After losing both games of a rain-shortened series against the Yankees, the Orioles will now head to Queens to take on the Mets for a quick two-game set before traveling to Toronto.
The Orioles (17-41) are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak tonight at Citi Field, but wins have been hard to come by on the road this season. The Birds went just 4-13 while on tour in May and have compiled a woeful 7-23 record away from Camden Yards.
The Mets (27-30) came into 2018 with high hopes but now face a possible fire sale after a disappointing first two months. After getting handed a four-game sweep by the visiting Cubs over the weekend, the Mets have lost six straight contests at home and own a dismal 3-11 record over their last 14 games.
Alex Cobb (1-7, 6.80 ERA) will take on Jason Vargas (2-3, 8.53 ERA) in the series opener.
Cobb took the loss against the Nationals despite allowing just three runs on five hits over seven solid innings. He has been getting progressively better as the season rolls along. Cobb has posted quality starts in four of his last six attempts and has given up three runs or less on five separate occasions during that span.
Vargas notched his second win of the season after holding the first-place Braves to two hits over five shutout innings during his last outing, and will be looking to build on that going forward. Like Cobb, Vargas has shrugged off a nightmare start to his campaign by going 2-0 with a stout 3.46 ERA over his last three starts.
Dylan Bundy (3-7, 4.46 ERA) will match-up against Zach Wheeler (2-4, 5.14 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale.
Bundy battled hard during his last start against the Nationals and allowed just three runs over six innings despite giving up 11 hits. After going through a rough stretch that has resulted in a 7.05 ERA over his last seven contests, Bundy looks to be back on mend as of late. He owns a solid 3.60 ERA over his last two starts while striking out 20 over 15 innings of work.
Wheeler held the dangerous Cubs lineup to just two runs on seven hits over six innings his last outing, but took the no-decision in the Mets eventual loss. Bad luck has been the story of Wheeler’s season. He’s held opponents to two runs or less in three of his last five starts, but doesn’t have a win during that span to show for it. He owns an impressive 3.50 ERA over eighteen innings of work during his last three starts.
Notes:
— Adam Jones is simply crushing it at the moment as he’s posted multi-hit contests in five of his last eight contests. During that span, he’s gone 14-for-34 (.412) at the dish with five runs, two doubles, one homer and four RBI.
— Manny Machado comes into Queens on a seven-game hitting streak. He’s hitting .321 with five runs, two doubles, three homers and three RBI over that stretch.
— Mets highly-touted shortstop Amed Rosario is starting to heat up with the weather. He’s posted four multi-hit contests over his last 10n games and is hitting .303 with four runs, one double and three RBI during that span.
— Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo is red-hot at the moment. Over his last 10 games, he’s hitting a solid .270 with eight runs, three doubles, four home runs and eight RBI. He’s also posted four mutlihit performances during his current streak of excellence.
That’s all for now, folks!
Here’s to ending the losing skid.
