Orioles are league leaders.
Tonight the Diamondbacks will be starting the first game of a series that will wrap up their East Coast trip. After meeting the Mets in Flushing (I used to live on a 10 minute drive from Vlissingen, which is the Dutch village it was named after – just to provide you with some interesting useless information -) and the Phighting Phils in Philadelphia (that the Dutch king is visiting today – just to provide you with even more interesting useless information -), the Snakes will enter Baltimore (that has
Dutch Rotterdam as its sister city – I had to look up this useless information -).
After achieving some good wins against our NL East foes, the Diamondbacks will be looking forward to do the same against a team from the AL East, and go at least 3 games over .500.
But who will they be playing?
The Orioles started their seaston with an opening series win over Minnesota, but then entered a tiny slump, losing a series against Texas before getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last week they were able to work on their 3-6 record and are now at 8-7 after sweeping the Chicago White Sox and beating the San Francisco Giants, the latter result for which we are always grateful.
In the always competitive AL East, that has suddenly made them joined leader, where Yankees and Rays are also at 8-7, with the Blue Jays and Red Sox 2 wins behind. They will probably be happy with that, though they probably had expected a bit more from a couple of players.
Cold Polar Bear.
Entering the 2025 season after a 91–71 record the year before, the Orioles were one of the favourites in a competitive AL East. However, things didn’t click. Manager Brandon Hyde was ousted in May with a 15-28 record but it didn’t prevent an underperforming team with too many injuries from ending dead last with a 75–87 record. So, Baltimore said goodbye to those they no longer needed and who were on an expiring contract and tried to make some serious splashes on the free agency market.
They resigned starting pitcher Zach Eflin (1 year, $10MM), signed Chris Bassitt from the Blue Jays (1 year, $18.5MM), made a big jump adding Ryan Helsley to the bullpen (2 years, $28MM) but surprised everyone with the signing of Mets icon and slugger Polar Bear Pete Alonso (5 years, $155MM).
Early results on those signings are not terrific: Eflin pitched in just 1 game and completed 3.2 innings before requiring TJ surgery. He is done for the season. Bassitt has not completed the 4th inning in any of his 3 starts and has pitched to a 9.00 ERA. Ryan Helsley has achieved 4 saves, but has been a rollercoaster Fernando Rodney ride in each of his closing performances. Alonso had a .819 OPS in his first 6 games of the season, but achieved just 2 hits in the next 8 games, only to double that again in his latest appearance. A .190 batting average, .518 OPS and just 1 homerun is probably not what Oriole Park was expecting to see.
The bad news hasn’t stopped there. Recently star catcher Adley Rutschman (150 OPS+) went on the IL with an ankle injury, just like outfielder Tyler O’Neil (105 OPS+). Both will be unavailable for the series against the Diamondbacks. Talented outfielders Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad don’t have a timetable yet for their return.
Good news is that star player Jackson Holliday (hamate surgery) and reliever Andrew Kittredge (shoulder) should be both close to return. It’d be the season debut for both.
The Orioles are, like their win-loss record suggests, a team that has difficulties to win but is also hard to beat. Their starting pitching, according to xFIP, is amongst the worst in the league, though just a tad lower than the Diamondbacks’, just like the relief pitching. Their offense is one of the better ones in the league, though it has the 3rd highest BABIP in the entire league. With the injury of Rutschman it took a hit and now relies on Gunnar Henderson, Leody Taveras and Taylor Ward, until the Polar Bear warms up.
In 2025 the Diamondbacks were victorious over the Orioles (2-1), in 2024 it was the other way around (1-2). All-time record is 18-12 advantage for Arizona.
Matchups.
Game #1 Mon 04/13 3:35 PM MST, Ryne Nelson (ARI) vs TBD.
- Ryne Nelson. 3 GS, 15.0 IP, 1 W-1 L, 4.20 ERA, 6.21 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 12/6 K/BB.
- TBD.
After a bad outing against the Dodgers and an abysmal one against the Braves, Ryne stepped up against the Mets and limited them to just 1 run (5 hits) in 5.2 innings. That is good to see, because with Pfaadt still deciding whether he is major league starting material, his good outing against the Mets became just in time, before the activation of Kelly and the removal of one of the current starting pitchers.
Nelson faced the Orioles one time, in 2024. He had to swallow 10 hits and 3 runs in 4.2 innings, but was backed up by 4 Diamondback runs. Arizona would eventually lose that game in extra innings, after a blown save from Ginkel and Jarvis taking the loss in the 11th inning.
Game #2 Tue 04/14 3:35 PM MST, Merrill Kelly (ARI) vs Trevor Rogers (BAL).
- Merrill Kelly. Season debut.
- Trevor Rogers. 3 GS, 19.0 IP, 2 W-0 L, 1.89 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 14/5 K/BB.
Merrill Kelly makes his season debut after pitching a couple of bullpen sessions and a rehab start in Reno. Last season he got a win against Baltimore, 6 innings, giving up 3 runs.
Trevor Rogers faced the Diamondbacks three times as a starter, from 2021 to 2023, as a member of the Miami Marlins. After some so so seasons, he took a big step forward in 2025, pitching to a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts, enough for getting votes in the Cy Young race. He is pitching to similar results in 2026 so far and will thus be a tough nut to crack. Rogers added a sweeper to his arsenal and that 5th additional pitch, beside improving his command, has brought him success.
Game #3 Wed 04/15 9:35 AM MST, Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) vs Kyle Bradish (BAL).
- Eduardo Rodriguez. 3 GS, 18.0 IP, 1 W-0 L, 0.50 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 11/5 K/BB.
- Kyle Bradish. 3 GS, 13.2 IP, 1 W-2 L, 1.50 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.69 WHIP, 17/9 K/BB.
If E-Rod keeps to pitch like this, he will be one of the Cy Young candidates and we will be hoping for a yearly World Baseball Classic. As a former Red Sox and AL pitcher, E-Rod is familiar with the opponent, though probably less with the players. With a 2.73 lifetime ERA against the Orioles and a .737 winning percentage, this will obviously another cross in the win box for our Venezuelan buddy.
Bradish was originally drafted by the Angels and went to Baltimore in a Dylan Bundy trade. He made his major league debut in 2022 and became one of the top starters of the team in 2023, with a 2.83 ERA over 30 starts, ending 4th in the Cy Young voting. However, injuries, a TJ amongst them, have limited Bradish since then. Whenever healthy he has lived up to those 2023 numbers, though sporadically, with just 14 starts in the last two seasons. In 3 starts this season he has struggled with his command and is still looking for his groove. Hopefully he doesn’t find it against Arizona.
