The Baltimore Orioles remain top of the AL East despite coming off five consecutive losses. They had won seven straight prior to the slump, and I think they'll break out of their losing streak at Dodger Stadium Tuesday night.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Dodgers hand the ball to Kenta Maeda (7-5, 2.82). The 28 year old rookie's numbers are better on the road than home at Chavez Ravine where he's 2-4 with a 3.00 ERA. He held the Brewers to one run in six innings his last start, but the Dodgers are 1-4 in Maeda's last five starts following a quality start in his last appearance. The Orioles counter with Chris Tillman (10-2, 3.71 ERA) who has been torched for 14 runs in 14 2/3 innings in his last three starts. Tillman had been outstanding up until the recent slump though, and the Orioles are still 8-0 in his last eight interleague starts.

2. Baltimore's Bats - The Orioles have scored a total of 15 runs in their past three games, and the lack of solid starting pitching is what's cost them the games. You can never discount a team that leads the major leagues with 128 home runs and is fourth for batting average as one or two blasts could be enough to put a bunch of runs on the board.

3. X-Factor - J.J. Hardy is 5-for-12 with five RBIs over his last three contests.

Selection: This is a play on the Baltimore Orioles +1.5 (8*)