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Athletics-Orioles Preview

Aug 12, 2009 - 3:12 AM By JON PALMIERI STATS Editor

Oakland (50-62) at Baltimore (46-66), 1:35 p.m. EDT

The Baltimore Orioles ended one negative streak in their last game. Their next contest offers them the chance to halt another.

Seeking to win their first series since the All-Star break, the Orioles conclude a three-game set between last-place teams Wednesday against the visiting Oakland Athletics.

Baltimore (47-66) closed the first half of the season by winning two of three against Toronto, but has failed to win a series since the break, losing 18 of 25. The Orioles opened this set Monday with a 9-1 loss, their ninth straight defeat to the Athletics (50-63).

In desperate need of a strong performance from a starting pitcher, Baltimore got just that Tuesday night from rookie David Hernandez, who pitched into the seventh inning of a 3-2 victory - the team's first against Oakland since July 22, 2007.

"Both starting pitchers were good, but what counts is that Hernandez was better," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.

Brian Roberts had three hits, an RBI and two steals for Baltimore, which had been outscored 30-6 in its previous four games against Oakland this season. The Orioles are 28-64 versus the A's since the start of 1999.

Right fielder Nick Markakis went 2 for 4, reaching base for the 32nd straight game - the longest active streak in the majors.

Scott Hairston and Adam Kennedy homered for Oakland, which dropped to 3-2 on a six-game road trip and scored less than three runs for the first time in nine contests. The A's averaged 6.7 runs while winning six of their previous eight.

The Orioles send Jason Berken (2-9, 6.72 ERA) to the mound, hoping the rookie right-hander can win a second straight start. Berken ended a personal nine-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over Toronto on Friday, his first victory since his major league debut May 26. He allowed three runs and five hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts.

"I just knew the opportunity was only going to be there for so long and I needed to start pitching better," Berken said. "Tonight was a step in the right direction."

Berken was terrible in a 9-4 loss at Oakland on June 6, yielding a season-high nine runs and seven hits in 3 1-3 innings.

Oakland counters with a struggling rookie of its own in Vin Mazzaro (3-8, 5.70), who also seeks his second consecutive win following a lengthy losing streak. The right-hander earned his first victory since June 7 by limiting Kansas City to three runs and eight hits in five innings of a 9-4 win Friday. Mazzaro had been 0-8 with a 7.72 ERA in 10 starts since his previous win.

"My confidence didn't really go down," Mazzaro said. "They're giving me an opportunity to do it here and it's awesome. I'm going to take advantage of everyday. This win definitely boosted my confidence for the next start."

Mazzaro's best outing came in a 3-0 home victory over the Orioles on June 7, when he scattered five hits in a season-best 7 1-3 innings and struck out four without a walk.