O's game blog: Miguel Gonzalez on mound in series opener (Navarro on callup)

Back at home, will the Orioles begin to pitch better?

Ranking last in the majors in team ERA at 5.15 and rotation ERA at 5.82, the Orioles need to turn that around as they begin a three-game series and nine-game homestand against Boston tonight.

These clubs split four games last weekend at Fenway Park. In the series the Orioles scored 15 runs and Boston scored 14.

While the O's have pitched poorly against Toronto - with a team ERA of 8.29 in six games - they pitched to an ERA of 2.51 in that series at Boston. The O's hurlers allowed a batting average of just .195, but did walk 20 in 32 1/3 innings.

The Orioles went 11-8 against the Red Sox last year and are 43-26 versus Boston since July 19, 2011. That includes a 19-14 mark in Baltimore in that time.

Manny Machado hit two homers with four RBIs last night for his third career two-homer game and first since 2012. Over his last five games, Machado is 7-for-17 with two homers and seven RBIs. He had just one multi-hit game in his first 11 games, but now has three in his last five.

At 7-9 the Orioles have been outscored 31-15 during a four-game losing streak. They are 3-3 at home.

Miguel Gonzalez (2-1, 2.55 ERA) gets the start tonight against right-hander Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.63 ERA) in a rematch from last Sunday when the Orioles won 8-3 and Porcello gave up eight runs and 12 hits over five innings. Gonzalez gave up three runs in five innings.

It's a small sample size of just three 2015 starts, but so far Gonzalez's walk and strikeout rates are both up. He averaged 2.9 walks per nine innings last season and is at 5.1 now. The strikeouts per nine have increased from 6.3 to 10.2.

In 16 starts since last July 1, Gonzalez is 8-5 with a 2.17 ERA.

Gonzalez has made nine appearances and seven starts versus the Red Sox, going 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA. Porcello has made 10 career starts against the Orioles, going 3-6 with a 5.13 ERA and .313 average against. Adam Jones hit a two-run homer and added a three-run double against him in Sunday's game at Fenway Park.

Navarro gets the call: After playing in 883 minor league games and batting nearly 3,300 times on the farm, infielder Rey Navarro got the call to the show today. He took the roster spot of Ryan Flaherty, who went on the disabled list.

Navarro, 25, is a career .265/.312/.375 hitter in eight minor league seasons. He was the starting shortstop for Triple-A Louisville in the Reds organization last year and various scouting reports give him high marks for his range, but the Orioles view him primarily as a second baseman.

After starting this year on the DL with a groin injury, he was recently activated and went 3-for-7 with a homer in two games for Triple-A Norfolk. Tonight he'll make his big league debut batting seventh at second base for the Orioles.

"I feel ready and I'm here to help the team win," Navarro said. "He (Buck Showalter) just told me to play good defense and play my game. I know everybody (from spring training) and they are a great group of guys.

"It is a dream come true. This is where they play the best baseball in the world. I'm pretty excited."