O'Neill sits against left-hander in final game of series in D.C., Kjerstad and O'Hearn stay in lineup

The Orioles are in D.C. again tonight, trying to avoid being swept by the Nationals before flying to Detroit.

The losing streak has reached three games and the record has fallen to 9-14. The Orioles haven’t been six games below .500 since July 5, 2022.

Left-hander Cade Povich is making his fifth start. He’s posted a 6.38 ERA and 2.073 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings.

The last outing was his worst, with the Reds totaling seven runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked five batters and surrendered three home runs.

Povich hasn’t faced the Nationals. Nathaniel Lowe has two at-bats against him and is 1-for-2 with a double.

The rotation’s ERA of 6.08 is last in the majors.

With the Nationals starting left-hander MacKenzie Gore, the Orioles are fielding a lineup that doesn’t include Jackson Holliday, Tyler O’Neill or Gary Sánchez.

Jorge Mateo, who's 1-for-17 with six strikeouts, is playing second base and Jordan Westburg is at third. Westburg is 4-for-16 in his last four games, with two doubles, a triple and a home run.

O’Neill is only 2-for-21 against lefties this season.

Heston Kjerstad stays in the lineup for the left-on-left matchup. Ramón Laureano is in right field.  

Laureano is 5-for-6 with a double lifetime against Gore.

Ryan O’Hearn gets the start against a lefty, serving as the designated hitter.

The Orioles are 1-6 against left-handed starters and are batting .168/.256/.228 overall against southpaws.

The Orioles are 2-9 when the opponent scores first and 0-12 when scoring three runs or fewer.

Gore has made five starts and posted a 3.41 ERA and 1.207 WHIP in 29 innings. He’s struck out 45 batters and surrendered only three home runs.

Gore, the third-overall pick by the Padres in the 2017 draft, has a pair of 13-strikeout games over six innings this season. He’s worked six innings four times.

Left-handers hit .279/.372/.448 against Gore in his career and right-handers hit .252/.323/.404. He’s made one start against the Orioles in 2023 and allowed three runs and three hits in six innings.

For the Orioles

Cedric Mullins CF
Adley Rutschman C
Gunnar Henderson SS
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Jordan Westburg 3B
Heston Kjerstad LF
Ramón Laureano RF
Ryan O’Hearn DH
Jorge Mateo 2B

Cade Povich LHP

Coby Mayo had a two-run triple and a single today for Triple-A Norfolk. Jud Fabian hit his sixth home run.

Kyle Brnovich allowed three runs and three hits with four walks and two strikeouts in four innings..

The Tigers are starting Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe and Tarik Skubal in the weekend series against the Orioles in Detroit. The Orioles are starting Brandon Young, Charlie Morton and Dean Kremer.

The Nationals reinstated shorttop CJ Abrams from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester.

For the Nationals

CJ Abrams SS
Alex Call RF
James Wood LF
Keibert Ruiz C
Nathaniel Lowe 1B
Amed Rosario 3B
Josh Bell DH
Dylan Crews CF
Luis Garcia Jr. 2B

MacKenzie Gore LHP