O's game blog: O's look to even series in Arizona

After Monday's 6-3 loss at Chase Field, the Orioles play Arizona again tonight in the second of a three-game series and nine-game road trip.

The Orioles went 1-6 on their recent West Coast trip to Oakland and Seattle and lost the trip opener last night. They are 4-13 this year on the road against western division American League and National League opponents.

The Orioles (31-68) tonight will play Game No. 100. They are 3-2 over their past five and 9-10 in the last 19. They are 16-32 in road games.

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy (4-11, 5.28 ERA) comes off the injured list today to make his 18th start and first since July 12. That night he gave up eight hits and seven runs in one inning against Tampa Bay at Oriole Park. The next day he went on the IL with right knee tendinitis.

The Orioles are 5-13 in Bundy's starts, going just 1-5 over his last six games. For the year Bundy has a WHIP of 1.370 and allows 2.1 homers per nine innings. He walks 3.1 per nine with 9.5 strikeouts.

In eight starts from May 4-June 15, Bundy posted an ERA of 3.09, allowed six homers in 46 2/3 innings and an OPS of .660. But over his past four starts, culminating with the brutal first inning versus Tampa Bay, he is 1-3 with an ERA of 9.00. Over 17 innings he has allowed six homers with an OPS against of 1.072.

In his only interleague start this season he gave up five runs in four innings July 26 against San Diego. In 11 career games versus the National League he is 6-4 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.298 WHIP. He made his only career start against the Diamondbacks on Sept. 25, 2016, allowing one run over five innings in a 2-1 victory.

Right-hander Merrill Kelly (7-9, 3.77 ERA) will make his 21st start for Arizona. The Diamondbacks signed him to a two-year deal in December after he pitched four seasons in Korea, going 48-32 with an ERA of 3.86. He is an MLB rookie in 2019.

The Orioles drafted Kelly out of an Arizona high school in round 37 in 2007, but he did not sign. Over his past two starts he's allowed two earned runs in 12 innings and over his last five, he has an ERA of 3.10.

The Orioles' Hanser Alberto ranks seventh in the AL and 13th in the majors among qualifying hitters with a .303 (93-for-303) batting average. He has hit safely in 38 of his last 52 games, with multi-hit contests in 19 of those 38. In 24 games in the lead-off spot, he is hitting .347 (35-for-101) with nine extra-base hits, 10 runs scored, and nine RBIs.

MLB leaders against left-handed pitching among qualifying hitters:
.409 - Hanser Alberto, Orioles
.393 - Ozzie Albies, Braves
.386 - Manny Machado, Padres
.377 - Eduardo Escobar, Diamondbacks
.370 - Howie Kendrick, Nationals

As play began around the minors tonight, the Orioles have four teams currently in first place. Bowie is 25-7 in the second half in the Eastern League. Delmarva is 21-10 in the South Atlantic League. Short-season Single-A Aberdeen is 22-15 in the New York-Penn League and the Orioles are 16-7 in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.