BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Orioles haven't had their entire team together this season. That hasn't stopped them from their first four-game winning streak since last July.
Baltimore's 4-3 win over the Houston Astros before 28,875 at Oriole Park on Monday night, put them at 19-14, the first time this season they've been five games over .500.
Wei-Yin Chen pitched seven strong innings while Nick Markakis, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games, had three hits. Jonathan Schoop continued to impress both offensive and defensively, knocked in the go-ahead run in the seventh with an RBI single.
"I'm delivering at the big time. I'm just trying to keep it simple, not trying to do too much in those situations," Schoop said.
With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh, J.J. Hardy doubled, and after advancing to third on an infield out, scored on Schoop's single up the middle. Schoop scored from first on Markakis' double off Jerome Williams (1-2).
"We were hoping the lineup would allow us to sit him down at the bottom and ambush here and there, try to take some of the focus off of him. But when you look like Jon does, 6-3 and 230 and playing second base, it's hard to sneak up on anybody," manager Buck Showalter said.
Chen (4-2) allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out four.
"In the previous outings, I was trying really hard so [pitching coach] Dave Wallace told me I should not try to overthrow my curveball, just go with it. I tried to do it and tonight the result was pretty good," Chen said through his translator.
Darren O'Day pitched a perfect eighth and Tommy Hunter allowed a run in the ninth, but picked up his 11th save in 12 opportunities.
Houston (11-25) had tied the game in the top of the seventh on a home run by Chris Carter.
Steve Pearce and Manny Machado also had home runs for the Orioles. It was Pearce's third in the last four games and Machado's first of the season.
DAVIS TO BOWIE: Chris Davis took batting practice on Friday afternoon as he continues to make a spectacular recovery from a torn left oblique. Davis, who is eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, will go on a rehab assignment to Bowie on Saturday night.
"Chris is going to play there [Saturday]," Showalter said. "He's going to play first base and hit second. I don't want him hitting leadoff and I don't want him to have the problem of getting enough at-bats before he may or may not come out of the game."
Davis and Showalter will talk after the rehab game and decide if he can be active on Sunday.
Davis is pleased with his recovery.
"I didn't really know what to expect at the beginning," Davis said before Friday night's game. "I didn't have anything to compare it to. I just had to go off what other guys said, kind of how they felt in the past. I've been told I recovered quickly and that everything's gone as good as it could. I'm happy.
"It's tough to sit around and watch these guys playing even though they're winning. It's tough to sit on the bench and not really be a part of it."
WIETERS NOT SURE: Matt Wieters was the designated hitter again on Friday. He's not sure when he'll be able to catch again.
"We want to get the treatment. We want to get the rehab. We want to get the strength back before we really think about picking up a ball, and the last thing we want is a setback," Wieters said. "When we feel like we're in a good place, we'll pick up a ball.
Wieters has been taking ground balls at first base, but says that's to keep him in shape.
HURTING HENRY: Cuban defector Henry Urrutia will undergo sports hernia surgery in Philadelphia on Tuesday. He is expected to miss six-eight weeks.
Urrutia is batting .220 with seven RBIs with Norfolk.
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