O's game blog: Orioles look to end three-game slide at New York

With a lineup missing Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Hyun Soo Kim, the Orioles take on the Yankees in the Bronx tonight. They've lost the first two games of this series by 2-1 and 7-1 scores.

The Orioles' offense has produced just two runs on nine hits with one homer in this series, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The Orioles have scored 10 runs on a 2-3 road trip with two games to go, going 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position.

They begin tonight at 53-39 and leading the American League East by a 1/2 game over Boston and by one game over Toronto, which won this afternoon 10-4 over Arizona. The Orioles have not been in second place since June 4.

In late June the Orioles swept a two-game series at San Diego, scoring 23 runs. In the 15 games since then they are 6-9 and have scored 52 runs in 15 games. They have scored three runs or less seven times in that stretch including the past four games where they have scored two, two, one and one.

The Yankees (47-46) are one game above .500 for the first time since June 25 when they were 37-36. If they win tonight, they will be two over .500 for the second time this season and first time since they were 4-2. The Yankees are 5-2 in their last seven games, 21-16 since June 6 and 38-29 since May 6. At 6 1/2 games out of first place, this is New York's smallest deficit since June 25.

The Orioles are 4-4 this season against New York. They went 3-1 in the first four games and are 1-3 the last four. In the season series, Pedro Alvarez is batting .150 (3-for-20), Davis is at .095 (2-for-21), Adam Jones at .156 (5-for-32) and Machado is at .179 (5-for-28). As a team the Orioles have scored 22 runs batting .210/.288/.329 with an OPS of .618. Since June 21, 2014, the Orioles are 25-17 versus the Yankees.

Right-hander Yovani Gallardo (3-1, 5.77 ERA) makes his 11th start tonight and pitches against New York right-hander Michael Pineda (3-9, 5.56 ERA).

In six starts since returning from the disabled list, Gallardo is 2-0 with a 5.04 ERA. In six road starts he is 1-1 with a 7.39 ERA. Gallardo has made three career starts versus New York, going 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA. Despite an ERA of nearly 6.00, the Orioles are 7-3 in his 10 previous 2016 starts.

Pineda is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA his last two starts. He had pitched much better the previous six starts with an ERA of 2.75 in that stretch. In 10 home starts, he is 2-4 with a 5.46 ERA.

Both starters have struggled early in the game. Gallardo's first-inning ERA is 9.90 and his 4.93 ERA in his career in that inning is his highest in any frame. Pineda has an ERA of 8.50 in both the first and second innings of his 2016 starts.

The Orioles' longest losing streak of the year was five games from June 30-July 4. They lost four in a row one time and have lost three in a row three times, counting the current streak they look to break tonight at Yankee Stadium.