Saturday night Orioles game thread: vs. Red Sox, 7:15

Just two games remain in the 2023 regular season. The Orioles have already clinched the AL East and sewn up home field advantage throughout the American League playoffs, so at this point there’s not much at stake. Just go out there, have fun, and — most importantly — stay healthy.

Still, tonight’s game isn’t completely meaningless, especially for starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, who may well be pitching for a spot in the postseason rotation. As of now it appears he and Dean Kremer are battling for the right to be the #4 starter in the Division Series behind Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, and John Means. Kremer’s final audition was a good one — 5.1 scoreless innings in the clincher Thursday — and Gibson will look to follow suit to conclude his strong September, which has included three quality starts out of four.

There’s also a sellout crowd on hand at Camden Yards tonight, so it would be nice to put on a good show for the packed house. Most of the Orioles’ regulars (save Austin Hays) will be part of tonight’s lineup, after Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander, Adley Rutschman, and Ramón Urías were all on the bench last night.

Tonight’s game will be televised nationally on Fox.

Orioles lineup:

SS Gunnar Henderson
C Adley Rutschman
DH Anthony Santander
RF Ryan O’Hearn
1B Ryan Mountcastle
CF Cedric Mullins
LF Aaron Hicks
3B Ramón Urías
2B Adam Frazier

RHP Kyle Gibson

Red Sox lineup:

RF Alex Verdugo
3B Rafael Devers
1B Justin Turner
DH Masataka Yoshida
CF Adam Duvall
LF Wilyer Abreu
SS Trevor Story
2B Enmanuel Valdez
C Reese McGuire

RHP Kutter Crawford