Nolan Remold tries to homer in a fifth consecutive game this evening when the Baltimore Orioles continue a four-game set with the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
Reimold continued his hot start to the season on Tuesday, as his two run home run helped carry the Orioles to a 3-2 win. Wei-Yin Chen yielded two runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn his first Major League victory, while J.J. Hardy also homered for Baltimore, which has won seven of 11 to start the season.
"We have a lot of guys that are contributing," remarked Hardy. "Our pitching's been the big story. Chen gets his first win tonight and threw the ball great."
Reimold, though, could etch his name into the Orioles' record books tonight. Melvin Mora was the last Orioles player to homer in five straight games, but his stretch bridged the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was the last to accomplish the feat in a single season for the club, going on a franchise-record six-game run July 18-23, 1976, during his only season with the Orioles.
For the season, Reimold is hitting .351 with the four home runs and eight RBI.
John Danks (1-2) pitched well in his seven-inning start but was charged for all three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. A.J. Pierzynski had two hits and knocked in both of Chicago's runs and the White Sox fell for the third straight game after winning their previous four.
"It's frustrating, but I like that kind of fight," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "You're going to lose some like that, but when you battle like that, at-bat after at-bat, you're going to win a lot more games then you're going to lose."
The White Sox' 87 strikeouts are by far the most through 10 games in club history. In fact, that total is already higher than any White Sox team had ever recorded through its first 12 games. The previous high through 12 games was 85 by the 2009 club. Adam Dunn, meanwhile, is the only player in White Sox history to strike out at least once in each of the club's first 10 games.
Hoping to add to that number tonight for the Orioles will be righty Tommy Hunter, who is 1-0 on the year with a 2.77 ERA. After picking up a win in his first start, Hunter did not get a decision against Toronto on Friday, as he allowed five runs (four earned) and six hits in six innings of his team's 7-5 win.
"I was locating in and out the ball was just up," Hunter said after allowing the career-high-tying four homers. "Thankfully we kept scoring runs."
Hunter has faced the White Sox twice and is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA.
Chicago will counter with righty Jake Peavy, who will be trying to string back-to-back wins together after he beat Detroit his last time out. Peavy gave up two runs and two hits in 6 2/3 innings of that one and improved to 1-0, while lowering his ERA to 3.55.
Peavy beat the O's the only other time he faced them, limiting them to three runs and six hits in six innings.
Baltimore split its eight games with the White Sox last season, but was 3-1 in the Windy City.
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