Chen with an efficient first inning, plus more pregame notes (O's lose 6-5)

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen needed only eight pitches tonight to finish off the Yankees in the top of the first inning.

That's a significant total, considering how Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez each have thrown 32 pitches in the opening frame this season, four fewer than Bud Norris during his start on Friday.

Chen hit Brett Gardner with one out, but Carlos Beltran grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

Alejandro De Aza led off the bottom of the first with a single, extending his hitting streak to six games. He was thrown out trying to steal second.

De Aza is 8-for-24 (.333) with two home runs, three RBIs and 10 strikeouts.

The Orioles are playing their first game against the Yankees tonight after going 13-6 in 2014.

Does the record create added confidence going into this series?

"Confidence? No. You've got to have confidence to do that," said manager Buck Showalter.

"Nothing carries over. It's a healthy respect, but we know how good they are. The team we just played, we know how good they are. The team we're going to play. Tampa's good. We don't look at them with any added significance than anybody else we have to play. Just trying to take care of our own business.

"Until we start looking at them from an advance standpoint, I don't pay much attention to their offseason. What they do is their business and how they can do it, god bless them. What happened last year and what they do in the offseason, god bless them. Go right ahead."

Manny Machado came into tonight's game with only one hit in 19 at-bats. He's drawn three walks and struck out four times.

"The only thing I watch for is whether he's getting a little down from a luck standpoint," Showalter said. "He's hit some balls hard right at people. Certainly hasn't carried over to his defense. He's really made five or six plays that I don't know that anybody sniffs.

"I don't see that frustration. I think it's a quiet confidence. He knows. He's running better than I've ever seen him run. I think he's moving better. That type of stuff will come. I think Manny knows. A lot of guys when they go through periods where they don't get a statistical return, they'll just feel like somebody's going to pay somewhere down the road.

"He had a good spring. I think he was first or second on our club in plate appearances. He's ready. Physically, he's ready. The stats haven't matched up with how good he feels. They will, they will."

Activating outfielder David Lough today gives Showalter the four-man bench that he coveted.

"You don't want to have to make two moves to make one move with a three-man bench, which is what we'd have to do," Showalter said. "And now, we've got some flexibility there. Our pitching can cooperate a little bit, we can stay a little more conventional. And it helps us a lot, especially down in the seven, eight and nine area."

Lough allows Showalter to make that one move.

"It's a guy who can pinch-hit, run and defend without having to make two moves for one and burn two players," he said. "It helps you a lot if you play in extra innings, too."

The Orioles are still challenged to make room for other players coming off the disabled list. Does J.J. Hardy replace either Ryan Flaherty or Everth Cabrera, who both have options? How do they create a spot for Jimmy Paredes, who's out of options?

"We've got three or four guys here with options, but that doesn't mean they're going to be the guy," Showalter said. "Obviously, Hardy's going to be activated and we've got to make room for him, so play better, play good and make it tough on us.

"We're going to have good options to pick from. I think we've got enough optional pieces to hold on. You just hate to lose a guy that you think can really contribute just because you have too many. That's also a good thing. We didn't have that problem very much in the past. But you try not to have a completely unoptionable team unless you have a set team, like some people do."

Update: Chris Young hit a solo home run with two outs in the second inning to give New York a 1-0 lead.

Alex Rodriguez, greeted by a chorus of boos, struck out before Young came to the plate.

Chen has thrown 23 pitches, 13 for strikes, in two innings.

Down on the farm, Double-A Bowie's Dylan Bundy didn't allow a hit in three scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out one.

New catcher Chris O'Brien hit a two-run homer.

Update II: Machado and Jonathan Schoop had back-to-back RBI doubles in the second to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead.

Machado is 2-for-20 this season. Schoop, who initially was ruled out at second before the Orioles challenged the call, has totaled six RBIs. Adam Jones leads the club with seven.

Update III: Mark Teixeira homered with two outs in the fourth to tie the game 2-2.

Teixeira has 366 career homers, tying him with Lance Berkman for fifth all-time among switch-hitters.

Chen struck out Rodriguez for the second time, the 400th of his career.

Update IV: Adam Jones hit a two-run homer with two outs in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie.

De Aza led off with a double, took third on Steve Pearce's grounder to the right side and stayed there as Chris Davis struck out for the third time tonight. Jones followed with a shot into the Orioles bullpen.

Jones has 92 career home runs at Camden Yards, second only to Rafael Palmeiro (124). He leads the club with three home runs and nine RBIs this season.

Chen allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, with one walk, four strikeouts, two home runs and a hit batter. He threw 89 pitches, 58 for strikes.

Tommy Hunter is working the seventh inning.

Update V: Hunter served up a grand slam to Stephen Drew with two outs in the seventh, giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead.

Jacoby Ellsbury reached on an infield hit with two outs befroe Drew pinch-hit for Brett Gardner. Brian Matusz was ready in the bullpen, but Showalter stuck with Hunter.

Jorge Posada had the last pinch-hit grand slam against the Orioles in 2001 off reliever Mike Trombley.

The Orioles bullpen has been scored upon in all seven games.

Update VI: The Orioles got one run back in the seventh when De Aza grounded into a force with the bases loaded and one out. Pearce walked to reload the bases, but Chris Davis struck out for the fourth time.

Update VII: Game over. Former Oriole Andrew Miller gets the last five outs and the save in the Yankees' 6-5 victory.