O's game blog: Looking for a sweep at Rogers Centre

TORONTO – The Orioles six-game AL East road trip is off to a great start. They have posted 6-2 and 6-5 wins in 10 innings at Toronto and they can sweep this series this afternoon at Rogers Centre.

In the 2018 season, the Orioles went 0-10 at Rogers Centre and that was not even against a winning Toronto team. While the Orioles went 47-115 that year, Toronto was 73-89.

This has just been a tough place for the Orioles to win over the years and today Baltimore (30-16) begins to play five games ahead of Toronto (25-21) in the standings.

The O’s win Saturday was another comeback win as Ryan O’Hearn’s three-run homer in the eighth tied the game at 5-5 and Félix Bautista fanned five over the last two innings to get the win. Baltimore starter Grayson Rodriguez allowed two runs and four hits over five innings. And O’s starters have allowed nine hits and three runs in 12 innings this series. The O’s offense has scored 12 runs, hitting five homers this weekend.

The Orioles did not pick up their 30^th win until Game 68 last year on June 19 when the club was 30-38.

Baltimore has won four of five, eight of 11, 13 of 20 and 21 of the last 30 games. They have wrapped up another series win after Saturday’s victory and are 11-3-1 in 15 series, going 6-2 in road series.

The Orioles got homers from Cedric Mullins and O’Hearn yesterday and have hit seven home runs the last three games, 13 in the previous six and 15 in their past eight games.

The Orioles are 8-6 in AL East games, going 6-2 in their past eight. Toronto is 5-11 in division games, going 1-9 in the last 10 with records in that span of 0-4 vs. Boston, 1-3 against the Yankees and 0-2 against the Orioles.

Right-hander Dean Kremer (5-1, 4.94 ERA) gets today’s start, his 10^th of the season. Over 47 1/3 innings he has allowed 54 hits with 13 walks and 36 strikeouts. He has a 1.415 WHIP, a 2.5 walk rate, and a 6.8 strikeout rate and the Orioles are 6-3 in his games.

Kremer gave up 11 homers in 125 1/3 innings in 2022 for a 0.8 home run rate, which is 1.5 this season with eight homers allowed on the year.

Kremer has won his past three starts, going 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA, allowing four runs in 17 2/3 innings. In that span, he allowed a .242 average and .589 OPS. Over his past six starts, Kremer is 5-1 with a 3.34 ERA.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.27 ERA) will make his 10th start for the home team. The Orioles' first-round draft pick in 2012, Gausman was selected No. 4 overall out of LSU. He went 39-51 with a 4.22 ERA in 150 O's games until his trade to Atlanta on July 31, 2018.

Gausman allowed two earned runs in seven innings Tuesday against the Yankees and that was his seventh quality start of the year. He has a 2.05 ERA in three home starts and has allowed seven earned runs in nine innings in two career outings against his former team.