O's game blog: Looking to avoid the sweep at Wrigley Field

CHICAGO – The Orioles have not been swept in a three-game series this season, and they must win today at Wrigley Field to keep that stat intact.

The Chicago Cubs (33-37) have won the first two in this series by scores of 10-3 and 3-2. Both games were one-run games going into the later innings, but Chicago scored six runs in the sixth inning to blow it open Friday and they held on Saturday for the narrow win.

The Orioles are 43-27 (.614) at the 70-game mark. A team playing .614 ball over the full year would win 99.5 games. So we could round up and say they are still playing at a 100-win pace.

The Orioles were shut out into the fifth inning yesterday when Adley Rutschman mashed a game-tying two-run homer off lefty Justin Steele. Rutschman hit a 406-foot blast to left-center for his 10^th homer. He and Kansas City’s Salvador Perez are the only catchers in the major leagues with 10 or more homers.

Over his past 18 games since May 26, Rutschman is batting .329 (24-for-73) with three doubles, three homers and six RBIs, and with an .881 OPS.

Austin Hays had two more hits and a walk in Saturday’s game. Hays is batting .312 to rank second in batting average in the American League. Over his past 11 games, Hays is batting .364 (16-for-44) with four doubles, two homers and seven RBIs, and with an OPS of .987.

Hays is 9-for-21 during a five-game hitting streak and recorded the 400^th hit of his career yesterday.

But the O’s have scored just five runs on 16 hits with one homer in this series, going 2-for-14 versus Cubs pitching with runners in scoring position.

After a recent five-game stretch when the Orioles scored 11 runs twice and 37 runs total, they have now scored just 10 runs over the last four games.

The Cubs have won a season-high five in a row and seven of their last eight. It marks the Cubs' longest win streak since Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2022, when they won seven in a row. Chicago is now 12-11 this season against AL teams.

Orioles starting pitchers have been throwing well lately, recording five quality starts the past six games, and a rotation ERA of 3.50 in that span.

O’s starting pitchers have allowed three runs or fewer in nine straight games (with an ERA of 3.40) and in 18 of their past 19 games (with an ERA of 3.81 in that span).

Right-hander Dean Kremer (7-3, 4.74 ERA), coming off a quality start against Toronto, makes the start today, his 15^th. The Orioles are 9-5 in his games.

Kremer allowed two runs and eight hits over six innings on Tuesday, throwing 95 pitches. Over his last eight starts since May 1, he is 5-2 with a 3.50 ERA and .751 OPS against.

Righty Jameson Taillon (2-4, 6.70 ERA) goes for the home team. In 48 1/3 innings this year he has allowed 56 hits with 17 walks, 44 strikeouts, 1.510 WHIP, a 3.2 walk rate and 8.2 strikeout rate.

Through the end of May, Taillon had an ERA of 8.04 in 11 starts and the Cubs were 2-9 in those games. But he has been better lately, and the team is 2-1 his past three starts. In that span, Taillon is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA.

In four starts last season for the Yankees against the Orioles, he went 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA. In six career games, he is 1-0 with a 4.18 ERA against the Orioles.