O's game blog: Norris on the mound as Orioles go for sweep

Maybe it's milestone day and night at Camden Yards. The Orioles' stunning 2-1 win in 11 innings this afternoon was the 5,000th in club history, counting the playoffs. It was also win No. 1,250 for Buck Showalter as a big league manager. Now the Orioles try for their first doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees since Sept. 24, 1984 in Game 2 of the split twin bill. The Orioles are now a major league-leading 14-5 in extra-inning games for the season and 38-14 in extras since 2012. Bud Norris (12-8, 3.92 ERA) gets the start in Game 2 tonight, looking to continue his solid pitching at home this season. In 11 starts at Camden Yards in 2014, Norris is 6-2 with an ERA of 2.88 and a .246 average against. Lately, when Norris gets the start, the Orioles have been winning often. They are 6-1 over his past seven starts and 16-9 for the year. Norris has made 34 O's starts since they acquired him last July, and the Orioles are 23-11 in those games. Left-handed batters are hitting .259 against Norris while right-handed batters hit .241 off the right-hander. Norris has allowed a batting average against of just .185 when pitching with runners in scoring position and just .192 with RISP and two outs. The Yankees' starter is right-hander Bryan Mitchell, who is making his first major league start. Mitchell made his major league debut Aug. 10 against Cleveland, pitching two scoreless innings. The Yankees are 34-21 in games started by rookie pitchers this season, including 22-7 on the road. Mitchell will become the 13th pitcher to start a game for the Yankees this season. The O's are 9-3 against New York, and one more win in the remaining seven games between the teams will give the Orioles their first season season win over New York since going 8-4 in 1997.