O's game blog: O's and Pirates begin two-game series

The Orioles are 4-2 against National League teams this year, going 2-1 against both Washington and Cincinnati. Their next three games are versus NL teams, starting with a two-game series that begins tonight with Pittsburgh.

This series will end a nine-game homestand. The Orioles are 4-3 on the stand, going 2-1 against the Yankees and 2-2 against the Red Sox.

The Orioles went 14-6 in interleague games last season. The 14 wins were the most in club history. Since interleague play began in 1997, the Orioles are 179-190. Pittsburgh is 68-51 in interleague games since 2011.

The Orioles are 29-26 and the Pirates are 26-31. Pittsburgh is 12-9 over its last 21 games. The Pirates have gone 26 games since being charged with more than one error.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (3-4, 5.92 ERA) makes his 13th start for the Orioles. He has pitched better lately. After recording one quality start his first seven games (counting one early ejection), he has three over his past five. In four of those five games, Gausman gave up two earned runs or fewer. In his past three starts he has allowed six runs over 18 innings for a 3.00 ERA.

If the season ended today, the 26-year-old Gausman would post career worsts in ERA, WHIP (1.837), hits/9 innings (12.7) and walks/9 innings (4.1).

Ironically, the team won a lower percentage of his starts last year, when he posted a 3.61 ERA, but that was often about a lack of run support. The O's went 14-16 in his 2016 starts and are 6-6 this season.

In 12 career interleague games (11 starts), he is 3-6 with a 5.31 ERA, a 1.534 WHIP and a .297 average against.

Former Yankee right-hander Ivan Nova (5-4, 2.92 ERA) has had a strong year for the Pirates, with two complete games and one shutout. He ranks fifth in the National League in ERA and sixth in innings. Most impressive of all may be allowing just six walks over 77 innings. His season high for any game is two, and six times in 11 starts he has not walked one batter.

Over his last three starts he has been particularly pitch-efficient. In those 22 2/3 innings, Nova has averaged 11.8 pitches per inning.

In two starts last year against the Orioles, he went 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA. In 17 career games (16 starts) against Baltimore he is 8-4 with a 5.01 ERA and 1.330 WHIP.

While the Orioles start this series tonight, the top two teams in the American League East standings begin a series at Yankee Stadium, with New York hosting Boston. The Yankees are in first place by two games over Boston and by 3 1/2 over the Orioles. While the Orioles have played those teams 22 times, going 7-6 versus the Red Sox and 5-4 against the Yankees, New York and Boston have played just twice, with the Yankees winning both games.

Delmarva's All-Stars: The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds will send pitcher Alexander Wells, outfielder Jake Ring and infielder Chris Clare to the 58th South Atlantic League All-Star game June 20 in Columbia, S.C.

Ring will start for the North division in center field. Clare will serve as a utility infielder. Wells was one of 11 pitchers named.

The Orioles minor league Player of the Month for April, Ring is batting .326, fifth in the league. He is leading the Sally League in RBIs (38), doubles (19), extra-base hits (31), slugging (.609) and total bases (112), and ranks in the top five in several other offensive categories. Ring is a 31st-round pick out of Missouri from the 2016 draft.

A native of Newcastle, Australia, Wells is an All-Star for the second straight year. He was a New York-Penn League all-star in 2016 for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. In 10 starts, he is 4-2 with a 1.74 ERA through 10 starts, with eight walks and 40 strikeouts through 51 2/3. He ranks third in the league in ERA and leads his team in WHIP at 1.03, and with six quality starts.

A 21st-round pick from High Point last June, Clare is batting .274 with a team-best .377 on-base percentage. He has six doubles, two triples, a homer, 26 runs and 25 RBIs.

Meanwhile, Single-A Frederick pitcher Keegan Akin is the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week. On Sunday he pitched six scoreless innings of two-hit ball against Potomac. He fanned seven without a walk. In 10 starts, he is 4-4 with a 5.16 ERA.