Seattle @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( May 1, 2013 ) Baltimore 3, Seattle 8

Once the property of the Seattle Mariners, Chris Tillman has made his former club rue the trade that sent him to the Baltimore Orioles in 2008. Tillman will take the mound on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series with the visiting Mariners and is seeking his fifth victory in as many starts against the team that selected him in the second round of the 2006 draft. Tillman's 4-0 career mark against Seattle includes a minuscule 0.98 ERA.

The Mariners limp into Baltimore on the heels of a three-game sweep in Boston, including a stunning defeat Thursday night in which they squandered a five-run ninth-inning lead. Seattle received some great production from the tandem of Kyle Seager and cleanup hitter Kendrys Morales in the series against the Red Sox. Morales was 9-for-13 with three RBIs while Seager was 7-for-14 with three RBIs and has multiple hits in five of his last six games.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Aaron Harang (5-9, 4.89 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (13-3, 3.62)

Harang has pitched much better since losing five of his first six starts, cutting more than 3 1/2 runs off his ERA in his last 11 outings. He took the loss last time out against Minnesota despite allowing only one run on three hits over five innings. Harang's only victory in his first six starts came against the Orioles on May 1, when he gave up two runs on four hits over six innings.

Tillman is 9-1 over his last 10 starts since June 1, giving up three runs or fewer nine times in that span. He has won three consecutive starts, most recently a 6-0 victory over Boston in which he permitted only two hits over seven scoreless innings. Three of his nine wins in 2012 were against Seattle, when he limited the Mariners to two earned runs in 21 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Orioles 1B Chris Davis had an eventful game on Thursday. He smacked his major league-best 39th homer, reached 100 RBIs and snapped his franchise-record streak of 24 straight contests with a strikeout.

2. Morales is batting .379 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 26 games against Baltimore.

3. The Orioles were 8-1 against Seattle in 2012, but the Mariners won two of three earlier this season.

PREDICTION: Orioles 6, Mariners 2