O's game blog: Gausman starts against Toronto, plus Mychal Givens notes

The Orioles are still looking for their first win of the year at Rogers Centre in Toronto. They are 0-4 there and 3-7 overall in 10 games against the Blue Jays.

Mike Wright's outing of 1 1/3 innings last night was the shortest by an O's starter this year. Five times in 2015 O's starters have pitched three or fewer innings. Once it was due to a rain delay, but the other four times were all against Toronto:

* 3 innings by Bud Norris, allowing eight runs April 10
* 2 2/3 by Chris Tillman allowing seven runs April 12
* 2 1/3 by Norris allowing nine runs April 21
* 1 1/3 by Wright last night allowing four runs

Last night was just the third time in the 16 games that the Orioles have allowed five or more runs. Over that stretch the Orioles have a team ERA of 2.83. The Orioles bullpen pitchers have worked to an ERA of just 0.85 over the last 16 games (five earned runs over 53 innings).

The Orioles did not hit a homer last night, but they have hit 11 in the last four games and 20 in the last nine.

The Orioles fell to 12-20 on the road with Friday's loss and they are 6-13 on the road since May 5. They are 7-11 in AL East road games.

Toronto (37-32) has won 14 of its last 16 games, outscoring the opposition 113-52. The Blue Jays run differential of plus-84 leads the majors.

Toronto is 23-12 at home and has won nine in a row at Rogers Centre, its longest home win streak since 1998. The Blue Jays can tie a team record with a 10-game home streak if they get a victory today. They did that in the 1985 season.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-0, 4.50 ERA) comes off the disabled list today to get the start and make his first big league appearance since May 6. Gausman is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in seven career games, including two starts versus Toronto.

Lefty Mark Buerhle (7-4, 4.01 ERA) gets the ball for Toronto. This year he is 3-0 with an ERA of 3.50 against the Orioles. In 27 career games, 25 starts, he is 11-10 with a 3.56 ERA.

Givens joins Orioles: What an exciting day this must be for 25-year-old right-hander Mychal Givens, who got called up from Double-A Bowie to join the team in Toronto.

Givens has gone 3-1 with 12 saves and a 1.60 ERA this year for the Baysox. He throws from a sidearm delivery with mid 90s and sometimes above heat, and that armslot with that velocity and sink can be very tough on right-handed batters, of which Toronto has a few.

Against right-handed hitters this year, Givens has allowed an average against of just .155 with 40 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. He has been developed this year as a multi-inning reliever pitching mostly two-inning outings.

For much more on the player the O's drafted as a shortstop in 2009 that joins the team today as a reliever, I wrote this profile just this past Monday. Turns out Givens was indeed on the fast track.

The Orioles today announced the signings of three more drafts picks: catcher Christopher Shaw (15), shortstop Branden Becker (17) and right-handed pitcher RHP Christian Turnipseed (28). That brings to 28 the number of players officially signed right now.