After lackluster losses, the O's hit the road for Houston and New York

HOUSTON - The Orioles could not score off any of the Minnesota Twins starting pitchers in the season's first series. Over 21 combined innings, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and José Berríos allowed just five hits and struck out 19.

The Orioles looked bad in the back-to-back losses to the Twins in the last two days and tonight they begin their first road trip against the two teams that played in the American League Championship Series last season. It starts tonight with three games at World Series champion Houston followed by four games at New York's Yankee Stadium.

Nothing that happened the last two days at Camden Yards provides much hope for this grueling stretch. But that is why they play the games. The Orioles certainly have the chance to surprise a lot of people this week.

They are batting just .117 as a team and scored only five runs against the Twins, who took a no-hitter into the eighth on Saturday night and one-hitter to the ninth Sunday. These last two games the Orioles allowed more home runs (seven) than their offense had hits (six).

Right-hander Kevin Gausman gave up a home run on the first pitch he threw Sunday. He allowed two more longballs and gave up six runs over four innings. His usual mid-90s velocity was down and he averaged 92 mph on his fastball.

"I feel good," he said. "My shoulder feels good. Everything feels great. Who knows, maybe it was just a little cold, (or I) didn't throw enough out in the 'pen. I'm not too worried about it."

He gave up four runs during a 25-pitch first inning.

"(Brian) Dozier just kind of ambushed me first pitch," Gausman said. "I was trying to throw a fastball down and away and I knew he was going to swing first pitch. He's kind of done that the whole series, and, yeah, I just kind of throw it right in his wheelhouse and he was able to put a good swing on it.

"But other than that, obviously the wild pitch doesn't help and brings him around. And then I get (Byron) Buxton 2-0 and throw him way too good of a fastball and he just kind of slapped it the other way."

It was a poor outing and now Gausman will have to wait a few days to get back on the mound and try to reduce his 13.50 ERA.

Houston won three of four at Texas in its opening series. Reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve went 9-for-16 and scored five runs in the series. His double play partner, shortstop Carlos Correa, went 7-for-16 with a homer and drove in five runs. Houston posted a team ERA of 2.83 in those four games.

Tonight the Astros will unveil their World Series banner in a pregame ceremony and former first base coach Rich Dauer will throw out the first pitch. Dauer is an Orioles Hall of Famer and played on the O's 1983 World Series winner.

Dauer was operated on not long after the World Series. He suffered an acute subdural hematoma just after the team's championship parade in November. At one point, doctors believed he had just a 3 percent chance of survival. Seeing him on the mound tonight will warm some hearts in both Houston and Baltimore.

But not long after that, the Orioles offense will have to try and get going. They face right-hander Charlie Morton tonight. He went 14-7 with a 3.62 ERA last year and was the winning pitcher in both Game 7 of the ALCS and Game 7 of the World Series. On Tuesday night, they face Justin Verlander, who is 10-1 with a 1.53 ERA in 12 games (counting the postseason) since joining Houston last August. On Wednesday, the Orioles get lefty Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young winner, who went 14-5 with a 2.90 ERA last year.

So the challenge is large for the Orioles starting tonight at Minute Maid Park.

Finally, the Twins' Dozier has gotten little support from national reporters - or probably just about anyone else outside of Minnesota - for his criticism of Chance Sisco bunting against a Twins defensive shift in the ninth inning yesterday.

Sisco bunted for a hit. The Twins gave him plenty of room to drop a bunt and he did. Had a no-hitter been intact, perhaps Sisco bunting in a 7-0 game would have raised eyebrows. All he did yesterday was take what they gave him and make a smart play to try and jump-start a slumbering offense. He did nothing wrong and Dozier's comments seemed way out of line ro.

If you missed his remarks, he said this in the Twins postgame clubhouse: "Obviously, we're not a fan of it (the bunt). He's a young kid. The thing about it is, I could have very easily said something at second base. But they have tremendous veteran leadership over there with Chris Davis, Adam Jones and those guys. I'm sure they'll address that and you move forward. It's all about learning. You learn up here, whether it takes veterans to talk to you about some stuff or whatever."

I'll have coverage here over the next three days from Houston, where the Orioles are 1-9 over the last three seasons and have been outscored 42-23.