O's game blog: O's have allowed 22 runs in this series

Orioles pitchers have been roughed up by Milwaukee batters in the first two games of this weekend series as the Brewers have beaten the Orioles by 11-1 and 11-5 scores.

The Orioles (8-6) entered this series with a team ERA of 2.86. In the last two days it has increased to 3.87.

O’s starters Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer have allowed 16 hits and 12 runs in eight innings in the series. O’s pitchers have allowed five homers against Milwaukee.

As they try to avoid being swept today, the Orioles send their ace and former Brewer right-hander Corbin Burnes (2-0, 1.93 ERA) to the mound. The Orioles are 3-0 in his starts this season and 5-6 in all other games.

Through his first three games, Burnes has thrown 18 2/3 innings, allowing 12 hits and four runs with just two walks to 20 strikeouts. His WHIP is 0.750 and he has given up a batting average against of .176 and OPS of .494 to opponent batters.

Burnes has allowed one, two and one run in the three games throwing 82, 100 and 90 pitches.

Since last July 7, when his season ERA was 3.94 with the Brewers, Burnes has made 17 regular season starts. In those games, he is 5-3 with a 2.57 ERA and 10 quality starts. He has given up a batting average of .185 and OPS against of .543 in that span.

Today Burnes is making his first career start against Milwaukee, the team he pitched for from 2018 through last year. In his career in 74 games against National League Central teams, he is 17-13 with a 3.06 ERA and .595 OPS against.

Milwaukee (10-3) has won four in a row, is 7-1 in road games and has the second-best record in MLB. The Brewers are now 4-0-1 in series play, having gone 3-0 against the New York Mets, 1-1 versus Minnesota, 2-1 each against Seattle and Cincinnati and 2-0 so far against the Orioles. 

Righty Colin Rea (2-0, 1.64 ERA) is off to a good start for Milwaukee over two outings on the season. As the Brewers went 2-0 in those games versus the Mets and Mariners, he pitched 11 innings, allowing 12 hits and two earned runs with a 1.273 WHIP, a 1.6 walk rate and 4.1 strikeout rate.

In one career game against the Orioles, in Milwaukee last Aug. 8, he went five shutout innings while allowing three hits and a walk and striking out eight.

The Orioles need to win today to avoid a three-game sweep. They have played 95 straight regular-season series without being swept and that is the fourth-longest streak in major league history. The previous O's record was 46 straight series without being swept, in 1971 and 1972. The O's played 52 series in the regular season last year without being swept. The last sweep they suffered in the regular season was at Detroit, where they went 0-3 May 13-15, 2022. Their last time being swept at home was an 0-3 series versus Tampa Bay Aug. 27-29, 2021.

The Brewers are looking to sweep the Orioles for the first time since taking three games from July 3-5, 2017 in Milwaukee. The team looks for its first sweep in Baltimore since winning three games from July 11-13, 1997. While that is a long time ago, the Brewers have played only three series in Baltimore since.