Major League Baseball

Orioles-Dodgers preview

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:17 p.m. ET

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LOS ANGELES -- The Baltimore Orioles will try to end a difficult West Coast swing on a winning note when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a Wednesday afternoon game.

Chris Tillman's strong seven-inning effort Tuesday night set up Baltimore for its second series win on the trip despite having an overall losing record due to the lack of consistent pitching, having surrendered 51 runs in their first seven games against the Padres, Mariners and Dodgers.

Although Tuesday's win over Los Angeles stopped a five-game losing streak while ending the Dodgers' five-game winning streak, Orioles manager Buck Showalter did not think it was a big victory.

"We don't live in that world; this win was no big deal," Showalter said. "We just have to keep grinding out wins and get more efforts like we got from Chris tonight."

Right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-6, 3.97 ERA) will try to back up Tillman's effort when he goes to the hill on Wednesday trying to bounce back from his 5-3 loss to Seattle on July 1. Though his season stats are unimpressive, yielding 14 home runs in just 81 2/3 innings, he has shown signs of turning his season around in his last two starts, allowing three runs in 13 2/3 innings. The team, however, is 5-9 in his 14 starts. Gausman has never faced the Dodgers in four big league seasons.

Despite their 7-3 record in their last 10 games, the Dodgers have failed to make a sizeable dent in the San Francisco Giants' comfortable lead in the National League West. They trail the Giants by five games and it appears that their best chance to return to the postseason will come via a wild-card berth. Tuesday's loss to the Orioles snapped a 10-game home winning streak for Los Angeles. The streak was the Dodgers' longest since a 13-game, season-opening run from April 13-May 6, 2009.

Dodgers right-hander Bud Norris will make his home debut against one of his former teams as Los Angeles tries to remain within striking distance of the Giants. Norris, acquired from the Atlanta Braves on June 30 in a five-player trade, won his debut at Colorado on July 1, throwing six scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over the Rockies. Norris pitched for the Orioles from 2013-15 and had a 21-20 record and a 4.65 ERA.

Norris has pitched well of late. In his last five starts, he has gone 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA (6 ER/30.1 IP) and has posted a 0.82 WHIP, prompting the Dodgers to add him to an injury-racked pitching staff.

Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager will try to extend his 18-game hitting streak that ties him with Bill Sudakis (July-August, 1969) for the second-longest rookie hitting streak in franchise history. Tommy Davis' 20-game streak in 1960 holds the team record. Seager was named to his first MLB All Star on Tuesday, getting the nod with a breakout season at Chavez Ravine.

"I think he's the best shortstop on both sides of the ball, said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "It would have been a travesty if he had not made the team."

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