O's game blog: The homestand begins against Boston

After three losses in Toronto, the Orioles begin a seven-game homestand tonight. It begins with a three-game series against American League East-leading Boston. Then the Orioles will host Tampa Bay for four games.

The Orioles lost by scores of 8-7, 4-1 and 5-4 in Toronto to hit the 100-game mark with a record of 28-72. They were 48-52 at this point in 2017. The Orioles have lost six of eight, 13 of 17 and 31 of their last 40. They are 16-33 at home.

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop is hitting .352 (25-for-71) in 18 games in July. His 25 hits are the second-most in the AL in July and are tied for the third-most in baseball. He's hit safely in 16 of the 17 games he's had an at-bat in during the month, recording hitting streaks of 10 and six games. Schoop yesterday homered for the second time since the All-Star break and has four home runs this month, tied for 11th-most in the league. He hit the 100th home run of his career on Friday night at Toronto.

Catcher Caleb Joseph has reached base safely in eight straight games and nine of 11 overall in July. He's hitting .324 (11-for-34) with four doubles, one home run, five runs and five RBIs in his 11 games this month. His .324 average ranks third-best among AL catchers (minimum 30 at-bats).

After winning the season series 10-9 against Boston last season, the Orioles are 1-9 against the Red Sox this season. They have lost five straight and 12 of the last 13 games between the teams. The Red Sox have won eight in a row at Camden Yards and they are 15-4 at the ballpark since Aug. 16, 2016.

Boston (70-31) has the best record in the majors and leads the AL East by five games over New York. The Red Sox are 14-2 since July 2 and that includes a 10-game win streak. Boston is 40-16 in its past 56 games and is 32-13 versus division opponents. The Orioles are 11-28 against the AL East.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (4-7, 4.33 ERA) will make his 20th start tonight. His last was July 12 against Philadelphia when he allowed five runs and 12 hits in five innings. Before that, he had gone 1-1 with a 3.13 ERA in his six previous starts. In 11 night game starts, he is 2-4 with a 3.26 ERA. In 19 career games against Boston, he is 4-7 with a 4.25 ERA.

Right-hander Rick Porcello (11-4, 4.13 ERA) will start against the Orioles. In his last game on July 13 versus Toronto, he gave up a season-high eight runs in two innings. He had been 5-1 with a 3.38 ERA his previous eight starts. Porcello is tied for fifth in the AL in wins and is 13th in walks/nine innings at 2.33. In his past six starts against Baltimore, he is 2-4 with a 3.40 ERA.

Milestone watch: Andrew Cashner needs 2/3 of an inning to reach 1,000 innings for his career. Chris Davis needs 15 homers to reach 250 with the Orioles. Adam Jones needs one stolen base for 85 with the Orioles, which would tie him for 10th on the club's all-time list. Jones needs four outfield assists for 100 in his career. Danny Valencia needs four homers for 100. Mark Trumbo needs 11 hits for 1,000 in his career.

On the farm: The Orioles' 2018 top draft pick, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, threw two more scoreless innings today in a Rookie-level Gulf Coast League game. Rodriguez has made four appearances for the GCL Orioles and has pitched seven scoreless innings on four hits with five walks, four strikeouts and a .167 batting average against. Right-handed batters are 1-for-10 against him. He threw one inning in his pro debut and his last three outings have been two innings each.

Single-A Frederick lost a doubleheader to Wilmington today. In Game 1, lefty Zac Lowther took the loss in Wilmington's 8-0 win. Over six innings, he allowed three runs (one earned) and is 3-2 with a 3.04 ERA. In Game 2, Wilmington won 7-6 as Preston Palmeiro went 3-for-4, and Randolph Gassaway was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI and is batting .300.

The Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Orioles beat the White Sox 14-1 today to improve to 26-16.