/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69567615/1328044044.0.jpg)
Half a day away from baseball’s annual Midsummer Classic — in Colorado this year — the Orioles are 28-60 at the start of play and sit 26 games out in the AL East cellar. On the other hand, their opponent is 53-35 with a 7.5-game lead in the AL Central.
As we head into the All-Star break, the O’s will send rookie Spenser Watkins to the mound trying to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the White Sox. The 28-year-old starter was impressive against the Blue Jays recently, allowing just one run over five innings. He’s got a challenge ahead of him today against Chicago’s lineup.
Baltimore has been outscored 20-4 in the first two games of this series, and they will face starter Dylan Cease today. On May 27, the 25-year-old right-hander held the O’s to one run over six innings and had 10 strikeouts. But Cease has had a rough go of it since then, carrying a 5.80 ERA in his past seven starts.
Orioles lineup
- Cedric Mullins CF
- Austin Hays RF
- Anthony Santander DH
- Ryan Mountcastle 1B
- Ramón Urías SS
- Ryan McKenna LF
- Domingo Leyba 2B
- Pedro Severino C
- Kelvin Gutierrez 3B
RHP Spenser Watkins
White Sox lineup
- Tim Anderson SS
- Yoán Moncada 3B
- José Abreu DH
- Brian Goodwin RF
- Adam Engel CF
- Leury García 2B
- Andrew Vaughn LF
- Gavin Sheets 1B
- Seby Zavala C
RHP Dylan Cease