Alonso Powers Baltimore Into Sacramento to Face Struggling Athletics

Two teams trending in the wrong direction meet Friday night at Sutter Health Park, with Baltimore (65-69) holding a meaningful record edge over an Athletics squad (53-81) that has been one of baseball's worst stories this season. There's no model read to anchor this one, so the tape and the numbers have to do the talking.

Baltimore arrives in Sacramento with a roster that, on paper, should handle a 53-81 club — but the Orioles' own 65-69 mark makes it clear this isn't a team playing with house money. Brandon Young is expected to take the mound for Baltimore, and how he handles an Athletics lineup that has struggled to generate offense all year will set the tone early. Jacob Lopez is projected to start for Oakland, and the Athletics will need him to keep Pete Alonso in the yard if they want any shot at a competitive nine innings.

Alonso is the story on the Baltimore side, full stop. He's hitting .274 with 32 home runs and 91 RBI — numbers that make him the most dangerous hitter in this lineup by a wide margin and one of the more productive first basemen in the American League this season. Any pitcher who leaves a mistake over the plate against Alonso is going to pay for it, and Lopez will need to be precise. On the Oakland side, Lawrence Butler (.227 BA), Zack Gelof (14 HR), and Jeff McNeil (46 RBI) represent the key contributors to watch — a group that hasn't exactly lit up scoreboards but is capable of making things uncomfortable if Baltimore's pitching loses focus.

With no validated model read available for this game, there's no algorithmic lean to report — and that's worth noting honestly rather than papering over. What we do know is that the Athletics' record suggests a team that gives opponents opportunities, and Baltimore, despite its own underwhelming season, has the lineup firepower — led by Alonso — to capitalize. Whether Young can give the Orioles length and keep the bullpen fresh is the real variable. First pitch is set for 9:40 PM ET, available on MLB.TV, MASN, and NBC Sports CA.