O's game blog: Orioles have a .422 winning percentage in one- and two-run games

Coming off the four-game sweep by the Minnesota Twins and with five losses in their last six games, the Orioles begin a two-city road trip tonight at Kansas City.

The last time these two teams met, the Royals swept the Orioles in four straight to win the American League Championship Series. They won by scores of 8-6, 6-4, 2-1 and 2-1 as the Orioles lost the four games by six total runs. Lorenzo Cain went 8-for-15 and the Royals bullpen pitched to an ERA of 1.13. The Orioles had seven hits in the last two games of that series.

In the four-game series against the Twins, the Orioles offense produced just 10 runs and a team batting average of .241. The Orioles hit just one homer in the series, after hitting 15 homers over the previous six games, including four in two games against the Mets.

The O's lost the last three games by one run each. This year, the Orioles have struggled in close games. Their 17-22 record in one-run games and .436 winning percentage ranks 13th in the AL. Their 10-15 record in two-run games and .400 win percentage is tied for 13th.

A look at AL East teams in one- and two-run games:
.541 - New York at 33-28
.521 - Tampa Bay at 37-34
.456 - Boston at 26-31
.422 - Orioles at 27-37
.386 - Toronto at 22-35

It is interesting that the Blue Jays are last in the close games but lead the division. One reason for that is their excellent record in games decided by three runs or more. They are 38-10 (.792), far and away the best AL record in such games. They've won a lot of blowouts. The O's rank third in this category at 26-17 (.605).

If the Orioles are to get this important road trip off to a good start, they will likely need a good outing from struggling right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (9-7, 3.97 ERA).

Jimenez in 2015:
* In the first-half was 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA and .247 average against.
* In the second-half is 2-3 with a 7.12 ERA and .279 average against.

Jimenez's homer rate has gone way up since the All-Star break. In the first half, he gave up eight homers over 99 1/3 innings. Since the break, he has allowed eight in 36 2/3 innings. Jimenez went 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in two 2014 starts versus the Royals. In 11 career starts against Kansas City, he is 4-4 with 4.21 ERA and 1.516 WHIP.

Kris Medlen (1-0, 2.51 ERA) has made seven appearances this year, all out of the bullpen as he comes back from a second Tommy John surgery. He will make his first start tonight, coming off a three-inning 48-pitch outing on Thursday against Boston. For Atlanta last season, Medlen was 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA. He has never faced the Orioles.

Before yesterday, the Orioles had won 92 games in a row when leading after the eighth inning. The last loss was July 18, 2014 in Oakland.

Pitcher of the Week: Single-A Frederick Keys right-hander Mikey O'Brien has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week. On Thursday, O'Brien, 25, threw the seventh no-hitter in Keys history when he accomplished the feat against the Lynchburg Hillcats. Throwing a seven-inning no-hitter, O'Brien struck out nine and walked one, retiring 19 of the last 20 batters he faced.

Over 10 games and nine starts for the Keys, O'Brien is 3-4 with a 1.76 ERA. In 51 innings, he has allowed 14 walks with 39 strikeouts. One of the club's top pitchers this month, O'Brien is 3-1 with a 1.08 ERA over four starts. He is currently working on a 17 1/3-inning scoreless streak.

Final note: It comes from Elias Sports and ESPN Stats and Information and is a stat showing that the Orioles are 18-38 (.321) against teams currently with winning records. That is the worst such mark in MLB.