The struggling Baltimore Orioles will continue their pursuit of their first victory under interim manager Tony Mansolino when they face the Brewers on Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
Right-hander Logan Henderson (2-0, 2.45 ERA) will start for the Brewers. The Orioles will counter with left-hander Keegan Akin (0-0, 3.27) as an opener followed by right-hander Chayce McDermott.
Milwaukee recorded a 5-4 win in the opener of the three-game series on Monday, handing the Orioles their seventh consecutive loss and third under Mansolino, who took over after Brandon Hyde was fired on Saturday.
Cedric Mullins hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to forge a 4-4 tie, but William Contreras singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth with his fourth hit of the game.
“I think we hit the ball really hard tonight,” Mansolino said. “It’s kind of comical at this point the amount of hard contact, and the lack of reward for that hard contact. But they’ve fought all year. It’s not unique to this situation that we’re in at this moment.”
Ramon Laureano also homered for the Orioles, with a solo shot in the second. Over his last 11 games, Laureano is batting .395 with seven extra-base hits.
The Orioles lost their first two games under Mansolino, 10-6 and 10-4. But he said he’s getting more comfortable in the role.
“It’s slowing down,” he said. “There’s no doubt, just in terms of thinking through the game and trying to be a couple innings ahead. I think when you’ve been sitting in the seat for a while, what a manager does is they’re able to think two, three innings ahead.”
Akin has been used out of the bullpen in 20 of his 21 appearances, allowing eight earned runs in 22 innings with 24 strikeouts. He was used as an opener once this season, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Akin is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three relief appearances against Milwaukee.
McDermott was called up from Triple-A Norfolk for a spot start last Wednesday, allowing four runs in three innings, but he did not get the decision in an 8-6 loss to Minnesota.
For Milwaukee, Henderson has turned in solid starts in his first two outings, sandwiched around a return to Triple-A Nashville. He allowed two runs on four hits in five innings in his last start on Wednesday in a 9-5 win at Cleveland. In his major league debut on April 20, he allowed one run on three hits in six innings in a 14-1 win over the Athletics.
“I’m just grateful to be up here and to help the team win, whether that’s every couple of weeks or every fifth day,” Henderson said after his last start. “I’m just here to do what they ask of me.”
Opponents are batting .184 against Henderson, who has given up two homers in 11 innings.
Contreras, who matched his career high with four hits Monday, has raised his batting average from .224 on May 13 to .258. At the other end of the offensive spectrum, teammate Jackson Chourio is hitless in his last 23 at-bats and Christian Yelich went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .194.
Milwaukee has won 14 of its last 18 games versus Baltimore since June 21, 2008. The Orioles haven’t won a series in Milwaukee since 1997.
–Field Level Media
