O's game blog: Doubleheader day in Chicago

The Orioles have two chances today to snap the 17th losing streak of 10 or more games in club history. After last night's rainout, the O's and Chicago White Sox play a straight doubleheader this afternoon.

It's the third doubleheader of the season for the Orioles. The first two both came in what was originally scheduled to be a series of four games in four days at home in April versus Seattle. But it ended up being played as two doubleheaders. On April 13, the Orioles lost Game 1 4-3 in eight innings and won the nightcap 7-6. Two days later, they got swept by the Mariners by 4-2 and 2-1 scores.

The Orioles (17-33) have lost 10 in a row, 14 of 15 and 17 of 19 games. They have also lost nine in a row on the road to fall to 11-15 away from Oriole Park. The last time the O's lost 11 straight games was from Sept. 17-30, 2009, when they lost 13 in a row.

Chicago (29-20) has been in first place in the American League Central for 24 of the last 25 days and the Sox are looking to move a season-high tying 10 games over .500. Chicago is 8-3 in its last 11 home games and has not lost consecutive games at home this season. White Sox starters own a 2.09 ERA, a .172 opponent average, .499 OPS, 63 strikeouts and have allowed three home runs in their last eight games.

White Sox starting pitchers rank first in AL in ERA (2.87), average against (.200), slugging (.315) and OPS (.591), and second in OBP. Their rotation has allowed two runs or less in 33 of 49 games, including 11 scoreless outings.

Right-hander Matt Harvey (3-5, 6.31 ERA) will make his 11th start for the Orioles in the opener. The Orioles are 4-6 in his starts, losing the last four.

After seven starts this year, Harvey had an ERA of 3.60 and opponents hit .250 with an OPS of .693 against him. But he is 0-3 with a 15.19 ERA and with batters hitting .444 with an OPS of 1.206 against him in his last three. In that span, he has thrown 10 2/3 innings, giving up 24 hits and 18 earned runs with three homers allowed.

In the second game, the O's send ace lefty John Means (4-0, 1.79 ERA) to the mound. Means has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his 10 starts, has seven quality starts and has thrown seven or more innings five times. The O's are 5-5 in his starts but have lost the last three. Means is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.94 in seven road starts.

He is the first Baltimore starting pitcher to go 10 starts into a season without taking a loss since Dave McNally in 1969.

Lefty Dallas Keuchel (3-1, 4.28 ERA), the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner with Houston, gets the Game 1 start for Chicago. Keuchel has allowed 53 hits over 54 2/3 innings with five homers, 17 walks and 28 strikeouts. He has a 1.280 WHIP with 8.7 hits per nine, a 2.8 walk rate and 4.6 strikeouts per nine.

The White Sox are 6-4 when Keuchel starts and he has allowed two earned runs or less four times with three quality starts. Lefty batters have hit .313 off him with an OPS of .824 and right-handers hit .238/.659.

In the second game, righty Lance Lynn (5-1, 1.51 ERA) starts for Chicago. Over his past four starts, Lynn is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA and .133 average against. He has allowed two earned runs or less in seven of his eight starts. Lynn finished fifth in the 2019 AL Cy Young Award voting and was sixth last year.

American League ERA leaders:

1.78 - Gerrit Cole, New York
1.79 - John Means, Orioles
2.24 - Kyle Gibson, Texas
2.57 - Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay
2.62 - Hyun Jin Ryu, Toronto

There will be one game blog today for both games. So stay here between games and into Game 2.