The final road trip begins: O's at Toronto

Game Preview Orioles (60-89) at Toronto (66-83) Their first road trip of the season took them to Texas and on to Boston. Tonight, the Orioles begin their 11th and last road trip of this year. They'll play three games starting tonight at Toronto, than it's on to Cleveland for three and Tampa for four to wrap up the ten-game trip. The Orioles have not had a winning road trip all year, they went 3-3 on one trip. They are 24-47 on the season on the road. The O's completed a 2-5 homestand with Sunday's loss to Boston. The Red Sox completed a three-game sweep and out-scored the O's in the series, 23-9. The Orioles have lost four in a row and six of eight games. They are 12-17 over the last 29 games and 20-41 since the All-Star break. The O's have scored just 13 runs with a team average of .220 over the last five games. Nick Markakis is in a 3 for 35 slump that has dropped his average from .306 to .293. Matt Wieters has put together back-to-back, three-hit games while batting third. Over his last seven games, Wieters is 12 for 25 with two homers and 10 RBI. He is batting .370 over his last 15 games. Brian Roberts has 54 doubles and needs one more to tie Lance Berkman, for most ever by a switch-hitter. Berkman had 55 in 2001. The MLB record for doubles by a second baseman is 60, set by Detroit's Charlie Gehringer in 1936. Roberts has two doubles the last two games and five over his last 11 games. Toronto lost 3-1 at Tampa Sunday and got swept by the Rays in a three-game series by a score of 18-5. Roy Halladay took the loss Sunday and is just 1-4 this year vs. Tampa. Toronto has lost four in a row, scoring just nine runs in the four games. The Jays, who are 38-36 this year at home, have also lost six of the last seven contests. Toronto is 20-43 vs. AL East opponents and is 7-13 in September. The Blue Jays have won just three of their last 18 series, going 17-36 in that stretch. The O's and Blue Jays have split 12 meetings this year. The Orioles are 5-1 at home and 1-5 on the road this season vs. Toronto. The Orioles have out-scored the Jays this year 54-52. The Birds team average is .269 and they have 11 homers vs. Toronto. The team ERA in the season series to date is 4.10. Orioles 2009 road trips: *at Texas-Boston: 2-5 *at Toronto-Tampa: 1-4 *at KC-NYY-Washington: 4-6 *at Seattle-Oakland: 1-5 *at Philly-Florida: 3-3 *at LAA-Seattle: 3-4 *at CWS-NYY-Boston: 2-7 *at Detroit-Toronto: 2-5 *at Tampa-CWS-Minnesota: 4-5 *at Boston-NYY: 2-3 O's hitters, 2009 vs. Toronto: Andino: 6-15/0/1 Izturis: 11-34/0/1 Markakis: 13-51/1/6 Moeller: 0-5/0/1 Montanez: 1-5/0/0 Mora: 12-46/1/3 Pie: 3-11/0/0 Roberts: 9-41/0/6 Scott: 11-32/3/7 Wieters: 3-18/0/2 Wigginton: 7-27/0/2