O's game blog: Road trip begins at the Trop (O's lose 15-5)

After completing a 3-4 homestand that leaves them two games under .500 at 35-37, the Orioles begin a six-game road trip tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Tampa Bay Rays. The trip also will take them to Toronto for three games beginning Tuesday.

The Orioles have been a very poor road team with a 11-23 record away from Oriole Park. They have lost 12 of their last 13 and 20 of the past 25 road games.

The Orioles will try to avoid tying a major league record tonight. They've allowed five runs or more for 19 consecutive games. The record is 20 straight by the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies, who could have company tonight.

The Orioles lost to Cleveland 6-3 last night. They lost three of four in the series. In the three losses, they scored four runs total, hitting one homer and went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

Since beginning the year 22-10, the Orioles have now gone 13-27 over the last 40 games. That is a .325 winning percentage which would produce only 53 wins over a full season. The Orioles have lost 11 of their past 15 games.

Right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (2-2, 6.25 ERA) will get the start tonight. He has made 14 appearances and nine starts. He made his first start since May 22 on Sunday and pitched well against St. Louis. Over seven innings, he gave up four hits and two runs, throwing 106 pitches. That was the only time in the last 13 games that an Orioles starting pitcher worked six innings or more.

Jiménez faced Tampa Bay and tonight's mound opponent, Chris Archer, on April 24 in a game the Orioles won 6-3 in Baltimore. But he did not get a decision. Over 3 1/3 innings, he gave up three hits and three runs, throwing 78 pitches. In nine career starts versus the Rays, he is 5-2 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.193 WHIP.

Archer (5-4, 3.75 ERA) will make his 16th start and ninth at home. Archer has nine quality starts and has thrown six innings or more six straight games.

In that game in April, Archer took the loss. Over 6 2/3 innings, he walked five and gave up five runs. In 14 games (13 starts) in his career against Baltimore, he is 3-7 with a 4.69 ERA and 1.401 WHIP.

The Rays (39-36) are in third place in the American League East, 2 1/2 games back of co-leaders Boston and New York. The Orioles and Toronto are tied for fourth place, five games behind.

Tampa Bay has won four of five and 10 of its past 15 games. The Rays are trying to get to four games over the .500 mark for the first time since July 2015. The Rays have won nine of their last 12 home games at Tropicana Field.