masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgHere are some facts, stats and notes to consider as the O’s and Rays start a three-game weekend series tonight. The clubs played six times in the season’s first nine games and have met just three times since.

*The Birds are 2-1 on this six-game road trip and 16-41 on the year in road games.

*The O’s are 2-7 vs. Tampa and 10-35 vs. AL East clubs. The Rays are 27-17 vs. the East.

*The O’s are 8-2 with Buck Showalter as manager. They are 3-0 in series with Buck after going 4-28-2 in 34…Here are some facts, stats and notes to consider as the O’s and Rays start a three-game weekend series tonight. The clubs played six times in the season’s first nine games and have met just three times since.

*The Birds are 2-1 on this six-game road trip and 16-41 on the year in road games.

*The O’s are 2-7 vs. Tampa and 10-35 vs. AL East clubs. The Rays are 27-17 vs. the East.

*The O’s are 8-2 with Buck Showalter as manager. They are 3-0 in series with Buck after going 4-28-2 in 34 series before he took over.

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*O’s pitchers have walked two batters or less in 12 consecutive games and have issued just 14 total walks in those 12 contests.

*O’s starters have pitched to an ERA of 2.45 with nine quality starts over the last ten games.

*Tampa has lost six of its last eight games but is 25-13 over a longer stretch. The Rays have made just 11 errors over their past 45 games.

*A few Rays have struggled at bat recently. Ben Zobrist is 1 for 21, Carl Crawford is 4 for 29 and Evan Longoria has just 15 hits his past 73 at bats and only three homers his last 46 games.

*Ty Wigginton is batting .325-1-7 during a nine-game batting streak. Adam Jones is hitting .400-1-3 with five doubles over his last nine games.

*Five of the nine games between these teams this year have been decided by one run and the O’s are 2-3 in those five.

*Luke Scott is 11 for 29 with four homers and 7 RBI vs. Tampa this season while Evan Longoria is 12 for 37 with three homers and 12 RBI vs. the Orioles.

*Tampa has scored 57 runs with 35 extra-base hits in nine games vs. the O’s on the season.

*Jeremy Guthrie pitches tonight vs. James Shields. Guthrie is 3-1, 1.77 over his last five starts. In his last start at Toronto, Shields gave up eight runs and nine hits over four innings. All nine hits he allowed were extra-base hits and he gave up six home runs to tie the modern Major League record for homers allowed in a single game. He became the third pitcher in the last 70 years to allow six in one game.

*Shields is 10-10, 4.91 on the year and is the only pitcher in the Majors that has 10 wins and 10 losses.

*The Rays are 11-1 in Shields’ last 12 starts vs. the Orioles.