O's game blog: It's Tillman against Buehrle in second game of series

Will tonight's game be high-scoring?

Chris Tillman (2-4, 6.25 ERA) pitches for the Orioles against Toronto's 36-year-old left-hander, Mark Buehrle (4-2, 6.00 ERA).

Tillman has an ERA of 18.00 this year against the Blue Jays, while Buehrle has allowed a batting average against this year of .371.

In two starts against the Blue Jays this season, Tillman has allowed seven runs over 2 2/3 innings and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 2.86 as Toronto has 12 hits in seven innings, including three homers.

So, yes, there is room for improvement for Tillman tonight. Last year, he gave up seven runs or more just twice in 34 starts and this year that has happened in two of two starts versus Toronto.

Tillman in 2015:
* Two starts against Toronto: ERA of 18.00, .375 average against.
* Four other starts: 2.92 ERA, .258 average against.

Buehrle is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two 2015 starts against the Orioles. But for the season, he has allowed 53 hits, including six homers, over 33 innings. In his last three starts, Buehrle has an ERA of 8.40 and has given up a batting average against of .429.

In last night's win, Ubaldo Jimenez set a season high with nine strikeouts. The combination of Jimenez, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton combined to record an Orioles season high with 13 strikeouts. O's pitchers have fanned 28 over the last three games.

Manny Machado has now reached base safely in 17 consecutive games, the second-longest streak of his career and two games shy of his career high of 19 games, from June 22-July 20, 2014.

Machado led off the bottom of the first with a home run on Monday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 22-year-old third baseman is the youngest player in the majors to lead off a game with a homer this season. Since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954, only one other Orioles player hit a leadoff homer at 22 or younger. Paul Blair had two leadoff homers as a 21-year-old rookie in 1965.