Chen was good again and the O's starting pitching roll continues

So I would think the Orioles and their fans could get used to this starting pitching. The Orioles rotation is on a roll with no end in sight. Wei-Yin Chen was the latest with a strong start as he gave up one run and five hits over 7 1/3 innings last night. On a night the O's scored just two runs, Chen's outing helped put them in the win column. Chen was facing the same team in back-to-back starts. In the two outings against Seattle, he pitched 15 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and one run. This is the first time all year that Chen has pitched seven or more innings in two straight starts. Chen has won a career-high five consecutive starts, going 5-0 with an ERA of 2.53. Over 32 innings, he has walked just five and struck out 25 batters with a .236 average against. Also the O's have gotten three straight starts of seven innings or more for the first time all year. Kevin Gausman went seven Wednesday, Bud Norris went seven Thursday and Chen went 7 1/3 last night. Check out these notes on the rotation: * The starters have produced three straight quality starts with an ERA of 1.69. * The starters have nine quality starts over the last 11 games with an ERA of 2.12. They have allowed one earned run or less seven times and the O's are 8-3 in those games. * The starters have pitched to an ERA of 3.05 in 47 games since June 9. The Orioles are 30-17 (.638) in that time. That is a 103-win pace over an entire season. Meanwhile, there was another great crowd at the Yard Friday. It was a big crowd with 39,487 on hand and they were into the game. They gave new Oriole Andrew Miller a standing ovation as he ran to the mound for his first appearance. In four games on this homestand, the Orioles have drawn 128,538 fans for an average turnout of 32,135. More notes on the Orioles: * Manny Machado's RBI single in the third inning ended a 19-inning scoreless streak for the Orioles, their longest of the season. * The Orioles are 10-3 in their last 13 home games with a team ERA of 2.38. * Nick Markakis passed Brian Roberts Friday for third on the list of all-time games played at Camden Yards. Markakis is at 663 games. Brady Anderson tops the list at 703 and Cal Ripken Jr. is second with 674. * Nelson Cruz snapped an 0-for-21 stretch with a double in the fourth inning. It was the longest hitless streak of his career. Cruz is 3-for-33 (.091) over his last nine games. Over his past 19 games, he is batting .116 (8-for-69) with one homer and two RBIs. * The Orioles have now played seven consecutive one-run games, going 5-2. That ties the O's club record set from June 21-29, 1956. That team went 3-4 in the seven games the first time.