Will O's pitching step up at Rogers Centre?

Well, that was one productive off-day for the Orioles. While the players got some much-needed rest, they gained ground on the teams in front of and behind them in the wild card race.

The Yankees scored five runs in the top of the ninth and then held off Toronto (86-70) in the last of the ninth to beat the Blue Jays 7-5. That result moved the Orioles (85-71) to within one game of Toronto for the first American League wild card spot. Moments later Cleveland concluded a 7-4 win at Detroit. That result pushed Detroit (83-73) two games behind the O's for the second wild card. Later, Seattle (83-73) completed a win over Houston to also move two games behind the Orioles.

So now, with six games to go in the regular season, the Orioles head to Toronto for three games beginning tonight and then it's on to New York for the final three games of the regular season.

As the Orioles face the Blue Jays over the next three games, they'll have to win in a venue where that has been difficult for them. The Orioles went 3-6 at Rogers Centre last year and are 2-5 there in 2016. They have lost seven of their last nine games at Rogers Centre.

The Orioles have allowed nine runs or more in three of their seven games at Toronto this season. They have given up 47 runs (6.7 per game) in those games and have allowed 38 runs over their past five games (7.6) at Toronto.

So can the Orioles pitch better this time, or will they have to outscore Toronto to win games in this series?

O's starting pitchers have an ERA of 8.61 this year at Rogers Centre, with just one quality start. Three times the Orioles starter went 4 1/3 or fewer innings. That includes the game on June 12 when Ubaldo Jimenez pitched just 1/3 of an inning and gave up five runs and six hits.

Kevin Gausman (8-11, 3.57 ERA) and Chris Tillman (16-6, 3.84 ERA) are scheduled to start the next two games. Gausman had the only quality start in Toronto by an Oriole this year when he allowed three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 innings on June 10. But he also started there July 29 and gave up six runs over three innings in the opener of a big three-game series.

When that series began, the Orioles were in first place and Toronto was in second, 1 1/2 games behind. In that July start, Gausman gave up three solo homers in the first inning to turn a 2-0 O's lead into a 3-2 deficit, which eventually became a 6-5 loss.

"This is obviously a big series for us right now, so for me to go out there and not even be competitive was bad," Gausman said after his outing that night.

Tonight, he gets another shot at the Blue Jays in another big series opener. Who better than Gausman to start this series really? Over his last six starts, he is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA and four scoreless starts. In 13 starts since the All-Star break, he is 7-5 with an ERA of 2.94.

Gausman is doing all of this while pitching a career high in innings. With all the talk of Dylan Bundy and his season innings total, perhaps we have overlooked the fact that Gausman is now about 20 innings past his previous career high.

Gausman in 2014: 158 2/3 innings

Gausman in 2015: 134 2/3 innings

Those totals include innings in the minors and the majors. This year ,that total, counting a few rehab games in the minors, is at 177 1/3 innings and counting. However, Gausman has shown no signs of tiring, throwing 100 pitches or more in seven straight starts and throwing 120 pitches two starts ago.

Meanwhile, will Rogers Centre be good for an Orioles offense that is struggling? Over the years, they have certainly put up some big numbers there, and this season the Orioles have scored 36 runs in the seven games there, hitting 15 home runs. Going into this series, the Orioles have hit just .200 over their past nine games, scoring 23 runs, and have gone 5-for-49 (.102) with runners in scoring position.

The final week of the regular season is here for the Orioles and it's a make-or-break week for their playoff chances. They need wins at two venues where they are a combined 4-10 this season.