Orioles going for series win today in Anaheim

A rotation that posted a 7.07 ERA in the previous eight games got exactly what it needed last night.

Good Ubaldo Jimenez.

Jimenez blanked the Angels on two hits over eight innings in the Orioles' 5-0 victory - the club's ninth shutout of the season. He had registered a 10.61 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break.

The Orioles moved to within five games of the first-place Yankees in the American League East. They're two behind the Blue Jays for the second wild card.

Adam Jones registered the Orioles' 33rd outfield assist, tops in the majors. He leads the team with 10.

Manny Machado went 4-for-5 with his 24th home run to raise his average to .300. He's 7-for-10 in the last two games and 18-for-48 in his last 11.

The Orioles are 36-5 when Caleb Joseph records at least one RBI. He homered in the ninth inning last night, raising his season total to 10. He's hit four home runs in his last eight games.

The Orioles are 1-0 when both teams lose a run because of a poorly executed slide at the plate. Let's get the front foot down, fellas.

Miguel Gonzalez will try to push through the sixth inning today after a series of abbreviated starts. He hasn't worked more than 5 1/3 innings in seven of his last nine outings.

Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in four career starts against the Angels and 2-1 with a 2.61 in three starts in Anaheim.

David Murphy is 4-for-8 against Gonzalez, Mike Trout is 3-for-13 with three home runs, and Erick Aybar and Albert Pujols are 1-for-11.

Jered Weaver is coming off the disabled list to make today's start for the Angels. He hasn't pitched since June 20 due to inflammation in his left hip.

Weaver is 4-8 with a 4.75 ERA in 15 starts. He began the season 0-4 with a 6.29 ERA, went 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last five starts and was 0-4 with a 6.58 ERA in four June starts.

In a May start at Camden Yards, Weaver held the Orioles to one run and three hits over 7 1/3 innings in a 3-1 victory. He's 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 13 career starts against them.

The current Orioles are batting .207 (29-for-140) against Weaver. Jones is 8-for-26 with a double, triple and two home runs, Chris Davis is 7-for-37 with a double, J.J. Hardy is 5-for-26 with a home run, Matt Wieters is 3-for-15 with a home run, and Ryan Flaherty is 1-for-10.

Flaherty is hitless in his last 30 at-bats.

The Orioles are 21-15 in the final game of a series. They're 44-20 when they score first and 48-28 when they homer.