O's game blog: Orioles look for a victory to complete winning road trip

The Orioles' long west coast trip comes to a close today and a victory will give the Orioles a winning road trip at 6-4. They've gone 1-2 at Oakland, 2-1 at Anaheim and 2-1 in Seattle. It would be impressive to finish with a winning trip against three American League playoff contenders who are all having good seasons. The O's went 7-4 on their trip through the AL West last year and have a chance to leave with another winning record. They came a blown save away from winning the series in Oakland and almost swept the Angels, who had won 20 of 23 home games before the Orioles got there. As I wrote this morning, the Orioles have done well on the West Coast while sporting a team average of just .196 with 33 runs scored in nine games. O's starting pitchers have an ERA of 3.07 on this trip. Miguel Gonzalez (5-5, 3.91 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles. Over his last three starts he is 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA and .188 batting average against. Gonzalez has been sharp and pitched efficiently during these three starts, averaging 13.8 pitches per inning, under his average of 16.4 for the season. That has helped as he's pitched eight, eight and 7 2/3 innings. Left-hander Roenis Elias (8-8, 4.41 ERA) will make the start for the Mariners. Finally, the O's face a pitcher who is not on a roll. Over his last four starts he is 1-3 with a 7.78 ERA. Finally, it's a big day in Cooperstown, New York as the Hall of Fame is welcoming the class of 2014. What a great sight to see the Orioles well represented there today. Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. are on the stage in Cooperstown. Hall of Famer Jim Palmer will miss today's ceremony as he works the game for MASN. We all miss seeing the Earl of Baltimore on that stage. MASN broadcaster Gary Thorne is once again the host of the ceremony which is a quite an honor for Thorne. You can't have a Hall of Fame ceremony without plenty of representation by the Orioles. It's a reminder of the proud past of the Orioles franchise in Baltimore.