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Skidding Pirates turn to McDonald vs. Orioles

Jun 21, 2011 - 2:57 PM (Sports Network) - Right-hander James McDonald gets his first career look at the Baltimore Orioles tonight when his Pittsburgh Pirates host the American Leaguers in the middle game of a three-game interleague matchup at PNC Park.

Game 1 at home was unkind to the Pirates, who dropped their fourth in a row when Adam Jones' two-run single highlighted a five-run first inning in the Orioles' 8-3 win.

Nick Markakis went 3-for-5 with two runs scored for Baltimore, which has won two in a row since dropping six of seven.

Jake Arrieta (9-4) gave up three runs on three hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts over five innings. He also went 1-for-2 at the plate and drove in a run.

Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a run scored while Ronny Cedeno drove in two for the Pirates.

Charlie Morton (7-4) was lit up for seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts over just two innings.

McDonald, a 26-year-old, reached the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and appeared in 53 games over three seasons before heading to Pittsburgh in 2010 in a trade for Octavio Dotel.

He went 4-5 in 11 starts for the Pirates to end the season and has made 14 starts so far in 2011, winning the last two against Houston and the New York Mets while allowing 15 hits and five runs in 11 2/3 innings.

His season earned run average has steadily declined through the early season and is down to 4.80 after the two victories. It was 10.12 after his fourth start of the season, a 9-5 loss at Florida.

McDonald is 2-1 in six starts in Pittsburgh with a 3.12 ERA.

Baltimore starts hard-luck righty Jeremy Guthrie, whose ERA is more than a run better than McDonald's, though his record is just 2-8.

The 31-year-old is winless in his last five starts since May 21, when he tossed seven innings and allowed two unearned runs in an 8-3 defeat of Washington.

He's 0-2 with two no-decisions since, including a five-inning start against Toronto on June 16 in which he allowed a hit and no runs in a game the Orioles ultimately won, 1-0.

Guthrie, a veteran of 158 big-league appearances, has never faced the Pirates.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh last met during the 2008 campaign, when the Orioles won a three-game series at Camden Yards. Pittsburgh took two of three meetings in the Steel City in 2005.