O's game blog: Chris Tillman tries to bounce back in Milwaukee series opener

Two starts ago, Chris Tillman pitched a five-hit shutout. In his last start, he failed to get an out in the second inning, giving up six hits, three walks and eight runs (six earned) in one inning plus four batters against Pittsburgh. Tillman could use a good outing today to ease any concerns about his recent performance. In his first three 2014 starts, he pitched to an ERA of 0.84. But since then, he has an ERA of 6.19 in seven starts. In the first and second innings this season, Tillman's ERA is 9.00. Over 19 innings he has given up 27 hits, 14 walks and four of his seven homers. He pitches to an ERA of 1.86 after the second inning. Milwaukee's Kyle Lohse (6-1, 2.67 ERA) should provide quite a challenge for O's hitters today. Lohse gave up just one run over eight innings against Atlanta in his last start. He has allowed two earned runs or less in six of his past eight starts and has pitched seven innings or more five times. Lohse has recorded eight consecutive quality starts and nine on the year. The entire O's staff has a total of 17 and the Orioles are 13-4 in those games. Lohse has not faced the O's since June 28, 2011, when he pitched five scoreless innings for St. Louis in a 6-2 Cardinals win. He is 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA over six career games against Baltimore. Minors matters: Double-A Bowie and Single-A Delmarva continue to play good ball and are having winning seasons. Even after a loss Sunday to Harrisburg, Bowie has won nine of its last 13 games. The Baysox are 27-22 and in second place, three games back of Akron in the Eastern League's Western Division. Delmarva beat Kannapolis 5-2 Sunday to complete a four-game sweep, the Shorebirds' first four-game sweep of 2014. Now at 27-21, Delmarva is tied for second place in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division, but is eight games back of Hagerstown, which is 35-13. The Shorebirds host Hagerstown today at 5:05 p.m. in a doubleheader with left-handers Steven Brault (4-2, 2.35 ERA) and Mitch Horacek (1-5, 3.33 ERA) getting the starts. By the way, Joe Altobelli, who was the manager of the last Orioles team to win the World Series in 1983, turns 82 today. Happy birthday to the former O's skipper.