O's game blog: O's need a win to avoid sweep

The Orioles started this 10-game homestand getting swept three straight by the Chicago Cubs. They need a win today to avoid ending it being swept three by Houston.

Astros hitters have produced 31 hits and six homers the last two nights in 8-7 and 8-4 wins over the Orioles. They are 5-0 this season and have won eight in a row over the Orioles.

Right-hander Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.18 ERA) makes his second start of the second half this afternoon, his 20th on the year and his 11th at Oriole Park.

Pitching on 11 day's rest Tuesday versus Texas, Bundy went six innings allowing four hits and one run with one walk and four strikeouts on 100 pitches. He had pitched to an ERA of 8.53 his previous five starts.

Bundy has a team-leading 13 quality starts. He recorded eight in a row and 11 of 13 to start his season. He has two over his past six outings. In 10 home starts, Bundy is 5-4 with a 3.62 ERA.

Bundy passed his 2016 season innings total in his last start. He threw 109 2/3 innings last night and is at 114 innings so far this year.

Right-hander Lance McCullers (7-2, 3.28 ERA) will make his 18th start for the year and his 10th on the road for Houston.

McCullers has struggled a bit over his past three starts, going 0-1 with a 7.54 ERA, allowing 12 earned runs and 21 hits over 14 1/3. That raised his season ERA up from 2.53 to its present level.

McCullers was taken with the 41st overall pick in 2012 draft out of Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla. He was an All-Star this year but did not pitch in the game.

McCullers does a great job at limiting home runs. He has given up just six this season over 96 innings. He has allowed only one homer over his past 11 games. He averages giving up 0.6 homers per every nine innings. McCullers has walked 30 and fanned 111 on the season and yields a .229 batting average against.

He has nine quality starts for the year, but none over his past four games. Houston is 12-5 in his 17 starts.

Houston's Jose Altuve singled in his first at-bat of the game last night to extend his current hit streak to 14 games That tied his career high, done twice previously and is the longest active streak in the AL. Altuve is batting .476 (30-for-63) in that time and he currently leads the American League in both batting average (.352), and hits (130).

Adam Jones has an RBI in four straight games with three homers and nine RBIs in that stretch. Jonathan Schoop has homered in three straight games and has an RBI in six straight, including five straight multi-RBI games. Over his past six contests, Schoop is 10-for-25 with three homers and 15 RBIs.