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How do you move on from being swept? And by a division nemesis, no less?
Hopping on a plane and flying 3,000 miles away is a good start.
The Orioles didn’t have much time to sit and stew over their rough series with the Red Sox, and the particularly rough finale to said series. They were due to start a series with the Oakland Athletics the next day, and tonight will kick off a six-game West Coast swing featuring three games with the A’s and three with the Seattle Mariners.
Andrew Cashner gets the ball for the O’s, and takes a 6-2 record and 4.73 ERA into the start. There’s a bit of a question mark with Cashner, who missed Friday’s start with a blister on his right hand. The indications all along have been that it wouldn’t cause him to miss much time, but it’s worth watching to see how he holds up and how effective he is.
The A’s will counter with Mike Fiers, who is 6-3 with a 4.63 ERA. He’s pitched to a 3.02 ERA over his last nine starts - a stretch that includes his May 7 no-hitter against Cincinnati - and has done well in his career against the Orioles, going 3-1 with an ERA of 2.08 in four starts. He allowed two runs in six innings against Tampa Bay in his last start, and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in an outing since April 20.
Here’s hoping the fans that stay up and tune in get the hat trick: a good game, an Orioles win, and as little Mychal Givens as possible.
Orioles lineup
Jonathan Villar SS
Anthony Santander LF
Trey Mancini RF
Chance Sisco C
Pedro Severino DH
Rio Ruiz 3B
Hanser Alberto 2B
Chris Davis 1B
Stevie Wilkerson CF
- Andrew Cashner RHP
Athletics lineup
Marcus Semien SS
Matt Chapman 3B
Matt Olson 1B
Khris Davis DH
Ramon Laureano CF
Robbie Grossman LF
Stephen Piscotty RF
Jurickson Profar 2B
Josh Phegley C
- Mike Fiers RHP