O's game blog: Looking to win the series at Arizona

PHOENIX - The Orioles have played four regular season series in Arizona and lost all four to the Diamondbacks. They lost series there in 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2019.

But after winning 7-3 Saturday night at Chase Field, the O's can take this series with a win this afternoon against Arizona (70-66).

The D-backs, who won 4-2 on Friday night, have won five of their last six series, and are 11-6 their past 17 games and 13-7 in the last 20. They are 36-33 at home and 18-18 versus American League clubs.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish, pitching for the first time in his home state as a big leaguer, got the win last night for the Orioles, allowing two runs and four hits over six innings on a career-high 107 pitches. 

He has allowed two earned runs or fewer for five consecutive starts, recording a 1.88 ERA in that span. In 14 games since mid-June he has gone 8-4 with a 2.28 ERA.

The Orioles scored six runs in the top of the fourth in the win and had a season-high seven straight hits that inning. Cedric Mullins hit a three-run homer, his 13th this season, while Adam Frazier and James McCann added RBI doubles and Adley Rutschman hit an RBI single.

The Orioles have scored 88 runs over the last 14 games.

With the victory, the Orioles (84-51) have already exceeded the win total of the surprising 2022 club, which finished at 83-79. Baltimore leads the AL East by 2 1/2 games over Tampa Bay with 27 games to go.

Righty Jack Flaherty (8-8, 4.73 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles today. In four stars with the Birds, he is 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA. In 19 2/3 innings, he has allowed 21 hits and three homers with nine walks to 22 strikeouts.

He threw a gem – allowing one run over six innings Aug. 3 – in his Baltimore debut. Since then, he has given up three runs in five innings versus Houston, seven runs in three at San Diego and three runs over 5 2/3 innings against Colorado.

Righty Zac Gallen (14-6, 3.32 ERA) will make his 29th start for Arizona, and they are 16-12 in his first 28. In his most recent start Monday at Los Angeles, he gave up nine hits and six runs over 5 1/3 against the Dodgers. But in the four games before that his ERA was 1.42.

Gallen was a 2023 All-Star who finished ninth in the Cy Young Award voting in the shortened 2020 season and was fifth last year, when he went 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA.

Gallen ranks tied for third in the National League in wins, third in innings (173.1), fourth in WHIP (1.096), fifth in walks per nine (1.9) and sixth in ERA.

Gallen, who has never faced the Orioles, is 11-1 with a 1.79 ERA in 13 home starts at Chase Field.