When: 7:05 PM ET, Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN
By SportsDirect Inc.
The Baltimore Orioles are cooling off with losses in four of their last five games and will try to avoid a third straight setback when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the second of a three-game series on Wednesday. The Blue Jays are heating up with wins in three straight and are getting just enough from the offense to support strong pitching.
Baltimore won its first seven games before falling off the pace and found itself in a 3-0 hole after the third inning on Tuesday before making things interesting late in a 4-3 loss. The Orioles got home runs from Manny Machado and Matt Wieters in the setback and have had no trouble getting big hits from the offense, but the starting rotation is beginning to show its limitations. Toronto has big bats in the middle of the lineup as well and got a two-run double from Troy Tulowitzki to open up the lead in the third inning on Tuesday before Jose Bautista's RBI double provided the winning run in the seventh. The victory was the fifth in the last seven games for the Blue Jays, who moved above .500 at 8-7.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH R.A. Dickey (1-2, 6.75 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 3.75)
Dickey is having trouble working deep into games and has yet to record an out in the sixth inning through three starts. The former Cy Young Award winner could not keep his knuckleball in the zone at Boston on Friday and issued four walks in 4 2/3 innings while allowing four runs – two earned – and six hits in a loss. Dickey scattered two hits and no walks over five scoreless innings in his lone start against Baltimore last season but did not factor in the decision.
Jimenez struck out nine and did not walk a batter over seven innings to earn a win in his first start but had control problems crop up at Boston last Wednesday. The Dominican Republic native issued four walks in five innings and was charged with four runs to suffer the loss. Jimenez is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 13 career games – 12 starts – against Toronto, including 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in four starts last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles CF Adam Jones left Tuesday's game with a stomach virus and is day-to-day.
2. Bautista has reached base safely in each of the first 15 games.
3. Baltimore RHP Kevin Gausman (shoulder) is scheduled to throw 90 pitches in a rehab outing with Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.
PREDICTION: Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5
