O's game blog: Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start against Boston

With a record of just 2-4 on an 11-game homestand, the Orioles look to get their offense going and get back in the win column tonight as they host the first-place Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox (87-64) have won the first two games of this series over the Orioles (82-69) by identical 5-2 scores. The Orioles have just 10 hits in this series. Over their last four games, they have scored two runs each game on 25 hits while going 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

O's starters Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman have combined to pitch 11 1/3 innings in this series, allowing 16 hits, including four homers, and 10 runs. Boston starters Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez have combined to pitch 15 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs in the two games.

Tonight, the Orioles send right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (7-11, 5.94 ERA) to the mound against Boston right-hander Clay Buchholz (7-10, 5.20 ERA).

In five starts since Aug. 25, Jimenez is 2-1 with a 3.28 ERA. Over his last three starts, he has pitched nine, seven and seven innings. In 14 games (12 starts) at home he is 4-4 with a 6.27 ERA.

In two starts this year versus Boston, he is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA. In 14 career games he is 2-5 with a 7.39 ERA.

Both pitchers have struggled at times in the first innings of their starts. Jimenez has an ERA of 8.46 with a batting average against of .354 in that inning. Buchholz has an ERA of 7.58 in the opening inning and has allowed six first-inning homers, his most of any inning.

Buchholz has made 35 appearances this year, 19 as a starter. His last three games were as a starter and he gave up one run over 6 2/3 against San Diego, six runs over three innings against Toronto and two runs over six innings against New York. He is 2-0 with a 5.17 ERA in those games.

In 17 games in the second half (six starts), he is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.94. Left-handed batters hit .304 off him and right-handed batters are hitting .225.

In three games (one start) this season against Baltimore, he is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA. In 22 career games, he is 10-7 with a 3.90 ERA. In 10 career games (eight starts) at Oriole Park, Buchholz is 5-3 with a 5.10 ERA.

The Orioles are 8-9 versus the Red Sox in the season series, going just 2-6 at home. They went 7-2 at home against Boston last year.