O's game blog: Ubaldo Jimenez pitches Toronto series opener

TORONTO - The Orioles begin a series at Rogers Centre tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. They are 5-2 this season in this stadium and 11-5 against Toronto. They will need that success to continue during this three-game series.

With four straight losses, the Orioles (71-72) have fallen back under .500 for the first time since Aug. 26. They need to find some offense at Rogers Centre. They scored just four runs in Cleveland. During the four straight losses, the team average is .181 and they have scored five runs on 23 hits with two home runs.

Jonathan Schoop has hit .323 in the season series with Toronto over 16 games with seven doubles, a homer and six RBIs. Mark Trumbo has hit .319 with five doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs. Trey Mancini is batting .319 with two homers and five RBIs. Welington Castillo is hitting .265 with five homers and nine RBIs in 49 at-bats.

Right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (5-9, 6.80 ERA) makes his 29th appearance and 23rd start of 2017 tonight. Over his last three starts, he is 0-2 with a 12.75 ERA, allowing 17 runs over 12 innings. Jiménez made his last start on Aug. 30 versus Seattle, when he allowed six runs over 2 2/3 innings. His last appearance came in relief on Sept. 5 when he pitched a scoreless inning on 13 pitches against the Yankees.

In 15 games (11 starts) on the road in 2017, Jiménez is 3-6 with a 6.38 ERA. He has recorded just five quality starts on the year and the Orioles are 11-11 when he starts.

But his best start of this year came here at Rogers Centre. On June 29, he pitched eight innings allowing just two hits in a 2-0 win. He walked one and fanned eight that night, throwing 98 pitches as Blue Jays batters went just 2-for-26 against him. He needed just 27 pitches to get through the first three innings in that game and needed 13 pitches or fewer in five of his innings.

In fact, Jiménez has thrown back-to-back scoreless start in the regular season at Rogers Centre. On Sept. 29, 2016 he went 6 2/3 scoreless on just one hit against the Blue Jays. But it was just days later when he gave up Edwin Encarnacion's three-run homer to beat the Orioles in the AL wild card game.

Right-hander Marco Estrada (7-8, 5.00 ERA) will make his 30th start for Toronto. Two starts ago Estrada struggled against the Orioles allowing 10 hits and six runs over five innings. But in his last start he pitched seven scoreless on three hits versus Boston on Sept. 5.

Estrada has 15 quality starts for the season and the Blue Jays are 13-16 in his games. In 12 home starts at Rogers Centre, he is 4-3 with a 4.73 ERA.

In 2015, Estrada had a WHIP of 1.044 and that was 1.119 last season but this season that number is up to 1.424 when he allows 9.2 hits per every nine innings.

Estrada has made four starts this year against the Orioles and he is 2-0 with a 3.16 ERA. Over 25 2/3 he has allowed nine earned runs, seven walks and has fanned 28. The Blue Jays are 3-1 in his four starts versus Baltimore.

The Orioles are 27-42 on the road and 0-3 on this 10-game trip which heads to Yankee Stadium after three games here through Wednesday.

Double-A All-Stars: Baseball America has named outfielders Austin Hays and DJ Stewart as Double-A All-Stars. That is for the entire classification of Double-A players and not just in the Eastern League. The O's prospects, who played for the Bowie Baysox, make up two of the three outfield spots. Here is the BA story on that.