Cincinnati Reds take aim at series victory over Orioles in Baltimore

Luke Weaver takes the mound.

It took longer than expected thanks to an hour and forty-three minute rain delay, but the Cincinnati Reds took down the Baltimore Orioles late last night to level their series. Tonight, the first place Reds will have a chance to hammer out a series victory in a ballpark in which they’ve very rarely ever appeared.

Of course, they’ll need Luke Weaver, tonight’s starter, to give them a platform on which to work. Sounds bad, doesn’t it? After all, Weaver has been pounded for 23 ER over his last 22.1 IP, all of which have come in his most recent 5 starts. The 1.026 OPS yielded by Weaver in that time is almost identical to the 1.024 OPS put up by Joey Votto in the first of what should have been his two MVP seasons.

However...the Reds have somehow managed to win each and every one of those 5 starts! Maybe he’s just the perfect catalyst for the Reds offense to have to kick into overdrive, or something. We’ll certainly get a chance to see this evening either way.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, will try to sock around Kyle Gibson, the veteran righty who the Orioles brought in to stabilize their young, inexperienced pitching staff over the winter. What a concept!

First pitch is again set for 7:05 PM ET. Go Reds.

Reds Lineup

Orioles Lineup