masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles will show up at Rogers Centre in Toronto later today with plenty of items on their agenda.

* Try to win every game while keeping alive their faint hopes of gaining home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and build momentum heading into the Division Series.

* Decide on a starter for Sunday afternoon’s finale. Ubaldo Jimenez and Miguel Gonzalez are the primary candidates.

* Decide whether a starter pitches a simulated game or heads down to Sarasota and faces batters to stay…The Orioles will show up at Rogers Centre in Toronto later today with plenty of items on their agenda.

* Try to win every game while keeping alive their faint hopes of gaining home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and build momentum heading into the Division Series.

* Decide on a starter for Sunday afternoon’s finale. Ubaldo Jimenez and Miguel Gonzalez are the primary candidates.

* Decide whether a starter pitches a simulated game or heads down to Sarasota and faces batters to stay sharp before the Division Series.

* Use relievers in Sunday’s game to avoid having them remain idle for too long before Thursday, which means using other relievers on Saturday who most likely won’t be included on the Division Series roster.

* Stay healthy.

The last one is especially important and perhaps challenging if Blue Jays pitchers continue to take aim at Orioles batters. There’s bad blood between the teams and the Orioles want to avoid having it spill on the artificial surface.

There are people in the organization who are braced for more conflicts, though Marcus Stroman’s absence from the Toronto rotation this weekend could prevent an ugly incident. We’ll see.

tillman-pitching-black-back-sidebar.jpgWith a win or no-decision tonight, Chris Tillman will record the most road starts without a loss in a single season since at least 1914, according to the Orioles’ PR department. Tillman is tied with Greg Maddux, who went 13-0 in 15 road starts in 1995.

Tillman currently is 8-0 with a 4.19 ERA in 15 starts away from Camden Yards.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-0 in 13 starts in 2008) is the last pitcher to go undefeated on the road over a full season, and just seven pitchers – minimum 10 starts – have completed the feat since 1914.

Tillman has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 20 straight starts, tied with Steve Barber (1965-1966) for the second-longest streak in club history. Dave McNally holds the club record with 25 in a row in 1968.

Tillman also crossed the 200-inning threshold for the second time in his career Saturday, becoming the 21st pitcher in Orioles history with multiple 200-inning seasons. Hall of Famer Jim Palmer holds the club record with 11.

Tillman is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA in 13 career starts against the Blue Jays. He’s 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA in seven starts at Rogers Centre.

Jose Reyes is 6-for-18 (.333) with two doubles and a home run against Tillman, Jose Bautista is 8-for-25 (.320) with two doubles, two homers and nine strikeouts, Colby Rasmus is 6-for-20 (.300) with two doubles and two home runs, and Anthony Gose is 5-for-9 (.556) with a double and triple.