Game update and Duquette on Matusz suspension (O's lead 4-3)

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen gave up singles to George Springer and Jose Altuve on his first two pitches this afternoon, but he escaped the jam with a pop-up, strikeout and fly ball. Altuve was in a 3-for-32 slump over his last eight games.

Preston Tucker and Jonathan Villar opened the second inning with singles to create another jam, but Hank Conger bunted into a 1-5-3 double play.

So this is Chen's plan against the Astros? Two quick singles followed by three outs?

Apparently not. Springer led off the third with a home run, the ball landing in the visiting bullpen in left-center field.

The Orioles grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second on Caleb Joseph's two-out, two-run homer to left field - only the second home run allowed this season by Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel in his nine starts. The Angels' Mike Trout had the other one.

The Orioles can't afford to fall behind against Keuchel, who hasn't lost since Aug. 26 against the Yankees. He's gone 8-0 with a 1.79 ERA in his next 14 starts.

Opponents are batting .186 against Keuchel this season, the second-lowest total behind Shelby Miller's .172.

The Astros are 11-3 in day games and 20-3 when they score first. The Orioles are 9-5 in day games and 16-7 when they score first.

The Astros are 20-1 when leading after the seventh inning and 24-0 when leading after the eighth. The Orioles are 18-0 and 19-0.

The Orioles are 26-3 when Joseph has an RBI in his career.

Former Oriole Rich Dauer, now the Astros' first base coach, will take out the lineup card during the three-game series. Manager A.J. Hinch jokingly told Houston reporters that "this is the house Dauer built."

Executive vice president Dan Duquette was asked today whether he deems Brian Matusz's eight-game suspension to be excessive.

"Not if it gets reduced," he said, laughing. "Starting pitchers' penalties have been 10 games, relievers have been getting eight games for this penalty. The reliever penalty seems much more substantial at eight games than a starter's penalty at 10 games because a reliever could conceivably be available for all eight of those games. The starter pitcher, if you have a 10-game penalty, of course would be two games if they took a regular turn in the rotation."

Matusz was ejected in the 12th inning of Saturday night's game in Miami after Marlins manager Dan Jennings asked umpires to check the reliever's right arm for an illegal substance.

"Under the rules, the opposing manager has to request that the pitcher be examined for a foreign substance," Duquette said. "Most clubs don't request that unless it's a blatant indiscretion."

The Orioles argue that pitchers are trying to get a better grip on the ball, which most hitters support. It's better than taking a 98 mph heater in the ear.

"Pitchers, they're trying to grip the ball so they can make an effective pitch and I think Brian Matusz's intent was pure, that he wanted to grip the ball to make a pitch." Duquette said. "Dependent upon the conditions - where you are, the stadium, the temperature - there are a lot of variables that go into gripping a baseball. It's a pitcher's responsibility to make a good pitch and get the hitter out, so the pitchers want to grip the ball effectively to be able to have confidence they can make a pitch.

"Pitchers all around the league are trying to effectively grip the ball, and the question is really for baseball, 'If everyone is using some enhancement to grip the ball, is that really a violation?' So that's a discussion for another day."

No appeal date has been set. The Orioles will have a representative at the hearing.

"The club is penalized, too, because the club can't replace that player on the active roster," Duquette said.

It still makes no sense to me that teams can replace a player suspended for performance enhancing drugs, but not for using a foreign substance.

"That's a good point," Duquette said. "They are both rule violations."

Update: Chen gave up three runs and a season-high 11 hits - one off his career high - over five innings today, and the Orioles trail the Astros 3-2.

Houston scored twice in the fifth to take the lead on Chris Carter's two-out, two-run bloop single to right field.

Update II: Delmon Young singled with one out in the seventh and Steve Pearce followed with a home run to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead.

Keuchel had retired 11 in a row before Young's single.

Brach retired all six batters he faced.

Hardy came out of the game after the bottom of the seventh inning. No word from the Orioles on why he was replaced.