Post by Commissioner Erick on Oct 1, 2021 10:24:16 GMT -5
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles, known for their offense, have pitched their way this postseason to their first ever World Series berth. They’ll take on a Dodgers team that has shown incredible resolve in winning a Game 7 against the upstart New York Mets, and coming back from 3-0 down to upset the juggernaut Milwaukee Brewers to capture their third straight pennant.
The Orioles have gotten great starting pitching this postseason, meaning this could be a third consecutive offensive struggle for the Dodgers. To their credit, Los Angeles’ bullpen has been exceptional this postseason and they dominated a fantastic Milwaukee lineup. Whether or not the Dodgers can break through against the Orioles’ arms and whether or not the Dodgers bullpen can stymie a potent Orioles offense will be fun to follow.
Dodgers Offense vs Orioles Pitching
The Dodgers offense has been stymied this postseason, producing a .653 OPS. The lineup has been particularly shut down by lefties, as they’ve been held to a .174/.301/.275 triple slash against left-handed pitching, with one home run.
Willie Calhoun has been terrific with four homers, a .352 on-base percentage, and 12 RBIs. Jeren Kendall has only hit .217, but he’s drawn 11 walks, driven in 12 runs, and stolen six bases. He’s been his typical volatile self with 16 strikeouts, but he’s contributed in other ways to have a really valuable postseason. Amin Valdez has gotten on base at a .350 clip with Luis Urias hitting .339. Desperately seeking offense, Valdez, Urias, and Kendall hit 1-2-3 in Game 7 of the NLCS after batting 9-1-7 in Game of the NLDS.
Those hitters were moved around because the other big bats for the Dodgers have scuffled.
Luis Robert has a .321 slugging percentage this postseason with just four RBIs, none since Game 4 of the NLDS. He went 5-29 against the Brewers without an extra base hit, Likewise, Alex Bregman hasn’t hit for power with just two extra base hits this postseason. He’s gotten on base for a respectable .328 OBP, but a .308 slugging percentage has been pretty disappointing. Jorge Ramos has hit for some extra base power as his slugging mark is .385 this postseason, but he’s only batting .231 in the playoffs and is 0-5 with a walk and sac fly against lefties this postseason. Those are three players who were run producers for the Dodgers who haven’t been getting it done.
The bottom of the lineup hasn’t helped. Alex Verdugo hasn’t hit at all with a .444 OPS. Catchers Keibert Ruiz and Austin Hedges have combined to bat 5-56. Wuilmer Beccera is 1-8, mostly pinch hitting for Willie Calhoun in seventh innings. Their defense has been strong though, and they aren’t players who are expected to carry the team. It’s Robert, Bregman, and Ramos who need to step up.
The Orioles staff will try to shut them down they way they’ve shut down the Royals and Astros this postseason. Unsurprisingly, Baltimore has given up a .322 BABIP. However, it hasn’t hurt them as they’ve worked to a 2.88 playoff ERA. The main key has been allowing only five home runs despite facing high-powered Royals and Astros lineups. Having the series start in Dodgers Stadium may help continue Baltimore’s string of run prevention.
Baltimore is throwing out three top quality pitchers this series, as the Dodgers continue to face clubs with either terrific defenses or staffs.
Sam Carlson has finally fulfilled his promise of becoming an ace and produced 4.6 WAR this season, mostly by finally limiting his walks. He has a big time sinker/changeup repertoire, but the sinker has mostly helped him handle righties. Left-handers have always hit Carlson well in his career and the regular season was no exception. Carlson hasn’t struck out many hitters this postseason against lefty-laden lineups in Kansas City and Houston, and the Royals beat him up in Game 5 of the ALDS. However, he coaxed a ton of ground balls to win Game 1 of the ALDS and only allowed five hits to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Darwinzon Hernandez will likely get the ball in Games 2 and 6. Lefties had an anomalously strong season against him, hitting over .320 with 13 home runs, after never having an OPS above .700 against him since 2020. Hernandez has very good stuff, but is no longer the consistent strikeout master he was earlier in his career. His walk rate is better than ever, compensating for the more average strikeout rate and the high BABIP.
If he’s on, he can still dominate, gunning down nine Royals in Game 6 of the ALCS in a one-hit, 8-inning masterpiece, while also allowing four runs in each of his other two starts and striking out a combined six batters in 12 innings. If Darwinzon is on, he can dominate, but if he’s not, he’s more hittable than ever.
Tommy Stanfield has built upon his 18-0 2025 with a stellar 2026. He did take 10 losses, but he cut his home run rate while maintaining strong walk and strikeout numbers. Like most Orioles, he was the victim of a huge BABIP, but had a strong strikeout rate to offset it.
Devin Ortiz is the fourth starter the Orioles had to post at least 3.6 WAR, and the third to do so with an ERA of 4.30 or higher. Ortiz had a 4.96 ERA despite striking out basically a batter an inning and having a stellar home run rate. Ortiz had huge platoon splits for the first time in his career—though the reason he never had platoon splits is that righties would hit him about as well as the lefties that crushed him. This season, Ortiz’ really learned to lean on his slider as an out pitch, but his defense provided him with a .358 BABIP when he didn’t strike people out.
Baltimore’s bullpen has a 1.95 ERA in the postseason, despite a .354 BABIP against. Lefties Circus Dusing and Sean Newcomb are the headliners. They’ve combined for 20.2 innings, while the rest of the current relievers—Ortiz got thrust into the rotation following early relief appearances—have worked 12.2 total. With a largely right-handed rotation, switching to left-handers out of the pen has been a winning strategy. Finally allowed to spend an entire season as a reliever, Dusing’s stuff played up in the pen and he limited his home run rate. He’ll walk righties more than lefties, but didn’t have a major platoon split either way.
As a former starter, and with five pitches, Dusing’s been able to go multiple innings successfully, as hitters never know what pitch they’re going to see under the big tent.
Newcomb, meanwhile, has simply continued the work that made him a former Reliever of the Year from his Milwaukee days. The lefty dominates same-side hitters with lefties bringing a career average of .180 against him. He walked two lefties and whiffed 32 in the regular season this year. Righties have been able to slug effectively off him, so there may be the occasional solo home run, but his walk rate is good and he doesn’t give up doubles. With how good the Dodgers lefties have been and how bad their righties have been, this will be tough for the Dodgers to overcome.
The Orioles righties are fine, a mix of guys who give up walks and limit homers or guys who give up homers and limit walks—or Luis Ortega who limits both—while striking out more than a batter an inning. Michael Feliz or Zhi-Peng Thum haven’t pitched much for the Orioles, so Rafael Alonzo, Chris Foster, Jake Cosart, and the aforementioned Ortega will get the most work.
The Dodgers will steal bases and the Orioles were middle of the pack of limiting attempts and throwing runners out. They were bottom of the barrel in terms of defense, trailing only the Angels in AL Zone Rating. The outfield defense is largely fine, though Salesman Ancrum’s definitely used his charisma to convince people he’s a positive defender. The infield was a mess though, with Joe DeCarlo and Francisco DeJesus solidly bad, and Mike Floyd abysmal. Luis Paez has been sharp since Yunior Severino was lost to the postseason due to injury though, giving the team one more defensive playmaker.
Orioles Offense versus Dodgers Pitching
The Dodgers bullpen has been the story of the postseason, with the unit nearly single-handedly saving Los Angeles from annihilation at the hands of the Brewers. The unit had a 2.06 ERA against the Mets in the NLDS and a 2.08 ERA against the Brewers in the NLCS that was only that high because of Game 1 mop up work. The bullpen’s ERA from Games 2-7 was a sparkling 0.69, allowing the club to hang on to tight leads despite being stifled by Milwaukee’s pitching.
The bullpen is collectively strong against both righties and lefties and the only two pitchers with an ERA higher than 2.89 in the regular season were setup man Giovanny Gallegos, who has a 0.90 playoff ERA, and long man Corey Kluber. The team has dominated the strike zone, allowed five home runs all playoffs (two from Kluber), and will be incredibly tough to beat.
The Dodgers starters have been inconsistent, particularly their lefties. Eduardo Rodriguez started off slow, but has been better as the playoffs have gone on. He pitched the game of his postseason life in Game 5 in Milwaukee, working 6.1 innings, allowing one run, and surrendering just four hits in 6.1 innings of a 2-1 Dodgers win.
Steven Matz has struggled coming back from injury, but with 8.1 playoff innings under his belt, it’s possible he’s shaken off the rust. Joey Wentz hasn’t made it to 5 innings in two starts, as righty-stacked lineups have beaten him up.
