Cleveland @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Jun 27, 2015 ) Cleveland 0, Baltimore 0
It took inclement weather to cool off the Baltimore Orioles, who will play a day-night doubleheader against the visiting Cleveland Indians on Sunday after Saturday's game was postponed due to rain. The Orioles opened the month with three straight losses but have been on a roll since, winning 16 of their last 21 contests to move a season-high five games over .500.
Baltimore's J.J. Hardy homered for the first time since May 15 in the series opener and is 7-for-21 with six RBIs over his last five games. Jimmy Paredes is 11-for-21 during his five-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in each of his last four contests while Chris Davis ran his hitting streak to six contests with a game-winning RBI single on Friday. Cleveland's Jason Kipnis is riding a 20-game hitting streak - the longest in the majors this season - and has hit safely in 39 of his last 43. The Indians are expected to call up Japanese right-hander Toru Murata to make his major-league debut in the nightcap.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), MASN2, WJZ (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Trevor Bauer (6-4, 3.86 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Ubaldo Jimenez (6-3, 3.40)
Bauer will attempt to bounce back from a dismal performance in which he was rocked for seven runs and nine hits over three-plus innings of an 8-5 loss to Detroit on Monday. The former No. 3 overall draft pick continues to struggle with his control, walking 19 batters in 27 1/3 innings over his last five turns. Bauer has been much better away from home, posting a 4-1 record and 1.10 ERA in six road starts this season.
Jimenez won his third straight start last time out, striking out eight while permitting three runs and six hits over five innings at Boston. Jimenez, who spent 2 1/2 seasons with the Indians before joining the Orioles, settled for a no-decision at Cleveland on June 6 after allowing one run in five frames. He has struggled overall against his former teammates, logging an 0-2 record and unsightly 8.10 ERA in three career starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles LHP Zach Britton has recorded nine saves during the team's 16-5 tear.
2. Kipnis' hitting streak is the longest for Cleveland since Michael Brantley's 22-game run in 2012.
3. Orioles 3B Manny Machado has hit safely in eight straight games.
PREDICTION: Orioles 6, Indians 4