• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Orioles, Indians battle again at Progressive Field

Jun 6, 2015 - 2:10 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Progressive Field has not been kind to the Cleveland Indians to this point in the season, but the Tribe is hoping for more favorable results on Saturday as the team carries on with a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Cleveland, which has Seattle coming to town for three games starting on Tuesday, has the second-fewest home wins of any team in the American League with just 10, which explains why the club is fourth in the AL Central standings, two games under .500 and six games out of first.

On Friday the Indians came up short in a 5-2 decision, their second defeat in the last three outings, even as starting pitcher Shaun Marcum allowed only three runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. Cleveland was already behind on the scoreboard, and it didn't help that reliever Zach McAllister followed up by permitting two runs in only 1 1/3 innings.

Yan Gomes and David Murphy each had two hits for the hosts, the former scoring one run during the setback.

Adam Jones not only notched his eighth home run of the season, he also stroked a triple for the Orioles during their second straight triumph. Like Jones, Matt Wieters also plated a pair during his return to the lineup. Wieters had not played for the Orioles since May 10 last season due to a right elbow injury,

Chris Tillman was credited with the win for the O's as he allowed two runs on six hits and three walks, striking out three, in 6 1/3 innings. Zach Britton locked it down in the ninth with his 15th save.

"Any time you're able to have a guy like Wieters in the lineup and catching, just being around the team, the impact that he makes on a game is huge," Baltimore starter Chris Tillman said. "All our catchers have been doing good, but it's nice to have him back, and I'm happy for him."

Seeking to match his win total from all of last season at six, Danny Salazar tries to avoid his first loss in a month when he toes the rubber for the Indians on Saturday afternoon.

The left-hander, who was charged with a defeat at Kansas City on May 5, has failed to register a decision in three of his last four outings. Last weekend the hurler made it through only 5 1/3 innings against Seattle before being pulled in what turned into a 6-3 victory for the visitors.

Salazar was charged with three runs on four hits and just as many walks, while striking out five.

Sporting a record of 2-0 at home this season, Salazar's only previous encounter with Baltimore was one in which he absorbed the loss, giving up two runs on four hits in five innings.

Now nine wins shy of 100 for his career, Ubaldo Jimenez tries to take a step closer to the milestone today when he counters Salazar for the Orioles. Unfortunately, the right-hander is nearly a month removed from his last victory, a triumph over Toronto on May 11.

Jimenez has had to endure three consecutive no-decisions, the most recent of which came at Houston earlier this week. In that contest he gave up two runs on four hits and a couple of walks, although he also fanned eight in six innings.

In two previous games against Cleveland in his career, Jimenez has been knocked around for 11 runs on nine hits and eight walks in a mere 8 1/3 innings, en route to a pair of defeats.