O's game blog: The road trip begins in Oakland

OAKLAND – The Orioles begin their second road trip of the 2022 season tonight a long way from home and it’s the first trip featuring multiple series. The Orioles (3-6) play at Oakland (5-5) to start a four-game series and 10-game trip that also takes them to Anaheim to play the Angels and to New York to once again face the Yankees.

The Orioles' 5-0 win Sunday gave the team its first series victory of the year and first at home over the Yankees since Sept. 4-6, 2020, when they took three of four.

The Orioles pitching staff, which posted an ERA of 5.84 to rank last in the majors in 2021, is off to a stunning start that included allowing just six runs in the Yankees series and pitching the club’s second shutout of the year. The only three teams in the majors with more than one shutout already are the Orioles and Yankees with two each and the Mets, who have three.

More pitching notes:

* O’s team ERA is 3.04 (second in AL, fifth in MLB)

* O’s rotation ERA is 3.50 (sixth in AL, 11^th in MLB)

* O’s bullpen ERA is 2.66 (third in AL, sixth in MLB)

* O’s rotation allowed one earned run against the Yankees for a 0.63 ERA

* O’s staff allowed 15 runs in six games on the homestand

* O’s staff has allowed three homers, tied for fewest in MLB with the Giants

The Orioles offense has scored just 21 runs in nine games, but came up with three big hits with runners in scoring position in the last of the eighth Sunday. Then they scored five runs to post a 5-0 win and take the series from the Yankees. It was their biggest inning of the year and the five runs was a season-high for any game thus far. The Orioles have scored two runs or less in six of nine games.

Oakland started the year losing two of three at Philadelphia and will host its home opener tonight. After that opening series, the Athletics won three of four at Tampa Bay and lost two of three over the weekend at Toronto.

The Oakland Coliseum will host these games, a venue where the A’s have played since they moved to Oakland in 1968. Over the last 23 seasons, Oakland has won 58 percent of its games at the park, the fourth-best mark in the majors. Their first home game at the venue was against Baltimore on April 17, 1968.

O’s right-hander Spenser Watkins (0-0, 3.00 ERA) makes his second start tonight. He faced Milwaukee last Tuesday at home. Over three innings, he gave up four hits and four runs (one earned) with two walks and one strikeout over 57 pitches.

He fell behind in the first inning on Andrew McCutchen’s two-run double and his poor and low throw to first base was a costly error in the Brewers third inning. A good throw would have ended a scoreless inning, but the error kept the inning alive and Milwaukee scored two more runs.

Right-hander Frankie Montas (1-1, 4.76 ERA) was Oakland’s opening day starter and starts the home opener tonight. In that opening day game, he gave up five runs in five innings versus the Phillies. But he pitched well Wednesday at Tropicana Field. Over 6 1/3 innings, he allowed five hits and two runs (one earned) on 89 pitches.

The 29-year-old Montas was the winning pitcher in his only career appearance against the Orioles, a start in the A’s 10-3 victory at Baltimore on April 10, 2019. He gave up three runs over six innings. He was 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 32 starts last year. That was the second-best strikeout total in Oakland history to Vida Blue’s record of 301 in 1971. In 2021, Montas tied for the AL lead in games started, ranked third in opponents slugging percentage (.372) and innings pitched (187), fourth in ERA, opponents OPS (.723), strikeouts and fewest home runs per nine innings (1.08), and tied for fifth in wins.