O's game blog: Harvey on mound in Miami series opener

The Orioles have gotten five straight outings where their starting pitcher allowed two earned runs or less. This run began with right-hander Matt Harvey in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader, and Harvey is back on the mound tonight.

He will make his fourth start of 2021 when the Orioles open a quick, two-day series at Miami. The Orioles lost 1-0 in 10 innings Sunday at Texas as they came up a win short of a series sweep at Globe Life Field. The Orioles (7-9) are 6-3 on the road. They are 2-3 in series opening games, 4-1 when they score first and 6-5 when their opponent starts a right-handed pitcher, as will be the case tonight.

During this five-game run, O's starting pitchers have worked to an ERA of 2.39. In the Texas series, when the Orioles allowed just four runs in three games, their three starting pitchers went 16 2/3 innings allowing three runs for an ERA of 1.62.

O's pitchers have allowed just six runs their past four games and 20 runs in the last seven. In that seven-game span, the team ERA is 2.86.

The O's bullpen has gone four consecutive games without allowing an earned run, pitching 13 innings. In the past seven games, the bullpen ERA is 1.61. The 'pen pitchers have gone 14 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. In nine road contests, the O's 'pen has pitched to a 2.06 ERA, the second-lowest bullpen ERA on the road in the majors, behind Toronto at 2.00.

Harvey (0-1, 5.02 ERA) has thrown 4 2/3 innings, five innings and 4 2/3 innings in his three outings. In 14 1/3 innings on the season, he has allowed 16 hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts. His walk rate is 1.9 per nine and his strikeout rate is 7.5. In Game 1 of that doubleheader Thursday versus the Mariners, Harvey allowed two runs and three hits.

In their first plate appearance against him, opponents have hit .231 with an OPS of .721 Those numbers are .250/.588 on their second place appearance and .444/1.278 on the third.

Lefty batters hit .192 against him, right-handers bat .333 and Harvey allows an average of .231 when pitching with runners in scoring position. He has faced Miami 11 times in his career, going 2-4 with a 4.31 ERA and a WHIP of 1.345.

Right-hander Nick Neidert (0-0, 4.00 ERA) will be making his third start for Miami. On the year, he's allowed eight hits and four runs over nine innings with nine walks and six strikeouts. He was drafted in round two by Seattle in 2015 out of a Georgia high school.

The Orioles are 8-26 all-time versus Miami and that is their worst win percentage (.235) against any other club. They are 2-13 in games in Miami.

Miami (7-8) is 3-6 at home, 1-7 when they do not homer and 3-0 in extra-inning games. The Marlins started this year 1-6, but have gone 6-2 since.

With 14 RBIs, third baseman Maikel Franco is tied for fourth in the American League. Franco has nine RBIs in his last eight games.