Baltimore Orioles vs San Diego Padres Picks and Predictions July 27th 2024

Fortified by Trades, Orioles Look to Bounce Back vs. Padres

The Baltimore Orioles made a maneuvers on Friday to shake off their continuous downturn, pulling off two trades before their 6-4 misfortune to the meeting San Diego Padres. They trust the new additions will spark a turnaround as they face the Padres in the center game of their three-game series on Saturday.

Orioles’ New Battles

Baltimore has been battling, dropping four of their last five games and nine of their last 13. Alleviation pitcher Craig Kimbrel summarized the team’s frustration:

“I think we know how great we are. We get disappointed when we’re not playing up to our expectations. And I think at times we feel as such.”

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Padres on a Hot Streak

In contrast, the Padres are riding a six-game series of wins. Manager Mike Shildt praised his warm up area’s performance after involving six relievers in Friday’s success:

“A ton of legends in that warm up area.”

New Additions to the Orioles

The Orioles have added a few new faces in order to make something happen. They acquired alleviation pitcher Seranthony Dominguez and outfielder Cristian Pache from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Austin Hays. Dominguez made his presentation on Friday, pitching a scoreless eighth inning only hours after arriving, with the Orioles trailing 4-2.

“Kind of wanted to get his feet wet in a lower-pressure situation,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “He arrived here at about 5 o’clock. … If he went in the game tonight, it was going to be, I didn’t want to put him in a real tough spot.”

In another trade, Baltimore picked up starting pitcher Zach Eflin from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for three minor leaguers. Eflin is expected to make his Orioles debut next week.

“We’re trying to push through this and we’re kind of open to anybody and everybody that can help us,” said Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg. “We know how we’re playing right now. We know it’s not the way we’re capable of playing.”

Padres’ Key Players

The Padres are currently showing their strengths. Jurickson Profar hit a pair of two-run homers on Friday, including a crucial tiebreaking homer off Kimbrel in the ninth inning. Kimbrel has struggled recently, allowing five runs in the ninth innings of consecutive games, though the Orioles managed to win in 10 innings on Thursday at Miami.

“The last two games I haven’t gone out there and done my job,” Kimbrel said. “I’ve let the team down and I’m really disappointed in that.”

Pitching Matchup

Michael King for the Padres

Padres right-hander Michael King (8-6, 3.28 ERA) will take the mound on Saturday after winning three of his last four starts. He held the Cleveland Guardians to one run on two hits in seven innings on Sunday. King is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 13 career appearances, but just one start, against Baltimore.

Dean Kremer for the Orioles

The Orioles will counter with right-hander Dean Kremer (4-6, 4.43 ERA), who is 0-2 in his past three starts. Kremer has allowed a total of four home runs in those games. He has struggled against National League opponents this year, with a 1-4 record and a 5.58 ERA in six starts. Kremer lost his lone career outing against the Padres, giving up three runs in six innings last August.

Teams’ Records

The Padres boast a 30-22 record on the road, while the Orioles are 30-23 at home. Baltimore necessities to dominate the following two matches to avoid losing a third straight home series dating back to before the All-Star break.