Only righty Matt Cleveland has been consistently strong, handling a Mets team that was mostly right-handed, especially when Shohei Otani pitched, and a Brewers team whose left-handed hitters deserted them in the playoffs. Cleveland didn’t allow a walk and struck out 10 in 5 innings of two-run ball in Game 7 of the NLCS.
The Dodgers got no help from their defense as their team is running a .341 BABIP this postseason. They’ve committed 11 errors in 14 games this postseason, though unsurprisingly committed just one error in their final four games against Milwaukee—all wins. Their infield as been brutal nonetheless, with Amin Valdez committing four errors, Luis Urias and Willie Calhoun committing two, and Alex Bregman committing one. The Dodgers will need their defense to play better as their lefties aren’t big strikeout pitchers.
Baltimore’s offense has only averaged four runs a game this postseason as they’ve faced pitchers that have kept the ball in the park. They’ve struggled with men in scoring position and only have 10 long balls. Home runs aside, their offense is working as it has a solid .774 playoff OPS. Baltimore might start getting more power from their left-handed sluggers, which would cancel out the expected regression from playoff hero Omar Baldo.
Baltimore’s star lefties, Wessell Russchen, Francisco DeJesus, and Emmanuel Tapia have combined for one home run this postseason. DeJesus and Tapia have one RBI between them. Tapia has a .405 average fueled by a .577 BABIP, but Russchen and DeJesus have an OPS under .600. Jaden Ancrum has a solid .279 average and some doubles, though he’s not getting on base, leading to an underperforming top of the order. Throw in Joe DeCarlo who had a .433 OPS before four singles in Game 4 of the ALCS, and you have an Orioles lineup that was stuck in the mud.
Fortunately for Baltimore, their extreme depth has paid off this postseason. Madman Mike Floyd is hitting .351 with eight RBIs and eight runs to make up for the lack of production higher in the lineup. Jacob Allred is hitting .353 with nine RBIs a year after losing his job in the Russchen trade. Finally, Omar Baldo, a waiver claim last year with a .728 OPS this season has produced a .462 average. Baldo has a 1.167 OPS, two home runs, and has the highest career average and OBP in postseason history. He’s carried Baltimore this postseason, which can’t continue, but has given Russchen and Tapia the time needed for them to snap out of their funk for one series.
The Orioles don’t run a lot so Austin Hedges may not have a place in the series for Los Angeles. Baltimore has thumpers galore and no need to risk outs for extra bases, though Russchen has the green light if he’s comfortable. Baltimore’s struggled somewhat against lefties this year, including the postseason, so the Dodgers will have the correct handedness to limit them, at least among their starters.
If Baltimore needs to go the bench, Rowdy Tellez is the all-time leader in playoff slugging and OPS and can put a charge into any misplaced right-hander’s fastball. Mike Siani is a solid bat with good speed, good pop, and a good arm. Jeremiah Jackson has crushed lefties in his career and can play four positions serviceably. Nick Dunn can play a serviceable Shortstop, a good Second Base, and provide a high, if empty, batting average. It’s a pretty useful bench if Baltimore needs to use it.
Deciding Questions
Which team’s struggling sluggers will have a better series?
Which team will play better defense?
Which Darwinzon will show up?
Will the Dodgers’ left-handed starting pitchers put up consistently strong starts this series?
Can Baltimore’s middle relievers handle the Dodgers lineup?
Significant Batter vs Pitcher Matchups
Luis Robert vs Devin Ortiz: 6-15, 0 HR
Rowdy Tellez vs Eduardo Rodriguez: 4-16, 0 HR
Rowdy Tellez vs Steven Matz: 8-53, 2 HR
Rowdy Tellez vs Corey Kluber: 1-17, 0 HR
Mike Floyd vs Giovanny Gallegos: 4-11, 1 HR
Mike Siani vs Giovanny Gallegos: 4-10 0 HR
Prediction: This appears to be a pretty close series. The Orioles have the bigger offensive upside, and may have the bigger pitching upside. The Dodgers should be better defensively than they’ve been and their bullpen should keep things close. The offenses should be a little bit better on both sides and that serves Baltimore well. Baltimore’s lineup should be better than LA’s, and their strikeout-filled staff helps their defense more than LA’s does. Orioles in 7.
