Orioles bring home run roll back to Baltimore

MINNEAPOLIS - The constant rain and cold conditions have driven me away from baseball-reference.com and other baseball-related sites and directly into the arms of weather.com.

But I swear, it meant nothing to me.

The latest forecast for Baltimore tonight doesn't seem too ominous, but Friday and Saturday again could pose problems for a team that's running out of off days and dry clothes.

At least the offense isn't performing as if it's swinging a wet newspaper.

"It's always tough to hit," Mark Trumbo said yesterday after a 9-2 win. "I think we were able to put the conditions behind us. I think it's all we know this year anyway, so it's not like it's a huge change."

Tyler Wilson, yesterday's winning pitcher after allowing two runs in seven innings, has become a big fan of this lineup.

"It's amazing," he said. "I love watching the guys play. Perfect example is Jonesy (Adam Jones). Obviously, didn't get off to the best start like he usually can, but you would never know the way he goes out and plays every single day. Makes an impact on every single game, whether he goes 4-for-4 or 0-for-4. I think that's why the game's catching up with him right now and he's getting hot, which is so great to see.

"Not just him, but everybody. They go out and they attack the game every single day regardless of what their individual statistics are. They play hard every day because they know this team has a chance to do something special. If it's not their day, somebody behind them is going to pick them up.

"I just feel fortunate, and not only let them play behind me, let them swing the bats."

The Tigers are (10-8) on the road this season, compared to their 5-9 record at Comerica Park. They had lost seven games in a row before defeating the Nationals on Tuesday.

The Orioles went 4-3 against the Tigers last season, splitting four games at Camden Yards. They had 10 or more hits in six of the games.

Mychal Givens earned his first major league win against the Tigers with 1 2/3 scoreless innings on July 31.

The Orioles miss Jordan Zimmermann, who's got a 1.50 ERA in seven starts. It actually went up from 1.10 last night because he allowed three runs in seven innings in D.C.

Ubaldo Jimenez has shown both sides over the first six weeks. He allowed one earned run in seven innings in his debut and four runs in five innings in his next start. He allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings on May 1 and two runs over eight innings in his most recent outing.

Jimenez walked only one batter in his last start after walking four in three of his four previous outings.

The Tigers always present a challenge for Jimenez, who's 5-11 with a 5.60 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 19 career starts over 106 innings.

Jimenez faced the Tigers twice last season and allowed 13 runs and 13 hits over 9 1/3 innings.

Miguel Cabrera is 15-for-43 (.349) with four doubles, a home run, eight RBIs and nine walks against Jimenez. Victor Martinez is 9-for-29 with a double, four home runs and 11 RBIs, Justin Upton is 7-for-25 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs and eight RBIs, and Jose Iglesias is 3-for-4 with a triple and home run.

Veteran right-hander Mike Pelfrey is 0-4 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.945 WHIP in six starts this season covering 30 1/3 innings. He's allowed five earned runs in each of his last three starts totaling 15 2/3 innings.

Pelfrey is 2-0 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.791 WHIP in four career starts versus the Orioles over 22 1/3 innings. He's 2-0 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.837 WHIP in three starts at Camden Yards over 16 1/3 innings.

The current Orioles are batting .309 against Pelfrey, with 21 hits in 68 at-bats. Adam Jones is 6-for-12 and Trumbo is 5-for-10 with a home run.

Can the Orioles join the 1964 Twins as the only teams in major league history with players hitting back-to-back home runs in four consecutive games? The Orioles have done it in three straight games with six different players.

The Tigers called up Daniel Norris yesterday from Triple-A Toledo, giving them four left-handers in their bullpen. Manage accordingly.

Norris was 0-3 with a 9.98 ERA in four starts with the Mud Hens. Always go with the hot hand.