The visiting Baltimore Orioles will look to complete a series sweep on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, who will bid to snap a season-high four-game losing streak.
The Orioles, winners of three straight and five of their past six, have dominated the first two games of the series with starting pitching.
Cole Irvin scattered two hits in 6 1/3 innings in Baltimore’s 3-0 win on Friday and fellow left-hander John Means allowed three hits over seven scoreless frames in a 2-1 victory on Saturday.
For Means, it was his first start of the season after missing the first month with a strained left forearm.
“That was unbelievable,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I know he feels amazing. To go out and do that, seven shutout innings the first time out of rehab, not being on a big league mound for a while, was way more than we anticipated and expected and just shows you the competitor Means is and how off-balance he can keep big league hitters. The changeup was fantastic.”
Cincinnati nearly completed a dramatic rally in the ninth on Saturday after finally snapping a 21-inning scoreless streak with a Spencer Steer RBI single with one out.
But with the bases loaded and a chance to win the game, Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out and Jeimer Candelario flew out to left against Yennier Cano. The save was Cano’s first of the season.
“Of course we face good pitching and we’re going to continue to face good pitching the rest of the year, hopefully for months to come or playing important games against good teams with good pitching,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We know that, so of course that’s a part of it. We have to find a way to succeed for sure in those situations.”
Cincinnati sends its ace left-hander Nick Lodolo (3-0, 1.88) to the mound on Sunday.
Lodolo will be making his fifth start of the season, the second in his career against Baltimore. He allowed one run on four hits in six innings of a no-decision on July 31, 2022.
Lodolo started Cincinnati’s most recent win, a 5-2 decision over the Padres on Monday in San Diego. He struck out 11 batters while allowing just one run and one hit with two walks over seven innings.
In his 30th career game, Lodolo’s second-inning strikeout of Eguy Rosario on Monday matched teammate Hunter Greene as the fastest pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in terms of appearances in modern franchise history.
The Orioles will counter with right-hander Dean Kremer (2-2, 4.19), who will make his seventh start of the season and second career start against Cincinnati.
In his most recent start, on Tuesday, Kremer allowed two runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts over seven innings in a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees.
Kremer’s only start against the Reds came on July 30, 2022, in Cincinnati. He took the loss after allowing six runs on 10 hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
