O's game blog: The series opener with Colorado

After the Orioles (79-48) won a series against Toronto – taking the last two games after losing the series opener – they host Colorado to begin a new series tonight. The Rockies are in town through Sunday and the homestand continues Monday versus the Chicago White Sox.

Colorado just lost three games at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Rockies (48-79) have lost four in a row overall and 11 of their past 14 games. They have the worst record in the National League. All three losses versus Tampa Bay were last at-bat losses, and the Rockies have been in the lead or tied for the lead in the eighth inning in each game of their four-game losing streak.

Colorado is 20-46 on the road, 15-22 in interleague games and 14-22 in the second half.

The Rockies are now a season-low 31 games below .500. It's the fifth time in franchise history the club has been at least 30 games below .500, the first time since 2014. The franchise record for games below .500 is 38, when the Rockies were 36-74 on Aug. 7, 1993.

The Rockies have used a franchise record 32 total pitchers this season, one more than the 2019 club’s 31 hurlers. Colorado ranks 29th in MLB with a 5.57 team ERA and is 29th in rotation ERA (5.93) and 27th in bullpen ERA (5.14). Colorado's road ERA of 5.06 ranks 27th in the majors.  

O’s lefty Cole Irvin (1-3, 4.66 ERA) gets the start for Baltimore. Irvin has allowed just four earned runs over his last five starts. That dates to June 26, with relief outings mixed in.

But since he returned to the O’s roster June 10, Irvin is 1-1 with an ERA of 3.00 in 14 games, allowing 15 earned runs over 45 innings with 11 walks and 40 strikeouts. Opponents have hit .242 against him in that span.

In seven starts over that time, Irvin is 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA over 33 2/3 innings, with six walks and 26 strikeouts. In this span he has allowed a batting average of .227 and a .660 OPS. He is a pitcher on a good roll who returned to the rotation during the West Coast road trip. He gave up a combined one run over 10 innings to Seattle and Oakland, throwing 67 pitches in one five-inning outing and 77 in another outing of five frames.

The O’s are 7-3 in Irvin’s 10 starts this year.

Lefty Kyle Freeland (5-13, 5.02 ERA) is his mound opponent and will be making his 25^th start. The Rockies are 9-15 in the first 24.

Freeland has big split differences, and while lefty batters hit just .250 against him with a .653 OPS, right-handed batters hit .310/.897. And he has allowed 20 of his 23 homers to right-handed hitters.

The O’s may look for some early-count hitting tonight, as Freeland allows a .346 batting average and .923 OPS on the first pitch of an at-bat.

Freeland, who gave up four runs over five innings against the White Sox in his last start, has a 6.23 ERA over his past five starts. In those 26 innings, opponents have hit .333 with a .944 OPS, and he has allowed 1.577 WHIP.

Freeland has nine quality starts but has thrown five innings or less in 11 of 24 outings. In 11 road starts in 2023, he is 1-9 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.460 WHIP.

O's right-hander Kyle Gibson went eight innings, allowing three runs in Thursday's 5-3 win over Toronto. That was the longest outing by an O's starter in 2023. The Orioles are now 41-13 (.759) when they get a quality start and 16-1 (.941) when their starter goes seven or more innings.

The Orioles have won five of six, eight of 11, 16 of 23 and 30 of their past 43 games heading into this series.