Blue Jays vs. Orioles: Fast facts series preview

Now the real fun begins.

The Toronto Blue Jays welcome the Baltimore Orioles to town on Friday night for a three game series with first place in the American League East on the line.

Currently 1.5 games back of the Orioles and one ahead of the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays also have a hold on the top Wild Card spot.

Baltimore has struggled on the road, going 21-27, and with a 5-5 record over their last 10 games, the Orioles are allowing the top of the division to bottleneck. Both Toronto and Baltimore are expected to be involved in the starting pitching markets as Monday’s trade deadline approaches, so changes could be seen to both rosters before the culmination of this series.

Big Picture Stats

Baltimore, like Boston and Toronto, have found their wins with the bats. The Orioles rank eighth in Major League Baseball with 480 runs scored.

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Here’s an oddity: Baltimore has hit just three triples this season. That puts them dead last, with Milwaukee (29th) the next closest team with 11.

No team in baseball has hit the long ball like the O’s, though. They lead the second-place Blue Jays (144) with 151 home runs.

At .265, Baltimore’s team batting average ranks seventh.

Don’t expect much movement on the bases. The Orioles rank last in baseball with just 13 stolen bases and have been caught nine times.

On the mound, Baltimore sits in the middle of the pack. Their 4.21 ERA as a team ranks 14th while an opponent’s batting average of .262 puts them 19th

Orioles to Watch

• Manny Machado remains a sizeable thorn in the side of opposing pitchers, hitting .308 with 21 home runs and 57 RBI. Between he and Josh Donaldson, third base will be the marquee position of this series on both sides of the ball.
• Mark Trumbo hit his 30th home run last week and leads the O’s with 73 RBI.
• Chris Davis, despite a .227 batting average, has 22 home runs and 59 RBI. He’s also offset his average well with a .340 on-base percentage.
• Adam Jones is hitting .269 with 19 home runs, but his defensive metrics suggest that he isn’t having his strongest year in the field.
• Jonathan Schoop is another member of Baltimore’s crowded 15+ home run club, with 17 on the season and 58 RBI.
• Matt Wieters, Baltimore’s everyday catcher, is back from a foot injury that kept him out for six games and is hitting .245 with nine home runs on the season.

Next: Blue Jays rumours: Logan and other lefties

Scheduled Starting Pitchers

Game 1   –   Friday, July 29th   –   7:07 p.m. ET
Marco Estrada (5-4, 2.94 ERA)   vs.   Kevin Gausman (2-7, 3.77)

Game 2   –   Saturday, July 30th   –   1:07 p.m. ET
J.A. Happ (13-3, 3.27 ERA)   vs.   Yovani Gallardo(3-2, 5.37 ERA)

Game 3   –   Sunday, July 31st   –   1:07 p.m. ET
Aaron Sanchez (11-1, 2.72 ERA)   vs.   Chris Tillman (14-3, 3.47 ERA)