O's game blog: Can O's keep it going in Philadelphia?

Coming off their club-record eight-homer game and 19-3 win last night, the Orioles begin a two-game series against the Phillies tonight at Citzens Bank Park.

The Orioles' homer total of eight last night exceeded their hits total from 28 games this season. The Orioles had 17 hits last night - seven of the homers were solo shots - and raised their team average from .256 to .260 in that game.

At 33-31, the O's can go three games over .500 tonight for the first time all year. They have won eight of their last nine and 10 of 12 games. The Orioles are 28-22 all-time against the Phillies.

Manny Machado led off both the first and second innings with homers last night. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Machado is the third player in the last 50 years to lead off both those innings with a home run. The other two are Tigers outfielder Chad Curtis, who achieved that feat on May 28, 1995 against the White Sox, and Giants outfielder Stan Javier, who did so on April 11, 1999 against the Padres.

Machado has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, batting .450 (18-for-40) with five homers and 10 RBIs. O's shortstop J.J. Hardy has a nine-game hitting streak and is batting .364 during that streak with six RBIs.

Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 3.19 ERA) makes his 13th start of the year tonight and faces Phillies right-hander Kevin Correia (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who will be making his second start.

Correia is with his third organization this season. He signed with Minnesota on March 9 and was released March 30. He signed with the San Francisco Giants on April 7 and then went 0-1 with a 3.58 ERA in six Triple-A starts, but was released May 29 and then he signed with Philly on June 8. Tonight he makes his second start for his third team of 2015.

Correia, the 2011 opening day starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three career starts versus Baltimore.

Jimenez is 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA in six home starts on the season and is 0-2 with a 4.23 ERA in six on the road.

Jimenez's control has not been as strong this month as it was earlier. He issued just 2.4 walks per every nine innings in April and May. But that walk rate is 5.6 this month, as he has walked 10 over 16 innings. Jimenez is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in June.