O's game blog: Birds face 20-game winner Rick Porcello in series finale

The Orioles won their first two series this year at Fenway Park in Boston. They could make it three-for-three if they win the series finale tonight against the Red Sox.

The Orioles (79-65) hit three homers and won last night 6-3 after Boston (81-63) won big on Monday night. The Orioles are 7-7 versus the Red Sox this season and 5-3 at Fenway Park.

The Orioles have hit five homers in this series and have had four straight games with two or more homers, with 11 in that span. They've hit 54 home runs over their past 25 games. With 231 for the season, the Orioles are now on a pace to hit 260, which would set a new team record. The 1996 Orioles hit 257 which tied for third-most in a year in major league history. The 1997 Mariners hold the record with 264.

MLB team home run leaders:
231 - Orioles
207 - St. Louis
205 - Toronto
202 - Seattle

Beginning play tonight, the Orioles have moved a half-game ahead of Toronto for second place after the Blue Jays lost this afternoon 8-1 to Tampa Bay. The Orioles would move a game out of first place behind Boston with a victory tonight. They currently hold the top wild card spot and it will stay that way if they win this game.

The Orioles have won three of four and seven of their past 11 games. With a win tonight, they would improve to .500 since the All-Star game at 29-29. The Orioles have recorded a winning road trip at 5-3 with one game to play before they return to Baltimore for an 11-game homestand.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (7-10, 3.61 ERA) makes his 27th start tonight. He had a 20-inning scoreless stretch end in his start Friday at Detroit. But over his last four starts, he has an ERA of 1.08. Over his past five, he is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA.

In 11 starts since the All-Star break, Gausman is 6-4 with a 2.89 ERA. Over 65 1/3 innings, he has walked 23 and fanned 73 with a .246 average against.

In two 2016 starts versus Boston, he is 0-2 with an 11.00 ERA, allowing 12 hits and 11 runs in nine innings. In 12 career games (seven starts) against Boston, he is 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA.

Rick Porcello (20-3, 3.21 ERA) is the majors' only 20-game winner and has two more wins than any pitcher (Toronto's J.A. Happ has 18). In 14 home starts, he is 13-0 with a 3.03 ERA and the Red Sox are 14-0. The last Red Sox pitcher to begin a season 13-0 at home was Dave Ferriss (13-0) in 1946. No Red Sox pitcher has ever begun a season 14-0 at home.

Porcello leads the majors with a 5.55 strikeout-to-walk radio. He is among the AL leaders with 1.35 walks per nine innings (second), a 1.02 WHIP (second), 193 2/3 innings (fifth) and a 3.21 ERA (seventh). He's the only Red Sox ever with as many as 20 wins within his first 23 decisions of a season and the fourth major league pitcher since 2000 to do so (Roger Clemens at 20-3 in 2001, Cliff Lee at 21-2 in 2008 and Clayton Kershaw at 20-3 in 2014).

Porcello made one start against the Orioles this season. On June 2 at Baltimore, he gave up five runs and three homers over six innings. In 13 career starts versus Baltimore, he is 3-7 with a 5.61 ERA and 1.455 WHIP.

O's hitting notes:

* Chris Davis is batting .262 (22-for-84) with 13 homers and 19 RBIs his last 25 games.

* J.J. Hardy is batting .364 (8-for-22) with a homer and seven RBIs his last seven games.

* Adam Jones is batting .323 (20-for-62) with three homers and seven RBIs his last 15 games.

* Jonathan Schoop has three homers and four RBIs his past five games.