The Orioles could sure stand to have Chris Tillman start to look like the Chris Tillman of old - just not too old, because if you go too far back you get to when he wasn't very good. So really, the Chris Tillman of 2012-14. That would be good.
Although games have obviously been won over the last month, at times it's felt like the team can neither pitch nor hit. Facing Luis Severino tonight is probably not going to be the cure to that problem. It's still only June, but a loss tonight would put the Orioles 5.5 games back in the AL East and reeling in the wrong direction.
I say all of that and it's true, but the fact is that the whole rest of the AL isn't doing much better right now. The Orioles are still in the second wild card spot, at least for the moment, though two teams are within a game of them and it's fair to say the O's are heading in the wrong direction. What can be done? Ah, that's the big mystery, isn't it. One thing they could do is win tonight. But they probably won't.
Manny Machado is still out of the Orioles lineup, although manager Buck Showalter says he is feeling better and should avoid the DL. Welington Castillo is back from the DL. In case you were wondering, he reported that he tried out three different new cups, didn't like any of them, and is using his previous model - just a new one, because the old one was cracked. I'd say it sure was.