Steve Clevenger and Wei-Yin Chen comment after O's loss to Tampa Bay

The Orioles have been shut out four times this year and three have come against Tampa Bay. Today, the Birds were blanked 3-0 as Erasmo Ramirez pitched seven scoreless innings on three hits.

Steve Clevenger went 2-for-3 today and the rest of the O's lineup went 1-for-26.

"He was changing eye levels, working up and down," Clevenger said of Ramirez. "He used that changeup and slider just off the plate. He made us put the ball in play and we just didn't swing it well today. He makes you put it in play and get yourself out, and that is what we did today. We kind of got ourselves out today."

Clevenger was sent home and cut down at the plate by left fielder Joey Butler in the fifth inning. That was as close as the Orioles got to scoring.

"It was a hard-hit ball," Clevenger said. "I got a good jump but it was right at him. Really close at the plate, could have been overturned, but that is the way it goes."

Clevenger caught Wei-Yin Chen, who took the loss, giving up three runs over seven innings as Tampa Bay scored one run in each of the first three frames.

"Early in the game, he just wasn't getting the ball in too much and he left a couple of breaking balls in the zone that they hit well," Clevenger said. "But he focused in and locked in later in the game and started working the ball in and out. He threw the ball really well towards the end.

"He went out there and competed and gave everything he had and like I said, he battled back and threw the ball real well later on."

Batting .380 this month with Triple-A Norfolk, Clevenger got called up to the Orioles on Tuesday and is now 4-for-7 in two games. He has recorded consecutive multi-hit games for the first time in his career.

"You know, like I've said before, I'm not here concentrating on my offense. I want to catch really well and have the guys want to throw me. So it was a good day defensively and I'm not going to worry too much about my offense. We lost a game today and I am not satisfied with that," he said.

Chen posted his sixth quality start of the year, the most among O's starters.

"I allowed some hard-hit balls," he said through interpreter Louis Chao. "I tried to keep the ball down, but unfortunately allowed some extra-base hits in the first three innings. One of the home runs, that was the location I wanted but they hit it real well. The other one, I left a breaking ball up and that is my bad on that.

"To win a game, it is not about only the starting pitcher, it is about the team. I was trying to prevent the opponent from scoring runs, but unfortunately today I allowed a couple of runs very quick and I think that put some pressure on my teammates."

Does the O's struggling offense - they've scored two runs or less in 11 of the last 20 games - put more pressure on the pitchers?

"I don't really think about that too much. Everyone is playing hard and we are all trying to win. They are doing their best," Chen said.

Chen is now 18-4 in 28 career outings when he pitches at least seven innings. Three of those four losses have come over his last four starts.

Chaz Roe pitched a scoreless eighth inning. In four games since coming up from Triple-A, he has pitched six scoreless innings on three hits and opposing batters are 3-for-20 against him.

Tampa Bay ended a six-game losing streak and the Rays had scored just 10 runs during that streak. They had also scored two runs or less in their last five games against the O's until getting three today.

The Orioles are 5-3 against Tampa Bay, 15-11 at home and 15-16 against the American League East.