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The Houston Astros selected Thomas Eshelman in the second round of the 2015 draft. Eshelman never pitched for the Astros, but the Cal State product will face them tonight.
Eshelman earned another appearance with the Orioles after pitching well in a spot start last week. Eshelman limited Toronto to one run through 4.2 innings after Baltimore placed Bruce Zimmermann on the injured list.
Eshelman pitched to a 3.89 ERA and 1.240 WHIP through 12 games last season, but struggled over a larger sample size in 2019 and did not dominate at Triple-A this year. He faces a true challenge tonight against one of the best lineups in baseball.
Cedric Mullins will lead off and play center field. Anthony Santander will start again in right field despite a lingering ankle injury, while DJ Stewart handles left. Trey Mancini will play first base, and Ryan Mountcastle will bat cleanup from the designated hitter spot.
Freddy Galvis gets the nod at shortstop and Pat Valaika will play second base. Maikel Franco joins them in the infield at third, and Austin Wynns will catch Eshelman.
The Orioles will face Houston starter Jose Urquidy. Urquidy holds a career 3.54 ERA and 1.031 WHIP through 26 appearances.
Orioles lineup:
- Cedric Mullins CF
- Freddy Galvis SS
- Trey Mancini 1B
- Ryan Mountcastle DH
- Anthony Santander RF
- Maikel Franco 3B
- DJ Stewart LF
- Pat Valaika 2B
- Austin Wynns C
Starter: RHP Thomas Eshelman
Astros lineup:
- Jose Altuve 2B
- Michael Brantley DH
- Yuli Gurriel 1B
- Yordan Alvarez LF
- Carlos Correa SS
- Kyle Tucker RF
- Abraham Toro 3B
- Myles Straw CF
- Martín Maldonado C
Starter: RHP José Urquidy