Oakland @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( May 27, 2010 ) Oakland 7, Baltimore 5
It's been a long and difficult stretch for Dallas Braden since throwing one of baseball's most unexpected perfect games.
He may not find much solace Tuesday, even while facing the team with the worst record in the majors.
Braden looks for his first win since twirling his perfect game as he leads the Oakland Athletics into the opener of a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The teams met just over a month ago in Baltimore, a three-game set that saw Oakland drop the opener before storming back to win the final two contests.
The Athletics head into Maryland on a three-game winning streak after sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates. In order to extend it, they'll need to do something they haven't done since May 9 - win a game started by Braden.
The veteran left-hander faced 27 Tampa Bay Rays in that game on Mother's Day, and retired every one of them to complete the 19th perfect game in major-league history. Since that magical effort, its been nothing but frustration for the 26-year-old, who has gone 0-5 with a 4.31 over his last eight starts.
The Athletics have gone 0-8 in Braden's starts since the perfect game, though he couldn't be blamed for most of those defeats. Oakland's offense has scored just 13 runs in Braden's last eight outings, managing no more than one run on four different occasions.
He has enjoyed a measure of success in his career against the Orioles, going 5-1 with a sparkling 1.41 ERA in seven appearances. He last faced them on May 25, but had to leave after four innings with an ankle injury, having allowed an unearned run on three hits. The Athletics went on to lose that game, 5-1.
Oakland isn't the only team bringing a winning streak into the series.
Baltimore has won a season-high four consecutive games, having swept the rival Washington Nationals in a thrilling three-game series over the weekend. The Orioles won each contest by a run, highlighted by Friday's 7-6 victory in a game in which the Orioles trailed by six runs after four innings.
Baltimore will look to extend its hot streak behind starter Brian Matusz (2-8), who could use a little of the Orioles' recent mojo. The second-year left-hander hasn't earned a victory since April 18, going 0-8 over 12 starts since then.
Matusz has also had to deal with a lack of run support, as the Orioles have scored one or zero runs in six of his last 12 starts. But the 23-year-old hasn't done himself any favors, either - particularly in his last start, when he surrendered six runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-5 loss to the Florida Marlins.
Matusz is 1-1 for his career against the Athletics, with a 7.15 ERA over his two starts.