O's game blog: O's and Jays meet in series finale

TORONTO - The Orioles have won all three previous series this season against the Toronto Blue Jays. To go 4-for-4 they need to win the rubber match tonight at Rogers Centre.

The Orioles won the series opener 3-1 on Tuesday night, but were blanked on five hits 4-0 last night. They were shut out for the fifth time while Toronto pitched its fifth shutout. The Orioles are 3-10 when held to five or fewer hits.

Toronto is 37-40, and has lost four of six and seven of 12 games. The Blue Jays are 20-18 at home and 13-20 versus the American League East. They are 0-2-2 the last four series.

José Bautista led off the last of the first with a home run last night off Wade Miley. He is batting .379 (11-for-29) in six games since being moved to leadoff. His home run went to right field, his first opposite-field homer since Sept. 12, 2015 against the Yankees. That was 42 homers ago for him.

Former Oriole Steve Pearce is 4-for-5 with four singles in this series and is batting .275. Pearce has reached safely in 12 of his past 13 games, batting .421 with an OBP of .465 along with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Toronto grounded into three double plays last night to extend its major league lead to 84.

The Orioles have scored just three runs on 12 hits with no homers in this series. They have gone homerless in four of the last seven games, going 1-3. They can get back to .500 at 39-39 with a win tonight. It would also give them a winning road trip and back-to-back road road victories.

Right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (2-3, 7.26 ERA) is set to make his 16th appearance and 11th start. Two starts ago, he gave up two runs over seven innings versus St. Louis. But in his most recent start against Tampa Bay, he allowed nine runs over 2 1/3 innings. That tied his career high for runs allowed from Aug. 9, 2007 when he was with Colorado. In 18 career games (16 starts) against Toronto, he is 7-5 with a 4.48 ERA.

Left-hander J.A. Happ (2-4, 3.83 ERA) has been on a pitching roll for the Jays. Over his past three starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA and one walk to 22 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. In two 2017 starts versus the Orioles, he is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA. In 14 career games (13 starts), Happ is 4-3 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.218 WHIP against Baltimore.

On the farm today: Triple-A Norfolk beat Louisville 3-1 as right-hander Jordan Kipper gave up five hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings. Chris Johnson had two hits, including a two-run single and Adam Brett Walker added an RBI double. Earlier today, Johnny Giavotella, Chance Sisco and Jimmy Yacabonis of the Tides were named to play for the International League in the Triple-A All-Star game.

Double-A Bowie beat Altoona this afternoon 9-3 as Austin Hays went 4-for-5 with his second Eastern League homer. He is batting .394 in eight games since joining Bowie. Chris O'Brien, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Wynns also homered for the Baysox. Bowie (40-39) completed a four-game sweep, its first since taking four from Trenton on June 19-22, 2015. Zach Britton threw a scoreless fourth inning on 14 pitches with two strikeouts for Bowie. He will next pitch tomorrow night at Single-A Frederick.