Series Preview: Orioles (38-27) vs. Blue Jays (38-31)

After a three-game swing in Boston in which they reclaimed sole possession of first place in the division, the O’s are set to host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game set at Camden Yards.

The Orioles (38-27) are flying high at the moment after taking two out of three at Fenway and come into the upcoming clash against their Canadian rivals tied for the most wins at home in the majors (24) with a sparkling 24-11 record at Camden Yards overall. The O’s also own an impressive 16-12 record against AL East foes.

Oh, and did I mention that they’re in first place?

The Orioles however, will face a Blue Jays squad that is rolling at the moment, especially tearing up the AL East as of late. After concluding a series against the O’s recently in which they won three out of four contests at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays boast a stellar 12-4 record in their last 16 games against in-division opponents.

The Blue Jays (38-31) fly into Baltimore currently holding third place in the AL East and are two games off the pace of the first place Orioles. However, Toronto comes in tied for second in the majors with 20 wins on the road.

To add to their credentials, the red-hot Blue Jays have also won six of their last seven games and carry a three-game winning streak into Baltimore.

Now, let’s take a look at the projected starters:

Mike Wright (3-3, 5.31 ERA) is set to face Aaron Sanchez (6-1, 3.38 ERA) in the series opener on Friday.

Wright will be looking to redeem himself against the Jays after getting tagged for four runs on six hits over five innings with five walks to three strikeouts against them in an 11-6 loss last Saturday.

It won’t be easy for the 26-year-old rookie. Wright has posted a 5.73 ERA over two starts against the Jays this season, and owns an 0-3 record with a dreadful 7.13 ERA and 2.20 WHIP versus Toronto in five games (four starts) over his young career.

The otherwise in-form Sanchez was tagged for six runs on ten hits over five innings while allowing four homers against the O’s on June 12^th, but was handed a fortunate win in the 10-9 slugfest. The up-and-coming 23-year-old star owns a 2-2 record with an inflated 6.23 ERA in nine games (four starts) against the O’s in his career.

Yovani Gallardo (1-1, 7.00 ERA) will make his first start in nearly two months against veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (4-7, 4.16 ERA) on Saturday.

Gallardo, 30, owns a perfect 3-0 record with a stellar 1.33 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over three career starts against Toronto. While a member of the Texas Rangers last season, Gallardo registered 13.2 superb shutout innings against the Blue Jays over two starts (2-0) while allowing just six hits.

Fresh off of getting owned by Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright (twice) recently, the O’s face another knuckleballer in Dickey, who has posted a 2-1 record along with an impressive 2.45 ERA over his last three starts.

In 15 career starts against the Birds, the 41-year-old Dickey has posted a 2-6 record with a 3.97 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.

Orioles ace Chris Tillman (9-1, 2.87 ERA) is projected to take the mound against Marcus Stroman (6-2, 4.76 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday.

Tillman has been in phenomenal form all season long for the O’s, but faces a challenge in shutting down a club that he’s recorded a 4-10 record against along with a 5.65 ERA over 21 career starts. In his last outing versus Toronto on April 21^st, the 28-year-old All-Star allowed just two runs on four hits over six innings with three walks and four K’s, but received a no-decision in the O’s 3-2 triumph.

Stroman, 25, has recorded a respectable 2-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1.15 WHIP against Baltimore over five games (four starts) during his young career, but has struggled a bit against the O’s this season. In two starts against the Birds this year, the future ace has registered a 5.20 ERA over 12.1 innings.

This three-game set at Camden Yards will feature two of the league’s most talented offensive clubs, as the O’s rank 1^st in the majors with 103 homers and 5^th in the AL in runs per game (4.78), while the Blue Jays rank 3^rd in the league with 96 home runs and 6^th in the AL in runs per game (4.57).

As always, Manny Machado (.308, 26 2B, 17 HR, 41 RBI) leads the charge for the O’s, followed by Mark Trumbo (.283, 11 2B, 20 HR, 49 RBI), Adam Jones (.245, 10 2B, 13 HR, 40 RBI) and Chris Davis (.226, 11 2B, 16 HR, 40 RBI).

Toronto’s sparkling duo of Josh Donaldson (.276, 16 2B, 16 HR, 43 RBI), and Edwin Encarnacion (.255, 16 2B, 18 HR, 61 RBI) and Jose Bautista (.230, 15 2B, 12 HR, 41 RBI) pave the way for the Blue Jays offense. Native Canadian Michael Saunders (.307, 17 2B, 12 HR, 24 RBI) is having a nice year as well.

Either way, expect a lot of fireworks at Camden Yards over the weekend.

The biggest concern for the O’s going into this match-up is the lopsided difference between pitching staffs. Toronto ranks 2^nd in the AL in team ERA (3.78), BAA (.241) and WHIP (1.25) while their stellar rotation ranks 2^nd in ERA (3.66) and 1^st in BAA (.232), WHIP (1.20) and OBP (.298).

Baltimore ranks 10^th in the AL in ERA (4.09) and doesn’t rank in the top 10 of any other major category.

Finally, the O’s own a slight 43-39 advantage against the Blue Jays since the start of the 2012 season, but Toronto is ahead 4-3 in the season series to date. Here’s to reversing that trend at Camden!

The first place Orioles (I can never tire of saying that) facing off against a red-hot Blue Jays squad that are nipping at the O’s and Red Sox heels in the AL East.

One thing is for sure: we’re in for an excellent show this weekend.