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Orioles-Athletics Preview

Apr 15, 2010 - 6:46 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Baltimore (1-7) at Oakland (6-3), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Coming off a winless homestand, the last place the Baltimore Orioles might want to visit is Oakland.

The Orioles look to avoid a seventh consecutive loss while trying for a rare road win against the Athletics in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night.

After losing two of three at Tampa Bay to open the season, Baltimore (1-8) concluded an 0-6 homestand with a 9-1 loss to the Rays on Wednesday.

"It's not how you draw it up. You didn't want to start like this," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "Losing ought to say how frustrated and disappointed everybody is."

Off to its worst start since going 0-21 in 1988, Baltimore has been outscored 49-27 and is hitting .152 with runners in scoring position. The Orioles have scored 10 runs in the last five contests.

"We haven't played well," Trembley said. "We expect that we'll play better."

That might be a tall order in their next series.

Though the A's (6-4) have lost two in a row, they've won six straight at home over the Orioles. Baltimore is batting .210 and been outscored 33-13 during its losing skid in Oakland.

Former Athletic Miguel Tejada hit his second homer of the season Wednesday for the Orioles. Tejada is batting .229 in his second stint with the Orioles, and is 2 for 13 against Oakland scheduled starter Ben Sheets.

Though he hasn't faced Baltimore since 2003, Sheets (0-0, 4.09 ERA) was roughed up for five runs in six innings while with Milwaukee in his only career appearance against the Orioles.

Sheets has been average in two starts in his comeback after missing last season because of elbow surgery. In his last outing, the former All-Star allowed three runs and 10 hits while walking three and striking out one over six innings of a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles on Saturday.

"I know it's going to get better," said Sheets, who's been on the disabled list seven times since breaking into the majors in 2001. "This ain't my stuff, but I know it's going to come back. Right now I don't feel like I have the ability to rear back and blow somebody away, so I've got to make pitches and keep battling. Sometimes I try to force it, and when I force things, it has a negative effect on me. So I just take what it gives me and try to ride it out."

The right-hander will try to help the A's bounce back after they dropped the final two of a three-game set at Seattle.

Jake Fox homered in a 4-2 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday. Oakland totaled six runs and 13 hits in the series with its AL West rival.

Despite their recent home success over the Orioles, the A's could have a hard time getting the best of Baltimore scheduled starter David Hernandez (0-1, 3.00).

One of Hernandez's four wins last season came Aug. 11, when he allowed two runs and struck out six in 6 2-3 innings of a 3-2 victory over the A's. The Orioles, however, have lost Hernandez's last 10 starts since that victory.

The right-hander gave up two runs in six innings of a 3-0 loss to Toronto on Saturday.