The Orioles and Mets kick off a rematch of the 1969 World Series as O’s rookie Brandon Young will try to earn his first MLB win.
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Brandon Young (0-3, 7.02 ERA, 15 K) vs. RHP Clay Holmes (8-4, 2.99 ERA, 76 K)
After a sweep of the listless Braves in Atlanta, the O’s return to Camden Yards tonight to take on another NL East foe in the New York Mets. The last time these two teams met in Camden Yards back in 2023, the O’s swept the team from Queens, outscoring them 19-6 across the three games.
This is a much different Mets team, however, with superstar free agent acquisition Juan Soto leading these free-spending Mets in their quest to unseat the Braves and Phillies atop the NL East.
Much of the Mets’ success this season has come off the back of their revamped pitching rotation. New York comes in second in the NL and sixth in all of baseball with a 3.54 team ERA. The Mets’ starting rotation has carried this team to their current 52-39 record, as their starters rank fourth in MLB with a 3.36 ERA.
Tonight, the O’s will face a familiar face, as former Yankee Clay Holmes returns to Camden Yards with the Mets. Now pitching on the other side of New York, the former All-Star closer has transformed himself into an All-Star-worthy starter. Holmes has a 2.99 ERA in 17 starts, including six quality starts, and is averaging 5.2 innings per start.
The Orioles never had much success solving Holmes when he was wearing pinstripes, posting a .189 average against and only scoring eight runs (3 ER) in 24.1 innings. Holmes did suffer a blown save on his most recent appearance in Camden Yards, with Cedric Mullins capitalizing on an Alex Verdugo misplay in left for an Orioles walkoff win. Mullins is the only Oriole with any real past success against Holmes, coming in hitting 3-for-8 with a .875 OPS.
Baltimore has won a lot of low-scoring affairs as of late, meaning they’ll need rookie Brandon Young to deliver his best major league outing to beat the Mets. The 26-year-old out of Lumberton, TX has only made it past the 4th inning in one of his four previous starts, and has allowed 3+ runs in each outing.
Walks have been one of Young’s biggest problems, having issued 11 free passes in only 16.2 innings. That lack of control may prove disastrous against New York, who lead baseball with 3.95 pitches per plate appearance.
Orioles Lineup
- Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
- Jordan Westburg (R) 3B
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Ryan O’Hearn (L) 1B
- Ramón Laureano (R) RF
- Colton Cowser (L) LF
- Tyler O’Neill (R) DH
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- Jacob Stallings (R) C
Mets Lineup
- Brandon Nimmo (L) LF
- Francisco Lindor (S) SS
- Juan Soto (L) RF
- Pete Alonso (R) 1B
- Jesse Winker (L) DH
- Jeff McNeil (L) CF
- Luis Torrens (R) C
- Rony Mauricio (S) 3B
- Brett Baty (L) 2B