masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgChecking in with some stats and facts about both teams as the Cincinnati Reds make their first visit to Baltimore tonight since the 1970 World Series.

* The Orioles hit .302 as a team and scored 4.2 runs per game during their nine-game road trip. Over the last six games they have 72 hits, a .324 team average and 28 runs scored.

* Nick Markakis has the longest current hitting streak in the American League at 13 games. He is batting .400 (24-for-60) during the streak with a homer and eight…Checking in with some stats and facts about both teams as the Cincinnati Reds make their first visit to Baltimore tonight since the 1970 World Series.

* The Orioles hit .302 as a team and scored 4.2 runs per game during their nine-game road trip. Over the last six games they have 72 hits, a .324 team average and 28 runs scored.

* Nick Markakis has the longest current hitting streak in the American League at 13 games. He is batting .400 (24-for-60) during the streak with a homer and eight RBIs. Markakis is 13-for-29 (.448) over his past six games.

* J.J. Hardy has four straight two-hit games, going 8-for-18. He has seven RBIs his last seven games. He is batting .380 in June with seven homers, 15 RBIs and 11 multi-hit contests in 19 games during the month.

* Mark Reynolds is 8-for-12 over his past four games. He is 11-for-21 (.524) during a seven-game batting streak that has raised his average from .202 to .231.

* The Orioles, who are 20-18 at home, begin a stretch tonight of seven straight series and 23 straight games against teams with a current winning record.

* The Reds are 39-37 but are just 2-7 versus the American League after getting swept by Cleveland and, in their last two series, losing two of three each to Toronto and New York.

* Cincinnati is one of four MLB teams – along with Texas, Philadelphia and San Francisco – to improve its record the last four seasons. After winning 72 games in 2007, the Reds then won 74, 78 and 91 games and last year won the National League Central.

* Reds outfielder Jay Bruce was the NL Player of the Month in May when he hit .342 with 12 homers and 33 RBIs. But in June, he has batted just .229 with one homer and five RBIs and is homerless over his past 19 games.

* Reds pitchers have an ERA of just 2.59 over their last 16 games.

* Former O’s catcher Ramon Hernandez is with the Reds and is batting .308 with seven homers and 18 RBIs, and has thrown out 36.4 percent of base stealers.

* In the only previous regular-season series between these teams, the Reds took two of three in Cincinnati in June 2005.

* The Orioles are 112-143 all-time in interleague play while the Reds are 93-118 and have a winning record versus the American League in just four of the last 14 seasons.