O's game blog: Gausman starts against Tampa Bay in Game 1

The Orioles resume playing American League East games today hosting Tampa Bay for a four-game series that starts with a day-night doubleheader. This should come as good news to an Orioles team that has not lost an AL East series since April 11-13. The Orioles have won six games and split two four-game series in the division since then, going 17-8 for a .680 win percentage. The Orioles will play 10 AL East games between now and the All-Star break and they've lost just two of 11 series in the division, going 7-2-2. The Orioles went 6-13 against Tampa Bay last year but are 7-1 versus the Rays in 2014. They have outscored Tampa Bay 35-18 in the season series and have a team ERA of 2.28 against Tampa Bay. The Rays' 3-4-5 hitters for Game 1 today - Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria and James Loney - are batting a combined .188 (16-for-85) against Orioles pitchers this year, with one homer and seven RBIs. Kevin Gausman (3-1, 2.74 ERA) gets the start this afternoon against Rays 25-year-old right-hander Alex Colome (0-0, 4.50). Colome is making his second big league start of the season and the fourth of his career. He is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 20 career big league innings. Gausman has won each of his last three starts against the Jays, A's and Rays. He is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.95 in that stretch. Over 19 innings, he's allowed 14 hits and two runs with five walks and 14 strikeouts. Gausman's last O's start was June 18 in St. Petersburg against Tampa Bay. He pitched out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the first inning and pitched six scoreless innings that day. He walked one and fanned five, throwing 111 pitches. The Orioles lead the majors in homers this month with 35, and lead the majors in double plays turned for the season with 95, which is 10 more than second place San Francisco. Over the last three games, the Orioles have scored three runs in innings one through seven and 10 from the eighth inning on. They've scored in the eighth or ninth inning in eight of their last nine games.