Through two series, the Orioles have proven themselves to be one of the most chaotic .500 teams in the MLB. They’ve had well-pitched games, poorly-pitched games, offensive outbursts and days their bats fell silent. Despite dropping two out of three games against the Rangers, they finished the series strong in Wednesday’rs 8-3 win. Baltimore will come into Pittsburgh having just put up 8 runs, 12 hits and 2 HRs against a talented Rangers pitching staff.
The Pirates also come into their matchup with
the O’s sporting a 3-3 record. Like the O’s, they’re looking to take advantage of a talented young core and return to the playoffs after a last place finish in 2025. For Baltimore, winning these games against the Pirates will be another step toward proving last season was a blip and they’re ready to being the team we saw in 2023-24. For Pittsburgh, beating the Orioles would help them prove they can make a run to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
The best thing going for the Orioles right now is the recent form of key offseason additions Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. The Polar Bear went 4-for-12 in the series against the Rangers, while launching his first Orioles home run against former teammate Jacob deGrom. Ward is even hotter, going 9-for-13 with two doubles and his first-ever four-hit game on Tuesday.
The Pirates offense will counter with the imposing Oneil Cruz, who, despite his struggles as a CF, is coming off a series in Cincinnati where he hit 5-f0r-13 with three homers. The O’s will also see old friend Turn and Burn O’Hearn, with the former Orioles All-Star slashing .421/.522/.737 in his first five games with the Buccos.
The O’s won’t have to face reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, after the Pirates ace pitched in Wednesday’s series finale vs. the Reds. Skenes dominated the Orioles when he first faced the O’s last September, pitching five shutout innings, while only allowing two hits and striking out eight.
Game 1: Friday, April 3rd, 4:12pm ET, MASN/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Kyle Bradish (0-1, 3.68 ERA, 4 K) vs. RHP Mitch Keller (1-0, 0.00, 3 K)
Bradish was excellent in the first four innings of his first start, but faded in the 5th on a cold Saturday afternoon against the Twins. After cruising through the first four frames with only an unearned run allowed and four Ks, Bradish’s velocity took a noticeable dip in the 5th before he allowed a two-run homer to Royce Lewis. It wasn’t the dominant outing we would’ve hoped for from Bradish; however, there were enough glimpses of dominance to explain away the rough spots with the weather and first start sluggishness.
The 29-year-old right-hander has good recent history against the Pirates, having faced off against Pittsburgh in during his six-start cameo at the end of 2025. Bradish went seven innings against the NL Central bottom-feeders, allowing one run on four hits while racking up six strikeouts. He’ll look to repeat that feat and ruin the Pirates Home Opener.
Standing in Orioles way is Pittsburgh No.2 starter Mitch Keller. The former All-Star was excellent in his first start of 2026, pitching six shutout frames against the Mets, while only allowing three hits and picking up three Ks. The soon-to-be 30 year-old (his birthday is Saturday) hasn’t face the O’s since 2023, when he twirled a 7-inning, 13-strikeout gem in Camden Yards.
Game 2: Saturday, April 4th, 4:05pm ET, MASN/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Shane Baz (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 4 K) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0, 4.15, 8 K)
The Orioles newest $68M man was unspectacular in his team debut against Minnesota. Baz struggled through a rough 2nd inning that saw him give up four runs to the Twins. He locked in from their, though, grinding 3.1 scoreless innings the rest of the way to give the O’s a foundation to mount their comeback. It was far from a perfect start to his Orioles career, but Baz showed flashes of the pitcher the Orioles paid him to be.
Baz’s only career start vs. the Pirates came in his first start of the season last year with the Rays. The 26-year-old scattered seven hits across six scorless innings and struck out 10 Pirates in a 7-0 Tampa win. Baz’s best pitch in that game was his knuckle curve, which generated eight swigns and misses and a 76% strike rate. The right-hander will look to continue his success against O’Hearn, who went 0-f0r-3 against the big righty when they were AL East rivals.
Pittsburgh counters the O’s newest starting pitcher with reliever-turned-start, Carmen Mlodzinski. The South Carolina native had a strong season debut last Sunday against the Mets, striking out eight in Queens. He did not factor in the decision, after only pitching 4.1 innings, and wasn’t particularly efficient, throwing 85 pitches to get 13 outs. Mlodzinski features a hard fastball, which averaged 96mph last year. This may be a welcome sight for the O’s, who found success against hard-throwing Texas hurlers in deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.
Game 3: Sunday, April 5th, 1:35pm ET, MASN/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Chris Bassitt (0-1, 8.31 ERA, 5 K) vs. RHP Braxton Ashcraft (0-1, 3.00 ERA, 3 K)
The Orioles will close their series in Pittsburgh with an Easter matinee, looking to erase the memory of their Easter performance from 2025. Last year’s Easter Massacre, when the O’s lost to the Reds in Camden Yards 24-2, was strongest early sign that the Orioles’ season was not destined for great things. The chance to exercise those memories come early this year, as Chris Bassitt makes his second start in black and orange.
The veteran right-hander struggled to put away hitters in his Orioles debut last Monday, as the Rangers scratched out four early runs and doomed Bassitt to an early exit. Somewhat like Baz, Bassitt rebounded from early trouble to finsih his outing strong, but in no world is throwing 100 pitches to get 13 out deemed to be a good start. The 37-year-old is well known for his deep arsenal, but was overly reliant on his sinker and curveball against Texas. History says Bassitt should bounce back against the Pirates, as he owns a 2.27 ERA with 46 K in 35.2 innings against Pittsburgh.
He’ll face off with Braxton Ashcraft, another former long reliever who’s now part of the Pirates rotation. His first showing against the Reds was promising, registering a quality start with a final line of 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB and 3 K. He ended up taking the L in Cincinnati, however, after being the only Pirates pitcher who failed to get any run support against the Reds. Ashcraft did face the Orioles last year, pitching three innings out of the pen while allowing two hits and this Jeremiah Jackson HR.
Will the Orioles get a series win in Pittsburgh? Perhaps a sweep? Let us know how you think the Pirates series will go down in the comments.
