Orioles lineup vs. Mariners at Camden Yards

Gunnar Henderson is leading off and serving as designated hitter for tonight’s series opener against the Mariners at rainy Camden Yards.

Henderson is batting .358 in June after bringing a .201 average into the month, the third-largest increase in the majors with a minimum 50 at-bats, according to STATS.

The Orioles didn’t reinstate center fielder Cedric Mullins or first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list.

Mullins started both games of last night’s doubleheader for Triple-A Norfolk, giving him 11 plate appearances on his injury rehab assignment. He’s batting .263/.356/.479 with 12 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 53 games with the Orioles but hasn’t played since May 29 due to a strained groin.

Mullins’ eventual return also will give the Orioles a player who ranks sixth in the majors with a .432 average with runners in scoring position.

The rotation is adjusted to put Kyle Gibson on the mound tonight instead of Saturday.

Gibson has registered back-to-back quality starts to give him eight for the season. He’s 4-4 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.514 WHIP in 13 career starts against the Mariners.

J.P. Crawford is 6-for-12 with two doubles against Gibson, but he’s day-to-day with a bruised shoulder. Kolten Wong is 3-for-6 with two doubles.

Orioles starters have allowed three earned runs or fewer in the last 12 games and 21 of 22. Their last single-season streak of more than 12 in a row was 17 in September 2014.

The Orioles didn’t play last night, but the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox lost. They’re 4 ½ behind Tampa Bay and five ahead of New York.

The Orioles have posted winning percentages of .667, .571 and .588 in the first three full months of the season. They haven’t registered percentages of .570 or higher in April, May and June since 1979, per STATS.

They also did it in 1971 and 1969, and lost in the World Series in all three seasons.

The Mariners defeated the Yankees 10-2 last night and are in fourth place in the American League West with a 36-37 record. They’re 15-20 on the road.

Logan Gilbert is making his 15^th start tonight. The 2018 first-round draft pick out of Stetson University has registered a 4.31 ERA and 1.071 WHIP and is averaging 1.8 walks and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Gilbert is 16-4 on the road during his career and 7-11 at home.

Gilbert has never faced the Orioles. Ryan O’Hearn is 2-for-2 with a double and Aaron Hicks is 0-for-3 with a walk. That’s it.

The Mariners went 4-2 against the Orioles last season, winning two of three at Camden Yards. They’ve gone 18-9 against the Orioles since the beginning of the 2018 season, their best record against any AL opponent, and won the last four season series (with no games in 2020).  

Ty France has a 16-game on-base streak. He’s been hit by pitches 13 times to lead the majors.

For the Orioles
Gunnar Henderson DH
Adley Rutschman C
Anthony Santander RF
Ryan O’Hearn 1B
Austin Hays LF
Aaron Hicks CF
Adam Frazier 2B
Ramón Urías 3B
Jorge Mateo SS

Kyle Gibson RHP