Here are a couple of notes as the Orioles and Blue Jays begin a weekend series tonight.
* The Orioles went 3-15 against Toronto last year and this season are 5-10. The Orioles have lost 30 of the last 42 games between the teams.
* It's been a mixed bag in recent games for Orioles' pitching. The bullpen has put together three straight games without allowing a run. That is 13 1/3 scoreless giving up just four hits with three walks and 17 strikeouts.
The Orioles rotation has not recorded a quality start over the last six games with an ERA of 8.67 in the stretch.
* The Orioles gave up seven homers and 16 runs in 16 innings in losses to the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday. In wins in extra-innings Wednesday and Thursday, the pitchers did not give up a homer and just eight runs over 21 innings.
* J.J. Hardy has struggled some lately, but has hit well this year against Toronto with 12 extra-base hits in a dozen games. Hardy is 0-for-10 the past two games and 5-for-35 (.143) over his last eight games.
But against the Jays, Hardy is batting .314 with six doubles, six homers and 11 RBIs in 12 games.
* Adam Jones is batting just .118 (6-for-51) over his last 15 games with one homer and three RBIs. He has just one multi-hit game in the stretch which has dropped his batting average from .299 to .282.
* Toronto's Jose Bautista leads the majors in homers (40), OBP (.444), slugging (.625) and OPS (1.069). But he is batting just .185 in 15 games agasint the Orioles in 2011 with one homer and 10 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .259. He has just two extra-base hits in those games.
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