The Orioles travel to face the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series. They are coming off of a series victory against the rival Red Sox. The Birds’ key to the series win was their starting pitching. If the O’s want to win their series against the White Sox, the starters will again have to come through.
Friday, April 29: Jake Arrieta (2-1, 4.94 ERA) vs. John Danks (0-3, 3.27)
Arrieta has had one bad start this season, his second one of the season in which he struggled against the Texas Rangers. He has been the Orioles most consistent pitcher holding teams to three runs or less in four of his five starts. His opponent, Danks, has been a tough-luck loser this season. The White Sox starter has given up four runs just once this season, his offense hasn’t been able to score for him. Here’s another left-hander that the O’s could struggle against.
Saturday, April 30: Chris Tillman (0-2, 6.16) vs. Philip Humber (2-2, 3.20)
Tillman has had an uneven season. He pitched six no-hit innings in his season debut against Tampa Bay, but has gotten knocked around a bit in his other starts this season. He has shown potential at times, but has also been terrible at times. Humber, on the other hand, appears to have finally established himself as a big league pitcher. No, he hasn’t been wonderful, but he has steadily lowered his ERA and allowed only one hit to the Yankees in his last outing. This will be another tough pitcher for the Orioles.
Sunday, May 1: Zach Britton (4-1, 2.84) vs. Gavin Floyd (3-1, 3.60)
Britton has been the most consistent starter for the Orioles this season. The left-handed rookie has had one bad start, but rebounded in his last outing. He has been the O’s stopper, so if the O’s have a three-game losing streak, Britton could stop it. Floyd, Britton’s opponent, is another pitcher that has been up and down. Floyd is a very tough pitcher because he’s a hard-throwing right-hander that has the ability to dominate.
Monday, May 2: Jeremy Guthrie (1-3, 2.53) vs. Mark Buehrle (1-3, 5.12)
Guthrie appears fully recovered from his bout with pneumonia earlier this season, but has had some bad luck since he’s returned to the rotation. Guthrie has pitched like a true ace all season. Buehrle is another lefty the O’s will have to face. Tough matchup again for the Orioles.
This series, based on the pitching, is going to be tough for the offense. Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero seem to be heating up a bit, so maybe they’ll be able to knock around the Chicago pitching staff.
