masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSince the Orioles moved to Baltimore in 1954, their postseason winning percentage of .588 (50-35) ranks second in the majors behind only Miami at .667 (22-11).

The Orioles look to add to that here this afternoon.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, since 1995, 61 percent of teams that won Game 1 of a Division Series went on to win the series. And 12 of the last 14 Game 1 winners went on to advance.

The last 13 teams to take a 2-0 lead went on to win the Division Series.

After pitching well in…Since the Orioles moved to Baltimore in 1954, their postseason winning percentage of .588 (50-35) ranks second in the majors behind only Miami at .667 (22-11).

The Orioles look to add to that here this afternoon.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, since 1995, 61 percent of teams that won Game 1 of a Division Series went on to win the series. And 12 of the last 14 Game 1 winners went on to advance.

The last 13 teams to take a 2-0 lead went on to win the Division Series.

chen pitching white sidebar.jpgAfter pitching well in September and throughout the second half, and with a career-high 16 wins, Wei-Yin Chen takes the mound this afternoon for the Orioles trying to pitch Baltimore to a 2-0 series edge.

Chen (16-6, 3.54 ERA) faces right-hander Justin Verlander (15-12, 4.54 ERA), the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner.

Chen went 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA and .229 average against in five September starts. In 13 starts since the All-Star break, he is 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA.

His 16 wins this season were the most by an Orioles left-hander since Jeff Ballard won 18 games in 1989. His 35 career wins are the second-most by a Taiwanese-born pitcher in big league history behind Chien-Ming Wang with 62.

Chen ranks third in club history in a single season with 1.70 walks per nine innings and ranked fifth in the AL this season.

A six-time All-Star, Verlander had a very mediocre year by his high standards. While he pitched to an ERA of 1.17 his last two starts, which was encouraging to the Tigers, his ERA was 6.00 the previous six starts.

Verlander gave up 9.7 hits per nine innings this season and he led the AL with 104 earned runs.

Verlander went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA against the Orioles this season in two starts. He is 9-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 career starts against them.

He has never lost at Camden Yards, going 7-0 with a 2.84 ERA in eight career starts.

Going into yesterday’s game, Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz were batting a combined .465 (20-for-43) against Max Scherzer. That duo is batting a combined .203 (13-for-64) against Verlander.