After their emotionally challenging series against the Mariners, the Orioles welcome another West Coast opponent to Baltimore as they take on Manny Machado and the Padres.
The Orioles and Padres are two teams heading in (somewhat) different directions. San Diego started the year as one of the best teams in baseball, going 31-20 to start the season. Since then, they’ve been on an epic cold streak. Over their last 16 games, the Friars are 4-12, having been swept twice by the Phillies, while also dropping series to the Mets and Nationals. San Diego is coming into Baltimore off a small emotional high, having walked off the Reds on a Fernando Tatis Jr. homer to take their series vs. Cincinnati.
The poster child for the Padres’ recent struggles has become former Oriole Manny Machado. The perennial All-Star is struggling through the worst start to a season in his career. The 3B is slashing 172/.253/.345 (.597 OPS) while striking out in 25.6% of his ABs. It’s been pretty much all boom or bust for the Padres’ franchise leader in home runs, as he still leads the Pads with 11 HRs and 34 RBIs, but also has the worst batting average and second-worst on-base percentage among qualified hitters in all the majors.
Facing the O’s pitching staff could be a get-right moment for Machado and the Padres. The seven-time All-Star has a .278 average and .871 OPS with four HRs in 13 games vs. the O’s. Last time he visited Camden Yards in 2024, he destroyed the Orioles in the second game of the series, going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in a 9-4 Padres win.
Since the MLB changed its schedule format in 2023 so that every team plays each other each season, the Orioles have gone 5-4 against the Padres and dropped two of the three games at Camden Yards. The O’s did sweep the Padres in Petco Park in the beginning of September last season, led by the likes of Jeremiah Jackson, Colton Cowser, Emmanuel Rivera and Coby Mayo.
Game 1, Friday, June 12th, 7:05pm ET
Probable pitchers: RHP Shane Baz (3-6, 4.09 ERA, 66 Ks) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (0-4, 6.34 ERA, 33 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Baz has been going back and forth with Brandon Young for the title of hottest pitcher in the Orioles’ rotation. The right-hander had his streak of four straight quality starts snapped last weekend in Toronto after the Ernie Clement base-running fiasco saw him give up four unearned runs in a 6-4 Orioles loss. In his last five starts, Baz is sporting a 2.20 ERA, .218 batting average against, with 28 Ks in 32.2 IP.
The 26-year-old right-hander has faced off against the Padres twice in his career and put together good starts both times. In 2024, Baz put up a line of 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 4 Ks in an 11-4 Rays win at the Trop. Last year, in San Diego, Baz was even better—tossing seven shutout innings while only allowing four hits and striking out six.
The red-hot Baz will square off against the longtime former Angel Griffin Canning. The 30-year-old righty got off to a rough start to his season, allowing 13 ER in his first 11 IP. He has a more respectable 4.15 ERA across his last four outings and is coming off his best start of the year. Last time out, Canning held his former team, the Mets, at bay, posting a line of 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. In three career starts at Camden Yards, the Orioles have lit up Canning to the tune of a 7.20 ERA, .323 average against and 1.035 OPS against.
Game 2, Saturday, June 13th, 4:05pm ET
Probable pitchers: RHP Trey Gibson (1-1, 4.24 ERA, 5 Ks) vs. RHP Randy Vásquez (5-4, 3.63 ERA, 53 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Rookie Trey Gibson will make his third career start Saturday as he continues to fill in for the injured Chris Bassitt. Despite coming up as a strikeout artist in the minor leagues, he’s become a groundball pitcher so far in the big leagues.
His 52.5% ground ball rate in 17 IP rivals that of top ground ball pitchers like José Soriano and George Kirby, which could make this a favorable matchup for the rookie. The Padres have the second-highest ground ball rate in the majors at 44.8%, though they don’t ground into a ton of double plays (eighth fewest in MLB). Gibson will be looking to build on his solid, if slightly underwhelming, start last time out—going 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB and 0 K vs. the Mariners.
Opposing the rookie is the 27-year-old Vásquez is building on a strong 2025 with a strong start to his 2026 season. The fourth-year veteran out of the Dominican Republic is a control-oriented pitcher who has gotten lucky most of this year in that his 3.63 ERA is almost three runs lower than his xERA (6.54). The right-hander has been very stingy on the road this season, though, posting a 1.82 road ERA compared to a 4.99 ERA in Petco Park.
Vásquez has faced the O’s once before at Camden Yards and the result was one of the worst starts of his career. The Padres’ right-hander was the starter against the O’s in Game 3 of the 2024 series, posting a line of 2+ IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 4 BB and 2 K. He was chased from that game in the 3rd inning after giving up three singles, three walks and four runs without getting an out.
Game 3, Sunday, June 14th, 1:35pm ET
Probable pitchers: LHP Trevor Rogers (3-6, 6.15 ERA, 44 K) vs. RHP Walker Buehler (3-3, 4.33 ERA, 53 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Trevor Rogers has been the epitome of the disappointment Birdland has faced 2+ months through the 2026 season. The Opening Day starter has looked great at time and other times has been lit up like a Fourth of July fireworks show. May was especially rough for Rogers, posting a 10.31 ERA in four starts after coming off the IL on May 12th. June has been slightly better, with 5.2 innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox before tossing 5.2 innings and allowing three runs against the Mariners last time out.
Rogers hasn’t faced the Padres since 2024, when he was still with the Marlins. That afternoon saw Rogers pitching 5.1 innings with 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 3 Ks. Rogers has also been typically successfull in Interleague Games, posting a career 3.36 ERA against the opposite league.
Buehler is another starter who started the season off roughly, but has gained some momentum in his last several starts. Over his first seven outings this season, the right-hander had a 5.64 ERA while giving up a .276 average against. In six starts since, he’s pitched to a 3.09 ERA over 32 IP while allowing a .237 BAA. He’s coming off back-to-back starts of one-run ball against the Phillies and Reds.
The longtime former Dodger only has one career appearance in Camden Yards, which came all the way back in 2019. That night he dominated the rebuilding O’s, throwing seven shutout innings while punching out 11 Orioles. The good news for Baltimore is that Pete Alonso has dominated Buehler throughout his career, to the tune of 5-for-15 with four homers and 8 RBIs.
