The Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates are set to play their second game of a three-game series this afternoon following the Orioles’ 5-2 victory on Friday to kick off the weekend.
With their first road win of the season, the Orioles (5-2) maintain an undefeated record in series-opening games, standing at 3-0. Currently, they sit in third place in the American League East, just half a game behind both New York and Boston, who are tied at 6-2.
Should the Orioles secure a win in one of the next two games, they will mark three consecutive series victories to commence the season, a feat last achieved by Orioles teams in 2009 and 2016.
Pitching has been a strong suit for the Orioles thus far, boasting a team ERA of 3.14, ranking seventh-best in the AL and eighth overall in MLB. Baltimore’s bullpen has been particularly effective, with an ERA of 2.38, sixth-best in the AL and seventh overall in the majors. Over the last five games, the Orioles’ bullpen has only allowed two earned runs across 16 2/3 innings.
Consistency has been key for the Orioles, conceding four runs or fewer in each of their seven games to open the season, matching a club record set in 2002. Remarkably, last season the Orioles held an impressive 82-19 record (.812) when allowing four runs or fewer, the best in such games in the AL.
Heading into Friday’s game, the Orioles had experienced a slight dip in home runs, hitting only two over the preceding four games. However, they rebounded with a season-high three homers against Pittsburgh, courtesy of Ryan O’Hearn, Gunnar Henderson, and Cedric Mullins. O’Hearn notched his first homer of the season, while Henderson and Mullins both secured their second.
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez delivered a solid performance, allowing two runs and six hits across 6 1/3 innings on 97 pitches, improving his record to 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA.
The Orioles’ starting rotation maintains a 3.57 ERA through seven games, demonstrating consistency by allowing three earned runs or fewer in six outings. They’ve achieved four quality starts thus far in the 2024 season.
Today, right-hander Tyler Wells (0-1, 4.50 ERA) is slated for his second start of the year. In his previous outing against the Los Angeles Angels, Wells conceded four runs (three earned) over six innings, tallying 82 pitches. Notably, in his sole prior start against Pittsburgh on May 13, 2023, Wells delivered seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out eight.
On the Pirates’ side, they suffered their second loss of the season on Friday, currently sharing the top spot in the National League Central with Milwaukee, albeit trailing by percentage points with a 6-2 record. Despite scoring 49 runs in their first seven games, they were limited to a season-low two runs in the series opener against the Orioles, having previously scored 39 runs during their 5-0 start.
Left-hander Bailey Falter (0-0, 13.50 ERA) takes the mound for the Pirates today. In his last start against Miami, he yielded six runs and five hits over four innings on 67 pitches, including five runs in the first inning, highlighted by Jazz Chisholm’s grand slam. Last season, Falter went 2-9 with a 5.36 ERA between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. While his career record in April stands at 0-6 with a 5.18 ERA, he has one career inning against the Orioles, which remained scoreless.
