Weighing in on Chen (O's win 6-0)

The Orioles have allowed one run in the last 23 innings. Again, I must ask: Is the rotation a concern or not? Wei-Yin Chen has permitted two hits in five scoreless innings tonight, and the Orioles continue to hold a 4-0 lead over the Red Sox. Chen matched his season-high of six strikeouts back in the fourth inning. The only hits off him are singles by Dustin Pedroia in the fourth and David Ortiz in the fifth. Chen has faced the minimum number of batters because Nick Markakis threw out Pedroia at second and Jonny Gomes grounded into a double play to end the fifth. His pitch count stands at 64. His stuff looks good tonight. Nice velocity and movement. Nick Hundley increased the lead to 4-0 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth. Hundley is 2-for-2 for his fourth multi-hit game of the season and his first with the Orioles. Three of his six RBIs have come with the Orioles. Steve Pearce has walked and scored a run in the first, flied to deep center field in the third and singled and stole a base in the fifth. Professional hitter with underrated speed. Manny Machado is 0-for-2 with a strikeout. He's hitless in his last 17 at-bats. Miguel Gonzalez threw 70 pitches in 4 1/3 innings at Double-A Bowie, allowing four hits, walking one, striking out five and throwing a wild pitch. His oblique must be fine. Nolan Reimold, serving as the Baysox's designated hitter, is 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Update: Chen has tied his season high with seven innings and faced only one batter over the minimum. Too bad the weather interrupted an outstanding start. The rain delay started at 9:11 p.m. Update II: Play resumed after a delay of 1 hour, 38 minutes. Chen allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings, with no walks, seven strikeouts and a hit batter. He threw 87 pitches, 56 strikes. Chen hasn't walked a batter in his last 14 2/3 innings, and he hasn't issued a walk at home in 25 innings. J.J. Hardy committed his sixth error in seven games in the eighth inning, but Darren O'Day stranded the runner. All three outs were scored 1-3. Nick Hundley was charged with the Orioles' first passed ball of the season. The Orioles have allowed one run in their last 26 innings. Zach Britton is warming in the bullpen. Update III: Game over. Orioles win the series against the Red Sox with tonight's 6-0 victory before 25,886 at Camden Yards. Jonathan Schoop and Nick Markakis walked with the bases loaded in the eighth to complete the scoring. Schoop has his first career two-walk game. Chen improved to 7-2 with a 3.76 ERA. The Orioles have allowed one run in their last 27 innings. The last time they had allowed one run or fewer in a three-game series at home was Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 1995 versus the Tigers.