O's game blog: The series finale in Seattle

The Orioles can produce both a winning series and a winning road trip with a victory this afternoon at Seattle. The trip began when they took two of three from first-place Oakland over the weekend. It continued Monday with a 5-3 win at Seattle before last night's 5-2 loss.

The Orioles (14-16) are playing .467 ball at the 30-game mark. That would produce a final record of 76-86.

Even with Tuesday's loss, they have won four of their last six, six out of 10 and are 9-8 over the last 17 games. They are 3-1-1 in road series and can add to that win column today. They are 10-6 in road games.

As they try to take this series, they send left-hander John Means (3-0, 1.70 ERA) to the mound for his seventh start. Means was on the mound Friday at the start of this trip, pitching the Orioles to a win at Oakland. Over seven innings - his third outing of seven innings - he allowed three hits and two runs on 93 pitches.

Means has allowed just eight hits and three earned runs his past three starts, going 2-1 with a 1.33 ERA and .118 batting average against. Means is 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA in four road starts. The Orioles are 4-2 when he takes the mound, winning two in a row.

In the American League stats, Means ranks third in ERA, second in WHIP (0.838), third in average against (.163) and tied for eighth in wins among qualifying pitchers.

His 1.70 ERA is the lowest for an O's starter in the first six starts of a season since Jim Palmer in 1977 (1.13), and it is the 10th time in club history that an O's starter has posted a 1.70 ERA or lower in his first six starts of a season. Means' changeup is inducing a 78.9 mph opponent exit velocity and a 37.4 percent whiff rate. He's yet to allow a hit when throwing his curveball, 0-for-10.

The roll he got on late last year has carried into this season. Over his past 10 starts, dating to late 2020, he is 5-1 with a 1.63 ERA. In 60 2/3 innings in that span he has walked 13 and fanned 68 and allowed one run or zero eight times.

So he's rolling heading into the series finale today.

Seattle left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (1-1, 4.40 ERA) will make his sixth start. For the season he has thrown 30 2/3 innings, allowing 24 hits and 1.141 WHIP. He gives up 7.0 hits per nine, allowing 1.5 homers with 3.2 walks and 7.9 strikeouts.

The 29-year-old from Japan threw seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball last Thursday versus Houston. He walked two and fanned seven. It was a big change from his previous two starts, when he yielded 10 runs in 11 2/3 innings. He has three quality starts, and Seattle is 3-2 in his outings.

RIP Ray Miller: I want to say rest in peace for former O's manager and pitching coach Ray Miller, who has died at age 75. When he managed the Orioles in 1998 and 1999, I was just starting in radio in Baltimore and was hosting the Orioles postgame show. Miller could not have been nicer to work with. He granted me amazing access to his thinking and decisions and provided tremendous insights for a young kid trying to get his Baltimore career off and running.

He mentored Cy Young Winners and his "work fast, throw strikes" mantra resonated with many a pitcher. He was a great Oriole. He was added to the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2010 for his work as O's pitching coach.

O's skipper Brandon Hyde began his pregame press conference today by noting Miller's passing and his time with the Orioles.

"Just want to send out my condolences to the Miller family. An Orioles Hall of Famer. A great man in the baseball community. Just want to give my best wishes to his family," said Hyde.