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For the last game of a meaningless season, the Orioles have a few things at stake. A win ensures that they will not go the whole season without recording even a single sweep. Another benefit of a win and sweep is that the 2019 Orioles would finish with a better record than the 1988 Orioles, who had one game canceled to end up 54-107: The O’s, with a win, would be 55-107 rather than 54-108.
In the context of their rebuilding effort, these are meaningless. They will not even make you feel that much better about this team if you do happen. But there’s never a bad time to sweep the Red Sox, so it would still be fun, especially since an Orioles win guarantees that they would deny Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez his chance to win a 20th game. Nothing against Rodriguez himself, it’s just that I never want any Red Sox player to achieve any positive milestone of any kind against the Orioles.
The Orioles lineup in this game includes Mark Trumbo, almost certainly for the last time as an Oriole and possibly for the last time in his MLB career, depending on what kind of decision he makes, or other teams make for him, about the state of his knee over the offseason.
The lineup also includes Jonathan Villar, who will complete the season having played in all 162 games. If he hits a home run in the finale game, he’ll finish in the 25 home run, 40 stolen base club, which would be a neat achievement for him. With a rocking four RBI day, Trey Mancini could reach the 100 RBI mark, another neat, if probably not significant for the future of the Orioles, achievement.
Today’s O’s starting pitcher, Chandler Shepherd, was once a 13th round pick of the Red Sox in 2014. He’s yet to be the pitcher of record in any of his four MLB games.
- Hanser Alberto - 3B
- Austin Hays - CF
- Trey Mancini - LF
- Renato Núñez - 1B
- Jonathan Villar - 2B
- Mark Trumbo - DH
- Stevie Wilkerson - RF
- Austin Wynns - C
- Richie Martin - SS