O's game blog: Erasmo Ramirez has a 1.29 ERA his last nine starts

As the Orioles look to get their offense going tonight, they'll try to do so against the pitcher than leads the American League in ERA since April 29. Tampa Bay right-hander Erasmo Ramirez (8-3, 3.54 ERA) gets the starts for the Rays. He's made 21 appearances, 14 as a starter.

Since he joined the Rays rotation for good on May 14, his eight wins are tied for the major league lead with Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole, Houston's Dallas Keuchel and Detroit's Anibal Sanchez. Since June 20, the Rays are 4-1 in his starts and 5-18 in all other games.

AL ERA leaders since April 29:
2.06 - Erasmo Ramirez, Tampa Bay
2.23 - Hector Santiago, Los Angeles
2.32 - Dallas Keuchel, Houston

Ramirez is on such a roll that he has allowed one earned run or less in eight of his last nine starts. He is 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA in that stretch, lowering his ERA from 6.62 to 3.54. Lefty batters are hitting just .189 off him and right-handed batters are hitting .250. The Rays are 11-3 in his starts in 2015.

Ramirez has a changeup that has been an excellent pitch and he allows an average of just .120 in at-bats ending in a changeup. He pitched seven scoreless innings allowing just three hits against the Orioles on May 30. In four career games versus Baltimore, he is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA.

Miguel Gonzalez (8-6, 4.21) will pitch for the Orioles tonight, making his 18th start. Gonzalez has pitched six innings or more just once over his last six starts.

Gonzalez ERA by month:
3.42 - April
3.52 - May
5.75 - June
5.06 - July

In five starts since coming off the disabled list, he is 3-2 with a 6.75 ERA. But Gonzalez has pitched very well this year versus the Rays, going 1-1 with 0.84 ERA in three starts.

During a four-game losing streak, the Orioles have scored just nine runs on 22 hits with a .175 batting average. They are 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position in that time.

The Orioles have committed the fewest number of errors in the majors with 39. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the next-closest team with 41 and the nearest AL teams are the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros at 48. The Orioles lead the AL and are tied with the Dodgers in the majors with a .988 team fielding percentage.

In the minors today, Single-A Delmarva has activated 18-year-old third baseman Jomar Reyes off the DL. Double-A Bowie placed pitcher Marcel Prado on the DL and added pitcher Pat McCoy from Triple-A Norfolk.