O's game blog: Chris Tillman on the mound in series opener

Last night the Orioles saw one struggling right-hander pitch a gem to lead them to a win in Toronto. Can it happen for them again tonight as they open a series in Baltimore?

Chris Tillman (1-5, 8.39 ERA) will make his 11th start of 2017, looking to jump-start a season that has been running in neutral for him. The Orioles host Tampa Bay in their final home series before the All-Star break.

Over his last four starts, Tillman has pitched to a 13.80 ERA and has given up five or more runs each time. In those games he has allowed 34 hits and 24 runs (23 earned) over 15 innings with six homers allowed, nine walks and 12 strikeouts.

Left-handed batters are hitting .388 off Tillman, with right-handed batters at .348, and he yields an average against of .302 when pitching with runners in scoring position.

Right-hander Jake Faria (3-0, 2.10 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay. This will be his fifth start. He gave up just one run in each of his first three before facing the Orioles last Saturday at Tropicana Field. He got a no-decision in that game. He pitched six innings, allowing five hits and three runs, and gave up homers to Welington Castillo and Adam Jones.

Lefty batters are hitting .259 off Faria in his four starts, and right-handed batters are hitting .191. Opponents have hit .231 against him when batting with RISP.

The Orioles took two of three at Toronto in a series in which they scored five runs total in three games, but also gave up just five. The Orioles did not homer in that series, going three consecutive games without one for the first time since April 8-11. The Orioles are now 9-20 in homerless games, but won two of them in the Toronto series.

Last night, Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez tossed eight scoreless innings in the 2-0 win at Toronto. In Jiménez's previous outing at Tampa Bay, he allowed nine runs over 2 1/3 innings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last Orioles pitcher to allow nine runs and throw at least eight shutout innings in consecutive outings was right-hander Jim Wilson in May of 1955, the club's second season in Baltimore. The last such two-game stretch in the majors was done by Jeff Samardzija for the White Sox, in September 2015.

The Orioles own the third-best home record in the American League and the fifth-best home record in the majors with a 24-14 (.632) mark. The New York Yankees have the best home record in the AL at 24-13 (.649).

The Orioles (39-39) can move into third place in the American League East with a win tonight, as they trail Tampa Bay (41-40) by a half-game as this series begins. The Orioles are 4-2 versus the Rays this season, and they are 25-18 in games against the AL East with a 14-7 mark at home in AL East games.