Orioles (71-59) vs. Blue Jays (74-56)
Where: Camden Yards
First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
TV/Radio: MASN/105.7 The Fan
Starting pitchers: Orioles LHP Wade Miley (8-10, 5.51 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (7-6, 3.47 ERA)
What to watch
1. Keep it close: The Orioles return home for easily their biggest series of the season to date. The Toronto Blue Jays come to town leading the American League East, by two games over the Boston Red Sox and three over the Orioles. So thanks to a sweep-avoiding win in New York on Sunday, the Orioles go into the series with a chance to move back into first place for the first time since Aug. 12. This is the longest period of time the Orioles have spent below first all season. The Orioles have to feel good that the series is at Camden Yards, where they are 42-22 for the second-best home record in the AL. Will they get the best of the surging Blue Jays to at least tighten the division race?
2. Bullpen the key: The Orioles aren't sending out their strongest set of starters for this week's festivities -- Wade Miley, Ubaldo Jimenez and Yovani Gallardo. But after seeing what the Blue Jays did in sweeping the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, it's clear the bullpen will be the key. The Blue Jays scored 23 runs from the sixth inning on over the three games, using the late offense to make sizable comebacks both Saturday and Sunday. The Orioles signed old friend Tommy Hunter just for times like this -- to add a more stable veteran arm to the bullpen, especially in case the starters don't last long. Will the Orioles' shaky-of-late relief corps hold up when it counts this week?
3. Long balls galore: Remember all that talk about the Orioles' powerful month of June? Well, with a little less fanfare, the club has a chance to match its June home run total of 56 this month. The Orioles have hit 50 home runs in August, their second-most homers in a month this season, and have three games to go before the calendar turns to September. Will the Orioles top their highest monthly home run output of the season and stay within striking distance of the all-time record for long balls in a season?
Orioles lineup
1. 2B Jonathan Schoop
2. LF Hyun Soo Kim
3. 3B Manny Machado
4. 1B Chris Davis
5. RF Mark Trumbo
6. C Matt Wieters
7. DH Pedro Alvarez
8. SS J.J. Hardy
9. CF Nolan Reimold