O's game blog: Orioles lead majors in runs scored since All-Star break

After scoring 26 runs on 50 hits in four games at Oakland, the Orioles began their series in Seattle last night winning 11-3, with four homers among 16 hits.

When added to the 12 runs the Orioles scored on Saturday night, the team has scored 26 runs on 46 hits the past three games. The team batting average for the year has increased from .260 to .263 in three days.

The Orioles scored 10-plus runs for the 14th time this season and that is tied for second-most games in the American League with the Yankees and Indians, trailing only the Astros with 18. The Orioles have hit four or home runs for the 13th time this season and that ranks first in the major leagues for most such games.

The Orioles leads the majors with 176 runs scored since the All-Star break. The Royals are second with 164.

At 59-60, the Orioles can get back to the .500 mark by winning tonight. They are 4-4 on this West Coast road trip with two games to play and 24-37 on the road for the season. They are 11-6 the past 17 games.

Left-hander Wade Miley (6-9, 5.19 ERA) takes the mound tonight for the Orioles. Thursday at Oakland, Miley pitched a strong game. Over seven innings, he gave up just three hits and one unearned run with three walks and seven strikeouts.

After that game, manager Buck Showalter had some praise for the southpaw.

"Good. Real good," he said of Miley's outing. "Attacked both sides of the plate, more than one pitch was there for him. That little two or three inches, brings it back over a little bit and pounded that area over there. Moved the ball around. He's always got a good tempo, guys like playing behind him. Put some zeros up. I don't think there was an earned run, right? Obviously, that's good."

From June 7-25, Miley went through a 10-start run where he went 2-6 with a 9.69 ERA. His season ERA jumped from 2.82 to 5.69 over those 10 starts.

But he finally has been pitching better. Over his past three starts against the Rangers, Tigers and A's, he is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA. Over 17 innings, he has allowed 11 hits and five runs (four earned) with seven walks and 17 strikeouts.

In 13 road starts, Miley is 4-5 with a 5.40 ERA. He gives up a .211 average against lefty batters and .296 versus right-handed hitters.

Left-hander Andrew Albers was just acquired by Seattle from Atlanta on Friday for cash and he will make his Mariners debut tonight. This season at Triple-A Gwinnett, he went 12-3 with a 2.61 ERA in 26 games, including 17 starts. He averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.4 walks. Over his last three starts in the International League, he allowed only one run over 23 innings.

Albers, 31, was Milwaukee's 12th-round pick in 2004. In parts of three seasons in the majors, he is 2-5 with a 4.41 ERA in 79 2/3 innings, pitching in 2013 and 2015-16 for Minnesota and Toronto.

Third baseman Manny Machado has hit two grand slams on this West Coast trip. He connected Monday Aug. 7 at Anaheim and last night. Machado leads the majors with five grand slams the last two seasons.

When the Orioles played a four-game series at Safeco Field last summer, Seth Smith, then a Mariner, homered in all four games against Baltimore. Last night, he homered for Baltimore against Seattle at Safeco. He has now hit 21 homers in that ballpark, his second most at any park behind 35 at Coors Field in Colorado.