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Monday, July 27, 2015

Game Stories: • Orioles score three in first, hold on to beat Rays, 5-2, and win series The Sun 7/26 • Orioles slip in eighth, continue slide with 3-1 loss to Rays The Sun 7/24 • 3-run first inning helps O's cruise past Rays MLB.com 7/26 • Notes on Lough, Pearce and Markakis' return (O's win 5-2) MASNsports.com 7/26 • Wieters and Showalter on the trade deadline MASNsports.com 7/25 • Game update and more Showalter (O's lose 3-1) MASNsports.com 7/24 • homers, Wei-Yin Chen gets win as O's take road trip finale MASNsports.com 7/26 • O's lose another close game as Tampa Bay rallies in eighth for win MASNsports.com 7/24 • Orioles top Rays 5-2 for second straight win AP 7/26 • Davis, Gonzalez help Orioles stop 4-game skid against Rays AP 7/25 • Orioles fall to Rays 3-1 in 1st loss when leading after 7 AP 7/24 • Orioles get a happy flight home after 5-2 win CSN Baltimore 7/26 • Gonzalez pitches brilliantly in Orioles 5-1 win CSN Baltimore 7/25 • Orioles woes continue in 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay CSN Baltimore 7/24

Columns: • Orioles prospect doesn't touch home on go-ahead , called out, team loses The Sun 7/27 • Orioles Monday morning thoughts and observations on the road trip, the reeling Rays and Markakis' return The Sun 7/27 • and the Orioles are at a major crossroads The Sun 7/26 • , former O's teammates agree: return will be 'weird' The Sun 7/26 • Stiff back keeps Wieters out of lineup The Sun 7/26 • Orioles minor league report: Christian Walker regaining his power with Tides The Sun 7/25 • Looking back at the Orioles' loss Friday and looking ahead to Saturday's game The Sun 7/25 • Membership's privilege: Angelos gives Center Club an O's pub The Sun 7/24 • Fast start vs. Rays sparks Orioles MLB.com 7/26 • Chen battles through rough patches for win MLB.com 7/26 • Wieters out of lineup with back stiffness MLB.com 7/26 • O's ready to welcome back Markakis to Baltimore MLB.com 7/26 • O's offense breaks out at right time vs. Rays MLB.com 7/25 • Davis' grand slam helps Orioles knock off Rays MLB.com 7/25 • Christian Walker receives weekly honor (so does ) MASNsports.com 7/27 • The road trip, Markakis back in Baltimore and more on tonight's game MASNsports.com 7/27 • Wrapping up a 5-2 win (more quotes) MASNsports.com 7/26 • The reason Wieters isn't in today's lineup MASNsports.com 7/26 • Orioles going for series win to conclude road trip MASNsports.com 7/26 • Wrapping up a 5-1 win MASNsports.com 7/25 • More on at first base MASNsports.com 7/25 • On the offense, tonight's game and a scoring change MASNsports.com 7/25 • Wrapping up a 3-1 loss MASNsports.com 7/24 • Updates on Pearce, the lineup and trade rumors MASNsports.com 7/24 • A look at the wild card race and a take on Nick Markakis' return tonight MASNsports.com 7/27 • O's game blog: It's Chen against Moore in road trip finale MASNsports.com 7/26 • Miguel Gonzalez with a bounceback outing, plus some Bowie banter MASNsports.com 7/26 • A few notes on the latest loss and more winning on the O's farm MASNsports.com 7/25 • Braves-Orioles Preview SI.com 7/27 • Orioles try to win third straight as Markakis returns CSN Baltimore 7/27 • Orioles will find out more about Pearce on Monday CSN Baltimore 7/26 • Stiff back prevents Wieters from playing first base CSN Baltimore 7/26 • Showalter doesn't want to hear 'buyers or sellers' CSN Baltimore 7/25 • Orioles yet to have in 2015 CSN Baltimore 7/25 • Orioles looking for a spark, move Machado down CSN Baltimore 7/24 • Wear Orange, Get FREE Chicken At ‘O’s Days At Chick-fil-A’ CBS Baltimore 7/27 • New Home Run Medallions Installed For Chris Davis CBS Baltimore 7/24 • Friday Replay: Meet the Baby O’s Fans Named Camden and Yardley Baltimore Magazine 7/24 • What About Manny? FOX Sports 7/27 • A Guide To ’s Best And Worst Stadiums Buzz Feed 7/25

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-baltimore-orioles-beat-tampa-bay-rays-5-2- 20150726-story.html

Orioles score three in first, hold on to beat Rays, 5-2, and

win series

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 26, 2015

After his team was swept by the division-leading Yankees in New York this week, Orioles manager Buck Showalter insisted his players had plenty of fight left in them.

And while it’s still hard to make out whether these Orioles are legitimate playoff contenders, they showed enough resolve this weekend to take two of three games from a division rival that is having just as much trouble finding its footing.

