O's game blog: Looking for another win at Seattle

The Orioles' six-game road trip continues tonight as the Orioles (54-31) play at Seattle (47-40) in a matchup of American League division leaders. If the O's get another win there, they will have a series victory. 

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and three relievers teamed on a two-hit shutout as the Orioles won 2-0 in last night's series opener. Rodriguez went 6 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and four walks while recording eight strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches, three off his season high, and improved to 10-3 with a 3.45 ERA.

In two starts this year versus Seattle he has thrown 12 1/3 scoreless, allowing just three hits for an .079 average against with seven walks to 15 strikeouts.

Rodriguez produced his eighth quality start of the season and the Orioles are 11-4 in his 15 starts.

He is the third O's pitcher 24 or younger to have 10 wins in his first 15 starts of a season:

* Wally Bunker, 10 wins, age 19, 1964.
* Jim Palmer, 10 wins, age 23, 1969.
* Rodriguez, 10 wins, age 24, 2024.

The Orioles pitched their seventh shutout of the season last night. They had four in the season's first 32 games and now have three in the last 23.

Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and Texas have eight shutouts to tie for the AL lead while the Orioles and Yankees come next with seven each.

The Orioles' team ERA is now 3.40, which ranks first in the AL and third-best in the major leagues. Seattle is not far behind at 3.56, ranking third in the league and sixth in the majors. The Birds' rotation ERA is 3.32, and that is first in the AL and second in the majors. Baltimore's bullpen ERA of 3.53 is third in the AL and ninth in the big leagues. O's starting pitchers have allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of their past six games.

Because of the solid pitching the Orioles improved to 4-8 when they score exactly two runs this season. They have actually won two such games in the past four days, beating Texas 2-1 on Saturday and Seattle 2-0 last night.

The Orioles have now followed their five-game losing streak with a 5-1 run of winning. They began today's play leading the AL East by one game over the Yankees.

The O's two-hitter Tuesday was their fifth of this season and first since June 8 at Tampa Bay. They have one one-hitter, on May 26 against the White Sox in Chicago.

Seattle has now lost three in a row, six of eight and nine of its past 12 games. The Orioles are 3-1 this season versus Seattle, allowing just nine runs in the four games for a team ERA of 2.00 in those games, with a .202 batting average against and an OPS against of .579. They've yielded just one home run to the Mariners so far this year.

Right-hander Dean Kremer (3-4, 4.32 ERA) returns to the active roster tonight and will make his first O's start since May 20 at St. Louis, when he gave up five runs over four innings. He has been out with a right triceps strain.

He has made nine starts for the season. Over 50 innings he's allowed 33 hits, 18 walks and 1.120 WHIP while getting 49 strikeouts. In five road starts, he is 2-2 with a 3.21 ERA.

Kremer made three Triple-A rehab starts, allowing four runs once and five runs twice. He gave up 14 runs (11 earned) on 15 hits in 8 2/3 innings. In his second game he got just two outs at Lehigh Valley. He threw 59 pitches his first game, 39 his second and 75 in his most recent game last Thursday.

Righty Logan Gilbert (5-4, 2.72 ERA) is the latest Seattle starter having a good year that the O's face this season. The 2018 first-round pick out of Stetson University has thrown 112 1/3 innings and allowed 0.881 WHIP, a .195 batting average and .575 OPS.

Gilbert allowed two earned runs or fewer four times in five June starts, going 2-1 with a 1.51 ERA.

He ranks first in the AL in WHIP, second in the AL in innings, third in opponent OPS, sixth in ERA and eighth in walks per nine innings at 1.7. In one career start versus the Orioles he is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA.