O's looking for a W in Ohio

The Orioles need a change of scenery. It may be the best argument for visiting Cleveland.

(I kid, I kid. I have friends in Cleveland. But seriously, it's a good reason.)

Fewer strikeouts would be one way to reverse their skid. Fifty-two in a three-game series is a major league record.

Perhaps manager Buck Showalter should write out his lineup on contact paper.

The Orioles took five of six games from the Indians last year, the first time they won the season series since 2006. They outscored the Indians 29-10 and 24 of their 53 hits went for extra bases - 12 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs.

The Orioles won four straight games against the Indians for the first time since 1993.

If the Orioles sweep the Indians this weekend, it will mark the first time in a three-game in Cleveland since April 10-12, 1987.

Manny Machado batted .320/.346/.640 with two home runs in six games against the Indians last season.

Mike Wright is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 18 innings when working on six days' rest between starts, though he tossed one inning in relief between his April 29 and May 7 outings.

Wright has allowed two earned runs in each of his last two starts, but four runs total over 5 1/3 innings in his last outing in Anaheim.

Right-handers are hitting only .200 against Wright this season, but left-handers are working him for a .368 average. Opponents are batting .211/.258/.298 the second time through the order and .341/.449/.610 the third time.

Opponents are batting .371/.463/.686 between his 76th and 100th pitches.

Showalter has been trying to push Wright through the dreaded sixth inning and beyond, focused on his development while still trying to win games.

Wright has never faced the Indians.

Right-hander Trevor Bauer is 3-2 with a 4.31 ERA in 11 games this season. He's 2-2 with a 4.13 ERA in five starts, allowing 13 runs and 24 hits in 28 1/3 innings.

Right-handers are batting .218 against Bauer and left-handers are hitting .267.

Bauer, the Diamondbacks' first-round pick in the 2011 draft, is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in two career starts against the Orioles. He's allowed eight runs and 11 hits in 11 1/3 innings.

The current Orioles are 6-for-29 against Bauer. Machado is 2-for-5 with two home runs and Chris Davis is 1-for-3 with a double.

Bauer was the third-overall pick in the 2013 draft after pitchers Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Danny Hultzen (Mariners). He's 21-26 with a 4.48 ERA in 76 career games, including 69 starts.

The Orioles, choosing fourth, grabbed Dylan Bundy out of Owasso High School in Oklahoma.

I'm grabbing a flight to Cleveland later this morning. Time to rejoin the team.