The Orioles and Nationals meet tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the fourth and final time this year. After last night’s 9-3 loss to the Nats, the O’s are 0-1 in this two-game series and 1-2 in the four-game season series.
A win tonight would split that series and the four-game season set. The Orioles have not lost a season series to the Nationals since 2018.
These teams have been playing against each other since 2006, and the Orioles have an overall record of 56-41 against the Nats and 10-2-6 in the season series.
The Orioles lost the 2018 season series 5-1. They then went 2-2 in 2019, 4-2 in 2020, 3-3 in 2021, 3-1 in 2022, and 4-0 in the last season up until this year.
Despite last night’s loss, the Orioles have won eight of their last 10 games against the Nats and manager Brandon Hyde’s record against them is 17-10.
The Orioles begin today in second place, a half-game behind the Yankees, with New York at 71-50 and Baltimore at 70-50. Baltimore’s .583 winning percentage is the third-best in the American League and the fourth-best in the major leagues. A team playing at that winning percentage all year would win 94 games.
But on June 12, the Orioles were 45-22. Since then, they’re 25-28 over a 53-game span. In those 53 games, their offense has been solid, scoring 4.9 runs per game. But the O’s pitchers have a team ERA of 5.03 during that span.
Since June 13, the O’s rank 27th in the major leagues in team ERA. One of three teams worse than the Orioles is the Yankees, with an ERA of 5.16 during that span.
To help steer things in a better direction tonight, right-hander Dean Kremer (4-9, 4.70 ERA) takes the mound. Over the last two games, he has allowed nine runs in 9 1/3 innings. Kremer has a 6.14 ERA and a .792 OPS against opponents over his last six games. The O’s are 6-10 in his starts.
Left-handed hitters have an OPS of .764 against Kremer, while right-handed hitters have an OPS of .633 against him. But he allows an OPS of .831 when pitching with runners in scoring position.
The Nats’ starter is left-hander DJ Herz (2-4, 4.41 ERA), making his 12th start. This year, he has allowed 49 hits in 49 innings with 17 walks, 63 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.347.
Originally drafted by the Cubs in the eighth round in 2019, the Nats have a 4-7 record in his starts this year and are 1-6 in his last seven.
In three away starts, he has a record of 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.583 WHIP.
Anthony Santander hit his 36th home run of the season on Tuesday, setting the single-season record for home runs by a switch hitter. The home run came on a 3-0 count and was the fifth home run of his career, which is the fourth-most among active players.
Ryan O’Hearn got his 399th and 400th career hits yesterday after hitting two singles. He now has a hit against all 30 major league clubs after hitting his first two career hits against Washington. Adley Rutschman has a safe hit in seven of his last nine games, going 11-for-29 after going 4-for-36 in his previous 10 games.
