Chen looks to continue success against Rays, plus other notes

Wei-Yin Chen, who has struggled at times late this season, does have good numbers this year and in his career against Tampa Bay. He'll try to pitch the Orioles to a win today so they can salvage a game in this series. It's not even close to what the Orioles wanted, but all they can get now. Tampa Bay has never had a four-game sweep against the Orioles at home but has swept a pair of four-game series from the Orioles in Baltimore. The first was May 15-18, 1998 and the second was Sept. 22-24, 2008. As for Chen, he is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts this season versus the Rays. He is 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA in seven career starts against the Rays. But Chen is just 1-4 with a 5.71 ERA in nine starts since Aug. 1. After allowing just six homers over his first 14 starts, Chen has allowed 11 over his last seven starts. More notes on the O's: * During their four-game losing streak, the Orioles are batting just .145 (22-for-152) with seven runs scored and just five extra-base hits. They are 5-for-22 with runners in scoring position. * During this nine-game road trip, the Orioles are batting just .186 with 26 runs on 16 doubles, two triples and four homers. * Today's Tampa Bay starter, right-hander Chris Archer, beat the Orioles on June 7 when he allowed just two hits and one run over seven innings. When Archer has gone six or more innings in 2013, the Rays are 12-1. When he pitches less than five, they are 1-7. * The Orioles have scored five or fewer runs for 19 consecutive games and four or less in 15 of those games. They have scored three runs or less in six of the last eight games, scoring 21 runs total in that stretch. * The Orioles bullpen has allowed just four earned runs on 26 hits in 35 innings pitched (1.03 ERA) on the road trip and has an major league-best 1.80 ERA this month. * Adam Jones leads the American League with a .353 average in day games this season (minimum 175 ABs). His .353 daytime average is second-best in club history among players with 175 at-bats in day games, trailing only Melvin Mora's .373 mark in 2004.