Colorado @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 16, 2013 ) Colorado 6, Baltimore 3

The Baltimore Orioles are starting to show cracks - with the biggest ones in the bullpen. The Orioles will try to snap a four-game slide when they host the Colorado Rockies on Saturday in the middle contest of a three-game series. Closer Jim Johnson has three blown saves in his last three opportunities and yielded a home run in the ninth inning of Friday's 6-3 loss. Set-up man Francisco Rodriguez - a key acquisition prior to the trade deadline - strained his right groin Friday.

The Orioles, however, remain strong contenders in both American League playoff races - four games behind Oakland for the final wild card spot and 5 1/2 behind Boston in the East. Colorado kicked off a 10-game road trip by snapping a seven-game slide against the American League with its sixth win in seven contests. Bud Norris takes the ball for Baltimore after losing in a rare relief appearance Wednesday in Arizona and will oppose rookie Chad Bettis, who has made three major-league starts - with his last the most effective.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), MASN 2 (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Chad Bettis (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Bud Norris (2-1, 3.12)

Bettis yielded two runs and four hits in six innings before Colorado took the lead in the seventh en route to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. The 24-year-old, who pitched five innings in each of his first two starts, has walked eight and struck out six in 16 innings while holding opponents to a .230 average. With the Rockies out of playoff contention, it appears Bettis will get plenty of opportunities to prove he deserves a spot in the 2014 starting rotation.

Norris' second career relief appearance occurred after manager Buck Showalter went through all six relievers and ended with Aaron Hill's run-scoring single in the 14th inning. Prior to Wednesday, the 28-year-old went 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA in three starts - against San Diego, San Francisco and Houston - since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Astros. Norris allowed two runs in seven innings but wasn't around for the victory when Houston defeated Colorado 3-2 on May 27.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Orioles have yielded a major league-high 156 home runs.

2. Baltimore's Adam Jones needs one home run to become the second outfielder in Orioles' history to record 25 or more blasts in three seasons. Frank Robinson, who has 586 career home runs, accomplished the feat 15 times during his Hall of Fame career - five with Baltimore.

3. Orioles LHP Troy Patton has not issued a walk in 26 straight games. It is the second-longest streak in team history, trailing Koji Uehara’s run of 36 games set from July 19, 2010 to April 15, 2011.

PREDICTION: Orioles 3, Rockies 2