O's game blog: Orioles have not fared well in series-deciding games

Tonight, the Orioles play another rubber match. The Orioles have not fared well in such games this year. They are 2-6 and have lost four straight series-deciding games. It started in the first series against Boston when they lost Game 3 4-3 and continued through Sunday in an 11-1 loss to Oakland. Meanwhile, the Orioles offense has slowed again. They've scored just five runs the last three games and just 14 runs with a .221 team batting average during the five games of this homestand so far. Some O's hitters recently: * J.J. Hardy is 0-for-12 his last four games and has not homered in his last 302 at-bats. * Chris Davis is 1-for-14 with seven strikeouts his last four games. Over his last 14 games, Davis is batting .164 (9-for-55) with 24 strikeouts. * Nelson Cruz is 2-for-20 over his last six games. * Manny Machado is hitless in his last 15 at-bats. The Orioles were shut out 1-0 last night by Boston and had just two hits. They never even advanced a runner as far as second base. The O's continue to hit much better on the road than at home: Road - .280 avg, .332 OBP, .443 slugging, 5.09 runs per game. Home - .243 avg, .296 OBP, .370 slugging, 3.21 runs per game. Tonight, lefty Wei-Yin Chen (6-2, 4.13 ERA) pitches against right-hander Rubby De La Rosa (1-1, 2.84 ERA). Chen is 3-3 with an ERA of 5.26 in 10 career starts against Boston. Chen is 1-1 with an ERA of 5.91 against the Sox this year.