Thursday afternoon Orioles game thread: vs. Angels, 12:35

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 31: Brandon Young #63 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Shhh. Don’t say anything. Don’t jinx it. But…there’s a chance that the Orioles could end today tied for an AL Wild Card spot.

It’s hard to believe such a thing could be true, after all the trials and tribulations and the often foolish play we’ve witnessed from the 2026 Orioles. But if they win this afternoon and the Guardians lose to the Mets, then the O’s would vault ahead of Cleveland and move into a tie with the idle Rangers for the third wild card spot. Even while still being under .500. Wild stuff.

But first things first: the O’s need to take care of business against the Angels, the worst team in baseball. The Birds have done so in the first two games of the series, even if their hitting performance wasn’t quite as potent as we’d like. But their pitching has been stellar, with Cade Povich and Trevor Rogers each delivering quality starts and a patched-together back of the bullpen locking things down late. It helps that the Angels can’t really hit, but let’s not pick nits.

Today the O’s have their most reliable starter, Brandon Young, on the mound as they try for the sweep. As a reminder, the Orioles are a whopping 15-3 in Young’s starts this season. The right-hander passed the 100-inning mark in his last start and carries an 8-2 record and 3.31 ERA. The Angels will be facing him for the first time in his career.

On paper, the Birds would appear to have the pitching advantage with Young taking on Ryan Johnson, a rookie righty with a 7.63 ERA. Johnson has been absolutely dreadful against every team he’s faced…except the Orioles. Back in June, Johnson faced the Birds in Anaheim and dominated them for six shutout, one-hit innings, striking out eight. It was by far the best outing of Johnson’s career, and the only time he’s ever pitched more than five innings. The O’s offense was absolutely pathetic in that game. It wasn’t the first or last time the Orioles had been shut down by a pitcher with a sky-high ERA. Hopefully we won’t see a repeat performance today.

Orioles lineup:

LF Dylan Beavers 1B Pete Alonso DH Gunnar Henderson 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand SS Jackson Holliday RF Leody Taveras 2B Jeremiah Jackson CF Colton Cowser C Yohel Pozo

RHP Brandon Young

Angels lineup:

LF Wade Meckler DH Mike Trout 1B Nolan Schanuel SS Zach Neto 3B Vaughn Grissom C Moisés Ballesteros CF Jose Siri LF Josh Lowe 2B Oswald Peraza

RHP Ryan Johnson

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →