Pomeranz, Giants hope to regroup against Orioles

The San Francisco Giants make a rare visit to Baltimore this weekend hoping that Camden Yards can cure what ails pitcher Drew Pomeranz and the team as a whole.

Pomeranz (1-5, 6.45 ERA) pitches Friday's series opener against the Orioles' Andrew Cashner (5-2, 4.55).

Over his past four starts, Pomeranz is 0-3 and has allowed 17 runs on 22 hits and nine walks in just 12 1/3 innings. He's managed to pitch more than five innings only once in his nine 2019 starts.

Last time out Pomeranz gave up five runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings of an 18-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I feel like my stuff has been pretty good," Pomeranz, who signed a one-year contract with the Giants in the off-season, told MLB.com. "I just have haven't been getting the job done. It's pretty frustrating."

The former Boston Red Sox left-hander should welcome a return to Camden Yards, where he's compiled a 2.78 ERA in seven games, three of them starts.

Cashner, making his 12th start of the season for Baltimore, is very familiar with the Giants. The former Padre and Cub is 3-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 18 games (11 starts) versus the Giants.

The right-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts for the Orioles and has five of the team's 17 wins. He has 48 strikeouts and 20 walks in 59 1/3 innings.

In his last start, Cashner won at Colorado despite allowing five runs on eight hits over five innings and 91 pitches before fatigue set in.

"I wanted him to go back out for the sixth, just knowing our bullpen situation," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MLB.com.

The Giants visit the team with the worst record in the American League after dropping two of three to the team with the worst record in the National League. The Giants ended a seven-game losing streak with a 3-1 win Thursday in Miami.

Tyler Beede held the Marlins to one run over six innings and Brandon Crawford started the rally that tied the game in the seventh inning and drove in the two go-ahead runs an inning later with another double.

He began the series hitting .200 with eight extra-base hits all season and went 5-for-11 against the Marlins after putting in extra work with his coaches.

"What 'Craw' has is the ability to drive the ball like he did on that double," manager Bruch Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Hopefully this is something that ignites him and gets him swinging the way he can."

Baltimore was off on Thursday after dropping two of three to the visiting Detroit Tigers.

The Orioles had a 2-1 lead late in Wednesday's game before former closer Mychal Givens allowed a solo homer in the seventh and Branden Kline gave up a two-run shot in the eighth. Baltimore relievers have fashioned a 5.98 ERA in 56 games, the second worst in major league baseball.

"Our numbers aren't real good out of the 'pen, so it's been a tough deal," Hyde told MLB.com. "For the first two months, I just wanted to get the ball to 1/8Givens 3/8. Now I wanted to give him a step back, give someone else an opportunity. It just didn't work out."

The Orioles haven't won a series since April 22-23 against the White Sox.

--Field Level Media