Angels at Orioles
O/U 8 · RL Orioles -1.5
Orioles ML-134
CONF 62%
WCashedFinal 2-5
The read
Two nights ago this Baltimore team got torn apart. Their catcher went to Boston, an outfielder to Seattle, a starting pitcher to Minnesota — and then they walked out and beat these Angels anyway, with a kid playing his first big-league game in left field and a starter who hadn't thrown a big-league pitch since early May. Their manager keeps calling it a fifty-game sprint. Call it whatever you want. They're a game and a half out of a playoff spot and they're playing like a team that heard him.
The Angels got torn apart too, but they haven't answered the same way. They've barely been scoring — under three runs a night for two weeks, and even less than that over the last five. Trout hasn't gone deep in two weeks. Neto has basically stopped making contact, swinging through everything and chasing pitches out of the zone. Grissom is chasing even more. Now they walk into Camden Yards against Trevor Rogers, who's been a completely different pitcher since June — dominant two months running, almost no free passes over his last three outings, and two offspeed pitches he can throw for strikes whenever he feels like it. Baltimore's lineup leans right-handed and righties are the ones who give Rogers trouble, so I'm not calling him untouchable. I'm saying the team that has to figure him out can't figure anybody out right now.
Reid Detmers is the real problem with this pick, and I won't pretend he isn't. He's throwing the best ball of his year — piling up strikeouts, almost no walks over his last three, and a breaking ball hitters keep missing. He'll be out there into the sixth. But his team has lost five of his last six starts because nobody scores for him, and that didn't get better when the trade deadline stripped this roster down further. Baltimore's weak spot is the bullpen: Garcia and Kittredge have both worked the last two days, and Kittredge coughed up a run last night. If this is a one-run game in the eighth, that's where it can flip. I'd still rather take the home team, with Alonso hitting the ball hard, O'Neill and Mayo both swinging it, and a lineup that put runs on the board in a game the Angels lost with their best available pitcher going. **Orioles to win, straight up.**
The full analysis
**Gary's Take — Angels at Orioles, 6:35 at Camden Yards**
Two nights ago this Baltimore clubhouse got taken apart. Rutschman to Boston, Ward to Seattle, Kremer to Minnesota — and then they walked out and beat these Angels 3-1 with a kid making his big-league debut in left field and a starter who hadn't pitched in the majors since early May. Albernaz has been calling it a 50-game sprint. Whatever you want to call it, they're a game and a half out of a wild card and they're playing like a team that heard the message.
The Angels got taken apart too, but they haven't answered the same way. They've scored 2.9 a game over their last ten and 2.2 over their last five. Trout hasn't hit a homer in two weeks. Neto is 3-for-21 swinging through 40 percent of what he sees and chasing nearly half of it. Grissom is chasing more than that. Now they walk into Camden Yards against Trevor Rogers, who has been a different pitcher since June — 2.05 that month, 2.37 in July, one walk total across his last three starts, and a changeup and sweeper he's landing whenever he wants them. Baltimore's lineup is righty-heavy and Rogers is the one who has to survive righties, so I'm not calling him untouchable. I'm saying the side that has to solve him is the side that can't solve anybody right now.
Reid Detmers is the honest complication, and I won't pretend otherwise. He's throwing the best ball of his season — 22 strikeouts against 3 walks over his last three starts, a slider hitters miss more than a third of the time. He'll be in this game into the sixth. But his team is 1-5 behind him over his last six because nobody hands him anything, and that hasn't changed since the deadline stripped the roster further. Baltimore's soft spot is the back end: Garcia and Kittredge have both pitched on each of the last two game days, and Kittredge gave a run back last night. If this thing gets to the eighth inside a run, that's where it turns. I'd still rather hold the home side with Alonso squaring balls up, O'Neill and Mayo both live, and a lineup that scored in a game the Angels lost 3-1 with their best available arm on the mound. **Orioles moneyline at -134.**
Props on this game
6Trevor RogersUNDER 2.5 Pitcher Earned Runs Pitcher Earned Runs-165
WActual 2
Rogers has been a different pitcher since June — 2.05 ERA that month, 2.37 in July, and across his last three starts he's walked one batter total in 19.1 innings. He's allowed three earned runs or more exactly once in his last eight starts, and that one came in a 10-9 shootout at Detroit where Baltimore's whole bullpen got roughed up behind him, not just Rogers.
