The Baltimore Orioles are back in the city, this time more connected to it than ever.
The team’s latest city connect uniforms are set to debut as Baltimore faces the San Francisco Giants on Friday at 7:15 p.m.
The O’s are fresh off a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox, though they failed to exceed five runs in each of the three contests.
Hopefully, against a 5-8 San Francisco team, more runners will cross home plate.
The Giants earned wins in their last two games against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday and Wednesday, clinching a series victory for the second time this year. They are making their second road trip of the new season after defeating the San Diego Padres 2-1 in their first. A season ago, they broke even with an 81-81 record after starting the year 8-1. This year, the Giants head into their fourth series sitting at 5-8, looking to overcome some early-season hitting inefficiency.
Oh, and, San Francisco has one of those Oriole killers—Rafael Devers, who is hitting .311 in his career off current O’s pitchers. There is no team in the league that the 29-year-old designated hitter has hit more career doubles against than the Orioles. He has slugged a career .297 average against Baltimore, so he will be a player to watch in a series that features the back-end of the team’s rotation.
Shane Baz will be front and center in Baltimore’s city connect debut. After a rocky O’s debut, Baz threw a much more comfortable outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, though his team could not escape with a victory. The 26-year-old allowed just one run through 5 ⅔ innings and struck out five batters in his last start. As he faces a team that ranks last in the MLB in home runs (5), Baz is one of 19 American League pitchers to throw more than 10 innings and not allow a long shot.
The newly extended O’s arm will face right-hander Landen Roupp. A former 12th-round selection by San Francisco, Roupp had a very solid 2025 campaign, finishing with a 7-7 record, 3.80 ERA, and 1.481 WHIP. This season, the 27-year-old righty has seen an uptick in efficiency. Among National League pitchers with more than 10 innings, Roupp ranks second in FIP (1.37), ninth in strikeout percentage (31.8%), and eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.81).
Chris Bassitt, who O’s fans are growing a strong distaste for, is scheduled to follow Baz and headline Game 2. There is not an NL team that Bassitt has faced more than the Giants in his 12-year major league career. And in his career against San Francisco, he has fared well with a 4-2 record, 9.59 strikeouts per nine innings, and 3.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The veteran is in desperate need of a rebound after failing to make it past two innings against Pittsburgh, allowing six runs on six hits in the game.
San Francisco’s front of the rotation, Logan Webb, will face off against Bassitt Saturday night. Webb, 29, started the year a bit rougher than usual, allowing nine earned runs and 12 hits in his first two starts. But, the two-time All-Star has seemingly found his command after a seven-inning outing against the New York Mets, where he allowed one run and walked just one batter. Webb has faced the O’s twice in his career, both of which ended in losses but saw the right-hander pick up a combined 14 strikeouts.
Cade Povich will make his second appearance of the season and close out the series for the O’s. Povich’s first game was unprecedented, appearing in the third inning after Bassitt had a meltdown in Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old lefty looked strong, however, allowing four hits and two runs in 5 ⅔ innings. At home a season ago, Povich struggled. He allowed a 5.85 ERA and 1.626 WHIP in 14 home appearances, but hopes to start the new campaign fresh against a team he has never faced in his career.
San Francisco’s series closer is slated to be Adrian Houser, the 15th consecutive right-handed pitcher the O’s will face to begin the year. Houser, 33, has allowed five earned runs in his first two starts of 2026. He has also allowed a staggering 11.9 hits per nine innings and .300 opponent batting average through two games, suggesting it could be smooth sailing for the Orioles if they can make contact. Houser is 0-2 in his career against Baltimore.
Birds to Watch
Blaze Alexander, INF
One of the most exhilarating players of the young season for the O’s has been utility man Blaze Alexander.
The 26-year-old infielder has seemingly carved out an everyday role for himself, starting in five of the team’s last six games after starting just three of the first six.
Alexander’s .276 batting average is tied for the second-highest on the team among batters with at least 25 plate appearances. He also has a team-leading two stolen bases on the year.
Coming from the NL West, Alexander has played 14 games against San Francisco in his career. In those games, he has raked a .388 average and .954 OPS, both his highest versus a single MLB team that he has played more than five games against.
Coming off a series where he notched his first double as an Oriole, Alexander looks to continue his hot streak against an organization he is familiar with.
Taylor Ward, OF
There is no Baltimore bat currently hotter than Taylor Ward’s.
With a team-leading 18 hits and league-leading nine doubles, the veteran outfielder is also looking to extend his hot streak into the six-game homestand.
Ward hit 6-for-12 in Baltimore’s previous series against the White Sox, collecting a double in each of the three games and bringing his season average up to .383.
In the series finale against Chicago, Ward was moved to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, making way for Gunnar Henderson to lead off.
That will remain the same as Baltimore opens against San Francisco, so it will be interesting to see if manager Craig Albernaz’s lineup activity will continue to have an impact.
Chris Bassitt, RHP
Bassitt.
An offseason gamble by general manager Mike Elias that is trending in the wrong direction to start the season.
In two outings, the 37-year-old has allowed 10 earned runs, 12 hits, and six walks, translating to a 14.21 ERA and a 2.842 WHIP.
Atrocious numbers from a player that was signed to be a trustworthy veteran in a revamped pitching staff.
Bassitt is reminiscent of another aging starter from a season ago: Charlie Morton, who allowed nine runs in his first two starts with the team.
Morton, who joined the O’s at age 41, made 17 starts with the team before being traded to the Detroit Tigers ahead of the deadline.
Bassitt’s leash cannot run that long.
His start against the Giants, a team that has had minimal to speak of offensively to start the season, should be significant in deciding the fate of his Orioles career.
Keys to the Series
Just be slightly better at the plate
Offensively, this series is a very even match. Both teams have yet to exceed 50 runs scored on the season, both teams hit fairly well but fail to capitalize on runs, and both teams sit at the bottom of the league in home runs this season. If the O’s can foster slight improvements at the plate, they shouldn’t find it very difficult to outdo the Giants on offense.
No more Bassitt breakdowns
In his 37-year-old season, Bassitt allowed a whopping 10 runs in his first two outings of the season. He had only ever done that once in his career, when he allowed 11 earned runs in 2023 for the Toronto Blue Jays. The only difference is that nine of those 2023 runs came in one game and he quickly rebounded to secure a victory for his team in the next. Will it take three starts for the veteran to do that in Baltimore? Time will tell, but if the team wants a chance at back-to-back series sweeps, Bassitt needs to get it together.
Limit the cheap walks
In each closing appearance for the Orioles in their last series, the first White Sox batter was walked. Closer Ryan Helsley walked the first two batters he saw on Monday and the first one he saw on Tuesday. Reliever Rico Garcia walked the first batter he saw on Wednesday in four pitches, and eventually walked another batter in the inning. The Giants don’t walk much—they actually rank dead last in the league with 29. So, let’s not give free base runners to a team that already has poor plate discipline.
