Orioles Prepare for Series Decider Against Giants in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – The Baltimore Orioles aim for a series win this afternoon against the San Francisco Giants after winning yesterday, marking only their second victory in the last 10 games. The game features key players including Gunnar Henderson as the designated hitter and Luis Vázquez at shortstop. Tomoyuki Sugano takes the mound for his 26th start of the season as the Orioles look to improve their 11-16 record in August.

Sugano, who is 35, has won 10 games this season and could become the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball history to lead his team in wins. The current record holder is Jim Turner, who had 20 wins in 1937 at 34 years and 58 days, according to STATS.

Young talent Samuel Basallo, behind the plate today, has made history by becoming the third-youngest catcher to hit a home run in MLB at 21 years and 17 days. Iván Rodríguez and Francisco Alvarez hold the top two spots. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Jackson, playing third base today, has 29 hits, the second-most for an Oriole in his first calendar month, just behind Curtis Goodwin’s 37 in June 1995.

Jackson’s impressive .330 batting average is the highest for an Oriole in the first 25 career games since Ryan Mountcastle‘s .349 in 2020. He also has drawn 18 walks this month, joining only Rickey Henderson and Mike Trout as players 21 or younger to achieve this in a month during the expansion era.

The Orioles have achieved six wins by 10 or more runs this season, tying for the second-most in the majors, just four behind the franchise record set in 1996. Additionally, they are tied with the Cubs for the most multi-homer innings, with 21 this year.

On the other side, Giants pitcher Justin Verlander has struggled this season with a 2-10 record and a 4.47 ERA. He has faced the Orioles 25 times in his career, holding a 10-6 record against them. The Giants are looking to maintain their recent momentum of homering in 13 straight games, just three shy of the club record.

The starting lineups for the game include for the Orioles: Jackson Holliday at second base, Jeremiah Jackson at third, Gunnar Henderson as designated hitter, Ryan Mountcastle at first, Colton Cowser in center field, Dylan Beavers in right field, Samuel Basallo catching, Luis Vázquez at shortstop, and Daniel Johnson in left field. Sugano will pitch for Baltimore.

The Giants’ lineup features Heliot Ramos in left field, Rafael Devers as designated hitter, Willy Adames at shortstop, Dominic Smith at first, Matt Chapman at third base, Luis Matos in right field, Patrick Bailey catching, Christian Koss at second base, and Drew Gilbert in center field, with Verlander as the starting pitcher.