The lineup he's facing tonight has scored 2.9 a game over its last ten and 2.2 over its last five, and it's doing that with Jo Adell traded out of the middle of that order, not in it. Camden Yards plays neutral, so the park isn't bailing this line out either way.
I'll take the arm that's thrown like this for two straight months over an offense that's gone cold and gotten thinner. Trevor Rogers under 2.5 earned runs.
Vaughn GrissomOVER 1.5 H+R+RBI H+R+RBI+109
LActual 0
Grissom's been the best hitter in this lineup not named Trout, and it isn't close — 13-for-46 with 10 RBI over his last fifteen games, and he picked up a double and an RBI in the series opener last night. He's right-handed, and Trevor Rogers has pitched like a different pitcher against righties than lefties all year: a .278 average and .761 OPS allowed to right-handed bats against .183 and .536 to lefties.
Grissom chases more than he should and it'll cost him a strikeout some nights, but it hasn't touched the production, and hitting cleanup means he's getting at-bats with runners in front of him. Two combined hits, runs, and RBI has landed in eleven of his last fifteen games.
I like it again tonight. Vaughn Grissom over 1.5 hits, runs, and RBIs.
Tyler O'NeillOVER 0.5 Home Runs Home Runs+347
WActual 1
O'Neill left the yard last night on a pinch-hit swing, and now he's in the lineup batting cleanup instead of coming off the bench late. That's the difference between getting one at-bat as a power threat and getting four or five.
Over his last fifteen team games he's gone deep three times despite barely playing every day, which tells me the swing is doing exactly what it's supposed to do whenever he gets a look. Detmers is a lefty who lives with a low-90s heater that's gotten hit hard all year, and O'Neill is a righty who does his damage pulling the ball.
Camden isn't the launching pad it used to be down the left-field line, but a bat this hot doesn't need much help. I'll take the swing rhythm and the bigger role together.
Pete AlonsoOVER 0.5 Home Runs Home Runs+287
LActual 0
Alonso is who he is, a hitter who's led the league in homers more than once, and I'm not going to talk myself out of a proven power bat just because he's the shortest price on this board. What I like beyond the name is how he's actually squaring the ball up right now: three barreled balls in his last nineteen in play is a real rate, not a fluke game. Two homers and five RBI over his last fifteen games says the underlying contact is translating into results, not just sitting there as a nice number. Detmers has been touchable by both sides of the plate all season, and Alonso doesn't need a platoon edge to do damage, he just needs a mistake, and he's seeing enough of the ball right now to find one.
Christian Encarnacion-StrandOVER 0.5 Home Runs Home Runs+475
LActual 0
The number that jumps off the page here is exit velocity, his recent balls in play are averaging over 96 miles an hour, the loudest contact of anybody in this lineup on either side tonight. His expected slugging is sitting well above his actual slugging this year, which tells me the results haven't fully caught up to how hard he's actually been hitting the ball. Two homers in his last twelve games is a solid recent rate on its own, and Detmers doesn't have a real platoon advantage against right-handed hitters to lean on as a save. At this price I'm betting the contact quality catches up to the results tonight.
Jose SiriOVER 0.5 Home Runs Home Runs+475
WActual 1
This one is about the matchup more than a hot streak. Rogers has been two different pitchers depending on which side of the plate is hitting, right-handers are slugging well above his numbers against lefties, and nine of the home runs he's allowed this year have come from the right side. Siri's average hasn't been pretty lately, but a .436 slugging mark says the power is legitimate even when the hits aren't falling. He's an everyday piece in this lineup, he's on the favorable side of a real split, and I think the barrel shows up tonight.
Every pick posts before the game and is graded after, in public. In the app you can ride or fade any of them, and your book keeps score against Gary's.
Download on the App Store