Orioles (26-16) vs. Houston Astros (17-28)
Where: Minute Maid Park
First pitch: 8:10 p.m.
TV/Radio: MASN2/105.7 The Fan
Starting pitchers: Orioles RHP Chris Tillman (6-1, 2.61 ERA) vs. Astros RHP Doug Fister (4-3, 4.22 ERA)
What to watch
1. Hooray for May. Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman has had an excellent month, and beyond, as he hasn't lost since April 14, his only defeat of the season. Each of his six outings since have been quality starts, with the past five all resulting in victories, and he has a 1.83 ERA during that stretch. Will Tillman be able to extend his winning streak to six against the struggling Astros?
2. Welcome to the majors. The end of former first-round draft pick Brian Matusz's tenure with the Orioles has led to an opportunity for 28-year-old lefty Ashur Tolliver, who the club called up from Double-A Bowie on Tuesday. Injuries delayed Tolliver's development, but he has always pitched well in the minors, finishing each of his past four seasons with an ERA under 3.00. At the time of his first call to the majors, Tolliver is struggling a bit with a 5.68 ERA and 14 base runners in 6 1/3 innings over his past five appearances. But before that, he had a 1.37 ERA and a .167 opponents' batting average in 19 2/3 relief innings. Can he regain his earlier form and claim the left-handed opening in the Orioles bullpen?
3. Advantage Orioles. The Orioles are 16-6 this season against teams that entered Tuesday with records below .500, and 10-10 against everyone else. Luckily for the Orioles, the Astros have the second-worst record in the American League and have lost four straight. Will the Birds continue to beat up on struggling clubs during this week's series in Houston?
Orioles lineup
LF Joey Rickard
SS Manny Machado
CF Adam Jones
1B Chris Davis
RF Mark Trumbo
C Matt Wieters
DH Pedro Alvarez
2B Jonathan Schoop
3B Ryan Flaherty
