O's game blog: Looking for two in a row at Colorado

The Orioles, 2-2 on their road trip out west, play Game 2 at Colorado tonight after beating the Rockies 5-3 last night at Coors Field.

Getting to five runs seems to be big for the Orioles. Last night they did that for just the third time in the last 13 games. They are 3-0 in those games. For the season the Orioles have scored five runs or more 63 times, and they are 55-8 (.873) in those games.

So, score five and thrive.

But over those 13 games, in going 6-7, the Orioles scored 48 runs for 3.7 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.95, which ranks fourth-best in the majors.

In the 13 games, the O’s have a team batting line of .185/.260/.334/.594. They went 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position last night but have gone 13-for-77 (.169) in the 13 games.

With a win tonight, the Orioles would snap a six-series winless run versus National League teams, during which they've gone 0-5-1. They last won a series against an NL squad when they took two of three from Philadelphia in mid-June. Since then they went 0-3 versus the Cubs, 1-2 against Miami and San Diego, 1-1 versus Washington and 1-2 at the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They posted a 5-12 record in those series.

On Friday night Albert Suárez was outstanding again, allowing two runs over a career-high seven innings. His past five starts he is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, with three scoreless games. 

Of the last 12 games, eight have been decided by one or two runs, with the Orioles going 5-3 in those games.

The Baltimore bullpen has allowed two runs in 14 1/3 innings this road trip. Over the past eight games, the O’s ‘pen has yielded one run or none seven times, and with an ERA of 1.29 in this span.

Right-hander Dean Kremer (6-9, 4.31 ERA) takes the ball for the Orioles in a matchup of two pitchers throwing well in recent starts. Kremer has three straight quality starts, going 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA. He has a .576 OPS with no homers allowed in those 18 innings.

Kremer has been quite good early on in his games. His ERA in the first three innings is 2.84 and he allows just a .502 OPS the first time through in the batting order. That goes up to .740 the second time and .887 the third.

Righty Ryan Feltner (1-10, 4.95 ERA) makes his 25^th start for the Rockies. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer four times his last five outings, going 0-1 but with a 3.24 ERA.

Feltner, who has never faced the Orioles, is 0-3 with a 5.96 ERA and 1.583 WHIP in 11 home starts.

The Orioles (78-58) can pull within ½ game of first in the American League East with a win. The Yankees scored four in the eighth today to pull within one run, but St. Louis held off New York for the 6-5 win.  

Farm note: Outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. was removed from the Double-A Bowie game tonight with left leg quad tightness. He has hit. 291 with an OPS of .800 in his first 14 Double-A games.