O's game blog: Orioles look for first win against Twins with Tillman on mound

Last night, the Orioles lost 4-3 to the Twins as they scored three runs or less for the 52nd time this year. If it seems like they are scoring three or less a lot this year, they really are not - at least not compared to last year's 96-win, division champion Orioles. But they are winning a lesser percentage of such games.

The 2014 Orioles scored three or less 44.4 percent of the time, going 21-51 in those games for a winning percentage of .291. The 2015 Orioles have scored three or less in 43.0 percent of the games, but have gone 9-43 for a win percentage of .173.

Tonight, the Orioles will try again to beat the Twins for the first time this year. They are 0-5 and have been outscored 36-13. The Orioles' team ERA is 7.27 and their team batting average is .229 against the Twins in the season series.

On the mound tonight, Chris Tillman (9-7, 4.54 ERA) faces right-hander Kyle Gibson (8-9, 3.99 ERA). On paper, the matchup favors the Orioles, as Gibson has been struggling while Tillman has pitched well recently. Over his last eight starts, Tillman is 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA.

Tillman tied his career-high winning streak at seven games on Monday against Oakland. In that span, dating to his last loss on May 31, he is 7-0 with a 3.47 ERA with eight quality starts in 12 games. Tillman also logged a seven-game winning streak from May 24-June 30, 2013.

Gibson went 8-6 with a 2.85 ERA in 18 starts before the All-Star break. But in the second half, he is 0-3 with a 7.91 ERA over six starts with a .309 average against.

Three Orioles minor league teams are in first place heading into tonight's games. Triple-A Norfolk is 72-54 and leading its division by four games in the International League. Double-A Bowie is 71-53 and with a 5 1/2 game lead in the Eastern League. Short season Single-A Aberdeen is 29-28 and has moved into a first-place tie in its division in the New York-Penn League.

A few minor league notes:

* Triple-A Norfolk's Dariel Alvarez extended his hitting streak to a season-high nine games Friday (.371/.421/.514).

* Norfolk closer Oliver Drake tossed a hitless ninth last night, extending his scoreless streak to six games. He owns a 0.27 ERA over his last 33 games.

* Double-A Bowie's Drew Dosch extended his hitting streak to six games (.455/.520/.727) after going 1-for-3 with a double.

* Single-A Frederick outfielder Josh Hart has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games (.310/.364/.448) after going 2-for-3 last night with an RBI and a sacrifice fly.

* Single-A Delmarva's Jomar Reyes is now 7-for-18 (.389/.476/.611) with four doubles, five RBIs, and three runs scored over his last five games. Shorebirds catcher Yermin Mercedes has hit safely in eight of his last nine games (.400/.410/.714).

* The Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles beat the Rays 6-1 today. They have won seven of their last eight games to improve to 31-23.