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Orioles face Mariners; Bedard misses start

Apr 6, 2008 - 1:11 PM Seattle (2-3) at Baltimore (3-1) 1:35 pm EDT

BALTIMORE (Ticker) - The Baltimore Orioles won't have to face their former ace to continue their winning ways. Instead, they will face Felix Hernandez.

Hernandez will fill in for the injured Erik Bedard when the Seattle Mariners face the Orioles in the third contest of a four-game set at Camden Yards on Sunday.

Considered one of the worst teams in the American League entering the season, Baltimore started the campaign with three wins in its first four games, including triumphs in the first two games against Seattle.

The Orioles also have won three straight for the first time since a six-game winning streak from July 22-28, 2007.

But they will not get the chance to continue that success against Bedard, who will miss his scheduled start Sunday with inflammation in his left hip.

The talented lefthander, who was traded from Baltimore to Seattle in the offseason, did not pick up a decision in the Mariners' 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday.

He allowed one run and three hits in five innings while striking out five and walking four in that contest. Bedard will not get a chance to improve on that performance against his old teammates.

Instead, it will be Hernandez (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who also failed to pick up a decision in his first start of the season. The 21-year-old righthander surrendered just one unearned run and five hits in seven frames in his team's 5-4 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.

Seattle, which figured to get a boost from the 1-2 punch of Bedard and Hernandez, has lost three of five games to start the season - including a 6-4 loss to Baltimore on Saturday.

Luke Scott had three hits and drove in two runs in that contest for the Orioles, who will counter with righthander Jeremy Guthrie (0-1, 8.44). Guthrie was roughed up in his first outing, allowing six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 frames in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.