Brandon Young starting Saturday for Orioles, notes on tonight's game

Brandon Young has joined the Orioles’ taxi squad and will make his major league debut by starting Saturday afternoon against the Reds at Camden Yards.

Young has allowed five earned runs in 16 1/3 innings with Triple-A Norfolk. MLB Pipeline rates him as the No. 19 prospect in the system.

The Orioles transferred Young to High-A Aberdeen earlier this week before announcing today’s move. They need a fifth starter Saturday and he became the obvious choice.

A corresponding move is pending to create room on the 26-man roster.

Cade Povich is preparing for his fourth start tonight after allowing six earned runs and 24 hits in 15 innings. Left-handed hitters are slashing .250/.286/.500 against Povich and right-handers are batting .396/.418/.491.

The Orioles will try to build their first three-game winning streak since the last three games of the 2024 regular season in Minnesota.

“I think when you play well, the vibe gets fun,” Ryan O’Hearn said last night. “I think guys are showing up every day thinking we’re going to win tonight and not thinking, ‘Oh gosh, I hope we don’t lose.’ Those are two very different demeanors. I mean, obviously, the team is talented. We’ve got a lot of good players. Once you get guys to kind of believe in how good we can be and then the results come after that, it’s fun.”

Per STATS, the combined slugging percentage of .449 at Camden Yards is the third-highest of any ballpark behind Angel Stadium (.517) and Coors Field (.466). The .418 slugging percentage last season ranked fifth.

Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of Virginia, held the Pirates to one run and two hits in five innings Saturday in his first start. He began the season on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain.

Abbott has posted a 3.75 ERA in 47 major league starts. He’s faced the Orioles twice and allowed three runs with 16 strikeouts in 11 innings. In his only Camden Yards appearance, he surrendered one run and two hits with eight strikeouts in six innings.

Adley Rutschman is 3-for-5 with a home run against Abbott. Ramón Laureano is 2-for-3 with a double and Jordan Westburg is 2-for-4.

Gunnar Henderson is 1-for-6 with four strikeouts.

The Orioles have a .538 OPS against left-handers, which ranks 27^th in the majors. Their .756 OPS against right-handers is eighth.

The Reds are 9-10 after back-to-back losses and sit in third place in the National League Central.

The Orioles swept the Reds last year in a three-game series in Cincinnati, outscoring them 16-2. The Reds came to Baltimore in 2023 and won two of three despite being outscored 18-17.

The Reds’ .213 average ranks 27^th in the majors, the .289 on-base percentage is 24^th and the .626 OPS is 25^th. Their 130 hits are 27^th.

Cincinnati is batting .146 against lefties, third lowest in the majors.

This team is about pitching. The 3.08 ERA ranks third and the rotation’s 3.09 ERA is second. The bullpen’s 3.06 ERA is sixth.

Opponents are batting .198 against them, second-lowest behind the Padres’ .193. The 1.03 opponents’ WHIP is lowest.

Austin Hays returns to Camden Yards for the first time since the deadline trade to the Phillies. According to STATS, there are players who began their careers with the Orioles and homered in their first game against the club: Manny Machado in 2019, Brandon Snyder in 2012, Willis Otanez in 1999 and Eddie Murray in 1994.

Former Orioles backup catcher Austin Wynns also is on the roster.