Friday night Orioles game thread: at Blue Jays, 6:37

The Orioles are back. We’ll find out if their pitcher is.

After not playing Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a movement across multiple sports against racial and social injustice, the O’s are in action again tonight, opening a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo.

Baltimore is looking for an answer for its division rival. The Jays swept the first series between the teams, a three-game set, with victories of 7-2, 8-7 and 5-2. The losses came right smack in the middle of a six-game skid that dropped the O’s below .500, where they are again after back-to-back losses to the Rays.

To get the upper hand, Baltimore will need a bounce-back effort from a former All-Star. John Means was expected to be the ace this season but has fallen flat in his sophomore season, struggling to a 10.13 ERA across four starts. He has yet to make it out of the fifth inning, and he’s coming off of a start against Boston in which he allowed three runs, all earned, in three innings of an 8-5 loss.

The Orioles are 0-4 in games Means has started. This would be a good time for a return of the man who went 12-11 with a 3.60 ERA last season.

Taking the mound against him is Hyun-Jin Ryu, who struggled to start the year but has come on strong of late, and is now 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA in six starts. The National League ERA champion last year, Ryu went 21-8 with a 2.21 ERA over his last two seasons with the Dodgers, and he’s allowed only 10 hits and three runs over his last 22 innings.

Some good news for the Orioles: Jose Iglesias was activated earlier in the day, and will play shortstop and bat third tonight. It’ll be his first appearance since he went 3-for-5 against Washington on Aug. 15, lifting his average to .400.

Orioles lineup

1. Hanser Alberto 3B

2. Anthony Santander RF

3. Jose Iglesias DH

4. Renato Nunez 1B

5. Pedro Severino C

6. Ryan Mountcastle LF

7. Pat Valaika 2B

8. Andrew Velazquez SS

9. Cedric Mullins CF

LHP John Means

Blue Jays lineup

1. Cavan Biggio 2B

2. Randal Grichuk CF

3. Vladimir Guerrero 1B

4. Teoscar Hernandez RF

5. Lourdes Gurriel LF

6. Rowdy Tellez DH

7. Travis Shaw 3B

8. Danny Jansen C

9. Joe Panik SS

LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu