O's game blog: Orioles need a win today for series split with Rays

When the season began, the Orioles lost two of their first three series against American League East rivals. But since they lost that second series, dropping two of three to Toronto from April 11-13, they are unbeaten in AL East series.

They are 6-0-2 since then, splitting a pair of four-game series and winning the others. They'll need a win today to split this series with Tampa Bay and keep that streak going.

The Orioles began yesterday at 22-14 in AL East games. That was not only the best record in division games among teams in the East but that was the best in-division record of any team in the majors.

We know it's not a strong year in the AL East. The Orioles are 22-15 playing within the division this year and 20-23 outside of it.

When this series started, the Orioles were 7-1 this year against the Rays. Now they've lost more than that in three games, going 1-2. But their 8-3 record against the Rays is still much better than last season's 6-13 mark against Tampa Bay.

On the mound today, Miguel Gonzalez (4-5, 4.48 ERA) faces right-hander Alex Cobb (2-6, 4.10 ERA). Gonzalez could use a good outing today. In two starts since coming off the disabled list, he has pitched 10 innings and allowed 17 hits and seven runs and a .378 average against.

In his last four starts before going on the DL, he had pitched to an ERA of 2.81. In 10 career starts versus the Rays, Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA.

Cobb has allowed six earned runs in three of his last seven starts, all since he came off the DL. Before that he had done that in just three of 57 career starts.

Cobb took a loss even though he gave up just one unearned run against the Orioles and Kevin Gausman on June 18. He is 3-1 with a 1.36 ERA in five career starts against Baltimore.

The Orioles continue to hit the longball, adding two homers Saturday. They have homered in eight straight games with five multi-homer games and 16 homers over that stretch.