O's game blog: Miley on mound in series finale

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles started this road trip by losing two of three at Tampa Bay after winning the opening game of that series. They could end it today winning two of three in Texas after losing the opening game of this series.

Chris Tillman gave up eight runs over 4 1/3 innings on Friday night as Texas routed the Orioles 8-2. Kevin Gausman pitched shutout ball through 8 2/3 innings and 118 pitches last night in the Orioles' 4-0 win.

The Orioles had gone five straight games with just one homer each game, before they got a pair in the second inning last night. Trey Mancini connected for his 17th when he hit a 459-bomb to leadoff the inning. Two batters later, Caleb Joseph hit No. 5 for a 2-0 lead.

The Orioles have scored just six runs on 12 hits in this series, going 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. They are batting only .162 (6-for-37) with RISP over the past five games.

On the mound this afternoon, left-hander Wade Miley (4-9, 5.69 ERA) will make his 22nd start of the season, his 12th on the road and his second versus Texas.

Miley got off a strong start this year, going 2-3 with a 2.82 ERA over his first 11 starts. But his season started heading south in early June and he has been on a two-month slide since. Over his past 10 starts, he is 2-6 with a 9.69 ERA. He has allowed five or more runs over his past three starts, allowing 17 runs over 15 2/3 innings.

In 11 road starts, Miley is 2-5 with a 6.26 ERA. The Orioles are 10-11 in his 21 starts. Miley got the start at Oriole Park on July 20 against Texas and gave up five runs in five innings. In eight career starts against the Rangers, he is 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA and 1.445 WHIP.

Left-hander Martin Perez (5-8, 4.67 ERA) will make his 20th start today for Texas. In four July starts, he is 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA. In 12 home starts, Perez is 4-5 with a 4.70 ERA, He took the loss on July 19 in Baltimore. Over six innings, he permitted seven hits and five runs on 84 pitches.

Lefty batters hit .292 off Perez while right-handed batters hit .315. He yields an average against of .250 when pitching with runners in scoring position.

At 49-54, the Orioles are 7 1/2 games back of American League East leader New York and in fourth place. The Orioles are 5 1/2 games back for the second AL wild card spot. Texas is 4 1/2 back for that spot.