O's game blog: Orioles look for a sweep tonight in Chicago

Tonight the Orioles are looking for their third sweep of three games or more in 2014. The Orioles swept three games at Tampa Bay on May 6-8 and four games at home against Texas on June 30-July 3. They are 2-5 in seven opportunities to sweep three-or-more game series in 2014, going 1-2 at home and 1-3 on the road. With a win, the Orioles would complete their first sweep of the White Sox in Chicago since taking all four games on July 6-9, 1995. Meanwhile, the Orioles have moved up to fifth in the league in team ERA. The O's current 3.61 ERA would be their lowest in a full season since 1979, when the AL champions posted a 3.26 mark. American League team ERA leaders: 2.93 - Seattle 3.21 - Oakland 3.48 - Tampa Bay 3.58 - Kansas City 3.61 - Orioles Here is a note from ESPN Stats and Info on Chris Tillman after his strong outing last night: Tillman's current streak of 14 straight starts allowing three earned runs or fewer is the longest Orioles streak since Ben McDonald had 14 straight in 1993. The Orioles are a season-high 20 games over .500, the earliest in the season they have been +20 since May 30, 1997, when the eventual AL East champions ran out to a 35-15 start. The O's have been 20 games over .500 by August 19 in 12 different seasons, winning at least 91 games each of the previous 11 times. The Orioles won 97 or more games in 10 of the 11 previous seasons they have been +20 by August 19. On the mound tonight, Wei-Yin Chen (12-4, 3.76 ERA) faces right-hander Hector Noesi (7-8, 4.84 ERA). Over his last four starts, Chen is 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA, with five walks and 23 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. In four career starts against the White Sox, he is 1-0 with a 3.13 ERA. The Orioles have gone 71 straight games since May 31 without losing three in a row, the longest stretch without a three-game losing streak in baseball this season according to STATS. The Orioles have clinched the season series against Chicago with a 4-1 record. They have won seven of the last nine between these teams, and are 14-6 versus Chicago since 2012 and 27-17 since 2009.