Chris Tillman, Orioles top Mariners, 4-2

BALTIMORE — If there were ever a perfect time for Chris Tillman to step up and show he should stay in the Baltimore Orioles’ rotation, it had to be Wednesday night.

There was plenty of motivation: For the first time in his career, he was facing the Seattle Mariners, the club that drafted Tillman and then dealt him away as part of the 2008 Erik Bedard trade.

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And the Mariners, for their part, haven’t hit this year, owning the second-worst average in the American League and scoring the third-fewest runs.

The stage was set, and it all came together for Tillman, who allowed three hits and only one run in six solid innings as the Orioles beat the Mariners, 4-2, before an announced 11,561 at Camden Yards.

“First of all, it was good seeing those guys again, the few that are left,” Tillman said. “But I think that gave me a little extra boost.”

The victory guaranteed the Orioles (16-19) a series win over the struggling Mariners (16-21), who have lost four straight. With a win Thursday, the Orioles could pick up their first sweep since the season opening series against Tampa Bay.

Perhaps more important for the Orioles, Tillman showed plenty of moxie, battling out of jams and making key pitches when he needed to.

Case in point: His career-high 112th pitch, a 78-mph change-up to Adam Kennedy for strike three in the sixth to end a potential two-on, two-out rally and allow him to leave the mound on an upswing.

Tillman (2-3) allowed three hits, three walks and one run while striking out five for his second win in three starts. His season ERA dropped by a run, from 7.16 to 6.15.

Tillman, 23, was good enough to out-pitch 2010 Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez, who lasted just five innings, tying his shortest stint of the season.

— Baltimore Sun