O's game blog: Ubaldo gets the start in series finale (O's lose 5-1)

After winning 5-0 on Monday and losing 5-4 last night, the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays play a third and deciding game of their series this afternoon.

The Orioles have split the first two games of a three-game series seven times this year, and they have gone 6-1 in the decisive third game, including winning four straight such games.

The Orioles are 27-21 in American League East games and 12-12 in AL East road games. They have won three, lost two and tied two road AL East series.

The Orioles (48-52) reached the 100-game mark last night. They have won six of their last nine and are 6-6 in the second half.

The Rays (52-49) snapped a five-game losing streak with Tuesday's win. The losing streak followed a stretch in which they won six of seven. Tampa Bay is 28-23 at home, 10-9 in July and 21-22 in division games.

Right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (4-6, 7.19 ERA) today makes his 21st appearance of the year and his 16th as a starter. Jiménez has thrown 5 1/3 or fewer innings in 11 of his 15 starts and allowed five runs or more in nine of the 15.

Jiménez pitched a two-hit gem over eight scoreless innings on June 29 at Toronto. But in four starts since that game, he is 1-3 with an ERA of 9.95, allowing 21 earned runs and 31 hits over 19 innings. The Orioles are 8-7 in his 15 starts.

Jiménez has made two starts this year against Tampa Bay and, to say the least, the results were not good. He has lasted a combined 5 2/3 innings and given up 10 hits and 12 runs, going 0-1 with a 19.06 ERA. In 10 career starts versus Tampa Bay, he is 5-3 with a 4.70 ERA. In five career starts at Tropicana Field, he is 2-3 with a 6.67 ERA.

Right-hander Alex Cobb (8-6, 3.57 ERA) will make his 21st start for the Rays. Today is the 500th consecutive start by a Rays pitcher under age 30. That is the longest streak in the majors of such starts.

Over his past three starts, Cobb is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA. He has pitched seven innings or more in five of his past six starts. He is 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA in eight home starts.

He has made two starts this year versus the Orioles. In his start on July 2 at Baltimore, he went 6 1/3 and permitted six hits and seven runs (six earned). In 10 career starts against the Birds he is 4-2 with a 2.69 ERA. In four career starts at the Trop versus the Orioles, Cobb is 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA, allowing two runs over 29 1/3 innings. But he has not faced the Orioles at home since Sept. 5, 2014.