The Orioles have stumbled their way to 17-20 with an injury list that reads like a roster page, but they finally found some offense in South Florida and have a chance to leave with a sweep. Standing in the way is Max Meyer, who has quietly turned into the most dangerous starter on Miami's staff.
Meyer is coming off the best start of his career — 7 scoreless innings, 1 hit, 7 strikeouts against the Phillies on May 2. His 2.68 ERA is not a fluke; the slider combo has been one of the nastiest in baseball this year and his fastball shape is meaningfully better than it was a season ago. If Baltimore wants this one, they'll have to grind out at-bats and hope Miami's bullpen — already without Pete Fairbanks — gives them a window late.
Cade Povich draws the road assignment after getting recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on May 1 and getting roughed up by the Yankees in his return. He's a perfectly reasonable back-end option, but with Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer, and Zach Eflin all on the shelf, he's pitching out of necessity rather than form. The 4.41 ERA flatters the Yankees outing.
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson LF — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch SP
- Day-To-DayLuis Vazquez SS — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Vazquez has been diagnosed with a broken right thumb, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKeagan Gillies P — Gillies will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a quad injury, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILHeston Kjerstad LF — The Orioles announced Monday that Kjerstad (hamstring) will be re-evaluated soon to determine his readiness for a rehab assignment, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 10-Day-ILJackson Holliday 2B — Holliday (hand) expects to resume his rehab assignment next week, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTrevor Rogers SP — Rogers (illness) has rejoined the Orioles in Miami after doing some throwing at Camden Yards this past weekend, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Helsley (elbow) could be cleared to resume a throwing program later this week, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 10-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine will undergo a left hamstring tendon excision next week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILPete Fairbanks RP — Fairbanks described the issue that forced him out of Monday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers as numbness in his pitching hand, a potential recurrence of the nerve issue that sidelined him in April 2024 during his time with the Rays, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports. "Just a lot of diminished sensation," Fairbanks said after the game. "Felt like any movement of the wrist would exacerbate just loss of sensation in the index finger. So we'll see where it goes and how to work on it."
- 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur SP — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez RP — The Marlins placed Henriquez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- OutJesus Tinoco RP — The Marlins re-signed Tinoco (elbow) to a minor-league contract Jan. 5.
The market sees this as a near coin flip leaning Marlins, with Miami a short home favorite and the total parked at 8.5. That tracks: Meyer over Povich at home is the cleanest argument on the slate, but the Orioles have actually scored runs the last two days after a brutal start to the road trip. Adley Rutschman doubled in two on Wednesday and Baltimore's lineup looked patient for the first time in a while.
This is the kind of game where the Orioles either keep the momentum rolling and steal a series finale on the back of small ball, or Meyer carves them up and the bats go quiet again. Given who's on the mound and who's on the IL, betting on the latter is the safer instinct — but the O's have been more interesting at the plate this week than the season-long line suggests.