O's game blog: O's host Chicago with no fans at Camden Yards

The Orioles get back on the field this afternoon and play a non-American League East division team for the first time when they host the Chicago White Sox at 2:05 p.m., in a game not open to the public.

The Orioles went 5-1 against the White Sox last year and are 15-6 against them since the 2012 season, including a 8-3 mark at Camden Yards.

Chicago is 8-9 after a 3-6 start. Former Yankees closer David Robertson has been outstanding for the Sox, going 2-0 with three saves and 0.00 ERA. Over eight scoreless innings, he has given up just three hits with one walk and 17 strikeouts.

Over the last 13 games, the White Sox pitchers have team ERA of 3.12 with a bullpen ERA in that stretch of just 1.38, allowing six earned runs over 39 innings.

The Orioles bats produced an 18-7 win Sunday against Boston where the O's scored their most runs since April 19, 2006 and came up with 20 hits, their most since April 8, 2014. It was the most runs the Orioles have ever scored in a game against Boston, topping their 17 from Sept. 27, 1960 at Fenway Park.

In that game, the Orioles were 20-for-44 at the plate (.455) and went 11-for-20 (.550) batting with runners in scoring positon. Four Orioles had at least three RBIs.

They had a big series against Boston:
* Chris Davis went 5-for-11 with two homers, six RBIs, five runs and just one strikeout.

* Delmon Young went 7-for-14 with three multi-hit games, a double and five RBIs.

* Jimmy Paredes went 8-for-15 with two doubles, a triple, two homers, four runs and seven RBIs. Paredes has nine RBIs his last five games.

As a team, the Orioles batted .360 in the weekend series, scoring 28 runs with eight doubles, two triples and five home runs. The Orioles have scored 51 runs their last eight games for an average of 6.4 per game.

On the mound today, Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 2.30 ERA) pitches against 30-year-old right-hander Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 3.33 ERA).

Jimenez pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings in his first two starts, but went five innings on Wednesday at Toronto, allowing six hits and four runs. Opponent batters are just 7-for-52 (.135) against him in 2015, and he is giving up just 4.0 hits per every nine innings with a WHIP of 0.89.

Samardzija is making his fifth start today. He had an ERA of 6.23 in his first two starts, but that number is 0.64 over his last two starts when he gave up 14 hits and one run over 14 innings.

Chris Sale and Samardzija received five-game suspensions and undisclosed fines, and catcher Tyler Flowers was fined an undisclosed amount for their roles in Thursday's benches-clearing altercation against Kansas City. Sale and Samardzija both have appealed their suspensions.

Chicago's Jose Abreu, the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year, has joined Rudy York, Chuck Klein and Ryan Braun as the only players in major league history to hit at least .300 with 40-plus home runs and 120-plus RBIs through his first 162 major-league games.

In the minors today, Dylan Bundy pitched three perfect innings for Double-A Bowie at Erie in a game that started at noon. Bundy fanned five, and according to the game tracker, did not allow a ball to be hit out of the infield. It was nine strikeouts, groundouts and pop-ups. He threw 36 pitches, 23 for strikes and lowered his ERA to 3.00. Ashur Tolliver replaced him to start the fourth as Bowie took an early 7-0 lead, which is now 7-2 in the sixth.

Single-A Frederick is already in the win column today. The Keys (12-8) won 7-1 at Salem in a game that began at 11 a.m. Jarrett Miller picked up his first win with five scoreless innings. Tucker Nathans had three RBIs, and Austin Wynns drove in two.