O's game blog: Kevin Gausman looks for 12th win against Boston

After just their third extra-inning loss of the year in 12 games last night, the Orioles host Boston again tonight. It's the second game of a three-game series and seven-game homestand.

The Orioles are 73-78 with 11 games to play, meaning they need to go 8-3 or better to post a .500 or better finish. They are 5-13 since the end of a seven-game winning streak. The Orioles are 44-31 at home, 35-32 against American League East opponents and 10-7 versus the Red Sox.

The Orioles offense has scored 14 runs in the past two games after scoring two runs or less in seven of their previous 10 games.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (11-10, 4.83 ERA) tonight makes his 32nd start. Last Wednesday at Rogers Centre, he got the win over Toronto, allowing six hits and one run over seven innings and 106 pitches. That was a nice bounceback outing after Gausman had allowed five runs in three innings his previous game against the Yankees.

Over his past 11 starts, he is 6-3 with a 2.53 ERA and eight quality starts. He has yielded 19 earned runs over 67 2/3 in that stretch, giving up two runs or fewer eight times. In 16 home starts, Gausman is 4-5 with a 5.03 ERA.

In three starts in 2017 versus Boston, he is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA. In his career, Gausman has made 17 appearances (12 starts) against the Red Sox and is 4-6 with a 4.25 ERA.

Lefty Drew Pomeranz (16-5, 3.28 ERA) will make his 30th start for Boston. In 12 second-half starts, he is 7-1 with a 2.86 ERA and .236 average against. The Red Sox are 9-3 in those games. Pomeranz had an ERA of 5.29 after his first seven starts of this season. But in 22 starts since, is 13-2 with a 2.73 ERA.

Left-handed batters are hitting .295 off him and right-handers bat .236. Pomeranz has permitted an average of just .195 when pitching with runners in scoring position and AL hitters are 0-for-10 against him with the bases loaded.

Pomeranz is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts for the season against Baltimore. In seven career games (four starts) he is 2-3 with a 4.24 ERA.

Boston's Andrew Benintendi now has four game-winning RBIs in extra innings after his two-run single in the top of the 11th last night. The only other player with as many or more this season is the Orioles' Mark Trumbo with five.

In Baseball America's "2017 Major League Best Tools," the Orioles had multiple selections by major league managers among the top three AL players in a variety of categories. Manny Machado was selected as the best defensive third baseman in the AL, as well as having the best infield arm. Lefty Wade Miley was ranked as having the second-best pickoff move in the league.

Two minor leaguers were also selected by minor league managers and coaches among the "2017 Minor League Best Tools" published by Baseball America: Outfielder Austin Hays as the best batting prospect in the Carolina League and left-hander Alex Wells as having the best control in the South Atlantic League.

After this series, the next time the Red Sox visit Oriole Park will be from June 11-13, 2018. Each of the teams' first seven games next year is at Fenway Park. They will play series there April 13-16 and May 18-20.