masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgBOSTON – The Orioles led the majors in home runs last season with 212, and they signed Nelson Cruz during spring training. Power didn’t figure to be in short supply.

Go figure.

The Orioles rank 29th in home runs with nine in their first 16 games. Only the Royals (five) have hit fewer in the majors. The Angels rank first with 29, followed by the Braves and Pirates with 23.

Matt Wieters leads the Orioles with three homers, followed by Cruz with two and Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop…BOSTON – The Orioles led the majors in home runs last season with 212, and they signed Nelson Cruz during spring training. Power didn’t figure to be in short supply.

Go figure.

The Orioles rank 29th in home runs with nine in their first 16 games. Only the Royals (five) have hit fewer in the majors. The Angels rank first with 29, followed by the Braves and Pirates with 23.

Matt Wieters leads the Orioles with three homers, followed by Cruz with two and Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop and Delmon Young with one apiece.

The Orioles haven’t homered in their last four games. According to their public relations staff, it’s the club’s longest stretch since going five straight games from June 15-19, 2012.

Young went 0-for-4 yesterday, snapping a 14-game hitting streak by Orioles designated hitters. Cruz (seven games), Young (four) Jones (one), Nick Markakis (one) and Steve Pearce (one) were a combined 21-for-55 (.382) with four doubles, two homers, 13 RBIs and seven runs scored during that span.

Cruz picked up his 500th career RBI Saturday when replay overturned an out call on his sixth-inning infield hit. He’s the fourth current Oriole to reach 500 in his career, joining Markakis, J.J. Hardy (530) and Young (524). Jones has 488 career RBIs.

Of the four, only Markakis drove in all of his runs as an Oriole.

Seven of Cruz’s 11 RBIs this season have come against the Red Sox.

Markakis is 13 hits shy of tying Al Bumbry (1,403) for ninth place on the club’s all-time list. He needs one more extra-base hit to tie Ken Singleton (436) for eighth place.

Davis has been hit by a pitch three times in the last five games – once each by the Blue Jays, Rays and Red Sox.

The pitching matchups for the series in Toronto read as follows:

Tuesday – Miguel Gonzalez vs. R.A. Dickey
Wednesday – Chris Tillman vs. Dustin McGowan
Thursday – Bud Norris vs. Drew Hutchison