It’s time for the Orioles to make a Pitt stop!
Baltimore is set to make its first road trip of the season, traveling to face the Pittsburgh Pirates, who also enter the series with a record of 3-3. First pitch of the opener is scheduled for Friday at 4:12 p.m.
The O’s are hoping for a better outcome than the last time a Baltimore professional sports team made the drive up to Pittsburgh.
Let’s dive into the Birds’ third series of the new year!
Pittsburgh held the third-worst record in the National League a season ago at 71-91 with hopes that their young core will emerge in 2026. The Pirates took two of three from the Cincinnati Reds in their most recent series, beating them by a score of 8-3 in each of their last two games. The Orioles enter the series from the opposite side of the spectrum, attempting to forget about their most recent series loss at the hands of the Texas Rangers.
Right-hander Kyle Bradish will make his second start of the season in the series opener. The team’s 29-year-old co-ace is hoping to receive stronger run support this time around after receiving a loss in his season debut though he allowed just two earned runs. In his lone start against Pittsburgh in 2025, Bradish punched out six batters and allowed just one run on four hits across seven innings.
He will face off against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller, a known Oriole-killer. In his two career appearances against the Birds, Keller has an ERA of 0.69, just one run allowed across 13 innings. He has tossed 14 career strikeouts against the O’s, 13 of which came in one outing in 2023. Keller pitched a scoreless six innings in his season debut against the New York Mets.
Shane Baz will make his second start in orange and black on Saturday, hoping to rebound from his O’s debut. Baz, who recently signed a five-year extension, allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 ⅓ innings against Minnesota to begin his season. In his second start of last season, for the Tampa Bay Rays, Baz allowed just two runs and notched six strikeouts across seven innings.
Baltimore’s trade acquisition is matched with Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski. A big-leaguer since 2023, Mlodzinski has gathered experience as a bullpen arm and a member of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation. To start the new season, he will be the latter. Mlodzinski allowed two runs in just over four innings against New York to open his season.
Closing out the series, to the dismay of a portion of Birdland, will be veteran Chris Bassitt. Though Bassitt struggled to find command in his season debut against Texas, where he allowed four runs and four walks in 4 ⅓ innings, you can never jump ship after one rough start. In his career against Pittsburgh, the 37-year-old has a 4-1 record with a 2.27 ERA. A hopeful sign for a bounce back to close the series.
Bassitt is set to face 26-year-old Braxton Ashcraft. A victim of the injury bug to start his young career, Ashcraft looked comfortable in his first start of the season, tossing six innings of baseball and allowing just two runs. The former second-round pick by Pittsburgh back in 2018 will make his 10th career big league start on Sunday.
Birds to Watch
Pete Alonso, 1B
Baltimore’s first base slugger, Pete Alonso, belted his first Orioles home run four days ago. Now, he faces a franchise that he has historically struggled against.
Among all the teams Alonso has faced in his eight-year major league career, he holds his fourth-worst OPS against the Pirates (.688). He has also hit .221 against them in his career.
Against Keller, Pittsburgh’s opening starter, Alonso is a career 1-for-15 (.067) with four strikeouts.
How will the Polar Bear respond, particularly in the first game of the series?
Taylor Ward, OF
Lead off man Taylor Ward is exiting a series against Texas where he hit 6-for-13 with four RBIs.
He has been featured in all six of Baltimore’s games thus far.
The question now becomes: can he keep it up?
Ward has notched a hit on both of Pittsburgh’s first two starters in his career, establishing some level of familiarity as the team heads on the road for the first time.
The 32-year-old failed to reach base on a walk against the Rangers after walking thrice against the Twins. Hopefully, the bases on balls ramp up for Baltimore’s lead batter.
Shane Baz, RHP
By the metrics, Baz’s first Oriole start was not worrying.
The 26-year-old righty notched a 2.21 FIP in the win over the Twins, despite the four runs he allowed in the second inning.
Did he struggle to find command early in the game? Yes.
But, he has the perfect opportunity on Saturday to collect himself and rebound against a red-hot Pittsburgh offense.
Keys to the Series
Quality starts from the three B’s: PItching has already caused issues for Baltimore six games into the season, as many said it would. Bradish and Baz had strong moments in their first starts, but both left a lot on the table. Pittsburgh’s young offense could be the perfect chance for the three B’s to find their footing. They have to. The looming uncertainty of Baltimore’s bullpen truly adds that much more pressure to each starter’s outing.
Limit the long ball: Pittsburgh is currently tied for first in team home runs at 10. Two of those are courtesy of former Orioles fan favorite Ryan O’Hearn, who mashed one in his last game on Tuesday. It’s simple: the Pirates offense is extremely reliant on the long ball, so don’t let them up. The O’s only healthy starter to allow a home run thus far in the season is Bradish.
Clutch at-bats with RISP: Against the Rangers, Baltimore batted 5-for-21 (.238) with runners in scoring position. Against the Twins, 7-for-16 (.438). If the O’s want to keep up with a Pirates offense that has scored seven or more runs in half of its games this season, they need to drive runners in when given the opportunity.
