Chen Leads Orioles Past Rangers 6-1

Chen Leads Orioles Past Rangers 6-1

(AP) Chen, Reimold carry Orioles past Rangers 6-1
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
BALTIMORE
Wei-Yin Chen returned from the disabled list to pitch seven innings of three-hit ball, and the Baltimore Orioles got a three-run homer from Nolan Reimold in a 6-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

Manny Machado had three hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who won for only the third time in nine games. Baltimore will seek a split of the four-game series on Thursday night.

Chen (4-3) had not pitched since May 12 because of a strained right oblique. The left-hander allowed one run, walked three and struck out four.

Major league home run leader Chris Davis went 0 for 3 with a walk and is hitless in his last 17 at-bats. He hasn’t gotten a hit since Major League Baseball announced he was the leading vote getter in All-Star fan balloting.

Reimold was a late replacement at designated hitter for Chris Dickerson, who was scratched for a reason the Orioles did not disclose. Batting ninth in the order, Reimold delivered his first home run since May 4 to put Baltimore up 6-0 in the fourth inning against Josh Lindblom (1-3).

Reimold was on the disabled list from May 12 to July 1 and was playing in only his 37th game of the season.

Adrian Beltre extended his hitting streak to 12 games and drove in a run for the Rangers, whose four-game road winning streak ended. Texas had scored at least five runs in six consecutive games.

Lindblom gave up six runs, nine hits and four walks in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander started for Nick Tepesch, who went on the disabled list Sunday.

Texas right-hander Yu Darvish joined Tepesch on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained upper back. Darvish was scheduled to start Thursday night; his replacement will probably be Ross Wolf, although there was no formal announcement by the Rangers.

The Orioles used a four-run fourth to take a 6-0 lead. Lindblom walked the first two batters before Brian Roberts hit a liner to center that bounced out of the glove of Engel Beltre and off the wall. It went for an RBI single, and Reimold followed with a towering fly ball that carried into the left-field seats, a few feet inside the foul pole.

Texas got its lone run in the sixth when Ian Kinsler walked, took third on a single by Nelson Cruz and scored when Beltre hit into a fielder’s choice.

Chen used 21 pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning, and Lindblom needed 31 to get through a bottom half in which the Orioles got two singles.

Baltimore went up 2-0 in the third. After Nate McLouth beat out an infield roller and Machado tripled to center, a wild pitch allowed Machado to score.

Chen retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced, allowing only a walk until Beltre singled with two outs in the fourth.

NOTES: Machado leads the majors with 14 three-hit games. He is tied for the lead with 36 multihit games. … Miguel Gonzalez (6-3) will take the mound for Baltimore in the series finale. … In addition to activating Chen from the DL, the Orioles also recalled RHP Josh Stinson from Triple-A Norfolk. … Jurickson Profar, who usually plays the infield, made his second career start in left field for Texas. … Rangers relievers retired 21 straight batters before Nick Markakis singled off Cory Burns in the sixth.

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