Os game blog: Cole Irvin pitches the series and homestand opener versus Arizona

After splitting a two-game series at Washington, followed by Thursday’s off day, the Orioles get back on the field tonight. They host the Diamondbacks to start their longest homestand of the year featuring nine games versus Arizona, Toronto and Seattle.

The Orioles (24-12) lead the AL East by a ½ game over the New York Yankees, who lost Thursday to Houston. Baltimore is 12-7 at home and 12-5 on the road.

The Orioles have won five of their last six, seven of nine, 12 of 17 and 16 of the last 22 games. They went 4-1 on their road trip to Cincinnati and Washington.

By winning the second game of the two-game series at Nats Park, 7-6 in 12 innings, the O’s extended their club record streak of regular-season series without being swept to 103. At three hours, 35 minutes, it was Baltimore's longest game of the season. It was also their longest game by innings since a 13-inning matchup on May 20, 2022, against Tampa Bay.

The Orioles are now 10-2 after a loss this year.

Baltimore pitching gave up six runs in Wednesday’s win. But still, over the last nine games, O’s pitchers have allowed 17 runs with a team ERA of 1.63. Over the last 16 games, they have allowed 41 runs with a team ERA of 2.28.

In that win Wednesday they hit three more homers with Anthony Santander, Gunnar Henderson and Ryan Mountcastle connecting.

The Orioles have hit 57 homers on the year, including 12 in the last six games and 47 in their past 25 games.

MLB team leaders, homers per game:

1.58 - Baltimore Orioles
1.38 - Los Angeles Dodgers
1.31 - New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics
1.27 - Milwaukee Brewers

Baltimore is 16-2 when hitting two or more homers in a game and 10-2 when hitting three or more home runs.

Lefty Cole Irvin (3-1, 2.86 ERA), not scored on in his last three starts, pitches the series opener against the D-backs. He went 6 1/3 scoreless on two hits last Friday at Cincinnati. Over his past three games, he has thrown 20 scoreless allowing 10 hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts. In that span, opponents hit .147 against him with a .360 OPS. And he has lowered his ERA from 6.75 to 2.86 in this stretch.

The Orioles are 5-1 in his starts this season and opponents haven't scored a run against him since April 15 against Minnesota. He has a 20 2/3 innings scoreless streak riding. 

Lefty batters are hitting .207 against him with a .544 OPS and right-handed hitters are hitting .240 with .630 OPS.

Arizona played in the 2023 World Series. After an 84-78 regular season, the D-backs swept Milwaukee in two games in the wild-card round and swept the Dodgers three straight in the National League Division Series before winning the NL Championship Series in seven games over the Phillies. As NL champs, they lost the WS in five games to the Rangers, the same team that eliminated the Orioles last October.

Arizona (18-20) also has this in common with the Orioles. They just swept three games at Cincinnati. The Birds did that last weekend and Arizona did that this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The D-backs have won four in a row overall after losing seven of their previous nine games. They began the year 4-2, but are 14-18 since. Arizona is 4-7-1 in 12 series in 2024, but is just 2-10 in series-opening games. The O’s are 8-4 in series openers and 4-2 when they play a series opener at Camden Yards.

Tonight the D-backs make their first trip to Baltimore since September of 2016. They are 5-4 all-time against the Orioles.

Christian Walker, the O's fourth-round draft pick in 2012, is batting .279 for Arizona with seven homers, 26 RBIs and an OPS of .861. He went 3-for-7 with two homers against the Orioles last year. He hit his first MLB homer in his third big league game, playing for the Orioles on Sept. 20, 2014, at Oriole Park, a solo shot off Boston's Rubby De La Rosa. 

The Orioles will wear their City Connect jerseys at each Friday home game. The O's own a 5-9 record when wearing their City Connect uniforms (5-8 in all black, 0-1 in black jerseys/white pants).