O's game blog: Chris Tillman faces the Yankees

After recording back-to-back wins for the first time in the 2018 season, the Orioles are shooting for three in a row this afternoon as they face the Yankees in New York.

They scored five runs in the seventh inning to win 5-2 Thursday night and they won 7-3 in 14 innings Friday night/Saturday morning. Pedro Álvarez hit a grand slam in the 14th, the Orioles fourth homer of the night. It capped a long night and a wild win.

Rule 5 pitcher Pedro Araujo threw two scoreless to get his first major league win. For the game, five O's bullpen pitchers allowed two hits and one run over nine innings of work.

Starter Kevin Gausman allowed two runs over five innings. The last three games O's starters have pitched to a 2.12 ERA. That has reduced the starters ERA on the year to 4.50.

The Orioles are 2-3 on this road trip and 3-5 on the season. The Yankees are 4-4 overall and 2-2 at home.

Right-hander Chris Tillman makes his second start of 2018 today. He took the loss Monday at Houston. Over four innings plus one batter he allowed seven hits and four runs with four walks and no strikeouts. Tillman got just two swings and misses on his 84 pitches and his fastball sat mostly in the 89 to 91 mph range.

Tillman firmly believes he is much better than the pitcher that went 1-7 with a 7.84 ERA last year. He allowed 12.1 hits per nine innings, 2.3 homers per nine innings, 4.9 walks per nine and 6.1 strikeouts.

After the loss in Houston, Tillman said he had certain parts of his game going well that night.

"The offspeed stuff was good," Tillman said. "Fastball was hit or miss. When I hit on it, I got the right result. When I missed, it got hit hard."

But again Tillman is convinced that his 2018 season will prove to not be a repeat of last year.

"Oh yeah. It's much different," he said. "I didn't have anything last year. I have quite a bit (now). Tonight didn't go as I planned or as we planned but going forward, I think, it's going to get better," he said.

Right-hander Sonny Gray gets the start this afternoon for the Yankees. Gray did not get a decision Sunday at Toronto. Over four innings he gave up seven hits and one run with eight strikeouts. It was only the second time in the last five years that a Yankee pitcher fanned eight or more but did not throw at least five innings.

New York acquired Gray in a trade with Oakland last July 31. In 11 regular-season starts after the deal he went 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA. In 16 career starts in April he is 10-3 with a 2.52 ERA. In six career starts against Baltimore he is 2-4 with a 5.28 ERA.

Gray was drafted in the first round in 2011 out of Vanderbilt University. Oakland selected him with the No. 18 pick. He was a 2015 AL All-Star and finished third in the Cy Young vote that same year as he went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA.

According to STATS, LLC., Manny Machado finished with four hits, two walks and two homers Friday night. The last player to do that in New York was Mickey Mantle on August 6, 1961. Álvarez hit the latest slam in franchise history and the latest ever against the Yankees.