The Orioles’ 5-2 victory over the gave them series wins in two their three stops in their nine-game roadtrip coming out of the All-Star Break, though they finished the trip with a losing record (4-5).

The Orioles (48-49) moved ahead of the Rays into third place in the American League East but didn’t gain any ground on the Yankees — New York beat the — and remain seven games out of first place. They are just 31/2 games back of the AL’s second wild-card spot.

“I'm always encouraged,” Showalter said. “I always think today's the day we're going to get back to our track record a little bit. We're scoring more runs than they score after 27 outs and that's the whole deal. … I know it's how we evaluate a lot of things numerically, but there's so much more to it than that. It's a mindset. It's a test of your will sometimes when you've got a lot of people telling you the sky is falling and it's not.”

For the second straight day, the Orioles built a five-run lead, plating the first three runs off Rays left-hander Matt Moore with two outs in the first inning to provide starter Wei-Yin Chen — who recorded his first victory since July 1 — a nice cushion. They scored twice more in the top of the fourth when Caleb Joseph hit a two-run home run to make it 5-0. It was the first time the club scored five or more runs in consecutive games since June 20-23.

“Any time you can jump up to a five-run lead there [in] the early innings, it always gives them some room for error,” Joseph said. “Being on the other side of that, when you’re down by five runs, you just got to kind of start grinding at-bats, you don’t want to give at-bats away, so you kind of get behind in the count and really works in your favor. If you could draw it up, that’s how you’d like to do it.”

Chen (5-6) retired the first 11 batters he faced on Sunday before allowing back-to-back homers to and Logan Forsythe in the bottom of the fourth inning. Chen has allowed a team-high 19 homers this year, though hadn’t yielded a longball in his previous two starts.

He then stranded the bases loaded in the fifth inning and left the game with two on and one out in the sixth, with three right-handed hitters up in the bottom third of the Rays batting order. Right- handed reliever Tommy Hunter escaped that inning unscathed.

Chen, whose streak of consecutive quality starts was snapped at six, acknowledged that he wasn’t pleased with being pulled from the game after completing just 51/3 innings on 86 pitches, his fewest in 19 starts this season.

“I was taken out of the game because I allowed a couple runners to get on base,” Chen said through interpreter Louis Chao after the game. “Anybody will be angry when you get taken out of the game in that situation. But that’s not something I can control and I will just accept it.”

As he left the mound with two runners on base, Chen appeared upset.

“I think he's a little frustrated at himself for not being able to finish there, or maybe he's just frustrated at me,” Showalter said of Chen. “We got some good innings out of the bullpen and he got a well-deserved win. He was pitching as good as you can see anybody pitch.”

With runners on first and second and two outs in the first inning, J.J. Hardy slapped a run-scoring single into left field, scoring Chris Davis from second. Right fielder Nolan Reimold then hit a ball into the left-center field gap that hit off the glove of diving center fielder Brandon Guyer, allowing Adam Jones and Hardy to score.

Following a leadoff single in the fourth, Joseph hit his seventh home run of the season, giving the Orioles a 5-0 lead against Moore and the Rays (49-51). The Orioles are 32-5 when Joseph — who turned on an inside, first-pitch 90-mph , sending it into the left field seats — drives in a run.

Moore, making his fifth start since his return from Tommy John elbow surgery, left after five innings. He allowed five runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked two on 87 pitches.

Reimold recorded his first three-hit game since April 20, 2012, but also missed a fly ball in right field that dropped for a double in the fifth and was caught in an inning-ending rundown between third and home after he ran through a stop sign at third base in the seventh.

Chen worked his way out of trouble in the fifth, an inning that began with Tim Beckham’s fly ball to right dropping behind Reimold just inside the right field foul line. No. 8 hitter Jake Elmore followed with a single and two batters later, Chen hit Guyer with a pitch, loading the bases with one out.

Chen then struck out Steven Souza Jr. looking on a full-count inside fastball and forced Longoria to hit a harmless grounder to third.

After Hunter replaced Chen with two on and one out in the sixth, he uncorked a wild pitch to Beckham, and while the lead runner advanced to third, Joseph was able to recover to throw James Loney out at second.

After walking Beckham, Hunter induced an inning-ending ground out to third from Elmore to escape the inning.

The Orioles bullpen tossed 32/3 scoreless innings. Closer Zach Britton overcame a one-out walk in the ninth to convert his 25th save in 26 opportunities.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-chris-tillmans-strong-start-not-enough-as- orioles-collapse-in-eighth-for-31-loss-to-rays-20150724-story.html#page=1

Orioles slip in eighth, continue slide with 3-1 loss to Rays

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 24, 2015

Silence reigned the visiting clubhouse of on Friday night following the Orioles’ 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. As players quietly let another loss sink in, the only sounds that could be heard were the clanking of bats and the cleaning of cleats.

