=== Baltimore Orioles Team Report - July 11 ===

(My Sportsbook) - The Baltimore Orioles try for their third straight win tonight when they start a three-game set against the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum.

Baltimore comes into Friday's contest on a winning note after taking two of three from the Seattle Mariners. David Segui finished with a solo homer and two runs scored and Sidney Ponson notched his fourth complete game of the season, as the O's rolled to a 4-1 win in the rubber match of the set.

Luis Matos also added a solo homer for the Orioles, who took the last two games of the series to win for the sixth time in eight contests. With the win, Baltimore moved to 11-4 on the season against the West.

Ponson (12-5) allowed just one run on seven hits, while striking out six and walking one. The 26-year-old, who retired 16 of the last 18 batters he faced, equaled his previous mark for wins a season. Ponson finished 12-12 during the 1999 campaign.

Baltimore will pin its hopes tonight on 27-year-old righthander Rodrigo Lopez, who is unbeaten in his last three starts, but just 2-4 on the year with a 6.12 ERA. Lopez scattered one run on six hits over seven innings in his last outing, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 5-3 loss to Toronto on Sunday.

Lopez has faced the A's three times in his career and is 1-1 against them with a 4.00 ERA. He is also 0-2 in his four starts away from Camden Yards this season and has been pounded for 16 runs - 14 earned - in 15 innings on the road.

Orioles first baseman Jeff Conine is riding a 12-game hitting streak, while shortstop Deivi Cruz had his 13-game run stopped on Thursday with an 0-for-3 effort.

This is the first meeting of the year between these teams, but Oakland took five of the nine matchups a season ago. Since the start of the 2000 season, the A's are 20-10 against the O's, including a 9-6 mark in the Bay Area.

Baltimore is 19-23 on the road this season.