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Sunday afternoon Orioles game thread: at White Sox, 2:10

Maybe this will be the day that the Orioles’ losing streak comes to an end. Maybe.

By Tyler Young
Baltimore Orioles v New York Mets Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

There’s really only so much that can be said in these gamethreads at this point in a lengthy losing streak. Watching the Orioles play baseball is not the most enjoyable experience. John Means was good on Saturday, but even that wasn’t enough because the offense was shut down completely by his White Sox counterpart, Lance Lynn.

It will be Keegan Akin’s turn to stop the bleeding as he makes his big league start of the season following four appearances in relief. But the task ahead of him is rather tall—literally and figuratively. Lucas Giolito starts on the mound for Chicago. The 6-foot-6 righty has finished in the top 10 of Cy Young voting in each of the last two seasons. So far in 2020 he has pitched below that standard, but his last two starts have been better, and he is trending in a direction that is not ideal for the O’s.

Akin taking the ball is worth noting. After all, he did enter this season as one of the Orioles’ better pitching prospects and would seem to have a future as a back-end starter or effective multi-inning reliever. If he is to achieve either of those modest outlooks he will need to do better than the 6.10 ERA he’s got over 10.1 innings so far.

Perhaps the most important development here is that Trey Mancini is back in the lineup for the first time since Thursday after being hit with a pitch. He is only at DH, so Brandon Hyde is easing him back into action. On that same note, Tyler Nevin gets the start at first base over Ryan Mountcastle. This could be nothing, but Mountcastle continues to struggle (71 OPS+) while Nevin had a fun debut (1-for-2, 2B, BB). Would the O’s keep Nevin up while demoting Mountcastle? It’s possible, although still unlikely.

Orioles Starting Lineup

  1. Cedric Mullins, CF
  2. Freddy Galvis, SS
  3. Trey Mancini, DH
  4. Anthony Santander, RF
  5. Maikel Franco, 3B
  6. Stevie Wilkerson, 2B
  7. Tyler Nevin, 1B
  8. DJ Stewart, LF
  9. Pedro Severino, C

LHP Keegan Akin (0-0, 6.10 ERA)

White Sox Starting Lineup

  1. Tim Anderson, SS
  2. Nick Madrigal, 2B
  3. Yoán Moncada, 3B
  4. José Abreu
  5. Yermín Mercedes, DH
  6. Andrew Vaughn, LF
  7. Leury García, RF
  8. Zack Collins, C
  9. Billy Hamilton, CF

RHP Lucas Giolito (4-4, 4.04 ERA)

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