O's game blog: Jimenez on the mound at Milwaukee

So that was not the start of a road trip that the Orioles wanted. Left-hander Wade Miley gave up seven runs over 1 2/3 innings as they fell behind big early in the game and lost 8-1 at Milwaukee on Monday.

In the last five games, O's pitchers have had a few ups and downs. In that stretch they've allowed zero, six, 10, one and eight runs.

As for Miley, this was his shortest non-injury start of the year and fourth game where he has pitched three innings or less. Three of those have come over his past six games.

Wade Miley in 2017:
First 11 starts: 2-3 with a 2.82 ERA, .241 average against, 4.8 walks/nine innings
Last six starts: 1-4 with an 11.69 ERA, .387 average against, 6.5 walks/nine innings

Miley gave up four runs in the first and three in the second as the Orioles fell behind 7-0 after two innings. The Orioles are 3-13 this season when allowing two or more runs in the opening inning.

O's starting pitchers have three quality starts the last 14 games and only five in the last 27. In that span, O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 8.05.

Worst rotation ERAs in the American League:
5.65 - Orioles
4.85 - Minnesota
4.78 - Detroit
4.69 - Oakland

This afternoon, O's right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (3-3, 6.48 ERA) pitches against right-hander Jimmy Nelson (6-4, 3.43 ERA).

Jiménez pitched eight scoreless innings on two hits on Thursday at Toronto in a 2-0 win. He needed just 27 pitches over the first three innings and threw 13 or less pitches in an inning six times in that game. The Blue Jays went 2-for-26 with two doubles against him and he threw first pitch strikes to 20 of 27 batters.

Jiménez said after that game that the quality of his pitches compared favorably to the night in April of 2010 when he pitched a no-hitter for Colorado against Atlanta.

Jiménez has thrown just three quality starts in 11 outings this year as a starter. But the Orioles are 7-4 (.636) in those games and that is the best winning percentage for any O's pitcher with more than one start.

Nelson has allowed two runs or less in four of his past seven starts, going 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in that span. He has recorded nine quality starts and the Brewers are 8-8 in his 16 starts. Nelson pitched to an ERA of 5.34 in April. But, over his past 11 starts since then, he is 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA. He has never faced the Orioles.