Orioles on deck: What to watch Wednesday vs. Mariners

Orioles (23-14) vs. Seattle Mariners (22-16)

Where: Camden Yards

First pitch: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MASN2/105.7 The Fan

Starting pitchers: Orioles RHP Chris Tillman (5-1, 2.58 ERA) vs. Mariners RHP Taijuan Walker (2-2, 2.63 ERA)

What to watch

1. Bounce back. The Orioles have dropped back-to-back games for the first time since April 30 to May 1, and the latest one was an ugly 10-0 loss to open the series against the Mariners. It was the first time since Sept. 25, 2015, that the Orioles were held to two hits or fewer. How will the Orioles respond, especially offensively, after being shut out for the third time this season?

2. Eyes on the mound. In the featured pitching matchup of this series between first-place clubs, Chris Tillman takes the mound against 23-year-old right-hander Taijuan Walker. Tillman has been exceptional since his ERA sat at 5.11 after three starts. He is 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts since. Walker, on the other hand, has struggled a bit since starting the season with four straight quality starts and a 1.44 ERA. He's 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA in three starts since, but still sports a 2.63 ERA overall. Will Tillman outduel the touted Mariners youngster?

3. Crushing it. Ten days ago, Chris Davis was batting .200 after a 1-for-21 stretch, but his bat has been scorching since. He had one of the Orioles' two hits Tuesday and is batting .522/.607/.870 with five doubles, a homer, five walks, five strikeouts, six runs scored and six RBIs over his past seven games. That stretch has elevated his batting average 56 points to .256. Can Davis stay hot against the Mariners?

Orioles lineup

RF Joey Rickard
SS Manny Machado
CF Adam Jones
1B Chris Davis
DH Mark Trumbo
C Matt Wieters
3B Pedro Alvarez
2B Jonathan Schoop
LF Hyun Soo Kim