Chen vs. Hammel tonight in Oakland

When Orioles manager Buck Showalter lined up his rotation coming out of the break, he leaned heavily on match-ups against opponents on their West Coast trip. Wei-Yin Chen's slot was pretty much a no-brainer. Chen starts tonight at O.co Coliseum, and he's 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA lifetime against the Athletics. He's allowed three earned runs in 27 innings, with eight walks and 25 strikeouts. In his only start in Oakland, Chen threw a career-high eight scoreless innings and earned the win on April 26, 2013. Chen may be the most overlooked nine-game winner in the majors. He's 6-1 since May 3. However, he's averaging 5.8 innings in his 18 starts, and the Orioles would love to get him deeper into games. Josh Donaldson, last night's hero for the A's, is 1-for-5 with a home run against Chen. Derek Norris is 2-for-7 with a homer and Coco Crisp is 3-for-8. Former Oriole Jason Hammel was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA in 17 starts for the Cubs. He's made one start for Oakland, allowing three runs (two earned) and six hits in five innings against the Giants. Hammel is 0-4 with a 6.68 ERA in eight career appearances (six starts) against the Orioles. He's 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five games (two starts) in Oakland. Nick Hundley is 7-for-14 with three doubles and a home run against Hammel, so I'd expect him to be behind the plate tonight. Nick Markakis is 6-for-14 with a home run and five RBIs. Delmon Young is 2-for-5 against Hammel. Manny Machado is 17-for-35 with three doubles, three home runs and five RBIs since returning from his suspension. Nelson Cruz has two hits in his last 20 at-bats. FOXSports.com reports that the Orioles have held preliminary talks with the Phillies regarding pitcher A.J. Burnett. In the extreme early stages, but there's been contact. It makes sense, since the Orioles made him an offer over the winter and were disappointed that he showed little interest in signing with them despite living in Monkton. He was high on their list of targeted free agents. Burnett is 6-9 with a 4.08 ERA in 21 starts this season. He leads the National League with 58 walks. Ubaldo Jimenez leads the majors with 60.