After a disappointing trip north of the border, the Orioles are back stateside as they pay a visit to the South Side of Chicago. When the season began, most of us hoped the O’s would be closer to the AL East-leading Blue Jays than the cellar-dwelling White Sox. However, 149 games later, Baltimore is all but locked into a last-place finish, joining Chicago as one of the AL’s bottom feeders.
That being said, the O’s are still a tier above the White Sox as they head into this week’s series 12.5 games
ahead of Chicago, who is once again the AL’s worst team. The Orioles swept the White Sox in Baltimore at the end of May/beginning of June, winning a trio of low-scoring, well-pitched games. Pitching was a problem for the O’s in Toronto in getting outscored 22-7 in the three-game sweep. The matchup with the White Sox should provide a “get right” opportunity for the Orioles’ pitching staff; Chicago comes in as the 26th offense in runs/game, 27th in batting average and 28th in OPS.
This will, however, be a slightly different White Sox team than the one that was swept out of Baltimore in late spring. Chicago has undertaken a youth movement, headlined by top prospects Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel. Despite only playing 58 and 66 games respectively, Montgomery and Teel are first and second on the White Sox in bWAR among position players.
Montgomery has given the South Siders an injection of power at the shortstop position, blasting 18 HRs in 58 games, a 50-homer pace over a full season. That power is tempered by an alarming strikeout rate, as Montgomery has racked up 67 Ks in 206 ABs. His 32.5% strikeout rate would be the worst in all of baseball if he had enough ABs to qualify.
Teel, the centerpiece of the deal that sent Garrett Crochet to Boston, offers an almost opposite profile as a left-handed-hitting catcher with above-average plate discipline. Teel’s .385 OBP would lead the White Sox if he qualified, while his 12.5% walk rate would put him in the top 25 most walked hitters in baseball. Teel does have some pop in his bat, with seven HR and 10 2B in his early major league career. Yet, he profiles as more of a line drive hitter who will probably top out around 20 HRs in a full season.
The Orioles come into Chicago with a 69-80 record. That means the O’s need to win at least two out of three in Chicago to stave off clinching a losing season against the AL’s biggest losers. If they can’t take the series on the South Side, it’ll serve as another poignant reminder of just how far this team fell in 2025.
Game 1: Monday, September 15th, 7:40pm ET
Where to watch: MASN2/MASN+
Probable pitchers: RHP Kyle Bradish (0-1, 2.65 ERA, 21 K) vs. (TBD)
Bradish has looked largely excellent in his three starts back in the big leagues after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Orioles former ace has 21 Ks in 17 IP, has held opponents to a .196 average and has only allowed three extra-base hits in his three starts. The only sign of his long road back from elbow surgery is a slight dip in velocity compared to last season, but even that is barely noticeable.
If Bradish can replicate the last time he pitched on the South Side, it would represent a new high in the return of the Orioles’ homegrown star pitcher. In May of last season, Bradish toed the rubber at Guaranteed Rate Field and fired seven no-hit innings while punching out 11 White Sox. The 11 punchouts tied a career high and it was his only start in 2024 when he completed seven innings. On that day, Danny Coulombe gave up a solo HR in the 8th to end the no-hit bid and the shutout, but the O’s still scored a 4-1 victory.
Game 2: Tuesday, September 16th, 7:40pm ET
Where to watch: MASN2/MASN+
Probable pitchers: TBD vs. RHP Shane Smith (6-7, 3.78 ERA, 122 Ks)
Last time through the rotation, the Orioles followed Bradish with fellow elbow-injury recoveree Tyler Wells. And like Bradish, Wells has shined in two starts back in the big league rotation. Last time out against the Pirates, the towering Oklahoman went 6.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K while out dueling NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes.
Through two starts back, we’ve seen a slightly altered approach from Wells, who’s cut back on his cutter usage in order to better highlight his slider. It’s a change that’s paid dividends so far, as opponents are swinging through Well’s slider 41.2% of the time. He’ll hope this new plan of attack can help him guide the O’s past the White Sox again; on his last visit to the South Side, Wells tossed 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB and 3 K in a 6-3 Orioles win.
Rookie Shane Smith is the best starter in the current iteration of the White Sox rotation, leading the Chicago starters in starts, ERA and strikeouts. He was the White Sox’ lone All-Star representative this year and has been playing his best baseball since returning from the IL after an ankle sprain. Over his last eight starts, Smith has a 2.84 ERA and is holding opponents to a .167 average. The O’s better bet ready to hit some heaters Tuesday, as Smith throws his plus fastball 45% of the time.
Game 3: Wednesday, September 17th, 2:10pm ET
Where to watch: MASN2/MASN+
Probable pitchers: TBD vs. LHP Martín Pérez (1-5, 3.27 ERA, 42 Ks)
If the Orioles stick with their new six-man rotation, the next man up for the series finale would be left-hander Cade Povich. The 25-year-old southpaw has had an up-and-down second season in the bigs, and that’s remained true since his return from the IL in early August. Over his last seven starts, Povich is sporting a 4.86 ERA, a .255 average against a 1.35 WHIP. While he does have 41 Ks in 37 IP over that stretch, he also is boasting a 1.7 HR/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
When things go wrong for Povich, it’s usually because of the long ball, though he worked around a solo shot last time out to post a line of 5.2, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and 6 K against the Pirates. The lefties only previous appearance against the White Sox was the best start of his career, as he threw 7.1 scoreless innings with 10 Ks last September in Baltimore. While Chicago’s offense this year has been pretty putrid in general, it does tend to get better vs. lefties. The White Sox rank 11th in average and 13th in slugging against southpaws, compared to 28th and 29th in those categories against right-handers.
If Povich gets the start, he’ll square off against fellow lefty and former All-Star Martín Pérez. After recovering from an elbow problem that cost him the first four and a half months of the season, Pérez has made a strong return to the big leagues in his brief stint with the White Sox. The 14-year MLB vet has five quality starts in 10 appearances and twice has thrown 6+ scoreless innings. The long-time former Ranger has been the victim of a lack of run support, though, as the White Sox in four of his last six starts.
