O's game blog: Harvey against Smyly at Camden Yards

The latest shot to end a long losing streak is tonight for the Orioles. They host the Atlanta Braves in the second game of a three-game series and it's part of the larger nine-game homestand that runs through next weekend.

Lefty Max Fried threw a gem as Atlanta blanked the Orioles 3-0 on Friday night. He allowed just four hits - three singles and a double - and no Oriole advanced past second base. Fried improved to 11-7 with an ERA of 3.49, throwing 90 pitches, 66 for strikes. Over his last four starts, he is 4-0 with an ERA of 0.67, allowing two earned runs in 27 innings with two walks and 23 strikeouts.

The win marked his first career shutout and he is the first Brave to throw a shutout since Mike Foltynewicz on June 1, 2018 versus Washington. Fried recorded his 12th quality start of the season, two shy of his career high 14 in 2019. Fried's 35 wins, dating to 2019, are the second-most in the majors during that span.

The Orioles were shut out for the eighth time and have scored just 13 runs the last eight games and 23 in their past 11.

Baltimore's Ryan Mountcastle extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the first inning. He began Friday tied for longest hitting streak in the majors. This is the longest hitting streak by an O's rookie since Trey Mancini hit safely in 17 straight games in 2017. Mountcastle is hitting .409 (18-for-44) during this stretch, which began July 28.

Jorge Mateo extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a single in the fourth inning and the hit had an expected batting average of .090. He's hit safely in 13 of his 14 games since joining the Orioles, batting .340/.352/.491. His 18 hits in his first 14 games with the O's are the most by an Oriole in his first 14 games with the club since Tim Beckham recorded 29 hits in that span in 2017. Mateo is the 27th player in club history to record at least 18 hits in his first 14 games with the franchise.

On the mound tonight, right-hander Matt Harvey (6-12, 6.25 ERA) will make his 25th start. In his first three after the All-Star Game, he threw 18 1/3 scoreless innings on 10 hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts, and opponents hit .156 with a .369 OPS. In his last three starts, he is 0-2 with an ERA of 6.59, allowing 10 runs and 16 hits in 13 2/3 innings. Opponents have hit .286 with a .937 OPS in those three games.

Harvey allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings in his last game versus Tampa Bay. The Orioles are 10-14 in his starts. For the season, he has a WHIP of 1.546, allowing 11.2 hits and 1.3 homers per nine innings with 2.8 walks and 7.0 strikeouts.

Lefty Drew Smyly (8-3, 4.50 ERA) has made 21 starts for Atlanta. He has thrown 106 innings for the season, allowing 108 hits, including 20 home runs, with 38 walks and 96 strikeouts. He has a WHIP of 1.377 with a 3.2 walk rate and 8.2 strikeout rate.

The Braves are 13-8 when he pitches this year, winning his last five starts, during which he has allowed 11 runs over 22 innings. In 13 road starts, he is 5-2 with a 4.52 ERA and 1.539 WHIP.

The Orioles (38-83) have been outscored 141-42 during their 16-game losing streak, the second-longest in club history. The O's are the first team in the American League to lose 16 straight since the Seattle Mariners lost 17 in a row in 2011. Earlier this year, from June 2-20, the Arizona Diamondbacks lost 17 straight.

Atlanta (66-56) has won seven in a row and 14 of its last 16 games. Playing .541 ball, Atlanta has the worst record of any of the six division leaders in the majors, but they do top the National League East by four games over Philadelphia and six over the New York Mets.

With their win Friday, the Braves extended their road winning streak to 11 straight games, tying their modern-era franchise record set in 1956. The last major league team to win 11 straight road games was the Houston Astros from June 7-28, 2018. Atlanta's seven-game win streak is its longest since winning nine in a row from Aug. 27-Sept. 7, 2019. Braves batters combined for two or more home runs for the 52nd time this season and are 38-14 when doing that.