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The Indians continue their tour of the AL East with a four game series against the second-place team in the division.
Team in a Box (click to enlarge)
The Orioles don't walk that often or steal many bases, but they hit for power; they rank third in the AL in home runs, and have 5 players with 10 or more home runs (Indians have just 1). Their weakness, especially recently, has been in run prevention, especially starting pitching.
Typical Lineup
| Pos. | Player | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS+ | PA | |
| 2B | Brian Roberts | .229 | .269 | .229 | 40 | 53 | |
| SS | J.J. Hardy | .239 | .276 | .407 | 85 | 323 | |
| RF | Chris Davis | .272 | .317 | .478 | 115 | 246 | |
| CF | Adam Jones | .298 | .344 | .555 | 142 | 314 | |
| C | Matt Wieters | .255 | .338 | .444 | 114 | 275 | |
| 1B | Mark Reynolds | .220 | .338 | .399 | 103 | 201 | |
| 3B | Wilson Betemit | .255 | .320 | .444 | 108 | 219 | |
| DH | Nick Johnson | .209 | .327 | .395 | 98 | 101 | |
| LF | Steve Pearce | .269 | .333 | .462 | 116 | 62 | |
The Orioles aren't getting much from their middle infielders, but they've gotten good production from the corners and of course exceptional performances from center field (Adam Jones) and catcher (Matt Wieters). Jones is having the best season of his career, and just recently signed a contract extension worth $85.5M. Brian Roberts has recently come off the Disabled List after missing not only the beginning of this season, but most of last season.
Projected Starters
| Date | Pitcher | ERA | Innings | SO/9 | BB/9 | H/9 | |
| June 28 | Wei-Yin Chen (L) | 3.38 | 85.1 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 9.0 | |
| June 29 | Jake Arrieta | 5.55 | 94.0 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 9.5 | |
| June 30 | TBA | ||||||
| July 1 | Brian Matusz (L) | 5.24 | 80.2 | 6.7 | 3.9 | 11.2 | |
The bad news is that the Indians will face at least two southpaws this series. The good news is that the Indians will miss Jason Hammel, Baltimore's best starter. Tommy Hunter had recently been taken out of the rotation, so the Orioles will presumable call up a starter for Saturday's game.
Key Relievers
| Throws | Pitcher | ERA | Innings | SO/9 | BB/9 | H/9 | |
| Right | Jim Johnson | 1.10 | 32.2 | 5.5 | 1.9 | 4.1 | |
| Right | Luis Ayala | 1.83 | 34.1 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 8.1 | |
| Left | Troy Patton | 3.18 | 34.0 | 8.9 | 1.6 | 7.7 | |
The string of facing good bullpens continues, for Baltimore has both an effective and a deep one. Jim Johnson has a very low strikeout rate for a closer (especially one that's been as effective as he has), but take a look at his hit rate; he's been a groundball-inducing machine. Ayala, Patton, Pedro Strop and Darren O'Day are all having very good years, so even if Baltimore's starter has a short outing, they'll stay in the game assuming it's still close.
On the Shelf
- CF Endy Chavez (hamstring) - 15-day DL
- 1B Nick Johnson (wrist) - Day-to-Day
- RF Nick Markakis (hamate bone) - 15-day DL
- RHP Stuart Pomeranz (oblique) - 60-day DL
- LF Nolan Reimold (neck) - Out for the season
- C Tyler Teagarden (back) - 60-day DL
- LHP Tsuyoshi Wada (Tommy John surgery) - Out for the season
The Orioles are right now without their two Opening Day corner outfielders in Markakis and Reimold, as well as Chavez, their fourth outfielder.
talonk's Almanac
| All-Time Record | 1111-840 (.569) | ||
| Runs Scored/Allowed | 9179 | 7993 | |
| Pythagorean Win % | .563 | ||
| Best Record | 19-3 | 1954/1955 | |
| Worst Record | 4-14 | 1970 | |