One of the most beautiful sporting venues in the world is back in business Thursday afternoon, as the Baltimore Orioles host the Minnesota Twins for Opening Day inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Twins are coming off a brutal fourth-place finish in the AL Central, during which they orchestrated a full-blown firesale at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, the Orioles swung big this offseason in an attempt to rebound from a truly disastrous falloff in 2025, finishing dead last in the AL East and missing the postseason for the first time in three years.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s lineup cards:
Minnesota Twins
- Austin Martin, LF
- Byron Buxton, CF
- Luke Keaschall, 2B
- Ryan Jeffers, C
- Matt Wallner, RF
- Josh Bell, DH
- Victor Caratini, 1B
- Royce Lewis, 3B
- Brooks Lee, SS
RHP Joe Ryan
Baltimore Orioles
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Adley Rutschman, C
- Samuel Basallo, DH
- Tyler O’Neill, RF
- Colton Cowser, CF
- Coby Mayo, 3B
- Blaze Alexander, 2B
LHP Trevor Rogers
First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. ET. Baltimore sits as a 1.5-run home favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Minnesota sits as a +120 underdog. The game total is set at O/U 8.5 runs.
Twins vs. Orioles Preview
Pitching Matchup
Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan has emerged as one of the game’s most reliable aces. He’s fresh off earning his first-career All-Star nod in Year 5, delivering a 3.42 ERA with a 1.035 WHIP and 194 strikeouts (10.2 K/9) across 31 outings (171 innings). Ryan, 29, isn’t afraid of attacking batters with his fastball, posting both an exceptional strikeout rate (28.2%) and walk rate (5.7%). But because his four-seamer sits around 94 mph — and doesn’t have a deep offspeed arsenal — he can sometimes trade whiffs for loud contact.
Behind Ryan, newly hired manager Derek Shelton has inherited a bullpen in shambles. Minnesota traded several key relievers ahead of last year’s deadline, headlined by flamethrowing righty Jhoan Duran, leaving a massive question mark in the arm barn heading into 2026.
What in the world got into Trevor Rogers last season? Despite starting the 2025 campaign on the injured list, the Baltimore lefty managed 18 starts — and shoved in every single one of them. Rodgers, 28, boasted a 1.81 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP and 103 strikeouts (8.5 K/9), ranking in MLB’s top 93rd percentile or higher in Fastball, Offspeed, and Pitching Run Value. His career 3.83 ERA, along with his 3.41 xERA and 48.4% hard-hit rate in 2025, indicate a regression is all but assured. Still, the crafty lefty posted strong strikeout numbers while keeping the ball on the ground behind his changeup and sinker.
The Orioles bullpen will also look a bit different to start 2026 as key relievers, veteran lefty Keegan Akin and right-handed fireballer Felix Bautista, will start the season on the injured list. In Bautista’s place, Baltimore inked All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, who’s coming off a brutal second half with the Mets but can access one of the highest ceilings around.
Lineup Breakdown
Despite being anchored by one of the top-hitting center fielders in baseball, Byron Buxton, Minnesota’s lineup leaves a lot to be desired. In 2025, the Twins ranked among the league’s bottom half in on-base percentage (21st), OPS (17th), and wRC+ (18th) — and they’re running it back with virtually the same one-through-nine.
The addition of veteran slugger Josh Bell, who mashed 22 homers last season, adds some intriguing pop to the middle of the order. But it certainly doesn’t overhaul one of the more pedestrian batting orders in MLB.
Brimming with arguably the most talented batch of youngsters in MLB, the Orioles took a drastic step back in 2025 — ranking 20th in wRC+ with a top-three strikeout rate. Gunnar Henderson regressed, Adley Rutschman disappeared, and Jackson Holliday continued to take his lumps at the big league level. Holliday will also start the season in Triple-A on a rehab assignment.
But if there’s one thing that Baltimore has on its side, it’s time. It also doesn’t hurt to expedite the process by locking up a superstar slugger in Pete Alonso, hot on the heels of a 38-homer, .871-OPS campaign in his final season with the Mets.
Twins vs. Orioles Pick, Best Bet
The Orioles are hungry to prove that the collapse of 2025 was merely a fluke, a mission that begins as soon as Joe Ryan delivers the first pitch of the season. Expect Baltimore, recharged and reloaded with the addition of New York’s franchise home run king, to pounce on Minnesota’s ace, attack its questionable bullpen, and make a statement on Opening Day.