The Baltimore Orioles, known for their offense, have pitched their way this postseason to their first ever World Series berth. They’ll take on a Dodgers team that has shown incredible resolve in winning a Game 7 against the upstart New York Mets, and coming back from 3-0 down to upset the juggernaut Milwaukee Brewers to capture their third straight pennant.
The Orioles have gotten great starting pitching this postseason, meaning this could be a third consecutive offensive struggle for the Dodgers. To their credit, Los Angeles’ bullpen has been exceptional this postseason and they dominated a fantastic Milwaukee lineup. Whether or not the Dodgers can break through against the Orioles’ arms and whether or not the Dodgers bullpen can stymie a potent Orioles offense will be fun to follow.
Dodgers Offense vs Orioles Pitching
The Dodgers offense has been stymied this postseason, producing a .653 OPS. The lineup has been particularly shut down by lefties, as they’ve been held to a .174/.301/.275 triple slash against left-handed pitching, with one home run.
Willie Calhoun has been terrific with four homers, a .352 on-base percentage, and 12 RBIs. Jeren Kendall has only hit .217, but he’s drawn 11 walks, driven in 12 runs, and stolen six bases. He’s been his typical volatile self with 16 strikeouts, but he’s contributed in other ways to have a really valuable postseason. Amin Valdez has gotten on base at a .350 clip with Luis Urias hitting .339. Desperately seeking offense, Valdez, Urias, and Kendall hit 1-2-3 in Game 7 of the NLCS after batting 9-1-7 in Game of the NLDS.
Those hitters were moved around because the other big bats for the Dodgers have scuffled.
Luis Robert has a .321 slugging percentage this postseason with just four RBIs, none since Game 4 of the NLDS. He went 5-29 against the Brewers without an extra base hit, Likewise, Alex Bregman hasn’t hit for power with just two extra base hits this postseason. He’s gotten on base for a respectable .328 OBP, but a .308 slugging percentage has been pretty disappointing. Jorge Ramos has hit for some extra base power as his slugging mark is .385 this postseason, but he’s only batting .231 in the playoffs and is 0-5 with a walk and sac fly against lefties this postseason. Those are three players who were run producers for the Dodgers who haven’t been getting it done.
The bottom of the lineup hasn’t helped. Alex Verdugo hasn’t hit at all with a .444 OPS. Catchers Keibert Ruiz and Austin Hedges have combined to bat 5-56. Wuilmer Beccera is 1-8, mostly pinch hitting for Willie Calhoun in seventh innings. Their defense has been strong though, and they aren’t players who are expected to carry the team. It’s Robert, Bregman, and Ramos who need to step up.
The Orioles staff will try to shut them down they way they’ve shut down the Royals and Astros this postseason. Unsurprisingly, Baltimore has given up a .322 BABIP. However, it hasn’t hurt them as they’ve worked to a 2.88 playoff ERA. The main key has been allowing only five home runs despite facing high-powered Royals and Astros lineups. Having the series start in Dodgers Stadium may help continue Baltimore’s string of run prevention.
Baltimore is throwing out three top quality pitchers this series, as the Dodgers continue to face clubs with either terrific defenses or staffs.
Sam Carlson has finally fulfilled his promise of becoming an ace and produced 4.6 WAR this season, mostly by finally limiting his walks. He has a big time sinker/changeup repertoire, but the sinker has mostly helped him handle righties. Left-handers have always hit Carlson well in his career and the regular season was no exception. Carlson hasn’t struck out many hitters this postseason against lefty-laden lineups in Kansas City and Houston, and the Royals beat him up in Game 5 of the ALDS. However, he coaxed a ton of ground balls to win Game 1 of the ALDS and only allowed five hits to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Darwinzon Hernandez will likely get the ball in Games 2 and 6. Lefties had an anomalously strong season against him, hitting over .320 with 13 home runs, after never having an OPS above .700 against him since 2020. Hernandez has very good stuff, but is no longer the consistent strikeout master he was earlier in his career. His walk rate is better than ever, compensating for the more average strikeout rate and the high BABIP.
If he’s on, he can still dominate, gunning down nine Royals in Game 6 of the ALCS in a one-hit, 8-inning masterpiece, while also allowing four runs in each of his other two starts and striking out a combined six batters in 12 innings. If Darwinzon is on, he can dominate, but if he’s not, he’s more hittable than ever.
