masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgWell, for one day, the 2015 Orioles resembled the 2014 American League East champions. Matt Wieters returned, J.J. Hardy was at shortstop and Chris Tillman pitched well. They got a key homer from Adam Jones and shutdown work from the bullpen. The defense was sound.
Sounds good. Now can they do it again?
The Orioles are now exactly 33 percent into this season and on a 75-win pace at 25-29. They’ve got some work to do.
A win this afternoon at Cleveland would mean they have followed up a…

Well, for one day, the 2015 Orioles resembled the 2014 American League East champions. Matt Wieters returned, J.J. Hardy was at shortstop and Chris Tillman pitched well. They got a key homer from Adam Jones and shutdown work from the bullpen. The defense was sound.

Sounds good. Now can they do it again?

The Orioles are now exactly 33 percent into this season and on a 75-win pace at 25-29. They’ve got some work to do.

hardy-fielding-gray-sidebar.jpgA win this afternoon at Cleveland would mean they have followed up a five-game losing streak with three consecutive wins. That would tie a season high, and they have not won three in a row since April 25-29.

Over the last three games, Jones is 7-for-12 with two triples, two homers and three RBIs. He had one homer the entire month of May and went 20 straight games without one. But that stretch ended Thursday and he’s now homered in back-to-back games. Both homers snapped a 2-2 tie.

On the mound today, Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3, 3.12 ERA) faces 25-year-old right-hander Danny Salazar (5-1, 3.79 ERA).

Jimenez made 74 starts for Cleveland before he signed with the Orioles as a free agent in February 2014. He went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA with the 2013 Indians, and ranked fourth in the AL in strikeouts per nine innings and 10th in ERA.

In two starts last year against Cleveland, Jimenez did not pitch well. He went 0-2 with an ERA of 11.88. In 8 1/3 innings, he gave up nine hits and 11 runs with eight walks and strikeouts.

Salazar has recorded four quality starts in nine outings with Cleveland in 2015. Left-handed batters hit .221 against him and right-handed batters hit .248.

He leads the majors with 11.69 strikeouts per nine innings and has fanned 71 on the year in 54 2/3 innings, with three games of 10 or more strikeouts. In his only career start versus the Orioles last Aug. 17, he took the loss. Over five innings, he gave up four hits and two runs.

O’s closer Zach Britton collected his 15th save on Friday, ranking tied for ninth among relievers in the major leagues and tied for fourth in the AL. Britton owns a 1.96 ERA with 30 strikeouts to just three walks in 23 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .227 average this season. He may be unavailable today after pitching in back-to-back games.