masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgHere are some of the recent numbers on the Orioles’ offense:

* They have been shut out three times in the last five games and five times in the past 22 games.

* They have scored just 34 runs in the last 11 games, and 73 over the last 25 games, an average of 2.9 per game.

* The Orioles are 3-for-31 with runners in scoring position over the last five games and are batting just .168 with RISP over the last 25 games.

* The Orioles now rank 11th in the AL in batting average and runs scored and…Here are some of the recent numbers on the Orioles’ offense:

* They have been shut out three times in the last five games and five times in the past 22 games.

* They have scored just 34 runs in the last 11 games, and 73 over the last 25 games, an average of 2.9 per game.

* The Orioles are 3-for-31 with runners in scoring position over the last five games and are batting just .168 with RISP over the last 25 games.

* The Orioles now rank 11th in the AL in batting average and runs scored and 13th in OBP.

Now comes an eight-game road trip where the Orioles face the two pitching staffs that rank at the bottom of the league in ERA. Cleveland ranks 13th at 4.52, and tonight’s opponent, Minnesota, ranks 14th and last at 4.96.

Several O’s hitters continue to struggle. Wilson Betemit is 4-for-32 since the end of his 11-game hitting streak, Mark Reynolds is 4-for-43 over his last 14 games and J.J Hardy is just 1-for-33 over his past eight games, although it was a big one, a game-tying homer in the 13th inning on Saturday.

While it may be a very small sample size, I thought the weekend produced some real good at-bats for Nick Markakis and Jim Thome, and maybe that duo, with help from Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Hardy, can get this offense going again.

Thome went 4-for-10 with two doubles the past two days, and Markakis went 4-for-14 with four doubles against the Tigers. Wieters has knocked in 18 runs his past 23 games.

Thome, however, is not starting tonight vs. Twins lefty Scott Diamond, even though lefty batters are hitting .311 off Diamond this year. Wieters is batting fourth tonight, and he is batting .378 with an OPS of 1.013 this season against left-handed pitching.

By the way, there is also this stat: There have been 2.22 homers per game at Target Field this year, up from 1.55 last year and 1.43 in 2010.

With a couple of hitters coming off some good games this past weekend, and now that they are facing the two statistically worst pitching staffs in the league, will the O’s offense get it going on this road trip?