O's game blog: Looking for three in a row in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. - With wins over the Los Angeles Angels by 10-8 in 16 innings and 9-3 last night, the Orioles will try for a third straight win tonight at Angel Stadium. Baltimore (34-69) can pick up a series win with a victory either tonight or tomorrow.

The Orioles have won three of four, six of nine and are 12-11 over the last 23 games. They are now 19-33 in road games. In this series, the Orioles have scored 19 runs on 29 hits with three doubles and four home runs. Over their past nine games, the team is batting .299 and has scored 62 runs, scoring nine runs or more four times in that span.

The Orioles tied a major league record on Friday by hitting two or more homers for the ninth consecutive game. It was the sixth time that has happened and third time by the Orioles, who also did this in 1987 and 1996, according to STATS. It was also done by the 1962 Cleveland Indians, 2009 New York Yankees and 2016 St. Louis Cardinals.

Right-hander Asher Wojciechowski improved to 2-3 with a 3.60 ERA last night when he allowed just three hits and two runs over seven innings. He threw 100 pitches, 64 for strikes. He has thrown back-to-back games of seven innings or more, allowing just two runs in 14 1/3 innings over those two contests, against the Red Sox and Angels.

The Orioles recorded their 27th quality start and fourth in the last eight games Friday night. Meanwhile, the Baltimore bullpen has pitched to a 3.03 ERA over the past six games.

The Angels (54-51) had a four-game win streak when this series began, and were 9-3 since the All-Star Game. Since beginning the season 9-16, the Angels are 45-35. They are 27-25 at home and 12-8 this month.

Right-hander Aaron Brooks (2-4, 5.16 ERA) tonight will make his 19th outing and 10th start this year. He is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts for the O's. He continues to build up his innings and pitch count, throwing 32 pitches in his first game with Baltimore, and then 56 and 73.

But that last game, the first of the current road trip, did not go well. On Monday at Arizona he allowed nine hits and six runs (five earned) over 3 2/3 innings. However, the Orioles have won two of his three starts.

As a starter only this season for the A's and O's, he is 2-4 with a 5.80 ERA and 1.388 WHIP, allowing eight homers in 40 1/3 innings. Lefty batters hit .263 with an OPS of .849 against him, and right-handed batters are hitting .254/.773.

The O's Anthony Santander went 3-for-4 with three RBIs last night, producing his 15th multi-hit game and eighth multi-RBI game. Over his last nine games, he's batting .415 with four homers, 13 RBIs and six multi-hit games. Trey Mancini has homered in three straight games and has hit seven in his past nine games.