O's game blog: Corbin Burnes gets the series-opener versus Oakland

After winning two of three in each stop of their road trip (Kansas City and Anaheim, Calif.), the Orioles host Oakland tonight to begin a seven-game homestand.

When Oakland beat the Yankees yesterday 3-1 to split that four-game series, the Orioles and Yankees moved into a tie for first in the American League East with the O’s technically leading the division by percentage points, .667 to .654.

The Orioles, who have won four of five, eight of 10 and 11 of their past 15 games, have the second-best record in the AL behind Cleveland (18-7, .720).

The Orioles’ plus-29 run differential ranks third in the AL behind Cleveland (plus 49) and Kansas City (plus 39).

The Orioles are 8-4 at home and have won three straight series.

In scoring 5.67 runs per game, the O’s rank first in the AL and third in the majors. They are batting .260 as a team to tie for first in the AL and are first in slugging (.459) and OPS (.780). Their team ERA of 4.00 ranks eighth in the league. The AL average slugging percentage so far is .378, and the average OPS is .685. The league average ERA is 4.22.

Oakland (10-16) ranks 14^th in the AL in team batting average (.201) and OPS (.616). Oakland averages just 2.85 runs per game, and that ranks 14^th. In all three stats they are ahead of only the Chicago White Sox.

Oakland has scored three runs or fewer for seven straight games, with 18 total runs in that span. They have scored three runs or fewer 17 times, going 4-13.

The Athletics are 6-7 on the road and 2-5 versus the AL East. Overall, they have lost five of seven and seven of their past 10 games.

A few O’s hot hitters lately:

* Gunnar Henderson is batting .450 (18-for-40) his last 10 games, with two doubles, a triple, five homers and 11 RBIs. He has homered in his last two games and has a 1.436 OPS these past 10 games. In Anaheim he went 6-for-11 with a double, a triple, two homers and five RBIs.

* Jordan Westburg, who is fifth in the AL today in OPS at .941, is batting .395 (17-for-43) with a 1.132 OPS his past 11 games. In that span he has two doubles, a triple, three homers and 10 RBIs.

* Ryan Mountcastle is batting .375 (9-for-24) his last seven games.

* Adley Rutschman went 7-for-14 in three games in Anaheim, collecting a double and three RBIs. Over his last 11 games he is batting .380 (19-for-50) with a double, two homers, nine RBIs and a .924 OPS of.

The Orioles are batting .195/.249/.353 (84-for-431) in two-strike counts, and that batting average ranks sixth in the majors. Entering today's games, they lead big leagues in slugging, OPS (.602), and extra-base hits (37) with two strikes, and are second in home runs (14).

Westburg has hit .341/.400/.683 (14-for-41) in two-strike counts, with three doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He leads the majors in two-strike average, slugging percentage, and OPS (1.083), and ranks tied for second in two-strike extra-base hits (7), trailing Henderson (8).

The O's and A's are meeting for the first of two regular-season series, with this weekend's three-game set in Baltimore. The Orioles will travel to Oakland for a three-game set from July 5-7. The Birds went 6-1 against the Athletics last year, taking three out of four in Baltimore from April 10-13 before completing a three-game sweep in Oakland from Aug. 18-20.

Right-hander Corbin Burnes (3-0, 2.76 ERA) will make his sixth start tonight. The Orioles are 5-0 in the first five. But Burnes has pitched six innings or more just twice so far. In three home starts he is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

Burnes has a 0.920 WHIP, allowing opponents a .202 batting average and .585 OPS. He has never faced Oakland in his career. Tonight he is looking for his 49th career win.

Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (0-5, 5.34 ERA) has allowed five, one, six, three and three runs in his starts in 2024. Over 28 2/3 innings he has allowed 37 hits with a 1.570 WHIP. In two road starts, he is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA.