Orioles need to keep their Chen up

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

April 14, 2014, 8:29am

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Chris Tillman is establishing himself as a staff ace by following up last year's All-Star campaign with two earned runs allowed in 21 1/3 innings this season. Plenty good for a No. 1 starter.

Now about the next two spots in the Orioles rotation ...

Ubaldo Jimenez is 0-3 with a 7.31 ERA and 2.063 WHIP in three starts and has failed to go more than 5 1/3 innings in the last two. Wei-Yin Chen is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.969 WHIP and has permitted 21 hits in 10 2/3 innings.

At least he's finding the strike zone. Chen hasn't issued a walk in two starts.

Chen is on the mound tonight for the series opener against Tampa Bay at Camden Yards. He's 2-3 with a 3.04 ERA in eight career starts versus the Rays.

Ben Zobrist is 10-for-23 with a home run against Chen.

Left-handers are 8-for-15 (.553) against Chen in his two starts, and right-handers are 13-for-36 (.361). Manager Buck Showalter will say, "He's better than that." Time to show it.

The Orioles scored five runs in their three-game series against Toronto, and now they've got to solve Chris Archer, who's surrendered only two in 13 innings this season. Always another challenge around the corner.

Chris Davis hit his first home run yesterday after launching a couple of fly balls to the warning track earlier in the series. He's 1-for-4 with a homer against Archer.