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The Baltimore Orioles are back on top in the AL East and will begin a four-game series Monday versus the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards. The Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays currently have division bragging rights, but Baltimore is percentage points ahead thanks to four straight wins and 16 in the last 20 contests.
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Baltimore took all three games from the Cleveland Indians this weekend, including a sweep of a doubleheader on Sunday. The Orioles blanked the Tribe 4-0 in the first game, then kept Cleveland off the board again with an 8-0 triumph in the nightcap.
Chris Tillman fired seven scoreless innings and struck out six, while Chris Parmelee, Chris Davis and Travis Snider each hit a home run during a six-run fourth inning.
"It's so hard to sweep a doubleheader in the major leagues," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "Tilly was pretty hungry. He's always hungry, but you could tell he was on a little mission there tonight. He was real crisp. Had good command of his fastball, a lot of strike ones. Some things he hasn't been doing."
Baltimore has won five in a row at home and is 25-13 at Camden Yards.
Bud Norris gets the nod for the O's Monday and is only 2-6 with a 6.70 earned run average through 10 starts. Norris has lost two straight trips to the mound and previously toed the rubber in a 5-1 loss at Boston on Wednesday, charged with five unearned runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Norris is 1-4 in his last five decisions and has won both of his career starts against the Rangers.
Texas dropped two of three matchups with the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend at Rogers Centre and is only 1-7 in the past eight games.
In a 3-2 loss to the Jays on Sunday, Chi Chi Gonzalez gave up all three runs and four hits, including a home run in the fourth inning, in six frames. He retired the first 10 batters, walked four and struck out three.
"The home run hurt a little bit, any home run does. It threw me off a little bit," Gonzalez said of the solo blast by Josh Donaldson. "It kinda made me more cautious."
Elvis Andrus had three hits and an RBI, while Rougned Odor also collected three hits in the loss for Texas, which was coming off a 4-0 win on Saturday.
Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton could return to the club Monday and is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Wandy Rodriguez looks to pitch himself and the Rangers back on track when he takes the mound Monday. Rodriguez was hammered for eight runs and 11 hits in four innings of an 8-2 loss to Oakland on Wednesday and was 3-0 in his previous six appearances -- all Texas wins.
Rodriguez is 4-0 in seven road starts and 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore. In 12 overall starts this season, the left-hander has a 4-3 record to go along with a 4.06 ERA.
Baltimore went 6-1 against Texas last season and is 11-1 in the past 12 games in this series. The Orioles and Rangers will meet again for three games in Arlington in last August.
[SportsNetwork.com]
