Baltimore Orioles (39-34) vs. Cleveland Indians (33-39) Preview (Game #2)

Although a rain drenched Camden Yards was unable to accommodate a pivotal game 2 between the Indians and Orioles last night, it actually was a blessing in disguise. While Chris Tillman was supposed to take the mound yesterday, it was hard to imagine that his luck of garnering favorable run support would last much longer. For the Indians, they undoubtedly had some trepidations of their own as they were planning on starting rookie Cody Anderson. Since then, this game two matchup has taken on a completely different look with two efficient starting pitchers in the O's Ubaldo Jimenez (6-3, 3.40 ERA) and the Indians Trevor Bauer (6-4, 3.86 ERA). Given that yesterdays matchup had all the fixings of an offensive drag race, today is a prime example of a game that could be predicated on well executed pitching and timely defensive plays.

What O's need to do to win:

Today, the O's will need to find some consistency in their pitching if they hope to win the first game of the double header. Luckily, Ubaldo has provided that in spades as he has held the opposition to three earned runs in his last three starts. Along with that, the Orioles need to find a way to fluster a starting pitcher that as been all over the place in terms of his last few starts. At his most confident, Bauer is a lights out pitcher that can throw confidently in the strike zone. At his worst, Bauer can struggle with his pitching command which results in a high walk rate(1.33 WHIP). Having center fielder Adam Jones back in the line up could do wonders in helping disrupt this finicky pitcher early on.

What Indians need to do to win: 

For the Indians, they need to force Jimenez to throw legitimate strikes before taking a strong cut at one of his many deceptive pitches. While Jimenez may not have the fastball that he had when he played for Cleveland, he has done an incredible job of developing his breaking and off-speed pitches, particularly when it comes to attacking the bottom of the strike zone. Although the Indians are familiar with Jimenez as a pitcher, they haven't seen the versatile Jimenez that stands before them now. If they hope to get a much needed win on the road, they'll have to be patient at the plate.

Final Verdict:

While this matchup will be an intriguing one from start to finish, the end result will come down to which pitcher breaks first. Although Bauer has the potential to be a great starter, his consistency issues could put him in a rough spot early on. Combine that with an Orioles offense that has flourished on a regular basis (along with the return of their productive leader Adam Jones) and you have the makings of a game that will start competitive early but could boil down to one big hit down the stretch. Final Score: Indians 4 Orioles 6