O's game blog: Kevin Gausman starts series opener with Houston

The Orioles' outstanding home record has taken a hit recently. Heading into tonight's game with Houston, they have lost three in a row and five of their last seven at Camden Yards.

But overall, the club's 39-19 home record still produces a .672 winning percentage. And the Orioles still have won eight of their last 13 and 22 of the last 31 at Oriole Park.

Tonight, the Orioles (66-53) begin a four-game series against Houston (61-59). The Astros have lost four in a row, scoring 11 runs, and are 7-15 in their past 22 games. Houston got off to a very poor start and was 17-28 on May 23. Since that date, the Astros are 44-31.

Houston began to dig out of a hole - they were 11 games under .500 on May 24 - the night they began a three-game series with the Orioles at Minute Maid Park. They would sweep the O's by scores of 3-2 in 13 innings, 4-3 and 4-2.

The Orioles struck out a major league record 52 times in that three-game series with games of 19, 18 and 15 strikeouts. The Astros became the first team since 1913 to strike out at least 15 in three consecutive games. Adam Jones had this interesting take when that series was over.

Both these teams do strike out a lot, and Houston actually whiffs more times than the Orioles. Houston ranks first in the American League with 1,098 strikeouts, while the Orioles are fifth at 983. Baltimore leads the league with 177 homers, while Houston is 10th with 144.

Houston second baseman Jose Altuve leads the AL in batting average (.364), hits (171) and in OBP (.428), while ranking second in total bases (269), OPS (1.000), WAR (7.0) and slugging (.572), third in steals (26) and tied for fifth in runs (86). The last player to lead the AL at the conclusion of a season in average, hits and OBP was Wade Boggs in 1985.

On the mound tonight, Kevin Gausman (3-10, 4.04 ERA) faces rookie right-hander Joe Musgrove (1-0, 1.47 ERA).

On Saturday at San Francisco, Gausman gave up two runs over four innings. But he left after six walks and nine strikeouts, throwing 97 pitches. He has allowed two or fewer earned run in five of his past six starts, going 2-3 with a 3.74 ERA. In eight home starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA.

The 23-year-old Musgrove was ranked as the No. 83 prospect at the end of the 2015 season by Baseball America. On the farm last season, he went 12-1 with a 1.88 ERA at three levels and was Houston's minor league Pitcher of the Year. This season, he was 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A when he was called to the majors Aug. 1.

In three games and two starts in the big leagues, he has pitched 18 1/3 innings, allowing 12 hits and three earned runs with two walks and 21 strikeouts. He got the win Friday at Toronto when he allowed six hits and two runs over seven innings versus the Blue Jays.

Here is an except of the Baseball America scouting report on Musgrove:

"Finally healthy, Musgrove broke out in 2015, dominating three levels. He has plus command/control already- at one point he had a 66-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He owns the inner half of the plate with boring life on his 90-93 mph fastball that reaches 95 whenever he needs it. Musgrove's fastball is a plus pitch thanks to its movement and his command. His 80-85 mph slider is an average offering but it also plays up because he can spot it so well--he'll backdoor it, make it a chase pitch and generally make hitters defend both sides of the plate at all times. His 80-85 mph changeup is an average offering as well. With his combination of stuff and command he could eventually be a No. 3 starter and he could reach Houston in 2016."