O's game blog: Jeremy Hellickson makes second start for O's

ANAHEIM, Calif. - After their Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy-led 6-2 victory Monday night, the Orioles try for two wins in a row over the Los Angeles Angels tonight.

The Orioles (56-56) have won eight of 10 and 14 of the last 21 games. They have won three straight by a combined 23-7 score and are 21-33 on the road.

Machado hit his fifth career grand slam in the seventh inning Monday to break a 2-2 tie. Bundy fanned a career-high 10 without a walk and improved to 11-8 with an ERA of 4.15.

Tonight, Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second start as an Oriole. He threw seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball Monday night in a 6-0 win over Kansas City at Oriole Park. He walked one and fanned three, throwing 94 pitches, 62 for strikes. He threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of 27 batters.

It was a strong debut for the 30-year-old right-hander that went 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA over 20 starts with the Phillies before the O's traded for him. Hellickson admitted to some nerves before his first game with the team, but also said the other players had welcomed him with open arms.

"Monday when I came in, everybody made me feel welcome and comfortable and I felt part of the team right away," he said. "But it is always good to throw a good one your first time out with a new team. These guys made me feel welcome from the second I walked in here."

Tonight, he faces a former Oriole in Angels right-hander Parker Bridwell. The 26-year-old Bridwell has had a strong season for the Angels since the O's traded him on April 17 for cash considerations.

Over 10 games (nine starts), he is 5-1 with a 3.20 ERA. His fastball averages 92.93 mph and he throws it 46 percent of the time, with a cut fastball 24 percent. He is throwing his slider 17 percent of the time and his changeup 13 percent. The Angels are 8-1 in his starts and 9-1 in his 10 games.

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop is batting .330/.374/.608 in 24 games since the All-Star break with six doubles, seven homers and 28 RBIs. He has 82 RBIs for the year to match last season's career high. He is also two RBIs behind Seattle's Nelson Cruz for the American League lead.

The Orioles are 14-10 in the second half. With a win tonight, they would move over the .500 mark for the first time since June 11 when they were 31-30.