A look at the recent pitching numbers and Markakis' success atop the order

These numbers on the Orioles pitching staff recently are unsightly and troubling: * The O's gave up 21 runs in the Milwaukee series with an ERA of 6.83. O's starters gave up 15 runs over 16 2/3 innings in the series for an ERA of 8.10. * O's pitching has allowed 63 runs over the last 10 games with a team ERA of 5.92 in that stretch. The ERA for the season has gone from 3.88 to 4.29. * Over that 10-game stretch, O's starters have just two quality starts and an ERA of 7.71, raising their season ERA from 3.94 to 4.60. Can the O's make the playoffs with a starters' ERA of 4.60? Not very likely. On May 20, the Orioles were in first place, but now they are in third place, suddenly 4 1/2 games behind surging Toronto. Maybe the O's staff will begin to turn it around against Houston tonight. But the Astros have won five in a row, so wins will not be automatic in this four-game series. Meanwhile, Nick Markakis got two more hits for the Orioles last night. That came two days after his double drove in the tying run with two outs in the top of the ninth on Monday. Markakis is swinging a good bat right now for the Orioles, batting .301 with 10 doubles, a triple, three homers and 18 RBIs in 51 games. He has certainly settled into the leadoff spot in the batting order. He has had 194 of his 216 at-bats this season from that spot. He is batting .408 this year in the first inning and .351 when he leads off any inning. A few days ago at Camden Yards, Markakis was asked about his approach when batting leadoff. "Just doing my thing and doing what I need to do to help this team win," he said. "That is get on base, especially at the top of the order with the guys I have hitting behind me. That is my main objective. I don't care how I get on base. "Leadoff guy's job is to get on base for the big boys behind me. If I can do that, I feel like I'm doing my part as a hitter at the top of the lineup." Markakis went 6-for-14 with three doubles and two RBIs in the Milwaukee series. He has six multi-hit games over his last eight contests, batting .368 (14-for-38) in that stretch. He has a solid average against both left-handed (.304) and right-handed (.300) pitchers. He is now batting .315 in his career when batting first. That is his best average at any position in the order, just above the .313 he hits when batting second. He's taken to the leadoff role, but he said it has not changed the way pitchers work to him. "When you have been around the league a while, pitchers know who you are and they pitch you the same no matter where you are in the lineup. But I feel comfortable with it and I like it," Markakis said. While they try to straighten out their pitching, the Orioles' offense has put up 58 runs with a .296 batting average over the last 10 games. The Orioles have hit eight homers the last four games and 18 over the last 10. In the series opener at Houston tonight, Ubaldo Jimenez (2-6, 4.98 ERA) faces right-hander Brad Peacock (1-4, 5.20 ERA).