Orioles begin long-awaited homestand

How badly did the Orioles want to get home?

The reasons are plentiful, but I'll just toss out one alarming stat. They're 1-9 in their last 10 road games when batting first.

I'm dismissing the three-game series that moved to Tropicana Field. And just the fact that a home series was played in St. Petersburg further illustrates the Orioles' desperate need to regain some semblance of normalcy.

The Orioles haven't played at Camden Yards since April 29. They haven't played in front of fans who weren't forced to watch through a gate behind the bullpen area since April 26, when their game against the Red Sox drew an announced crowd of 43,802.

They have a three-game series against the Blue Jays that starts tonight, followed by an off-day on Thursday, a three-game series against the Angels, an off-day and three games against the Mariners.

You can decide how you're going to greet Nelson Cruz upon his return to Baltimore. In the meantime, the Orioles just want to play in their own backyard. They've grown tired of being America's guests.

"It feels like it's been a long time, especially since we played the home games in Tampa," said closer Zach Britton. "To be able to actually play a home game in front of our crowd will be nice. Hopefully, we get a nice turnout. I think if anything, just being able to get back home and relax and get comfortable and be in familiar surroundings will be a nice little thing for everybody in here."

Please understand that the Orioles put their situation in its proper place. They're not suffering. They know what happened in the city far outweighed the imbalance of home and road games. But they do have a season to complete and a goal of getting back to the playoffs and advancing beyond the American League Championship Series.

They have perspective. They also have a strong desire to get back to business and be on a more level playing field, like the one with the B&O Warehouse beyond the flag court.

"We stay in nice hotels, fly on a nice plane, so you can't complain about any of that stuff," Britton said before yesterday's 6-2 loss. "The clubhouses here are great. But there's something about being in your own place, own apartment, own locker, own stadium with your own fans. There's something about that that's nice to get back to, so I think everyone's ready for this road trip to come to an end. Get back home and start playing some good baseball."

Maybe one will lead to the other, which could prevent the Orioles from falling a season-high four games belong .500.

"I haven't counted up yet. It seems like we've been on the road for a month," said manager Buck Showalter. "It does, even though we've actually been in the city some, but not playing games.

"Obviously, you're focused on today, but I think everybody's anxiously looking forward to getting back and getting on the field, and getting back to the city. Without a doubt, for the right reasons.

"There's no anxiety with it, it's just that I think it's going to be something that's going to make hopefully everybody feel better."

Showalter is referring to the fans, the residents of Baltimore and surrounding areas, as much as his team.

Ubaldo Jimenez already has faced the Blue Jays twice this season, shutting them out on one hit over seven innings in his April 11 debut at Camden Yards, and allowing four runs and six hits in five innings on April 22 at Rogers Centre.

Jimenez is 4-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) against the Blue Jays, who are batting .198 against him with their current group of players. Jose Bautista is 2-for-29. Edwin Encarnacion is 6-for-28 with three doubles and a home run. Justin Smoak is 2-for-17. Josh Donaldson is 1-for-12.

Could we see another rematch between Bautista and reliever Darren O'Day? Bautista is 5-for-15 with four home runs, eight RBIs and five strikeouts against him. There's also enough bad blood between them to fill a child's wading pool.

We also may recall Bautista's home run off Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia, followed by the pose at home plate and 45-minute trip around the bases. And the scolding he received from Ryan Flaherty and Adam Jones, the center fielder continuing to jaw at him from the dugout.

Never a dull moment when these teams get together.

Let's play Guess the Attendance. A Monday night against the Blue Jays normally would pack the ballpark with empty seats, but the Orioles have been gone for weeks and this ReOpening Day is happening.