O's game blog: Gausman faces Oakland, plus home run notes

After seeing Orioles who were drafted in the first round in Manny Machado (2010) and Dylan Bundy (2011) lead the team to a win Sunday in Chicago, can 2012 first-round pick right-hander Kevin Gausman pitch the Orioles to victory tonight?

Gausman (3-8, 4.08 ERA) has recorded five quality starts in his last seven outings, going 3-3 with a 3.61 ERA. He's allowed two earned runs or fewer four times. Take away the outing where he gave up six runs in three innings on July 29 at Toronto and his ERA is 2.52 in this stretch.

Gausman is out to end a long streak tonight. He has not recorded a win in his past 23 road starts, dating back to a win at Cleveland on Aug. 17, 2014. This season, Gausman is 0-7 with an ERA of 5.62 in 11 road starts. In those games, he has given up 14 homers in 57 2/3 innings. In 32 career road starts, he is 3-18 with an ERA of 5.65.

Gausman is coming off a strong outing on Wednesday at home against Texas. He went seven or more innings for the third time in seven starts, allowing seven hits and two runs. He threw 108 pitches as he picked up his third victory.

Oakland is starting 25-year-old right-hander Kendall Graveman (7-7, 4.46 ERA), who is making his 22nd start of the season. Graveman went 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA in five July starts. But in his last outing on Wednesday versus the Angels, he gave up six runs and nine hits over four innings.

Graveman is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in five career games against Baltimore. When he started at Camden Yards on May 8, the Orioles bashed four homers off him and he allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings. He gave up homers to Machado, Pedro Alvarez, Jonathan Schoop and Mark Trumbo, and that was his shortest outing of the year. But Graveman is 3-3 with a 2.92 ERA in eight home starts, allowing just three homers in 52 1/3 innings.

Speaking of home runs, the Orioles hit five in Sunday's 10-2 win at Chicago with four coming in the first two innings, three by Machado.

That was the fifth time this season the Orioles hit five or more homers in a game. The season high is seven home runs on June 2 versus Boston. The Orioles have homered 10 times in the last four games and 14 in their past six contests.

The Orioles have hit 168 homers in 110 games. They are on a pace to hit 247 this year. That would be the sixth-most ever by one team and second-most by an Orioles team. The 1996 Orioles hit 257, tied for third-most all-time behind the 2005 Texas Rangers (260) and the 1997 Seattle Mariners (264).

MLB team home run leaders:
168 - Orioles
159 - Blue Jays
156 - Mariners
149 - Cardinals
147 - Nationals

The Orioles (63-47) have won five of their last seven games and are 2-1 on this 10-game road trip. Oakland (48-63) has lost eight of its last nine games, falling a season-high 15 games under the .500 mark.

Shorebird honored: Single-A Delmarva outfielder Randolph Gassaway has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the period ending yesterday.

Gassaway went 13-for-27 with four doubles, two home runs, four runs scored and four RBIs in seven games. He finished the week with a slash line of .481/.500/.852 and is batting .343 in 29 games with Delmarva.

This is the first career honor for Gassaway in the South Atlantic League. He is the fifth Shorebirds player to be recognized by the league office this season, joining Yermin Mercedes (twice), Ryan Mountcastle, Cristian Alvarado and Ofelky Peralta.