O's game blog: Can Chris Tillman pick up where he left off?

The Orioles look for a second straight win against the Mariners tonight at Safeco Field. The Orioles are 57-54 and have won 11 of 16 games. Seattle is 52-61 and has won six of its past 10 games.

The Orioles are 3-1 this season versus Seattle, 18-8 since 2012 and 10-4 at Safeco Field in that stretch. They are 4-3 with two games to play on this West Coast road trip.

Former Oriole Nelson Cruz went 1-for-4 with a single last night, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. That is the longest active streak in the majors. He is batting .414 with 12 homers and 16 RBIs during the streak. His streak of nine consecutive games with an extra-base hit - one shy of the team record - did end Monday night.

For the Orioles, Chris Davis is working on an eight-game hitting streak, batting .357 (10-for-28) with two doubles, five home runs, nine runs, 11 RBIs and five walks.

Over his last 19 games, Davis is batting .319 (22-for-69) with 11 homers and 29 RBIs. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only Orioles with as many homers and RBIs in a span of fewer than 20 games are Jim Gentile in 1961, Albert Belle in 2000, and Davis in 2013.

Manny Machado extended his hitting streak to seven games last night with a double. He is batting .406 (13-for-32) during the streak. Over his past four games, Machado is 10-for-19 (.526).

Chris Tillman returns to the mound tonight for the first time since he pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings against Atlanta on July 29.

A look at Tillman's 2015 season:
* First 14 starts: 5-7 with 6.22 ERA and .287 batting average against
* Last 6 starts: 3-0 with 1.09 ERA and .197 batting average against
* Last 3 starts: 2-0 with 0.38 ERA and .092 batting average against

Tillman has not allowed a homer in 41 1/3 innings over those last six starts, giving up 29 hits with five runs, six walks and 30 strikeouts. Three times in those six outings he has recorded a scoreless start.

In seven career starts against a Mariners team that drafted him in the second round of the 2006 draft, he is 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA. Tillman is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.63 in two career starts at Seattle. He is 14-3 with an ERA of 2.81 in 25 career games versus American League West teams.

Right-hander Taijuan Walker (8-7, 4.67 ERA) makes his 23rd start for Seattle tonight. He has a 2.20 ERA his last two starts after his ERA was 8.02 the four starts before that. On May 19 at Camden Yards, he gave up seven hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. He got a no decision in a 9-4 Orioles win.