Baseball is finally back in Baltimore as the Orioles return to Camden Yards for the first time in 180 days. With the Orioles welcoming Birdland back to the Camden confines, the air feels fresher, the beer tastes colder… and hopefully the baseball is better than the last time the O’s played in the shadow of the warehouse.
The Orioles have won their last three home openers, dating back to a win against the Brewers in game 4 of the 2022 season. However, it was these Red Sox who were the last team to spoil a home opener at Camden Yards, scoring a 7-3 victory over Baltimore in the Orioles’ first home game of 2021.
The Orioles have obviously come a long way in the last three years, with an AL East title and two playoff appearances to show for it. It was expected that the Red Sox, who have missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons, would make a similar jump in 2025. If any team won the offseason in the AL East, it was probably Boston, which brought in former All-Stars Garrett Crochet, Alex Bregman, Walker Buehler and Aroldis Chapman to complement their young core.
While it’s too soon to make any definitive statements about the outlook of this Boston team, their opening series against the Rangers created more reason for doubt than hope. The Red Sox opened their 2025 season by dropping three of four in Arlington while only scoring 11 runs across four games. This means Boston scored less in the whole series against the Rangers than the Orioles scored on Opening Day alone in Toronto.
The biggest culprit for Boston’s offensive struggles is star 3B/DH Rafael Devers. The 28-year-old slugger went 0-12 in Texas with 10 Ks as he tries to adjust to his new role as Boston’s full-time DH.
With Tyler O’Neill trading Beantown for Baltimore, the Red Sox present an ideal matchup for Orioles’ lefty starter Cade Povich. Four of Boston’s top six hitters in Devers, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas are all lefties, while new addition Bregman is a reverse splits guy.
The 24-year-old they call Slim held lefties to a .230 average and .712 OPS in his rookie season, and looks to do even better in 2025. After posting 15 Ks in 14.2 innings with a .886 WHIP this spring, Povich not only earned the final rotation spot but looks to have the goods to hold on to it. Whenever Boston sends a righty to the plate, we’ll also get our first look at his new “kick changeup” that should be his go-to weapon against RHBs.
Home baseball also means O’Neill, Ryan Mountcastle, Adley Rutschman and all of the Orioles’ right-handed sluggers can take aim at the new left field dimensions. Over the last three seasons, Camden Yards ranked 28th in home run rate for right-handed hitters. With the Great Wall of Baltimore now behind the new left field fence, the hope is the Orioles will see more of those “would-be home runs” fly over the fence in 2025.
Orioles Lineup
- Jordan Westburg (R) 2B
- Adley Rutschman (S) C
- Tyler O’Neill (R) LF
- Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
- Heston Kjerstad (L) DH
- Ramón Laureano (R) RF
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- Ramón Urías (R) 3B
- Jackson Holliday (L) SS
Starting pitcher: LHP Cade Povich (3-9, 5.20 ERA, 79.2 IP, 69 Ks in 2024)
Red Sox Lineup
- Jarren Duran (L) LF
- Rafael Devers (L) DH
- Alex Bregman (R) 3B
- Rob Refsnyder (R) RF
- Trevor Story (R) SS
- Kristian Campbell (R) 2B
- Romy Gonzalez (R) 1B
- Connor Wong (R) C
- Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF
Starting pitcher: LHP Sean Newcomb (1-0, 6.30 ERA, 10.0 IP, 7 Ks in 2024)
