O's game blog: Matt Harvey faces the Tigers at Oriole Park

The Orioles' homestand continues at Camden Yards tonight, and they are looking for their first win during a homestand where they have gone 0-3 versus Tampa Bay and 0-1 against Detroit. O's pitchers have allowed 40 runs in the four games.

Overall the Orioles (38-73) have lost six in a row, allowing nine runs or more in each of those games. Last night they became the first team to allow nine or more in six in a row since Kansas City in 2002. The major league record for this is seven games in a row, set first by the 1901 New York Giants and equaled by the 2000 Seattle Mariners.

Right-hander Matt Harvey (6-10, 6.13 ERA) will try to make sure the Orioles don't join those clubs when he faces the Tigers tonight. He is pitching on six days' rest since his last outing Aug. 4 at Yankee Stadium, when he gave up three hits and two runs over four innings on 63 pitches. Harvey began that night with a three-start scoreless streak of 18 1/3 innings and extended that to 21 2/3 before he allowed a solo homer in the fourth to New York's Anthony Rizzo.

Harvey matched the O's club record of throwing three straight scoreless starts of six innings or more and missed out on becoming the first Oriole to ever do that four in a row. His scoreless run was the longest one in the majors to that point, and in Harvey's career. It was the longest stretch by an Oriole pitcher since Steve Johnson threw 25 1/3 scoreless innings from Aug. 25-Sept. 29, 2012.

During the four-start run, Harvey went 22 1/3 innings, allowing 13 hits and two runs, with three walks to 12 strikeouts. Batters hit .167 with an OPS of .438 against him and his ERA was 0.81.

The third game in his scoreless streak was against this Tigers team, and he blanked them over 6 1/3 innings on six hits and 81 pitches. Harvey's season-high for pitches is 92, and he has thrown 90 or more just three times in 22 starts.

Lefty batters have hit .247 with a .725 OPS against him and right-handers are batting .326/.868. In 10 home starts at the Yard he is 2-6 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.573 WHIP.

Outfielder Anthony Santander recorded his first multi-home run game of the season last night, his first since Aug. 18, 2020 and the fourth of his career. He has homered in back-to-back games for the first time this season and fifth time in his career. The last time was Aug. 30-31, 2019. Santander's first home run last night landed on Eutaw Street, his second Eutaw Street home run this season (also July 6 versus Toronto) and the fifth of his career, tying him with Rafael Palmeiro for the third-most in Oriole Park history. They trail only Luke Scott (6) and Chris Davis (11).

It was the Orioles' 12th multi-homer game of the season, the fourth-most in the American League and the sixth-most in the majors. Santander has hit safely in each of his seven games played this month, slashing .429/.448/.821 (12-for-28) with two doubles, three home runs, five runs scored and five RBIs. He leads the American League in OPS (1.270) in August and ranks second in slugging percentage.

The Orioles went 10-6 in their first 16 games following the All-Star break. O's pitchers had a 4.25 ERA in this span, with starters going 6-5 with a 4.68 ERA and the bullpen going 4-1 and 3-of-4 in save opportunities with a 3.63 ERA. But since Aug. 3, the O's have dropped six straight, their fourth losing streak of at least six games this season, and pitched to a 10.21 ERA. Starters are 0-3 with a 7.18 ERA and relievers are 0-3, posting a 13.32 ERA.

Detroit lefty Tarik Skubal (7-10, 4.32 ERA) gets this start tonight. The team is 9-11 in his starts, including his taking the loss on July 30 against the Orioles. Over 5 2/3 innings, he allowed seven hits and four runs on 88 pitches. Pedro Severino hit two solo homers off him and Ryan Mountcastle added a third.

Grayson rolls again: Double-A Bowie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez threw five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts this afternoon as Bowie beat Richmond 8-4 at Prince George's Stadium.

Rodriguez allowed three hits and did not walk a batter as he improved to 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA. Over his past two starts he has thrown 9 2/3 scoreless innings with one walk and 17 strikeouts.

Johnny Rizer went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and three RBIs. Seth Mejias-Brean hit a two-run homer and Zach Watson added a solo shot. The Baysox have won 17 of their last 25 and are 50-34 for the season.

Tonight's game will start in a rain delay for the second night in a row.