Jones Looks To Continue Success Off Buehrle At Home
(AP / Jordan Garretson) -- For at least one day, Camden Yards was a place of solace for a city recovering from disarray. And after another win there, a home-heavy schedule might be what the Baltimore Orioles need to gain some traction.
Baltimore seeks its seventh home win in eight tries Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Orioles returned to Baltimore on Monday, winning 5-2 in their first game in front of their home crowd in 15 days, prompting some to dub it "Re-Opening Day." Two home games against the Chicago White Sox last month were postponed due to safety concerns amid the unrest stemming from the death of Freddie Gray. They defeated Chicago 8-2 on April 29 in a game to which no fans were admitted.
The club wore jerseys emblazoned with "Baltimore" instead of the customary "Orioles" typically reserved for the home uniforms.
"It felt great. It felt good to be back, having some pride," said Ubaldo Jimenez, who gave up two runs over seven innings in his third victory. "All of the people that came to the game tonight, they were into the game since the first pitch. So that definitely motivated us to play."
Baltimore (14-16) had dropped five of six but could be poised to take advantage of a stretch in which it plays 17 of 20 at home. During their current 6-1 stretch there, the O's are hitting .335 with 13 homers while scoring 7.4 runs per game.
Manny Machado, Chris Davis and Adam Jones homered Monday. Davis' homer was his sixth in 14 games while Jones hit his first in 18 games, with three of his six this season coming against Toronto.
Jimmy Paredes extended his hitting streak to 10 games and is 7 for 13 over his last three.
The Blue Jays (16-17) had won five of the teams' first six meetings, scoring 47 runs in the last four before cooling off in the series opener.
They're hoping Mark Buehrle (4-2, 6.00 ERA) can knock off Baltimore for a third time this season, though he owns the highest ERA among four-game winners. He was ripped for 13 runs and 24 hits in back-to-back losses before beating the New York Yankees in Wednesday's 5-1 win, allowing one run in six innings, though he wasn't entirely pleased.
"I made bad pitches today and I got away with them," he said. "I've always said I want to be good but at the same time I want to be lucky."
The left-hander was rather fortunate in winning his first three starts, receiving 11 runs of support each time. His 10.91 run-support average trails only teammate Drew Hutchison (11.15).
Jones is 16 for 37 off Buehrle, going 5 for 6 this season with a homer and two doubles.
Baltimore's Chris Tillman (2-4, 6.25) is trying to avoid losing a career-high fourth straight start after surrendering 13 runs over 17 innings in the last three. He hasn't completed six innings in four of his six starts.
"I've got to keep doing the same thing and execute some more pitches," he told MLB's official website.
Tillman is also looking to end a four-start slide versus Toronto, during which he owns a 9.45 ERA. He allowed seven runs in each of his two losses to the Blue Jays this season.
Jose Bautista was limited to grounding out in a pinch-hit appearance Monday, resting his strained shoulder. His last 12 starts have been made as the designated hitter, and he hasn't played in the field since April 21. He's homerless in 12 straight games.