O's game blog: Looking for a win in the series finale

The Orioles have lost by scores of 9-1 and 4-0 in Boston and they'll need a win today to avoid a three-game sweep. In this series the Baltimore offense has produced just one run on 10 hits, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles (39-84) have lost six in a row and 11 of the past 12 games. They have gone 1-11 in this stretch against the Yankees, Astros, Yankees and Red Sox. They have scored four runs or less 72 times on the year, going 8-64. The Orioles have scored two runs or less five times in the past 10 games.

Baltimore starting pitchers have just two quality starts over the past 20 game with a rotation ERA of 8.41 in this span.

Boston (66-59) has won four in a row and seven of 11 games. They are 18-1 in their last 19 games when getting a quality start, as they did last night from Eduardo Rodriguez and Friday from Rick Porcello. Boston has made just four errors over the past 18 games.

Left-hander Ty Blach (1-0, 5.77 ERA) gets the start today for the Orioles. He was acquired by the team off waivers from San Francisco on Aug. 3. He made his O's debut starting Game 2 of last Monday's doubleheader at New York. Over four innings he gave up seven hits and seven runs (six earned) with three walks and four strikeouts.

In three MLB games this year - counting two relief games with San Francisco - he is 0-1 with an ERA of 13.94. He throws his four-seam fastball 55 percent of the time with an average velocity of 90.5 mph. He throws his changeup 24 percent at 80 mph, using his curve 14 percent and slider seven percent.

From 2016 until the Orioles added him, he went 15-19 with an ERA of 4.56 for the Giants with a WHIP of 1.397 in 87 games, making 39 starts.

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 5.77 ERA) today will make his 16th appearance of the year and his fifth start for Boston. Eovaldi went on the 10-day injured list April 20 with right elbow issues and had a surgical procedure to remove loose bodies. He returned to pitch July 20 but only out of the bullpen since then.

For the year he's thrown 34 1/3 innings allowing 38 hits with 15 walks and 34 strikeouts. He has a WHIP of 1.544 and allows 1.8 homers per every nine innings with 3.9 walks and 8.9 strikeouts. The Red Sox are 3-1 in his starts, the last of which came April 17 at Yankee Stadium when he gave up one unearned run and three hits over six innings.

He has pitched out of the bullpen since late July. Over his last eight games he's pitched to an ERA of 2.53. Over 10 2/3 he has allowed eight hits with four walks, 13 strikeouts and a .205 batting average against.

Eovaldi, who will probably be held to around 60 pitches today, has made seven career starts against the Orioles, going 3-0 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.673 WHIP.

The Orioles have gone 5-14 on Sunday's this season and 1-8 on Sunday's on the road. Their lone Sunday road win came in the first series of the year, on March 31 at New York. They have won each of their last two Sunday games, both of which came at home against Toronto and Houston. The O's are looking to avoid their first winless road trip of the season. They had four winless road trips in 2018.