O's game blog: O's and Blue Jays begin their series at Rogers Centre

TORONTO – The Orioles split a four-game series at Cleveland that ended Sunday. Tonight, their three-city, 10-game road trip continues with the opener of a three-game series at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The Orioles scored 16 runs on 30 hits and went 12-for-31 with runners in scoring position in wins Saturday and Sunday at Cleveland. They have scored 39 runs their past six games and are averaging 6.4 runs per game with a team OPS of .859 their last 12 games, scoring six runs or more seven times in those dozen games.

The Orioles have now won four of six and six of their past nine. They are 9-8 since the All-Star break. Their team ERA in the second half is 4.95 and they are batting .276 as a team since the break with an .829 OPS and scoring 6.0 runs per game in the 17 games.

In five games since rejoining the team, rookie infielder Jackson Holliday is 7-for-18 with a double, two homers and seven RBIs. His OPS is 1.254 in those games.

Gunnar Henderson had three hits Sunday, including a two-run homer. He had gone 15 games without a homer and had just one his last 24 games until he connected for No. 29. Henderson hit 28 homers last season, when he averaged one every 20.00 at-bats. This season he gets one on average every 15.21 at-bats.

Over his past five games, Henderson is 10-for-21 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and five RBIs.

In their recent trip to Baltimore, the Blue Jays (51-61) lost three of four games. Toronto has lost four of their past five and are 7-9 since the All-Star Game.

Toronto is 26-28 at home and 15-23 against American League East opponents.

The Orioles are 23-10 in division games and have gone 7-1-2 in 10 AL East series. The Orioles are 6-4 versus Toronto, winning that recent series and splitting two others. They went 2-2 at Rogers Centre in early June. Since the start of last season, the Orioles are 55-30 (.647) in AL East games.

In their past 24 division series, they have lost just one – to New York right before the All-Star game – and they are 17-1-6 in those 24 sets.

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (13-4, 3.86 ERA), who beat Toronto in his last start on Wednesday in Baltimore, faces the same club tonight in the series opener. In that last outing, Rodriguez allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) over six innings in the Orioles' 10-4 win. 

The Orioles are 14-6 in his 20 starts and they have won five of the last seven and eight of the last 11 Rodriguez starts.

Against Toronto this season he is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts. In five career games, Rodriguez is 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA against the Blue Jays.

In seven starts this season against AL East opponents, he is 4-2 with a 3.98 ERA and .740 OPS allowed.

Righty Chris Bassitt (8-10, 4.02 ERA) will make his 23rd start for the home team. His last game was against the Orioles, on Tuesday at Camden Yards, and he gave up nine hits and five runs over four innings.

In seven career starts, he is 3-3 with a 5.45 ERA against Baltimore with a 1.462 WHIP. 

Bassitt finished 10th for the 2023 AL Cy Young Award, going 16-8 with a 3.60 ERA in 200 innings. 

The Orioles posted this today on the former Twitter on the passing at age 60 of Billy Bean. Major League Baseball announced that the former player "fought a heroic year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia."

And this was posted by MLB.