Thursday night Orioles game thread: at Yankees, 7:05pm ET

The Orioles may not have been playing their best baseball or scoring the most runs, but only one stat matters today: the O’s are 1-0 with Colton Cowser in the lineup. After going 1-3 with an RBI single, a walk and a run scored, Cowser may not have been the player of the game in Wednesday night’s win, but he certainly played a big part. Even more than that, it’s clear that the likes of Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman are excited to be reunited in Baltimore after advancing through the minor leagues together. While we don’t know for sure whether that’ll translate into a successful season in 2023, the early returns are promising.

This flock of Baby Birds will look to take advantage of a struggling Luis Severino as they try to earn a series split. The Yankees’ oft-injured flame thrower is coming off his worst start of the season, giving up nine runs (seven earned) across four innings five days ago in St. Louis. However, Severino is a much different pitcher when pitching in front of the Yankee Stadium crowd. The 29-year-old Dominican has a 9.27 ERA on the road and opponents are hitting .360 off him. At home, those numbers drop dramatically to a 2.55 ERA and .182 BAA. Historically, Severino has been a tough match up for the O’s, holding Baltimore to a .177 average while posting a 3.39 average in 10 career starts vs. the Birds.

Brandon Hyde will counter with second-year starter Kyle Bradish. The 26-year-old has dominated over his last four starts, posting a 2.16 ERA with a .193 BAA. The Orioles are only 2-2 in those four games, however, as they’ve struggled to give Bradish ample run support. The O’s are only averaging 3 runs/game in the righty’s last four appearances, and didn’t score any runs in his last start against Minnesota. Bradish’s run of form has coincided with an increase in his slider use, as the breaking ball has overtaken his fastball as his primary pitch. His success with his breaking balls bodes well against this Yankees lineup, as Anthony Volpe, Gleyber Torres and and DJ LeMahieu are all hitting under .200 against sliders this season.

Orioles Lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
2. Adley Rutschman (S) C
3. Anthony Santander (S) RF
4. Ryan O’Hearn (L) 1B
5. Cedric Mullins (L) DH
6. Aaron Hicks (S) CF
7. Colton Cowser (L) LF
8. Jordan Westburg (R) 2B
9. Ramón Urías (R) 3B

Starting pitcher: Kyle Bradish (4-4, 3.58 ERA, 1.21 WHIP)

Yankees Lineup

1. Anthony Volpe (R) SS
2. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
3. Anthony Rizzo (L) DH
4. Harrison Bader (R) CF
5. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
6. Billy McKinney (L) RF
7. DJ LeMahieu (R) 1B
8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) LF
9. Jose Trevino (R) C

Starting pitcher: Luis Severino (1-3, 6.30 ERA, 1.65 WHIP)