O's game blog: Jimmy Yacabonis faces Seattle in first major league start

As the Orioles try to avoid being swept in four straight today, they send right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis to the mound. He'll be making his first big league start as the Orioles conclude their series with the Seattle Mariners.

The Orioles (23-56) have lost to Seattle by scores of 5-3, 3-2 and 8-7 in 11 innings last night. They've lost four in a row, 15 of 19 and 24 of their last 32 games. They are 0-12 versus American League West teams and 1-14 in their last 15 home games.

Seattle (50-31) had lost six of seven at the start of this series. But today the Mariners look for their third four-game sweep of the Orioles. They swept four twice previously at Safeco Field - from June 22-25, 2000 and from June 30-July 3, 2016.

The Orioles have not swept any team this year in a series of three or more games. But they have been swept in three or four straight eight times. They were swept three in a row at Houston, Boston, Detroit, Anaheim and Oakland, and at home against Boston and Washington. They were also swept in a four-game series at Toronto.

Yacabonis was with the Orioles briefly twice earlier this year. He was first recalled April 7 and optioned out the next day. Then he was recalled May 11 and optioned out May 13. He was recalled for a third time yesterday.

In two games for the Orioles, he is 0-0 with an ERA of 15.43, allowing four runs over 2 1/3 innings. He was pitching as a starter for Triple-A Norfolk and has gone 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA over 13 starts. In 51 2/3 innings, Yacabonis allowed 38 hits, including four homers with 19 walks and 38 strikeouts. Opponents hit just .205 against him.

In his most recent start, he gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings on June 21. But in his six starts before that, Yacabonis went 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA. Over 28 1/3 innings, he walked six and fanned 24.

Don't expect Yacabonis to pitch deep into this game today. As they have transitioned him this year from a reliever to a starter, the Orioles have held down his innings and pitch counts. Over his last seven starts, he's thrown between 63 and 75 pitches.

Yacabonis has put up strong numbers the last few years at the higher levels of the O's minors and now he is trying to find some sustained major league success. Today is his 17th career major league game.

Late last season, the Orioles actually began a process of stretching out Yacabonis and he had some longer relief outings for Norfolk, several of two innings or more. We didn't know then that the Orioles would be using him as a starter this year, but they have made the move. During spring training this year for this interview, I talked to Yacabonis about pitching longer outings and his pitch development.

Right-hander Mike Leake (8-4, 4.11 ERA) gets today's start for Seattle. In his last start, he threw eight scoreless innings on three hits at Boston on Saturday. He's given up two earned runs or less six times in his last seven games, going 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA. The Mariners are 6-1 in those games.

The Orioles rank fifth in the AL in quality starts with 37. Mark Trumbo is batting .333 (13-for-39) during an 11-game hitting streak. It's his longest streak since another 11-gamer from April 14-26, 2016. Chris Davis hit his 11th Eutaw Street homer last night. He leads all players in Eutaw Street longballs. Davis has eight RBIs over his last six games. He had 15 over his first 57 games of the season.

Chance Sisco was recalled by the Orioles today. He went 6-for-17 (.353) in five games with Norfolk with a double, a homer and two RBIs. But he was 0-for-10 throwing out runners in that time. Sisco is catching Yacabonis today.

After six shutout innings from right-hander Cristian Alvarado on Wednesday, Single-A Frederick Keys starting pitchers have gone 9-2 with a 2.31 ERA in the last 19 games.