Orioles to open 2018 season at home vs. Twins

The 2018 schedule will be released later this month, as usual. It's never too early to glance ahead in the middle of a playoff push. Also as usual.

The particulars are scarce, but the Orioles will open at home against the Twins. That much has been confirmed.

The Orioles are paired up with the National League East in interleague play.

The schedule includes home series against the Phillies, Mets and Marlins. There's also the usual home-and-home series against the Nationals.

The road portion of the interleague schedule also sends the Orioles to Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta.

The entire 2018 slate could be announced as early as next week.

The Orioles also opened the 2012 and 2016 seasons against the Twins at Camden Yards. They hosted the Twins in 2013 after opening against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

* A scout from outside the Orioles organization tracked Austin Hays at Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie and said the young outfielder might be the best player he saw this summer.

Hays vaulted up the prospect rankings. Every indication is that the kid is legit, though we're talking about a 2016 draft pick who was in short-season Single-A Aberdeen last summer. Let's not pile too much pressure and too many expectations on him.

OK, too late.

Hays has a real shot at breaking camp with the team next spring, which would have required his move to the 40-man roster. The Orioles just started his service clock a little earlier.

It must not have been an easy decision. They seemed to be leaning toward keeping him with Bowie, but that was before Craig Gentry sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger.

Hays hit .432/.488/.730 against left-handers this summer with the Baysox. He hit .390/.422/.701 against them with Frederick.

"Gentry's injury created a need that we weren't anticipating," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "But Austin Hays, to his credit, made a lot of progress. He progressed very quickly. He was a kid who was in the draft last year and he's hit .330 since he got into pro ball. His on-base is close to .400, slugging's over .500 and he's done very, very well against left-handed pitching.

"He can help."

I'm sure the Orioles are sympathetic toward the Baysox, who are losing Hays before the Eastern League playoffs. But the major league club's needs always come first.

"Austin Hays has had a great year and he's got all the tools," Duquette said. "He distinguished himself in the Carolina League and made the All-Star team and then we moved him to Double-A and it seemed to be a seamless adjustment for him."

Hays appeared in 64 games with Frederick and batted .328/.364/.592 with 15 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 41 RBIs. He played in 64 games with Bowie and hit .330/.367/.594 with 17 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. There's accepting a challenge and there's devouring it.

"He runs good, throws good, he can hit, he can field and he's got power to all fields, so he has all the tools," Duquette said. "He's got an opportunity to contribute to our club and also be a significant part of next year's ballclub."

* Sonny Gray is making his seventh start with the Yankees. He's 2-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings since the Athletics traded him.

Gray posted a 4.00 ERA and 1.208 WHIP in 13 starts in the first half and a 2.44 ERA and 1.102 WHIP in nine start after the break.

The Orioles have faced Gray four times in his career and he's gone 1-3 with a 5.57 ERA and 1.476 WHIP in 21 innings. He's allowed 13 earned runs (17 total) and 21 hits in 21 innings.

Three of those starts came at Camden Yards, where Gray is 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.884 WHIP in 14 1/3 innings.

Tim Beckham is 4-for-8 with a double and home run.

Kevin Gausman is 1-1 with an 8.38 ERA and 2.483 WHIP in four starts against the Yankees this season. He's allowed 18 earned runs (19 total) and 32 hits with 16 walks and 11 strikeouts over 19 1/3 innings. But those starts were made within the first three months, the last coming on June 11 when he gave up seven runs and eight hits and walked six batters in 3 1/3 innings. He's 5-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 10 starts since the break.

Gausman is 7-4 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.313 WHIP in 21 career games (15 starts) against the Yankees over 99 innings. There have been much better stretches than the one he endured earlier this year.

Starlin Castro is 10-for-25 (.400) with two doubles lifetime against Gausman. Brett Gardner is 13-for-40 (.325) with two doubles and a home run and Aaron Judge is 5-for-11 (.455) with a double and two home runs.

Jacoby Ellsbury is 7-for-37 (.189) and Didi Gregorius is 6-for-28 (.214).