O's game blog: A look at tonight's game, Bowie's All-Stars, Stewart's debut and more

After winning 18 of 23 games, the Orioles have now lost the first two games of this series with Texas. The Orioles have not lost a series since they dropped three of four at Houston from June 1-4. They need to win the next two nights to avoid losing this series.

The Orioles are 8-0-1 in nine series since those four games at Houston. They have not lost more than two in a row since losing five straight from May 30-June 3.

With the top four teams in the American League East losing the last two nights, the Orioles, who moved into a first-place tie with Tampa Bay on Sunday night, remain tied for the spot in the East. But the Orioles and Rays lead the Yankees and Blue Jays by just 1/2 game each after Toronto's 11-2 win over Boston this afternoon.

Tonight Wei-Yin Chen (3-4, 2.90 ERA) pitches against Texas right-hander Nick Martinez (5-4, 3.39 ERA). Chen will try to slow a Texas team that has hit eight homers with 26 hits and 16 runs in the first two games of this series. O's starters have allowed seven homers in 10 1/2 innings the last two games.

Chen is pitching well. He's given up two earned runs or less four straight starts, going 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA. In 25 1/3 innings, he has walked six and fanned 25. Opponent batters are hitting just .098 against Chen with runners in scoring position, with 22 strikeous in 61 at-bats.

Martinez had a major-league low 0.35 ERA in four April starts, giving up one earned run in 26 innings. But he has allowed seven or more runs twice in five June starts and had an ERA of 6.35 during the month.

In two career starts versus the Orioles, he is 0-2 with a 8.71 ERA. One year ago today, on July 1, 2014, he gave up a career-high three homers at Camden Yards.

During the month of June, third baseman Manny Machado led American League qualifying hitters with 42 hits, finished second with a .365 batting average, ranked fourth in RBIs (22), tied for fifth in OBP (.411) and ranked fifth in slugging percentage (.635). Machado batted .412 (21-for-51) with six doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs during that streak.

Bowie's All-Stars: The Double-A Bowie Baysox announced today the selection of four players to the Western Division team for the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game Wednesday, July 15 in Portland, Maine.

Catcher Rossmel Perez, outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, right-hander Terry Doyle and right-hander Mychal Givens were selected for the game.

In his first season in the O's organization, Perez, a Venezuelan native, is batting .292 with five doubles, 17 RBIs and just 14 strikeouts in 154 at-bats. Through 71 games, Yastrzemski is batting .247 with a team-leading 35 runs and 30 RBIs. Yastrzemski is tied for second in the league with 20 doubles and leads the Baysox with three triples.

A native of Concord, Mass., and a former Boston College Eagle, Doyle has been one of the Baysox most impressive starting pitchers this season. He is 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA and one save in 13 games. His ERA leads the team and is the fifth-lowest in the Eastern League.

Givens has been one of the best relievers in the Eastern League this season. The sidearmer is fifth with 13 saves and has the second-best strikeouts/9IP ratio among relievers at 12.25. He is 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 25 games. He was called up to the Orioles and made his big league debut June 24, throwing a scoreless inning against the Boston Red Sox.

June award winners: The Orioles player development department today named Doyle as their minor league Pitcher of the Month for June, and Bowie first basmen Trey Mancini their Player of the Month for June. Doyle went 4-0 with an ERA of 1.54 in five starts during the month. Mancini was promoted from Single-A Frederick to Bowie on June 5. In 19 games in the month for the Baysox, he batted .362 with four homers, 14 RBIs and an OPS of 1.067.

O's top draft pick, Florida State outfielder DJ Stewart, is expected to begin his pro career and play for the first time as an Oriole tomorrow night at home for short-season, Single-A Aberdeen.

Before today's game the Orioles recalled pitcher Tyler Wilson from Triple-A Norfolk and outfielder/DH Delmon Young was designated for assignment. The roster crunch finally reached the point were the O's had to remove an outfielder, and it was Young. O's executive vice-president Dan Duquette just told reporters that he is confident the team will be able to trade Young during the DFA time period as they did with Alejandro De Aza.