Out of all the down moments in the Orioles’ disastrous July, this was the most despondent this team has been following a defeat.

The mood?

“Look around,” right-hander reliever Darren O’Day said.

Friday night’s loss was especially unsettling because the Orioles wasted another fine start from right-hander , who shut down the Rays for seven innings, pitching toe-to-toe with Tampa Bay ace Chris Archer.

And O’Day, who has served as such an iron-clad bridge to the ninth inning all season, couldn’t hold a one-run eighth-inning lead, allowing a game-winning two-run, two-out single to light- hitting shortstop Tim Beckham.

“[Tillman] pitched great,” O’Day said. “He put us in a good spot to win. I didn't get my job done and get it to Zach [Britton]. We needed a win, so that's a tough one."

The Orioles (46-49) lost their fourth straight and 15th in 20 games, dropping to three games under .500 for the first time since June 9.

For the 14th time in their past 17 games, the Orioles scored three runs or fewer, and have done so in six of seven games on their current road trip.

“Darren is one of the best relief in baseball,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I am not even going to attempt to critique. He’s been solid, he was a pitch away from getting out of that. He got us back in the dugout. He’s so much better than tonight. He gets many mulligans with us. The story is we just haven’t scored any runs. I’m not going to sit here and critique pitching.”

A Tampa Bay team that has struggled to score runs this season – the Rays have the second-least hits in the majors and the third-fewest runs in the AL – rallied for three runs in the eighth, mostly against an Orioles bullpen that had posted a 1.53 ERA over the first six games of the road trip.

Beckham, who entered the night hitting a measly .185 against right-handed pitching and just .160 with runners in scoring position, was the unlikely hero, hitting an 0-2 pitch off the front of the ’s mound, skipping over O’Day (5-1) and into center field to bring home two runs.

"I made some good pitches, made a couple really bad pitches,” said O’Day, who allowed three hits in an outing for the first time this season. “The one to Beckham, 0-2, I have to be better than that. Can't leave anything close to the zone where he can win the game like that."

O’Day, whose 1.04 ERA entering the game was second-best among major league relievers, came in after Tillman issued a walk to Kevin Kiermaier to open the eighth. Even though Kiermaier stole second, O’Day retired the next two batters he faced before John Jaso tied the game with an RBI single up the middle. That gave O'Day his third blown save of the season.

Evan Longoria then hit a looping broken-bat single into shallow center field to place runners at the corners. After falling behind James Loney 3-0, O’Day intentionally walked him to load the bases for Beckham.

Tillman allowed just two hits over seven-plus innings and struck out four, walked three and hit a batter. He followed up his best start of the season with another fine performance Friday night. Tillman pitched eight scoreless one-hit innings, capped by 25 straight retired batters, last Saturday.

Tillman also became the first Orioles pitcher with consecutive starts allowing two hits or fewer and one run or fewer in seven-plus innings since Matt Riley in 2004.

“I’m just executing better and when I do get in trouble, I’m able to make a pitch to get out of it,” Tillman said. “It’s been there for a while now, just kind of carried over from the last couple starts from the first half and we are taking advantage of it.”

Before being charged with a run in the eighth, Tillman had thrown a career-high 16 straight scoreless innings, passing rookie right-hander Mike Wright’s previous Orioles season-high 14 1/3 straight scoreless innings.

“He’s been good more than those two,” Showalter said of Tillman. “Chris is a track-record guy that has a lot of heart and guile and he’ll go home tonight upset because he walked the leadoff hitter. He was getting a little off his game I thought the inning before, but we got someone like Darren down there. He’s as good as anybody. We liked the matchup, it just didn’t work out tonight. Bottom line, we just have to score some more runs. We aren’t giving our pitchers any margin of error.”

Even though the Orioles threatened Archer throughout the night, they scored their only run off him on Chris Davis’ RBI double in the fourth inning.

“He had all his pitches working today,” said third baseman , who scored the Orioles’ only run. “His was nasty. His fastball was getting up there the whole game. It was going to be tough. Whenever you can get a lead on a guy like that, you have to."

Despite a high pitch count early, Archer struck out six through his first three innings before Machado opened the fourth with a single. Two batters later, Davis turned on a first-pitch fastball and sent it down the right-field line past Loney.

The ball rolled into the vast foul ground in right field where the Rays bullpen sits, allowing Machado is score from first base.

Both benches were warned in the top of the eighth inning when Rays reliever Alex Colome hit Machado with a 94-mph rising fastball in the left shoulder. Before home plate umpire John Tumpane issued the warnings, Machado glared at Colome and the two exchanged words. The plunking came after Tillman hit Beckham to open the seventh inning.

