American League clubs meet again on Tuesday night, and the Cleveland Guardians and the Baltimore Orioles continue their three-game set at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Orioles (70–75, 5th AL East) struck first with a 6–4 win in Monday’s series opener, snapping a six-game skid. The Guardians (73–72, 2nd AL Central) will be eager to rebound with hopes of holding onto the AL’s third Wild Card spot.
The teams have met five times in 2026, with Cleveland holding a 3–2 advantage in the season series.
Looking at the pitching probables, we’ve got Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee (5–15, 4.06 ERA) taking on Baltimore righty Brandon Young (9–3, 3.42 ERA).
First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. ET. The Orioles enter as 1.5-run home favorites with -126 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Guardians are +105 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 8.5 runs.
Guardians vs. Orioles Preview
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians have seized the American League’s third Wild Card spot, largely thanks to the privilege of playing in the AL Central. The club has gone a mediocre 22–26 since the All-Star break yet still holds a one-game cushion over the Blue Jays with 16 games to go.
Cleveland’s offense remains mired in regression, sitting 26th in wRC+ and 29th in wOBA and xwOBA in 2026. Superstar third baseman Jose Ramirez continues to spiral, holding a paltry .609 OPS with only one home run in the second half. Meanwhile, rookie sensation Chase DeLauter has been sidelined with a wrist injury for the last few days, leaving his status for Tuesday uncertain.
On the other end, the Guardians’ pitching staff has largely been hampered by poor batted-ball luck since the break. Except for Tanner Bibee. The 27-year-old right-hander is saddled with a 4.06 ERA and an even worse 4.29 xERA across 29 starts (166.1 IP) this year. Bibee heads into Tuesday tied with Shane Baz for the most losses in MLB (15). Not even six shutout innings against the Orioles on April 17 were enough to escape a 6–4 defeat.
Baltimore Orioles
Despite anchoring the American League East, the Orioles still find themselves with an outside shot at making the postseason. Baltimore has gone a middling 24–24 since the All-Star break, just three games back on the Guardians for the third Wild Card spot with 17 to play.
They just can’t go out and drop six straight games again like they did last week. While they broke their fall on Monday, the Orioles rank 26th in wRC+, 28th in wOBA, and 25th in xwOBA since the skid began on September 1. Star first baseman Pete Alonso has cooled from his volcanic August, saddled with a brutal .715 OPS and only one home run since the calendar flipped.
Fortunately, Baltimore’s pitching staff has remained a consistent bright spot during this stretch. The rotation has been particularly dominant, posting the third-lowest ERA in baseball (2.59) since the beginning of September. Tuesday’s starter, Brandon Young, will attempt to continue building on his strong recent form, allowing just four earned runs over his last 13.2 innings of work (2.63 ERA). The second-year righty, 28, is fresh off holding the red-hot Red Sox to three runs over 6.2 innings on September 3.
Guardians vs. Orioles Pick, Best Bet
The Guardians just can’t seem to win when Tanner Bibee takes the bump. The unholy mix of poor execution and minimal run support forecasts trouble against an Orioles team that — despite slumping at the plate — has done an excellent job of limiting runs of late. Baltimore’s surging pitching staff should be the difference maker in Tuesday’s contest at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
