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Chen hopes to pitch O's to series split against Twins

Jul 19, 2012 - 11:09 AM (Sports Network) - Wei-Yin Chen shoots for his first win in six starts today when the Baltimore Orioles wrap up a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

Chen pitched well enough to win his last time out on Saturday against Detroit, as he held the Tigers to a run and two hits with two walks in six innings. He also struck out five, but did not get a decision in his team's 8-6 win.

"I wanted to go deep and be consistent, and after the first inning I felt really strong," Chen said through his interpreter. "I finished strong. And I just feel great that I can help the team to get a win."

The Taiwanese lefty, who retired 15 in a row at one point, is 7-5 this season with a 3.80 ERA.

Minnesota, meanwhile, will counter with righty Cole De Vries, who is 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA. De Vries was awful in losing to the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, as he was hit for seven runs on six hits - three home runs - in five innings.

"I just didn't feel very good out there tonight," De Vries said. "I felt real weak for whatever reason. For the first inning or two I just felt overly hot. So I know that my ball was up the whole night. It was one of those times where I just went out there and tried to give the team as many innings as I could so our bullpen didn't get killed."

After losing the first two games of this series the Orioles bounced back on Wednesday, as Tommy Hunter pitched into the eighth inning and allowed just one run, helping Baltimore to a 2-1 win.

Hunter (4-4), who was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to make the start, scattered six hits without walking a batter over 7 1/3 innings to earn his first victory in over a month in his longest outing of the season.

Adam Jones provided the offense with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, while Jim Johnson worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to nail down his 27th save of the year and snap the O's three-game skid.

Francisco Liriano (3-9) was charged for both runs on four hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out 10 batters and has now fanned 25 hitters over his last 14 innings.

"You have to give him credit," said Twins catcher Drew Butera of Liriano. "He goes out there everyday and gives us a shot to win."

Josh Willingham accounted for the lone run with a homer in the fourth, but the Twins lost for the sixth time in their last eight games.

Trevor Plouffe also extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a second- inning single for the Twins.

The Twins are one of only two teams in the majors -- along with the Giants -- to have three different hitting streaks of 15 games or more in 2012, as Josh Willingham had a pair of 15-game stretches earlier this season.

Baltimore swept a three-game set from the Twins earlier in the year and has beaten them in eight of the last 10 games they have played.