masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIf the recent past is any indication, the Orioles’ three-game series against the Angels that begins tonight at Camden Yards will be hotly contested. The margin for error will be paper thin.
The Orioles won the series last year, 4-2, and every game was decided by two runs or fewer.
Wei-Yin Chen has allowed six runs and 10 hits in 10 1/3 innings over two starts against the Angels. He’s walked six, struck out 10 and served up three home runs.
Angels starter Jered Weaver is 1-4 with a 4.98 ERA in…

If the recent past is any indication, the Orioles’ three-game series against the Angels that begins tonight at Camden Yards will be hotly contested. The margin for error will be paper thin.

The Orioles won the series last year, 4-2, and every game was decided by two runs or fewer.

chen followthrough sidebar.jpgWei-Yin Chen has allowed six runs and 10 hits in 10 1/3 innings over two starts against the Angels. He’s walked six, struck out 10 and served up three home runs.

Angels starter Jered Weaver is 1-4 with a 4.98 ERA in seven starts this season. He’s walked five batters in 43 1/3 innings.

In his last start, Weaver tossed a complete-game shutout against the Astros. He’s 7-4 with a 3.46 ERA in 12 career starts against the Orioles and 2-2 with a 7.09 ERA in five starts at Camden Yards.

Adam Jones is 7-for-23 (.304) with a double, triple, two home runs and six RBIs against Weaver. Delmon Young is 7-for-18 (.389) with a double and home run, and Alejandro De Aza is 4-for-9 (.444) with a double and home run.

J.J. Hardy is 3-for-23 (.130), Travis Snider is 2-for-11 (.182) and Chris Davis is 7-for-34 (.206) with seven strikeouts.

* If Manny Machado reaches base tonight, he’ll extend his streak to a career-high 20 games.

Machado has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, batting .359/.405/.615 in that span.

* Darren O’Day hasn’t allowed an earned run over his last 11 appearances covering 10 innings. It’s his longest streak since going 14 games in a row from June 17-July 25, 2014.

Erick Aybar is 3-for-7 against O’Day and Mike Trout is 2-for-5 with a home run. They’re the only Angels with a hit off him.

* I won’t lie, I’m still a little irritated by fans who jumped Tommy Hunter during Tuesday night’s game against the Blue Jays and complained that he gives up home runs every time he takes the mound. I heard a lot of “Tommy goes boom” and how he’s the worst pitcher in baseball.

I know the longball reputation. I know the past struggles. But don’t be afraid of a little research.

Hunter has allowed two home runs in 13 appearances this season. He hadn’t been charged with an earned run in eight consecutive appearances.

Falling back on past failures is just lazy. And that includes ignoring how he posted a 1.77 ERA in his last 43 appearances in 2014 after being replaced as closer.

* I wrote yesterday that pitcher Hunter Harvey will get a second opinion on his right elbow next week from renown orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews. Fans instantly braced for the worst. Andrews and second opinions often lead to surgeries.

Well, the Orioles expect Andrews to recommend an extended period of rest for Harvey. However, surgery remains a possibility. We’re not being naive here. It’s just a last resort.

For all the people saying that Harvey should just have the surgery now and get it over with, he’s only 20 years old. If a ligament-reconstructive procedure comes later in the year, it won’t be a huge setback. A disappointment, for sure, since the Orioles thought he might be an option for their bullpen later this season when rosters expanded, but there’s no reason to rush into surgery.

* Matt Wieters played 8 1/2 innings yesterday in an extended spring training game in Fort Myers, Fla. He caught eight and felt as though he got in a solid day’s work.

Wieters is scheduled to catch nine innings on Saturday. The Orioles need him to catch back-to-back games before they can consider an injury rehab assignment.

Manager Buck Showalter expects Wieters to be ready to come off the 60-day disabled list when eligible on June 4. He says so with fingers crossed.

* Few minor leaguers have improved their stock as much as Triple-A Norfolk reliever Oliver Drake.

Drake (Navy) has a 1.15 ERA and seven saves, with two runs, three walks and 26 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. He’s throwing about 75 percent splitters and his stuff is downright nasty, according to people in the organization who have seen him.

Left-handers are 1-for-13 against Drake. Right-handers are 7-for-42. He leads the International League with 14.94 strikeouts per nine innings.

Drake’s numbers really pop when you consider that he came into the year as perhaps the most vulnerable member of the 40-man roster. He was considered by some to be the first to go if the Orioles needed a spot. That’s certainly not the case anymore.

* While we’re down at Norfolk, left-hander Cesar Cabral hasn’t allowed a run in 13 appearances. Left-handers are 1-for-18 with eight strikeouts against him. But will his stuff play at the major league level? Not everyone is convinced, but he’s definitely worth monitoring.

* Norfolk’s Pedro Beato threw two more scoreless innings last night to lower his ERA to 0.90. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances over 13 2/3 innings.

* I remember seeing Tanner Scott at the January minicamp with his left hand in a cast after breaking his pinky finger. I had to ask around to learn his identity.

The Orioles selected Scott, a southpaw, in the sixth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Howard College in Texas. He went 1-5 with a 6.26 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) with the Gulf Coast League team.

Why am I mentioning him this morning? Because I’ve heard that his fastball has been clocked at 97 mph at extended spring training. He’s been noticed.

* The Blue Jays signed Luke Scott to a Triple-A contract. The Orioles had no interest in bringing him back to the organization, in case that thought crossed your mind.

Scott will forever rank as one of my favorites on the beat, but there’s no way that reunion was going to happen.

* The Blue Jays released Jake Fox so he could play in Korea.

See above.