Division leaders are set to square off at Camden Yards Monday night, as the Baltimore Orioles host the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series.
Baltimore saw its five-game winning streak come to a halt in Sunday's 5-2 setback to Houston.
Starter Chris Tillman gave up a three-run home run to Jason Castro in the first inning, and reliever T.J. McFarland later served up a two-run homer to Marc Krauss in the seventh.
A two-run single by Adam Jones was all the offense could muster, although first baseman Chris Davis went 2-for-4 in his first game back from the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.
"I don't have any pain or discomfort," Davis said. "I don't have any stiffness, which I was kind of wondering whether I was going to be tight or stiff or anything like that."
While the O's were happy to get Davis back in the lineup, All-Star catcher Matt Wieters was sent to the disabled list on Sunday due to persistent right elbow discomfort. The team plans to rest him for a few weeks and then re- evaluate and determine next steps. Surgery is an option if rest and treatment do not eliminate the pain, according to Dr. James Andrews, who examined the elbow on Wednesday.
"We'll take a two or three week period to see if we can get it managed and then see if he can catch the rest of the year," manager Buck Showalter said. "Or if he's still having problems with it at the six-week mark we will have to think about something else. That's as frank as I can be about it. That's where we are with it."
Meanwhile, Detroit is beginning a nine-game road swing that also includes stops in Boston and Cleveland. The Tigers have lost three of four since reeling off an eight-game win streak.
On Sunday, they fell at home to Minnesota by a 4-3 final as the Twins rallied for one run in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth. Robbie Ray pitched six shutout innings for the no-decision, while Austin Jackson extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single.
The Tigers will look to Rick Porcello to continue holding down the fort. The right-hander is tied for the team lead with five wins on the season and has won his last four. On Wednesday, he held the Astros to two earned runs over 6 2/3 frames.
Detroit's starters are a combined 16-8 with an American League-best 2.73 ERA. They have held opposing hitters to a .226 average.
"The last bad start was (April 26) when Anibal Sanchez had to come out of the game in the third (because of an injury)," manager Brad Ausmus said.
For Baltimore, Bud Norris will look to continue his dominance at Camden Yards, where he has a 0.73 ERA (compared to 5.48 on the road). Norris came away with a no-decision at Tampa Bay his last time out as he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits, while striking out five and walking four.
Monday's starting pitchers opposed one another during a 7-6 home victory for the Tigers over Baltimore on April 5. Porcello allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings, while Norris gave up nine hits and a season-high five runs over five frames to take the loss. Detroit went on to claim that series victory by winning two out of three.
[SportsNetwork.com]
