Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Orioles.
three -- straight months with at least nine homers for Chris Davis.
Davis is having such a crazy season, I could rename this segment "Five Chris Davis stats that stand out." Heck, I could probably find 15 impressive stats a week. For the sake of variety, though, I must pick and choose. This week's Davis stat is something that an Orioles player hasn't done since Rafael Palmeiro, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Davis has hit at least nine home runs in three straight months, last done by Palmeiro in 1998. His two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Cleveland Indians was his ninth in June and his 28th this season, breaking the team record for homers by the end of June, one more than Brady Anderson had in 1996.
five -- starts in a row with a victory for Chris Tillman.
Tillman allowed three runs over seven innings Tuesday night to get the win, his fifth in his past five starts. It was the first time in his career that he won five straight starts, according to Stats Inc. He pitched 31 total innings in those five starts and compiled a 2.61 ERA. Tillman, a 25-year-old right-hander, is now 9-2 on the season and he leads all Orioles starters in wins (nine), ERA (3.72) and strikeouts (75). He ranks seventh in baseball in wins and is two shy of Detroit's Max Scherzer, who leads the league in wins. Tillman's last loss was eight starts ago on May 19.
496 -- straight at-bats without a home run for Alexi Casilla before the second baseman snapped that streak Tuesday.
Casilla's three-run homer off Indians starter Justin Masterson in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday night capped off an Orioles comeback and proved to be the game-winning hit in a 6-3 victory at Camden Yards. It was the 28-year-old's first home run in an Orioles uniform and just the 12th home run of his career. Casilla's last home run was August 8, 2012, also coming off Masterson, according to Elias Sports Bureau. It had been a stretch of 496 at-bats without a home run.
10.19 -- Freddy Garcia's ERA in his five starts in June.
Garcia gave the Orioles a few quality starts during his time in the rotation, but as the temperatures rose in June, Garcia faltered. In five June starts, the 37-year-old righty went 1-3 with a 10.19 ERA and allowed nine homers in just 17 2/3 innings. Garcia allowed seven earned runs before exiting in the third inning of Sunday's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He was designated for assignment a day later, putting his future in Baltimore in doubt. In 11 starts, he went 3-5 with a 5.77 ERA.
13 -- straight games with a home run for the Orioles.
With a league-leading 108 home runs in 78 games, the Orioles don't go many days without hitting one. With the home runs from Davis and Casilla in Tuesday's win over the Indians, the Orioles have now hit home runs in 13 straight games, their longest stretch this season. According to MASN, the Orioles hit 22 homers over that stretch, including 15 in their past seven games. Their last game without a home run was June 11.
Bloggers note: Have a nifty stat you want to share? E-mail me at matt.vensel@baltsun.com or tweet at me at @mattvensel. If I use it, I'll be sure to give you a nice plug on the blog.