Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles Pick & Prediction APRIL 17th 2025
Preview and Prediction
The Baltimore Orioles find themselves in a familiar position once again, attempting to secure back-to-back victories for the first time this season as they face off against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday evening.
"It's only a matter of time before it happens, even if it's not at the beginning of the season," remarked Orioles outfielder Ramon Laureano about the team's efforts to string together consecutive wins. "There are ups and downs in baseball, that's just how it goes."
The Orioles are in desperate need of a sustained winning streak to alleviate the mounting pressure that has been building over the first few weeks of the season.
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"Young players who are really talented tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves," explained manager Brandon Hyde. "They feel the weight of both internal and external expectations. We try to encourage them to relax as much as possible. We have a lot of guys who are their own toughest critics, and they feel the pressure."
Perhaps some of that pressure was lifted after the Orioles evened the series at one game apiece with a dominant 9-1 victory on Wednesday, despite being out-hit 8-7.
The highlight of the game was Jackson Holliday's grand slam in the second inning, which was a much-needed boost for the second-year infielder who had been struggling with an 0-for-17 slump.
"I've been hitting the ball well," Holliday stated. "Sometimes the results just don't go your way, so I just have to trust the process."
Teammate Heston Kjerstad agreed that Holliday's home run was a turning point for the team.
"With the way our offense has been struggling, we really needed that early spark," Kjerstad said.
The Guardians left eight runners on base and missed a crucial opportunity to reduce the Orioles' lead in the eighth inning, failing to score despite loading the bases with only one out.
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Hyde warned that the Orioles need to be prepared for a strong response from the scrappy Guardians.
"They are a team that never gives up and puts the ball in play," he cautioned.
Cleveland outfielder Angel Martinez left the game in the eighth inning after colliding with the center field wall while making a catch, but manager Stephen Vogt reassured that he could have continued playing and should be fine.
This is good news for the Guardians, as Martinez has been a key player since joining the lineup.
"Every time we've had Angel on the roster, he's been a game-changer for us," Vogt praised. "We just hope he can stay healthy and keep performing for us."
Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill was removed from Wednesday's lineup due to neck discomfort.
"He was feeling some discomfort yesterday," Hyde explained. "He's listed as day-to-day."
Right-hander Tanner Bibee (1-1, 4.40 ERA) will take the mound for the Guardians on Thursday. In his last outing, he held the Kansas City Royals scoreless for 4 2/3 innings, but with four walks and four strikeouts, his pitch count reached 96.
Bibee's only previous encounter with the Orioles was last June, when he earned a win by limiting them to one earned run in six innings with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Meanwhile, right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (1-1, 3.86 ERA) will make his fourth appearance for the Orioles. He has given up a home run in each of his last two games.
In his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sugano did not record a single strikeout in 4 2/3 innings, resulting in a no-decision for the team.
Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles Recap JUN 5TH 2022
Andres Gimenez belted a three-run home run in the first inning and four Cleveland Guardians pitchers combined on a four-hitter in Sunday afternoon's 3-2 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles.
The Guardians won for the fifth time in their last six games.
The Orioles scored their runs in the fourth inning on Ryan Mountcastle's two-run home run. Ryan McKenna had half of Baltimore's hits with a single and a double as Baltimore has now gone almost two weeks without consecutive victories.
Cleveland starter Zach Plesac (2-4) worked six innings, allowing four hits. He struck out eight and didn't issue a walk to earn his first win in his last seven starts. Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his ninth save.
The Orioles used Dean Kremer, who was in his first game in the majors this season, in a starting role. He gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings. Kremer was reinstated from the injured list in order to be eligible for this game after three outings for Triple-A Norfolk.
Gimenez's seventh homer of the season came with two outs. Amed Rosario reached on a single and Owen Miller walked to allow Gimenez to come to the plate.
Gimenez has homered in back-to-back games and three times in less than a week.
Mountcastle's homer to right-center field came with one out in the fourth. The inning began when Trey Mancini was hit by a pitch.
The Orioles wasted a scoring chance in the fifth when Rougned Odor singled and McKenna doubled to begin the frame. But Plesac struck out Jorge Mateo and Austin Hays before Mancini lined out to end the threat.
Baltimore had a chance in the ninth after Adley Rutschman reached on third-strike wild pitch to open the threat. Odor grounded into a double play before McKenna grounded out to end the game.
Rosario had two of Cleveland's six hits to help the Guardians win the rubber game of the three-game series.