The Orioles will stay on the west coast as they travel to San Diego to take on the Padres. While the O’s remain entrenched in the basement of the AL East, the Padres are locked in a battle with the Dodgers for the NL West crown.
The Padres went all in at the trade deadline and found a partner in the last-place O’s. Baltimore sent All Star Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano to San Diego in a deal that netted left-handed pitcher Boston Bateman, right-handed pitchers Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith, infielders
Brandon Butterworth and Cobb Hightower and utility player Victor Figueroa.
The prospects remain far from the big leagues, but O’Hearn and Laureano are both making their marks out west. O’Hearn has a .260/.348/.416 line over 25 games with the Padres, and Laureano has slashed an impressive .307/.358/.594 over 27 appearances.
It will be bittersweet to watch the duo play in a different uniform, but O’Hearn and Laureano are both easy to support. Hopefully they will take it easy on their former club for a day or two this week.
The Orioles are set to see several injured players return in the series with Tyler Wells, Albert Suárez and Jorge Mateo all working their way back to the big league roster.
Game 1: Monday, September 1, 6:40, MASN 2
RHP Kyle Bradish (0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Cease (6-11, 4.82 ERA)
Kyle Bradish looked like his old self in his season debut last week. Bradish tossed six innings of two run ball with both runs coming via solo homers. He struck out 10 Red Sox hitters and did not issue a walk in the game. The Orioles would absolutely love to see a healthy Bradish cruise through the month of September before hitting the ground running next season.
Bradish needed only 81 pitches to complete six frames last week. The Orioles are not explicitly limiting his innings or pitches as he works his way back from Tommy John, but it would be somewhat surprising to see Bradish exceed six innings in this one.
The Padres will counter with Dylan Cease. Cease holds relatively uninspiring numbers this season, but the former White Sox starter still has the stuff to keep hitters off balance on any given night.
Game 2: Tuesday, September 2, 9:40, MASN 2
RHP Tyler Wells (0-0, —) vs. RHP Yu Darvish (3-4, 5.66 ERA)
Tyler Wells will make his long awaited return tomorrow. Wells has not pitched since April 12, 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery last season. The Orioles could have sent Wells to the bullpen, but the organization appears interested in seeing how he fares as a starter in September. At a minimum, a healthy Wells would represent a solid swingman candidate in 2026.
San Diego starter Yu Darvish is another big name with less than stellar numbers this year. Darvish spent the first half of the season on the injured list and has struggled through his first 10 starts. Just like Cease, Darvish still has the ability to find a groove and hold a struggling offense down for seven innings.
Game 3: Wednesday, September 3, 4:10, MASN 2
LHP Cade Povich (2-7, 5.04 ERA) vs. LHP Nestor Cortes (2-3, 5.06 ERA)
Cade Povich does not rank at the top of disappointments in Birdland this season, but the lefty is on there somewhere. Baltimore still believes the 25-year-old can make it as a starting pitcher, but he has yet to display the level of consistency required to pitch in the AL East.
Povich has struggled when facing hitters for a third time. He has only completed six innings one time since the beginning of May. The series finale could represent a great opportunity for Suárez to get an inning or two of work out of the bullpen.
Former Oriole Nestor Cortes made his way to San Diego after several solid years with the Yankees. Cortes holds a career 5-1 record and 2.20 ERA in nine starts against Baltimore.
