are a few Blue Jays who have had success against Burnes. Bo Bichette is 4-for-7 with a home run. Justin Turner is 3-for-9 with 9 RBI. Daniel Vogelbach is 3-for-12 with a home run.
The 31-year-old Richards has faced some of these Orioles a couple of times. Ryan Mountcastle loves hitting the right hander, with a .545 average in 11 AB’s. Cedric Mullins is 5-for-9. Anthony Santander is 4-for-18, and Urías is 2-for-6.
The Orioles haven’t faced Bowden Francis yet, but it’s likely that they will tonight. The 28-year-old has had a rough go of it in his third MLB season, with a 8.59 ERA in five games. Francis’s fastball has been a big liability, at a -5 Run Value.
Orioles lineup
1. Gunnar Henderson SS (LH)
2. Adley Rutschman DH (S)
3. Ryan Mountcastle 1B (R)
4. Anthony Santander RF (S)
5. Jordan Westburg 3B (R)
6. Austin Hays LF (R)
7. Colton Cowser CF (L)
8. Connor Norby 2B (R)
9. James McCann C (R)
Blue Jays lineup
1. Davis Schneider LF (R)
2. Danny Jansen C (R)
3. Vlad Guerrero Jr. 3B (R)
4. Daniel Vogelbach DH (L)
5. Bo Bichette SS (R)
6. Justin Turner 1B (R)
7. George Springer RF (R)
8. Daulton Varsho CF (L)
9. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa 2B (R)