After bursting back to life with a four-game sweep of the Rangers, the Orioles will look to keep the good vibes flowing over the weekend versus the Houston Astros.

The Orioles will also be looking to conclude their ten-game home stand on a high note before hitting the road for a six-game road swing. While they looked to be in vintage form over their current four-game win streak, they’ll have their work cut out in replicating that form against the AL’s best and the second-best team in the bigs this weekend.

The Orioles’ (46-49) current tear has taken them from nine games off the pace of the division-leading Red Sox to seven, while they’ve also closed the gap on the Yankees for the second wild card spot from 5.5 games to 3.5 games. With 67 games still left to play on the schedule, the Orioles are still very much alive but can’t afford to go backwards. Their margin for error is so small that this current hot streak could go for naught if they can’t do the same this weekend, or next week, or the week after that. You get the point. Now that they’re feeling good, they need to keep it going.

And as for all the trade speculation around Birdland, well that isn’t going away anytime soon. The next week or so should determine whether the Orioles make just a few deals to revamp the current squad or whether they enter the beginning phases of a total overhaul. In the words of Terrell Owens, get your popcorn ready.

The Astros (63-32) have been in sparkling form all season long and as a result, they own the #1 ranking in the American League and a remarkable 16-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the division. They’ve been especially amazing on the road this season with a 33-11 record on tour and have posted a sensational 24-6 record away from Minute Maid Park since May 11th. They haven’t slowed down a bit with a 9-5 record thus far in July and to make it even tougher on the Orioles, they’ve gone an impressive 13-7 versus the AL East this season.

The real kicker is the Astros’ recent domination of their hosts. The Orioles were swept over a three-game set in Houston back in May and as a result, they’ve gone just 1-9 versus their current visitors since the start of last season. The Astros also own a commanding 13-4 advantage over the Orioles since the start of the 2015 season.

Can the Orioles flip the script and keep their postseason hopes alive, or will Houston hand the Orioles another problem to deal with?

We’re about to find out. Until then, let’s take a peek at the starters.

Game One

Ubaldo Jimenez (4-5, 7.01 ERA) will take the mound versus Mike Fiers (6-4, 3.75 ERA) in tonight’s series opener.

Jimenez will be looking to shake off his last outing in which he allowed six runs on eleven hits over just 3 2/3 innings versus the Cubs. His latest implosion results in Jimenez carrying a 9.88 ERA over his last three outings and a 7.55 ERA over his last six into Friday’s contest. The good news is that over thirteen career games (eleven starts) versus Houston, Jimenez has gone 4-1 with a glittering 2.87 ERA.

Fiers has been in sparkling form for quite some time now. After holding the Twins to just two runs on four hits over seven innings during his last start, Fiers boasts a 2.65 ERA over his last three starts. He also owns a 3-2 record and a stellar 2.30 ERA over his last seven contests. He held the Orioles to just one run over seven innings in a winning effort during his only career start versus the Birds last August.

Game Two

Chris Tillman (1-5, 7.20 ERA) will get the nod versus Collin McHugh in Saturday night’s match-up.

After silencing the Rangers to the tune of just a single run on two hits over six innings during his last start, Tillman will look for more of the same. He’s posted an impressive 2.45 ERA over his last two starts and eleven innings of work, but doesn’t have a win to show for it. On the year, Tillman has gone 1-3 with a 5.22 ERA at Camden Yards. Over six career starts versus the Astros, Tillman has posted a 2-3 record to go along with a solid 3.89 ERA.

The Astros will welcome McHugh back with open arms after their stud missed the entire first half of the season with an impingement in his right elbow. He’s gone 43-26 with a 3.71 ERA over 90 starts since joining the Astros in 2014. However, McHugh has gone 1-0 over five career starts versus Baltimore despite owning a 6.18 ERA.

Game Three

Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.18 ERA) will take the hill against Lance McCullers Jr (7-2, 3.28 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday.

Bundy kicked off his second half of the season in superb fashion by holding the Rangers to just one run on four hits over six innings in a winning effort. He’ll look to keep that going and improve upon his 7.18 ERA over his last five outings. On the year, Bundy has gone 5-4 with a 3.62 ERA at Camden Yards. He’ll be making his first career start versus Houston on Sunday as well.

McCullers will be looking to bounce back from his latest outing in which he allowed four runs on six hits over just 4 2/3 innings versus the Mariners. He’s winless over his first two starts of July and owns a 9.00 ERA over nine innings of work during that span. However, McCullers has gone 3-2 with a 3.67 ERA on the road this season and has gone 3-0 with a sparkling 1.80 ERA over his first three career starts versus the Birds. He’ll be looking to keep that 1.000 winning percentage going on Sunday.

That’s it for now, Orioles fans!

Enjoy the weekend!