O's game blog: Orioles face Seattle in homestand opener

After a 3-3 road trip, the Orioles are back home tonight to start a seven-game homestand. It starts this evening with the opener of a four-game series against Seattle, then the Orioles host the Los Angeles Angels for three games over the weekend.

The Orioles went 1-2 at Washington and 2-1 at Atlanta. At 23-53, they are five games from the season's midpoint. The Orioles are 4-3 over the last seven games. Over longer stretches, they have lost 12 of 16 and 21 of the last 29 games. They are 11-23 at home.

Seattle (47-31) is in second place in the American League West and 4 1/2 games behind division-leading Houston. The Mariners just completed a 10-game stretch facing Boston and New York and went 3-7. It started as they went 2-2 in a home series versus Boston, followed by going 0-3 at New York and 1-2 at Fenway Park over the weekend.

Seattle has lost just five series all year and two came in this recent stretch. The Mariners are 15-5-6 in series play and 22-17 in road games. Seattle has lost six of seven, but over longer stretches has won 14 of 23 and 25 of its last 39 games. Seattle is 14-14 during the day and 33-17 in night games.

Right-hander Andrew Cashner (2-8, 4.72 ERA) will make his 15th start for Baltimore. Cashner threw four scoreless innings last Wednesday at Washington and did not return after a rain delay. Over his last three starts, Cashner has an ERA of 3.38.

Except for an increase in strikeout rate, most of Cashner's stats are not as good as his 2017 season, when he went 11-11 with an ERA of 3.40 for Texas. His WHIP has jumped from 1.320 to 1.638 and his hits allowed per nine innings from 8.4 to 10.7. His homers per nine has gone from 0.8 to 1.5 and his walks from 3.5 to 4.0. But his strikeouts/nine is now 7.5 and was 4.6 last season. In seven home starts this year, Cashner is 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA.

Former Cy Young winner Félix Hernández (6-6, 5.14 ERA) will get the start for Seattle. He has allowed four runs or more seven times, recorded just six quality starts in 16 outings and has thrown 5 2/3 or fewer innings nine times.

Hernández had an ERA of 5.93 in April and 6.68 in May. In four June starts, he is 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA. In eight road starts, Hernandez is 3-3 with a 6.98 ERA.

He has made 16 career starts versus the Orioles, but none since July 25, 2014. He is 5-4 with a 3.30 ERA against Baltimore, allowing just four homers over 103 2/3 innings. In seven career starts at Camden Yards, he is 4-1 with a 3.09 ERA.

Former Oriole Nelson Cruz is batting .274/.358/.573 with 20 homers, 48 RBIs and an OPS of .930 and today was named American League Player of the Week. Cruz has reached the 20-home run plateau before the end of June for the fourth time in his career and his second time with the Mariners. Cruz did that with the Orioles, reaching 20 homers on May 31, 2014. Prior to Cruz, the last Mariner with 20 home runs before the end of June was Bret Boone in 2003. Cruz has been on a home run binge lately, hitting nine over his past 15 games and 10 in the last 18.