Chris Tillman takes the loss as O's drop road-trip opener

HOUSTON - The Orioles came here looking to jump start their offense. Chris Tillman took the mound looking to reclaim his pre-2017 form. Neither happened however as the Orioles lost the series opener to the defending World Series champion Astros.

Tillman allowed a run two batters into his night and gave up four runs on the evening as Houston beat the Orioles 6-1 at Minute Maid Park. The Orioles fall to 1-3 and they've been outscored 19-3 with just 12 hits in the last three games.

A sellout crowd of 42,675 watched the Astros improve to 4-1 as they unveiled their World Series banner atop the left-field wall during a pregame ceremony.

Houston starter Charlie Morton pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. His fastball touched 98 mph during his 91-pitch outing. The Orioles have yet to score off a starting pitcher this year. Over four games they've had 27 shutout innings thrown against them. Those four pitchers allowed just eight hits in those games and fanned 25 Orioles.

The Orioles were being shutout until Trey Mancini's solo homer to center off Collin McHugh in the ninth. It was their first run since Tim Beckham hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning on Saturday night at Camden Yards.

After the Orioles went down 1-2-3 in the first to start tonight's game against Morton, Houston took a 1-0 lead two batters into the first inning off Tillman. George Springer and Alex Bregman doubled as the Astros went ahead 1-0.

Tillman looked strong during an eight-pitch, 1-2-3 third, but that look didn't hold.

The Astros scored three more runs in the fourth as their lead expanded to 4-0. That inning featured a Marwin Gonzalez leadoff homer, his first of the 2018 season. Later, No. 9 hitter Derek Fisher blasted an RBI triple to center past Adam Jones and a Springer bloop RBI single made it 4-0.

Jose Altuve's RBI double to right off Miguel Castro made it 5-0 in the sixth and an inning later the lead became 6-0 when Derek Fisher delivered a sac fly off Richard Bleier.

After Tillman walked the leadoff man he faced in the fifth, he was replaced by Castro. Tillman went four innings plus, allowing seven hits and four runs with four walks and no strikeouts. His fastball sat mostly in the 89 to 91 mph range as he threw 84 pitches, 45 for strikes. He got just two swings and misses.

Since Dylan Bundy pitched seven scoreless opening day, the last three O's starters have allowed 20 hits and 15 runs over 13 innings.

Houston's Carlos Correa came out of this game after the second inning with discomfort in his left big toe. J.D. Davis replaced him and went to first base with Gonzalez moving from first to shortstop.

In the second game of this series on Wednesday night, O's right-hander Mike Wright Jr. faces Houston right-hander Justin Verlander.