Can the Orioles cool down Cruz?

A rotation that is seriously lacking in consistency must deal with Nelson Cruz for the next three games.

Life isn't always fair.

The former Oriole is riding a 19-game hitting streak with the Mariners. He's homered in seven of his last nine games and is tied with Mike Trout for the major league lead with 33. His .998 OPS ranks fourth and his .325 average ranks seventh.

Cruz is batting .314/.396/.483 with eight doubles, nine home runs and 28 RBIs in 56 games at Safeco Field. He returned to Camden Yards for a three-game series on May 19-21 and went 5-for-10 with a double, home run, three RBIs and three runs scored.

Cruz is 2-for-9 with a double lifetime against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who starts tonight for the Orioles. The current Mariners are 16-for-104 (.154). Kyle Seager is 1-for-20.

The Orioles desperately need Chen to regain his first-half form. His ERA has climbed from 2.78 on July 12 to 3.32 heading into tonight. He's allowed 14 runs and 30 hits in 20 innings over his last four starts.

Chen is 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA in seven career starts against the Mariners and 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA in four starts at Safeco Field.

The Orioles are 15-10 against left-handed starters this season and they're facing Vidal Nuno tonight in the series opener.

Nuno hasn't produced a win in his last 16 starts dating back to June 27, 2014, when he shut out the Red Sox over 5 2/3 innings. He's made one start this season, allowing three runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Rockies on Aug. 4.

Nuno was 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA in three relief appearances for the Diamondbacks before being included in the Mark Trumbo trade on June 3. He's registered a 2.88 ERA in 19 games over 25 innings with the Mariners.

The former 48th-round draft pick is 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA in three career games against the Orioles, including one start. He's allowed 12 earned runs (13 total) and 15 hits in 9 2/3 innings. He's surrendered six home runs.

The current Orioles are 9-for-27 against Nuno. Adam Jones is 2-for-4 with a double and home run. Chris Davis is 2-for-4 with a double. Matt Wieters homered in his only at-bat.

The Orioles are 24-34 on the road and 17-21 in the first game of a series. They're 14-18 in one-run games and 8-14 in two-run games.