O's bats quiet in 4-2 loss to Elias, Mariners

One night after the Orioles plated nine runs on 13 hits, their offense didn't advance a runner to second base until the seventh inning and failed to score until the eighth inning.

Seattle left-hander Roenis Elias recorded his fourth straight quality start, allowing six hits and one run over 7 2/3 innings as the Mariners beat the Orioles 4-2 at Camden Yards to even the three-game series.

Elias improved to 1-1 with an ERA of 2.76 with his 96-pitch outing as he walked none and fanned four. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 26 of 34 career starts.

Down 4-0 in the eighth, the Orioles scored on singles by Rey Navarro, Manny Machado and Jimmy Paredes. The Paredes hit drove in the run, but he was thrown out by Nelson Cruz from right field when trying to reach second. The out call at second was reviewed and upheld, and it was an unwise risk by Paredes with his team down by three.

The O's also rallied in the ninth against Fernando Rodney with three singles and pulled within 4-2 on J.J. Hardy's basehit. But Rodney got pinch-hitter Travis Snider to ground out with two on to end the game.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Justin Ruggiano doubled with one out and scored on Mike Zunino's two-out double.

In the fourth, Ruggiano's two-run homer made it a 3-0 Seattle lead. He hit No. 2 on a 2-2 slider off Wei-Yin Chen. It scored Cruz, who had doubled to start that inning. Cruz began the night batting .591 (13-for-22) this year against left-handed pitchers, with six homers. He went 2-for-4 against Chen and T.J. McFarland.

Seattle's Chris Taylor, batting ninth, produced an RBI triple in the top of the seventh off Chen for a 4-0 Mariners lead.

Chen gave up eight hits and four runs over seven frames with no walks and four strikeouts, throwing 103 pitches. He began the night 10th in the AL in ERA and falls to 1-3 with an ERA of 2.90.

Chen became the sixth straight O's starter to pitch seven or more innings and the 12th to do so over the last 18 games.Over the last six games, O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 2.51.

O's right-hander Tyler Wilson made his major league debut and pitched a scoreless top of the ninth. After giving up back-to-back one-out singles, he got Robinson Cano to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Orioles lost for the ninth time in 14 games to fall to 4-4 on this homestand and to 17-20 for the season. They have scored just eight total runs in their last five losses.

In the series finale on Thursday afternoon at 12:35 p.m., Chris Tillman (2-5, 6.34 ERA) faces lefty J.A. Happ (3-1, 2.98 ERA).