O's game blog: John Means on the mound in series opener

The Orioles' last win came eight days ago at home by a 10-6 score over the New York Yankees. Since that win - the team's 17th on the year - the Orioles have had games scoring six, seven, nine and five runs and lost them all.

Tonight they try and snap a six-game losing streak - which came via sweeps by Tampa Bay and Washington - as they open a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins. The clubs are tied with 17-29 records that bring up the bottom of the American League.

The Orioles send ace left-hander John Means (4-0, 1.70 ERA) to the mound for his ninth start. In his last outing Wednesday versus Tampa Bay, Means was charged with four runs over 6 1/3 innings, ending his run of five consecutive quality starts. Means has allowed 33 hits over 58 1/3 innings with 11 walks and 59 strikeouts.

Means is the AL leader in ERA (1.70), WHIP (0.75) and opponent batting average (.163). Since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913, he is the eighth pitcher in AL history to post a 1.70 ERA and 0.75 WHIP or better in his first nine starts of the season. The most recent was Justin Verlander in 2018. Means is one of two pitchers in the majors this season (along with the Yankees' Gerrit Cole) to have four scoreless starts of at least six innings.

Means is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.66 ERA in six road starts, allowing three earned runs over 40 2/3 innings with a WHIP of 0.615. His road ERA is the lowest in the majors and he has not allowed a run in four of his six road starts.

Opponents are batting .125 (2-for-16) against Means with runners in scoring position, and have gone hitless (0-for-6) with RISP and two outs against him. Eight of the 11 earned runs Means has allowed this season have come via the home run (six solo homers and one two-run shot). His .481 opponent OPS leads the AL and his .276 opponent slugging percentage ranks second.

Means' 90 in-zone swing and misses lead the majors. Opponents are batting .113 (8-for-71) off of his changeup with a 40.7 whiff percentage. Means' 86.4 mph average exit velocity is the seventh-lowest in the majors and his changeup is inducing a 80.2 mph average exit velocity.

O's pitching has allowed five runs or more in nine of the last 10 games, yielding 80 runs in that span. O's pitchers have allowed double digit hits in eight straight and 10 of the last 11 games.

Sunday's loss by 6-5 to the Nationals was the Orioles' fourth loss in a row in a game decided by one run. And, as the Orioles have gone 2-13 in the last 15 games, they are 0-6 in games decided by two runs or less in this stretch.

Minnesota completed its five-game road trip with a record of 3-2, going 1-1 in Anaheim and 2-1 in Cleveland. The Twins tonight begin a six-game, seven-day homestand with three against the Orioles, enjoy an off-day on Thursday, then host the Royals for three over the weekend. The Twins have gone 8-15 at home this season and 9-14 on the road. Minnesota has won three of four games, four of seven and five 10.

The Orioles have lost 12 in a row to the Twins since beating them on opening day in 2018. They have lost seven in a row at Minnesota.

Orioles minor league affiliates have combined for a 41-30 record (.578 winning percentage). The O's three lower levels, Double-A Bowie, High-A Aberdeen and Low-A Delmarva, are a combined 37-16 (.698) and are each in first place or tied for first place in their divisions.

Aberdeen's Grayson Rodriguez was named High-A East Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 17-23. Rodriguez went 1-0 in his lone start last week, working six innings, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out eight. Infielder Jordan Westburg of Low-A Delmarva was named the Low-A East Player of the Week. Westburg hit .526 (10-for-19) with two doubles, a home run, five runs scored and five RBIs in five games. He has recorded a multi-hit game in eight-straight games and is batting .400 (22-for-55) on the season.