O's hit the road looking to end a losing streak

OAKLAND - Losing a nearly five-hour game in extra innings after they lost a lead in the ninth and then flying across the country, doesn't sound like the best plan.

But what choice did the Orioles have after letting one get away Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. The schedule says they begin a seven-game road trip in Oakland tonight. At least the weather should feature cool temperatures.

The A's have not been great at home lately, losing seven of eight, and the O's will try to ride that and play some good baseball on the road to collect their first series win since late April.

The 2019 season began with the Orioles taking two of three each at Yankee Stadium and Rogers Centre. Then they split four games at Boston, giving the O's a 2-0-1 road series record. A great start for a team that went 3-21-2 last year in road series. But since that Boston series in mid-April, the Orioles have lost all eight road series they've played.

So tonight they are out to snap a five-game losing streak and work toward snapping an eight-series road losing streak. Overall, the Orioles have lost nine of 11, 13 of 17 and 21 of 27 games after Sunday's 8-6 loss to the Red Sox. Mychal Givens gave up a game-tying homer in the ninth and the go-ahead homer in the 10th.

That was the latest gut punch for the Orioles, who have allowed 48 runs and 13 homers during the five-game streak of losses.

Maybe they needed a cross-country flight to wash away the thoughts of the just-completed homestand and being swept by Boston. They have no sweeps of their own and have now been swept six times. Baltimore's nine home wins are the fewest for a team in the major leagues.

The Orioles have been a pretty upbeat bunch, even amid a lot of losses, and it must be hard to keep that energy and positive vibes when you lose so much. It's got to be wearing on the players, the coaches, manager Brandon Hyde and the fans around Birdland.

Needing some positive karma, maybe these notes help the Orioles get a win tonight. They are 5-3 on Mondays, their only winning day of the week. That is much better than a record of 2-11 on Wednesday and 1-7 on Thursdays. They are 8-5 when right-hander Andrew Cashner starts, and he will tonight. He is the only O's starter for whom the team has won more than it has lost. And Cashner's run-support average is 7.29, best among O's starters.

Does it get better for the team this week 3,000 miles from home?