THE STORY: A half-game behind Detroit in the AL Central, Cleveland opens the second half at woeful Baltimore on Thursday for the start of a four-game series. The Indians nearly led their division at the All-Star break for the first time since 1999, while the Orioles have lost seven straight and 12 of 13. Baltimore sits 18 games behind first-place Boston in the AL East, the largest deficit of any AL team. However, the Orioles are a respectable 22-22 at Camden Yards.
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Preview: Indians at OriolesPITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Jeremy Guthrie (3-12, 4.18 ERA) vs. Indians RH Justin Masterson (7-6, 2.64 ERA) –
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5-Day Forecast
GAME: Cleveland Indians (47-42) at Baltimore Orioles (36-52)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, July 14 - 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
LINE: -108, 102 TOTAL: 8.5
Masterson has allowed one earned run over his last 23 2/3 innings and ranks sixth in the AL in ERA. He dominated the Orioles on April 15, yielding four hits and a run over eight innings. And he’s been just as tough away from Cleveland, posting a 2.34 ERA.Team Comparison
W/L Strk Home Away East Central West IL Cleveland 47-42 L3 27-18 20-24 15-14 13-12 8-9 11-7 Baltimore 36-52 L7 22-22 14-30 10-22 11-9 8-10 7-11
ABOUT THE ORIOLES (36-52): Matt Wieters, the first Orioles backstop to make the All-Star team since Mickey Tettleton in 1989, leads the majors with 24 runners thrown out this season. And he’s the only starting catcher without a passed ball. Baltimore is tied for 10th in the AL with 355 runs scored. They have the fewest triples (6) in the league. The Orioles also own a league-worst ERA of 4.76.
ABOUT THE INDIANS (47-42): Cleveland swept Baltimore in a three-game home series in April, outscoring the Orioles 20-7. All-Star SS Asdrubal Cabrera leads the team in batting (.293), homers (14), and RBIs (51), while C Carlos Santana has a team-high .363 on-base percentage despite hitting just .230. The switch-hitter has reached base in 66 of 84 games. DH Travis Hafner is on a 1-for-14 skid.
FINAL PITCH: The Indians are coming off a 3-4 homestand in which they gave up 42 runs, an average of five per game.