Tommy Stanfield has built upon his 18-0 2025 with a stellar 2026. He did take 10 losses, but he cut his home run rate while maintaining strong walk and strikeout numbers. Like most Orioles, he was the victim of a huge BABIP, but had a strong strikeout rate to offset it.
Devin Ortiz is the fourth starter the Orioles had to post at least 3.6 WAR, and the third to do so with an ERA of 4.30 or higher. Ortiz had a 4.96 ERA despite striking out basically a batter an inning and having a stellar home run rate. Ortiz had huge platoon splits for the first time in his career—though the reason he never had platoon splits is that righties would hit him about as well as the lefties that crushed him. This season, Ortiz’ really learned to lean on his slider as an out pitch, but his defense provided him with a .358 BABIP when he didn’t strike people out.
Baltimore’s bullpen has a 1.95 ERA in the postseason, despite a .354 BABIP against. Lefties Circus Dusing and Sean Newcomb are the headliners. They’ve combined for 20.2 innings, while the rest of the current relievers—Ortiz got thrust into the rotation following early relief appearances—have worked 12.2 total. With a largely right-handed rotation, switching to left-handers out of the pen has been a winning strategy. Finally allowed to spend an entire season as a reliever, Dusing’s stuff played up in the pen and he limited his home run rate. He’ll walk righties more than lefties, but didn’t have a major platoon split either way.
As a former starter, and with five pitches, Dusing’s been able to go multiple innings successfully, as hitters never know what pitch they’re going to see under the big tent.
Newcomb, meanwhile, has simply continued the work that made him a former Reliever of the Year from his Milwaukee days. The lefty dominates same-side hitters with lefties bringing a career average of .180 against him. He walked two lefties and whiffed 32 in the regular season this year. Righties have been able to slug effectively off him, so there may be the occasional solo home run, but his walk rate is good and he doesn’t give up doubles. With how good the Dodgers lefties have been and how bad their righties have been, this will be tough for the Dodgers to overcome.
The Orioles righties are fine, a mix of guys who give up walks and limit homers or guys who give up homers and limit walks—or Luis Ortega who limits both—while striking out more than a batter an inning. Michael Feliz or Zhi-Peng Thum haven’t pitched much for the Orioles, so Rafael Alonzo, Chris Foster, Jake Cosart, and the aforementioned Ortega will get the most work.
The Dodgers will steal bases and the Orioles were middle of the pack of limiting attempts and throwing runners out. They were bottom of the barrel in terms of defense, trailing only the Angels in AL Zone Rating. The outfield defense is largely fine, though Salesman Ancrum’s definitely used his charisma to convince people he’s a positive defender. The infield was a mess though, with Joe DeCarlo and Francisco DeJesus solidly bad, and Mike Floyd abysmal. Luis Paez has been sharp since Yunior Severino was lost to the postseason due to injury though, giving the team one more defensive playmaker.
Orioles Offense versus Dodgers Pitching
The Dodgers bullpen has been the story of the postseason, with the unit nearly single-handedly saving Los Angeles from annihilation at the hands of the Brewers. The unit had a 2.06 ERA against the Mets in the NLDS and a 2.08 ERA against the Brewers in the NLCS that was only that high because of Game 1 mop up work. The bullpen’s ERA from Games 2-7 was a sparkling 0.69, allowing the club to hang on to tight leads despite being stifled by Milwaukee’s pitching.
The bullpen is collectively strong against both righties and lefties and the only two pitchers with an ERA higher than 2.89 in the regular season were setup man Giovanny Gallegos, who has a 0.90 playoff ERA, and long man Corey Kluber. The team has dominated the strike zone, allowed five home runs all playoffs (two from Kluber), and will be incredibly tough to beat.
The Dodgers starters have been inconsistent, particularly their lefties. Eduardo Rodriguez started off slow, but has been better as the playoffs have gone on. He pitched the game of his postseason life in Game 5 in Milwaukee, working 6.1 innings, allowing one run, and surrendering just four hits in 6.1 innings of a 2-1 Dodgers win.
Steven Matz has struggled coming back from injury, but with 8.1 playoff innings under his belt, it’s possible he’s shaken off the rust. Joey Wentz hasn’t made it to 5 innings in two starts, as righty-stacked lineups have beaten him up.
