After a miserable first half and the coming and going of the Mid-Summer Classic, the Orioles will kick off their second half of the season with a three-game set in Toronto.
The Orioles (28-69) will look to pick up where they left off after winning two straight games against the Rangers before the break. Their back-to-back wins marked just the sixth time that they’ve won two in a row this season, and a win tonight will give them their second winning streak of 2018.
The Blue Jays (43-52) will be trying to get back on the winning track tonight against the Orioles. After winning nine of their last fourteen games in June, they finished the first half of the season with a subpar 4-9 record in July before hitting the All-Star Break.
Dylan Bundy (6-9, 4.35 ERA) will match-up against Sam Gaviglio (2-3, 4.58 ERA) in tonight’s series opener.
Bundy took his second straight loss after allowing five runs over just four innings in the Bronx during his last outing and will be looking to bounce back into form against the Jays. He’s posted a 12.27 ERA over his first two starts in July after allowing ten runs over just 7 1/3 innings combined. He also owns a 7.32 ERA over 19 2/3 innings during his last four starts.
Gaviglio will be looking to kick off the second half on a positive note and pick up his long-awaited third win of the season against the Birds. He’s gone 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA through three starts this month and is 0-2 with a 6.67 ERA over his last seven outings.
Alex Cobb (2-12, 6.41 ERA) will take on Marcus Stroman (2-7, 5.86 ERA) in Saturday’s mid-day match-up.
Cobb pitched well enough to win during his last start against the Rangers after allowing just two runs over 6 1/3 innings, but took his twelfth loss of the season instead. He now owns an 0-3 record and a 5.00 ERA through three starts this month and has gone 0-5 with a 6.69 ERA over his last seven contests.
Stroman took his seventh loss of the season after allowing three runs on five hits over five innings at Fenway to close out the first half, but will be hoping that his nightmare season marred with injuries, inconsistency and controversy turns a new leaf in the second half. He’s posted a 2-4 record and solid 3.98 ERA over his last seven scattered starts.
Andrew Cashner (2-9, 4.56 ERA) will go head-to-head with J.A. Happ (10-6, 4.29 ERA) in Sunday’s series finale.
Cashner will be hoping for better luck in the second half after enduring a cruel first half of the season. He’s registered a stout 3.79 ERA over his last seven outings, but has an 0-3 record during that span to show. His last win came on May 21st, but he should have more than two wins to his name after posting five quality starts in the eight starts since his last notch in the win column.
Happ will be looking to rediscover his form on Sunday after going through a rough first half of July. The 2018 All-Star posted a clean 3-0 record and an impressive 3.16 ERA over five starts in June, but then followed up by going 0-3 with a 9.75 ERA over his first three starts in July before hitting the All-Star Break.
That’s all for now, folks!
Here’s to a few in the win column.
