The Baltimore Orioles need something to perk them up, and maybe a visit from the Chicago White Sox will do that.
The teams begin a three-game series Monday night.
The Orioles swept the host White Sox in three games in early April.
More recently, Baltimore has lost four of its last five games, including Sunday’s 6-4 home defeat to the Washington Nationals. That followed a 10-inning setback from the night before.
“Every loss is difficult, but (Saturday) night, tying the game and then ultimately losing it in the 10th was a tough one,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Again with our guys, we got into closing the gap to get into a two-run game. … But, yeah, we just came up short. Every loss is difficult, but these two for sure.”
The White Sox have won four of their last six games, though they fell 5-4 to visiting Kansas City on Sunday.
White Sox manager Will Venable described several offensive snags stemming from Sunday’s results. However, third baseman Miguel Vargas reached base four times, including with a two-run home run.
“I have been learning a lot from previous years and just trying to be consistent every day and give myself and my body the best opportunity every night and every day to be the best version of me,” Vargas said.
Chicago has lost six of its last seven road games.
Right-hander Shane Baz (4-8, 4.31 ERA) is slated to be Baltimore’s starting pitcher. He has gone 2-3 with a 3.94 ERA in June, with losses in his last two starts. For the month, he has walked eight batters and struck out 24 in 29 2/3 innings over five games. He has worked at least five innings in eight consecutive outings.
Baz’s only appearance against the White Sox came last July while with the Tampa Bay Rays and it didn’t go well as he suffered the loss by surrendering eight runs in four innings.
Right-hander Sean Burke (5-4, 3.71) will make the start for the White Sox, looking to win his third consecutive outing. He allowed only one run in each of his last two starts against the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.
Burke has won his last four road decisions. He has faced the Orioles three times, with one start, going 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA across 15 innings in his career.
Orioles slugger Pete Alonso has racked up a team-high 19 home runs. His eighth homer in June came Sunday.
Baltimore welcomed back catcher Adley Rutschman to the lineup Sunday after he missed 1 1/2 weeks while in the concussion protocol. He recorded one of the team’s five hits and scored a run.
Outfielder Dylan Beavers also played for the Orioles on Sunday after coming off the injured list.
The roster moves meant sending infielder Jeremiah Jackson to Triple-A Norfolk.
“The hardest part about the job is those decisions and those conversations,” Albernaz said. “He has an option. He plays second base. (Jackson) Holliday’s there.”
Among the visitors this week will be White Sox reliever Seranthony Dominguez, who pitched in parts of 2024 and 2025 with the Orioles. After a rough stretch in some of his previous outings, the right-hander logged one shutout inning Sunday in his first outing in six days.
“I hope to continue to keep doing that and keep getting good results,” Dominguez said.
–Field Level Media
