Expect Bats To Be Quiet As Orioles Take On White Sox

Orioles vs. White Sox, 2:10 ET

With baseball, the biggest thing to consider, in my opinion, is the pitching matchup. You could have the "Murderers Row" Yankees out there, but against a top pitcher who is locked in, the edge goes to the pitcher. There are very few offenses that would strike fear into opposing pitchers the way that team would, but there are still some talented lineups out there. We today see a game where the opposing lineup (the Orioles) is better, but the pitcher of the other team (White Sox) could navigate it and win his club the game.

The Orioles are doing essentially what they’ve done the past two seasons, pitch well, field well, and hit the ball at opportune times. Sure, they are a good club and I don’t want anyone to take this as me saying they’ve gotten lucky. They are good and should be recognized as such. They do a bit of everything too. Adley Rutschman is leading the squad in batting average, Gunnar Henderson is leading the team and almost all of the Majors in home runs, but no one on the team has 40 RBIs. Is that the end of the world? Not really, the team is still averaging around 4.8 runs per game. It may just mean the team is balanced and they are all taking advantage of opportunities. Still, if the Orioles really are serious about getting a World Series, they need to trade for another bat and probably another starting pitcher. That’s down the line though. For today, they put Dean Kremer on the hill. Kremer has a decent 4.32 ERA and a strong 1.12 WHIP, which to me indicates he may be the victim of a bit of bad luck. He is a bit inconsistent, which makes it hard to bet on him. He has just three quality starts on the year, and has allowed 10 homers in 50 innings. He is coming off of one of his worst outings of the year as he allowed five earned runs over four innings to the Cardinals. Tommy Pham is the only hitter with any real success against him, and he is just three for 11 with three doubles. 

Apr 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde (20) throws the ball in the first inning during game two of a double header against the Kansas City Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Melissa Tamez-USA TODAY Sports

The White Sox are playing better baseball. That’s not exactly a bold statement or hard to do considering they were an abomination the first month of the season. They still aren’t going to be playoff contenders or anything truly special, but at least you can now count on them to put in effort and occasionally win a game. They are still near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, and while I said no player on the Orioles has 40 RBIs, Andrew Benintendi leads the White Sox with 15 RBIs… so… perspective, I suppose. Today they send out one of the few bright spots for the club, Erick Fedde. Fedde has been able to put in solid work for them with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Like Kremer, he is coming off of his worst outing of the year, as he allowed five earned runs and a homer against the Blue Jays. Prior to that he had a strong 13 straight innings with no runs allowed. Just like Kremer, you have to be a bit curious which pitcher shows up today. Orioles hitters don’t have a great track record against Fedde either as they are just 5-for-24 against him. 

I think the White Sox are live dogs for the first five innings. I don’t think the Orioles bullpen is as great as last year, but they can shut down this beyond average White Sox offense. My play for this one is to take the first five innings under. I think both Kremer and Fedde rebound from their last starts and this game maybe sees three runs through five innings. 

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