Astros vs Orioles Preview: New Era Run at Camden

The Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles face off on Thursday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Houston's pitching staff is rebuilding after losing longtime ace Framber Valdez to free agency. Lance McCullers Jr. takes the mound for the Astros against Baltimore's Chris Bassitt. The Orioles' rotation features Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish as reliable arms. Both teams know that strong pitching wins games in April and May. This matchup will test which rotation has better command early in the season.

Pete Alonso brings his powerful bat to Baltimore after signing a major free agency deal. The veteran first baseman has launched about 264 home runs in his first seven seasons and plays at least 152 games yearly. Gunnar Henderson, the Orioles' young shortstop, combines speed and power like few others. Though his home runs dipped to 17 last season, Henderson stole a career-high 30 bases. Both players give Baltimore's offense real punch against Houston's new-look rotation.

Injuries are testing Houston's depth as they head to Baltimore. Yordan Alvarez, one of baseball's elite hitters, has played limited games this season due to injuries. Key position players Joey Loperfido and Jake Meyers are sidelined on the injured list. Jeremy Peña, the talented infielder who won World Series MVP honors in 2021, carries the offensive load when healthy. Though Houston struggles with a 11-19 record, star closer Josh Hader remains available to shut down late innings and protect narrow leads.