First pitch: Thursday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Cleveland -120, Baltimore +110, Total: 10.0

The Orioles will be going for their fourth win in six games when they host the Indians on Thursday.

The Indians have been playing very well lately, as they had won six straight games before losing 6-5 against the Orioles on Tuesday. Cleveland’s pitching had been outstanding before heading into Baltimore, as the team had allowed three or fewer earned runs in five straight before that one. They certainly bounced back, allowing just one in a win over Baltimore on Wednesday. The Indians will be hoping to get yet another solid performance on the mound from RHP Mike Clevinger (2-3, 3.89 ERA, 42 K) in this one. Hoping to outduel Clevinger will be LHP Wade Miley (3-4, 4.29 ERA, 66 K), who is also tasked with helping the Orioles get back to the .500 mark. Baltimore has won in three of Miley’s past four outings, but that doesn’t mean the lefty has been good in those games. He has given up 15 earned runs over his past three starts, and the Orioles will need a lot better from him here. One interesting trend that favors the Indians in this game is the fact that they are 28-12 against the money line when playing on Thursday over the past three seasons. The Orioles, however, are an impressive 18-8 against the money line when playing in home night games this season.

The Indians have been rolling lately, and one guy that has finally gotten himself going is DH Edwin Encarnacion (.259 BA, 17 HR, 39 RBI). Over the past 10 games, Encarnacion has seen his average rise from .243 to .259. He has also hit five homers and driven in 13 RBI in that time, and the Indians couldn’t be happier to have their big offseason acquisition contributing. Look for him to continue to eat here. The Indians will, however, need a good outing from Clevinger in order to win this one. The righty hasn’t necessarily been reliable as of late, as he has allowed four or more runs in two of his past four starts. That wouldn’t be a huge issue normally, but Clevinger has not pitched seven innings in any of those four games. In fact, the righty has pitched five or fewer earned runs in three of his past four starts. If Cleveland is going to win this one then the team will need the righty to work into the sixth inning. They can’t put too much stress on the bullpen, even though it is one of the best in baseball.

The Orioles are finally playing some good baseball again, and they’ll need Wade Miley to help them keep it rolling. The lefty has been absolutely miserable lately, but the Orioles have been able to overcome that. Still, that’s not something he can expect every game. Miley needs to start pulling his own weight on this team, and a good start against an excellent Cleveland lineup would certainly help him build some confidence. Offensively, 3B Manny Machado (.223 BA, 15 HR, 36 RBI) is one guy to keep an eye on in this one. Machado has gotten his average up from .212 to .223 over the past six games, and he has homered three times in that span. It’s possible that he is finally starting to see the ball well, and Baltimore is definitely expecting its star to get it going in the second half of the year.