masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgGet a solid pitching performance and win a close game. It’s a formula the Orioles are using a lot these days.

They used it again tonight to beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in front of 39,487 in the opener of the weekend series behind Wei-Yin Chen.

This was the Orioles’ club-record tying seventh straight one-run game and they are 5-2 during that stretch.

The Orioles improved to 61-47 for the season to match their season-high at 14 games over .500. They are now 20-11 against the American…Get a solid pitching performance and win a close game. It’s a formula the Orioles are using a lot these days.

They used it again tonight to beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in front of 39,487 in the opener of the weekend series behind Wei-Yin Chen.

This was the Orioles’ club-record tying seventh straight one-run game and they are 5-2 during that stretch.

The Orioles improved to 61-47 for the season to match their season-high at 14 games over .500. They are now 20-11 against the American League West.

chen-pitching-black-back-sidebar.jpgChen was sharp from the start and went 7 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and one run with one walk and a season-high eight strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches as he improves to 12-3 with an ERA of 3.76. Chen has made back-to-back starts against the Mariners, allowing just one run in 15 1/3 innings.

Over his last five starts, Chen is 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA.

The game featured the O’s debut of Andrew Miller, who got two big outs in the eighth. Zach Britton pitched the ninth for his 22nd save in 25 chances.

The Orioles began the night having scored just one run in their last 17 innings and they didn’t get a lot tonight either.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the third. Delmon Young led off with a double and scored on Manny Machado’s two-out single.

Tied 1-1, the O’s moved ahead 2-1 in the sixth. Machado led off with a double this time and advanced to third on an error by shortstop Chris Taylor, who was trying to get Machado at third on a grounder, but bobbled the ball. Two strikeouts later, it looked like the O’s would blow a scoring chance, but J.J. Hardy’s RBI single made it 2-1.

The Orioles have now won six of their last eight, 15 of 22 and 24 of 36 games. They are 35-20 (.636) since May 31.

In the second game of this series on Saturday night, Miguel Gonzalez (5-5, 3.77 ERA) pitches against left-hander James Paxton (2-0, 2.25 ERA).