Oakland @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 16, 2015 ) Oakland 2, Baltimore 18

A return home for the Baltimore Orioles has not only erased the bitter taste left behind after getting no-hit to wrap a nine-game road trip, but has seemingly brought their offense back to life. After putting together a 26-hit attack in Sunday’s 18-2 rout of Oakland, the Orioles eye their first four-game sweep of the Athletics since 1987 on Monday when the teams wrap up their series in Baltimore.

Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma held the Orioles hitless on Wednesday, but Baltimore has clubbed 10 homers – including walk-off shots in the first two contests – and totaled 30 runs in three games against the free-falling Athletics. The 26 hits on Sunday matched the franchise record set on Aug. 28, 1980, and marked the third time this season the Orioles tallied least 18 runs. Baltimore has outscored Oakland 46-21 en route to going 5-1 this season against the American League’s worst team and will attempt to pull off its first four-game home sweep of the Athletics in team history in the finale. Oakland (51-68) has lost 10 of 11 overall away from home – including a season-high seven straight – and will turn to ace Sonny Gray in hopes of avoiding its first winless road trip of six or more games since May 18-23, 1999.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), MASN (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Sonny Gray (12-4, 2.06 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (8-7, 4.66)
Gray missed his last scheduled start on Thursday due to back spasms but has been cleared to resume normal activities and looks to extend his four-start streak of allowing two runs or fewer. One of the two complete games the No. 18 overall selection of the 2011 draft pitched over that stretch came in his last outing on Aug. 7 – a 3-1 win versus Houston – when he permitted one run on five hits. Gray will face Baltimore for the first time this season as he looks to improve on his 1-2 record and 7.04 ERA in three starts against the Orioles.
Tillman was tagged for five runs on eight hits over 2 1/3 innings in Tuesday’s 6-5 setback in Seattle and took a line drive off his right triceps for his troubles after entering the contest with a sprained left ankle. The 27-year-old had been spectacular over his three previous second-half outings, going 2-0 while holding Detroit, Tampa Bay and Atlanta to a total of one run and seven hits in 23 2/3 frames. Tillman has enjoyed similar success in four career starts against Oakland, going 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA.

WALK-OFFS
1. Oakland 1B Ike Davis tossed a scoreless inning of relief on Sunday for the second time this season. One of the batters he faced was RH Danny Garcia, marking the first time an AL position player took the mound against an AL pitcher since 1987.
2. The Athletics’ starting pitchers have allowed 28 runs in the first six games of this road trip after yielding 19 during the 11-game homestand that preceded it.
3. Orioles C Matt Wieters (strained right hamstring) missed his fourth straight game on Sunday and is a candidate for the disabled list if he doesn’t improve by Monday, according to manager Buck Showalter.

PREDICTION: Orioles 3, Athletics 2