Only righty Matt Cleveland has been consistently strong, handling a Mets team that was mostly right-handed, especially when Shohei Otani pitched, and a Brewers team whose left-handed hitters deserted them in the playoffs. Cleveland didn’t allow a walk and struck out 10 in 5 innings of two-run ball in Game 7 of the NLCS.
The Dodgers got no help from their defense as their team is running a .341 BABIP this postseason. They’ve committed 11 errors in 14 games this postseason, though unsurprisingly committed just one error in their final four games against Milwaukee—all wins. Their infield as been brutal nonetheless, with Amin Valdez committing four errors, Luis Urias and Willie Calhoun committing two, and Alex Bregman committing one. The Dodgers will need their defense to play better as their lefties aren’t big strikeout pitchers.
Baltimore’s offense has only averaged four runs a game this postseason as they’ve faced pitchers that have kept the ball in the park. They’ve struggled with men in scoring position and only have 10 long balls. Home runs aside, their offense is working as it has a solid .774 playoff OPS. Baltimore might start getting more power from their left-handed sluggers, which would cancel out the expected regression from playoff hero Omar Baldo.
Baltimore’s star lefties, Wessell Russchen, Francisco DeJesus, and Emmanuel Tapia have combined for one home run this postseason. DeJesus and Tapia have one RBI between them. Tapia has a .405 average fueled by a .577 BABIP, but Russchen and DeJesus have an OPS under .600. Jaden Ancrum has a solid .279 average and some doubles, though he’s not getting on base, leading to an underperforming top of the order. Throw in Joe DeCarlo who had a .433 OPS before four singles in Game 4 of the ALCS, and you have an Orioles lineup that was stuck in the mud.
Fortunately for Baltimore, their extreme depth has paid off this postseason. Madman Mike Floyd is hitting .351 with eight RBIs and eight runs to make up for the lack of production higher in the lineup. Jacob Allred is hitting .353 with nine RBIs a year after losing his job in the Russchen trade. Finally, Omar Baldo, a waiver claim last year with a .728 OPS this season has produced a .462 average. Baldo has a 1.167 OPS, two home runs, and has the highest career average and OBP in postseason history. He’s carried Baltimore this postseason, which can’t continue, but has given Russchen and Tapia the time needed for them to snap out of their funk for one series.
The Orioles don’t run a lot so Austin Hedges may not have a place in the series for Los Angeles. Baltimore has thumpers galore and no need to risk outs for extra bases, though Russchen has the green light if he’s comfortable. Baltimore’s struggled somewhat against lefties this year, including the postseason, so the Dodgers will have the correct handedness to limit them, at least among their starters.
If Baltimore needs to go the bench, Rowdy Tellez is the all-time leader in playoff slugging and OPS and can put a charge into any misplaced right-hander’s fastball. Mike Siani is a solid bat with good speed, good pop, and a good arm. Jeremiah Jackson has crushed lefties in his career and can play four positions serviceably. Nick Dunn can play a serviceable Shortstop, a good Second Base, and provide a high, if empty, batting average. It’s a pretty useful bench if Baltimore needs to use it.
Deciding Questions
Which team’s struggling sluggers will have a better series?
Which team will play better defense?
Which Darwinzon will show up?
Will the Dodgers’ left-handed starting pitchers put up consistently strong starts this series?
Can Baltimore’s middle relievers handle the Dodgers lineup?
Significant Batter vs Pitcher Matchups
Luis Robert vs Devin Ortiz: 6-15, 0 HR
Rowdy Tellez vs Eduardo Rodriguez: 4-16, 0 HR
Rowdy Tellez vs Steven Matz: 8-53, 2 HR
Rowdy Tellez vs Corey Kluber: 1-17, 0 HR
Mike Floyd vs Giovanny Gallegos: 4-11, 1 HR
Mike Siani vs Giovanny Gallegos: 4-10 0 HR
Prediction: This appears to be a pretty close series. The Orioles have the bigger offensive upside, and may have the bigger pitching upside. The Dodgers should be better defensively than they’ve been and their bullpen should keep things close. The offenses should be a little bit better on both sides and that serves Baltimore well. Baltimore’s lineup should be better than LA’s, and their strikeout-filled staff helps their defense more than LA’s does. Orioles in 7.