Opposite dugout: A's hit Baltimore on four-game skid

Manager: Bob Melvin (6th season)

Record: 13-16

Last 10 games: 3-7

Who to watch: CF Billy Burns (.271, 8 SB), RF Josh Reddick (4 HR, 12 RBIs), LF Khris Davis (6 HR, 14 RBIs), SS Marcus Semien (7 HR), LHP Rich Hill (3-3, 2.53 ERA), RHP Ryan Madson (8 saves, 1.32 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (1-6 in 2015)

Pitching probables:

May 6: LHP Rich Hill vs. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, 7:05 p.m., MASN
May 7: RHP Jesse Hahn vs. RHP Mike Wright, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
May 8: RHP Kendall Graveman vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 1:35 p.m., MASN

Inside the A's:

The A's didn't have much success against the Orioles last season, as the O's took the mythical battle of the vowels by winning six of seven games played. This year, Oakland has hovered around the .500 mark, but comes to Baltimore on a four-game losing streak, which includes being swept at home this week by the Mariners. Sabermetrically inclined general manager Billy Beane seems perpetually knee-deep in a reboot over the past few seasons, and this year's edition of the A's doesn't look like it's going to be the one that reaches the postseason for the first time since 2014, not with the American League West suddenly much more competitive. But the A's are faring better on the road than at home, hitting .254 and scoring 4.33 runs per game

Some of Beane's moves, however, have panned out, including his offseason deal with the Brewers for left fielder Khris Davis, whose 14 RBIs lead the club. Davis has six homers in his last 14 games after starting the season on a 13-game drought, and has gone deep 26 times in his last 80 games dating to last Aug. 6. Oakland is also getting some power from shortstop Marcus Semien, whose seven homers top the team. DH Billy Butler has torched Orioles pitching to a .303/.360/.521 clip with 10 homers over his career, and though he's been reduced to spot duty this season, it's a good bet manager Bob Melvin will find a way to work him into the lineup in a favorable matchup. Right fielder Josh Reddick has some pop in his bat and is batting .319 on the road this season. Catcher Stephen Vogt was 8-for-23 during a six-game hitting streak that ended with an 0-for-4 on Wednesday.

The Orioles will face a familiar face in the Friday series opener when lefty Rich Hill gets the call for the A's. Hill resuscitated his career last year, rising from the independent leagues to the Red Sox, where he parlayed four late-season starts into a 1.55 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 29 innings, including three straight 10-whiff performances, the last of which came Sept. 25 at Fenway Park against the Orioles. In the offseason, he signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the A's, a nice haul for a guy who hadn't been on the right side of .500 for an extended period since going 11-8 with the Cubs in 2007, two seasons before the pitched to a 7.80 ERA in his only season in Baltimore. For his career, Hill is 1-0 with an 0.60 ERA in 11 games (one start) versus the Orioles. Righty Jesse Hahn, Saturday's scheduled starter, won his lone start of 2016 on April 30, tossing three-hit shutout ball over 6 2/3 innings against the Astros. This will be his first career appearance versus the Orioles. Righty Kendall Graveman, who starts Sunday, went 6 1/3 ineffective innings on May 2 against the Mariners, yielding four runs on 10 hits. He's already served up five home runs in 28 2/3 innings this season. Lifetime against the O's, Graveman is 0-1 with a 7.59 ERA, and has a 13.50 ERA and a loss at Camden Yards.

Oakland's 2.82 bullpen ERA has been pretty solid, considering that the 99 innings they've been forced to work are the second-most in the American League behind Minnesota. Righty Ryan Madson is 8-for-8 in save opportunities, but Melvin can also call on lefty Sean Doolittle, who has two saves in three tries. Veteran righties Fernando Rodriguez (1.04 ERA) and John Axford (1.29 ERA), along with lefty Marc Rzepcynski (1.64 ERA) allow the A's to play some matchups late in games, providing they can get there with a lead.