O's game blog: Orioles and Mariners begin series at Safeco Field

The Orioles lost three straight in Kansas City, and their nine-game road trip moves on to Seattle tonight. The clubs begin a three-game series at Safeco Field.

The Orioles lost 9-1 at Kansas City Sunday as the Royals moved out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning and put the game away with a four-run eighth.

The Orioles have lost seven straight on the road and 24 of their last 28 games away from Camden Yards. They are 16-53 on the road for the season.

The Orioles were held to two runs Friday at Kauffman Stadium and one on Sunday. They are 8-70 on the year when scoring three runs or fewer and 4-50 when scoring no more than two.

At 40-97, the Orioles have lost 18 of their last 23 games. Three more losses would make the 2018 Orioles the third club in team history with 100 or more defeats in a season.

Seattle (76-61) has the sixth-best record in the American League. But the Mariners' playoff hopes are flickering. They are eight games behind Houston in the American League West, and 5 1/2 games back of Oakland for the second AL wild card spot.

The Mariners are 13-13 in their past 26 games. But they are 21-30 since winning a season-high eight straight games from June 25 to July 3. The Mariners are 49-22 (.690) in games decided by one or two runs, the highest winning percentage in the major leagues. Seattle is 33-18 (.647) in one-run games, with the most such wins in the majors. They are 16-4 (.800) in games decided by exactly two runs, and that is the best two-run winning percentage in the majors. The Mariners are one of two clubs with a 1.000 winning percentage (65-0) when leading after eight innings this season, joining Oakland (67-0).

One reason for that is closer Edwin Díaz, who leads the majors with 51 saves. Díaz is 51-for-55 (92.7 percent) in save opportunities with a 1.93 ERA to go with 112 strikeouts and 16 walks. He is the 14th pitcher in big league history to record at least 50 saves in a season and leads the majors with 25 one-run saves.

Former Oriole Nelson Cruz is batting .349 with 45 runs scored, 18 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in his career versus the Orioles. Cruz is two RBIs away from 1,000 for his career.

Left-hander Josh Rogers (1-0, 5.40 ERA) makes his second big league start tonight. He beat the Blue Jays on Tuesday in Baltimore in his major league debut, allowing three runs over five innings. Before his first major league call-up, he went 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Norfolk, after the Orioles acquired him from the Yankees in the Zach Britton trade of July 24.

Right-hander Erasmo Ramírez (1-3, 6.28 ERA) gets the start for Seattle. Ramírez has allowed nine homers in 28 2/3 innings. He has missed most of the season with a shoulder injury that twice landed him on the disabled list. He's 2-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 0.889 WHIP in 17 career games (seven starts) versus the Orioles.