O's game blog: O's play at Houston in road opener

HOUSTON - The Orioles, who went 29-52 on the road last season, begin the new season's first road trip tonight as they open a three-game series with Houston. The defending World Series champion Astros are unveiling their championship banner as part of a pre-game ceremony before their home opener.

Right-hander Chris Tillman will make his season debut tonight. The Orioles' opening day starter three straight years from 2014-2016, Tillman went 1-7 with a 7.84 ERA last year. He allowed 12.1 hits per nine innings, 2.3 homers per nine innings, 4.9 walks per nine and 6.1 strikeouts. He went 0-3 with a 8.69 ERA in 10 games versus American League East teams. And his WHIP was a staggering 1.892.

Can Tillman begin a turnaround tonight against a Houston team that led all of MLB with 896 runs scored last year? It's a big challenge. The Astros hit 238 homers to rank second in the majors. Tonight he faces an Astros team that went 3-1 at the Rangers over the weekend and scored 17 runs the past two days in wins on the road.

Over the five-year stretch from 2012-2016, Tillman went 65-33 with a 3.81 ERA. He had four strong seasons and one mediocre one in 2015. He pitched 170 innings or more four times with a 3.77 ERA or less four times.

In seven career games versus Houston, Tillman is 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.300 WHIP. In three career games at Minute Maid Park he is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 0.871 WHIP.

His mound opponent tonight is right-hander Charlie Morton, who went 14-7 with a 3.62 ERA over 25 starts in 2017. Morton was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series and also in Game 7 of the World Series. He became the first pitcher to win two Game 7's in one postseason.

The 34-year-old Morton had big reverse splits last season. Lefty batters hit just .175 with a .561 OPS against him while right-handers batted .273/.805. But in his previous nine years lefties had hit .307/.859 off him.

Morton averaged a career-best 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings last year behind a 95 mph fastball. Reports had him touching 98 during spring training.

In two career starts versus Baltimore, he is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) and 15 hits over 7 1/3 innings. He did not face the O's last season.

The Astros are 28-28 all-time in home openers.