“I just saw the ball up and in," Machado said. "Nobody likes to get thrown at at the head, but it wasn’t intentional, like I said. It’s just part of the game. I’ve got to go out there and take a hit by pitch, go to first base like I did and just move on."

After Beckham’s go-ahead hit in the eighth, Rays left-hander Jake McGee overcame a leadoff single to J.J. Hardy in the ninth, retiring the next three Orioles batters to end the game and notch his fifth save.

“We’re just a couple hits away, a couple runs away, but it’s just a part of the grind,” Machado said. “We’re going to be facing the best of the best from now on and we know this is where we’re going to make it or break it here. We’ve just got to clean it up a little bit, go out there and do better with runners in scoring position and do our part."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138779214/orioles-beat-rays-thanks-to-3-run-first-inning

3-run first inning helps O's cruise past Rays

By Brittany Ghiroli and Troy Provost-Heron / MLB.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Orioles struck quickly and pushed across three runs in the first off Rays starter Matt Moore to set the tone and cruised to a 5-2 victory in the rubber match against Tampa Bay on Sunday at Tropicana Field.

J.J. Hardy got the offense going when he drove home Chris Davis with a two-out single and one pitch later, Nolan Reimold doubled to left to bring around two more runs. The Orioles then tacked on two more in the fourth when Caleb Josephlaunched his seventh home run of the season over the left-field fence.

"We keep talking about it. You can't wallow around in self-pity. There's too many challenges," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of his club bouncing back to record a series win after being swept in New York against the Yankees. "This team has been as consistent as anybody in our division, so if you come in here with any woe is me, you're going to get it handed to you. We won two of the three series played on the road."

Wei-Yin Chen got the win for the Orioles, giving up two runs -- off back-to-back home runs by Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe -- on six hits while striking out three over 5 1/3 innings. Moore, who was making his fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery, earned the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings.

The Rays had their chances to get back in the ballgame, but stranded eight men on base -- four of which were left in scoring position.

"We had some crucial situations where we could have really closed the gap or possibly get the lead and we just didn't get it done," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

The loss represents the Rays' 21st in the last 30 games, as well as their eighth series loss in their last nine. Over that span, they have scored only 87 runs (2.9 runs per game) while batting .220 (216-for-982).

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Let it fly: The Rays have grown accustomed to taking Chen deep over the course of his career. Longoria and Forsythe's home runs in the fourth inning marked the fifth and sixth time that Tampa Bay has hit balls out of the ballpark against him this season. In 17 career starts against the Rays, Chen has surrendered 16 home runs, the most he's allowed to any club.

Orioles keep offense going: A night removed from scoring five runs for just the second time in 14 games, Baltimore's bats jumped on Moore early on Sunday. After a three-run first, highlighted by Reimold's two-run double, Joseph's two-run homer in the fourth gave the O's a little more breathing room.

Leave 'em loaded: Trailing by three in the fifth, the Rays were in prime position to get back into the game after a Tim Beckham double, Jake Elmore single andBrandon Guyer hit-by-pitch loaded the bases. Steven Souza Jr. worked a full count, but was called out on a strike that he thought was low. Then, Longoria followed with a groundout to third baseman Manny Machado that ended the inning.

"I press too much in those [bases loaded] situations," Souza Jr. said. "It's unfortunate. I try to talk myself out of it. I felt like I did a good job of calming down in that situation and not trying to do too much, but it's a habit I need to break. One hit right there drives in two runs, and I feel like I need to hit a grand slam. That's not OK."

Chen streak snapped: The lefty, who retired 11 straight to start the game, held the Rays to back-to-back homers, but couldn't make it out of the sixth. It snapped a stretch of six consecutive quality starts for Chen.

"In the first couple innings I felt great and I was just trying to stay the same pace," Chen said through his interpreter. "But later on I think the Rays' hitters made some adjustment and hit better and better against me."

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Baltimore will head home to take on the and former OrioleNick Markakis on Monday night. Kevin Gausman (1-2, 5.18 ERA) will start for the O's against Braves lefty in the 7:05 ET contest.

Rays: After tossing five shutout innings and providing the only run of the game with a third- inning home run on Tuesday against the Phillies, Nate Karns (5-5, 3.47 ERA) will return to American League competition to make his first career start against the Tigers on Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Since April 27, the right-hander is 4-4 with a 2.95 ERA.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/notes-on-lough-pearce-and-markakis- return.html

Notes on Lough, Pearce and Markakis' return (O's win 5-2)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Rays are celebrating "Christmas In July" today at Tropicana Field. They cranked up the air conditioning and the holiday tunes.

My decision to carry mistletoe in my laptop bag year-round is really paying off. Now who looks foolish?

David Lough returns to the leadoff spot today after collecting a single and triple last night and scoring twice in a 5-1 victory over the Rays. He's batting .230/.269/.363 with a double, triple, four home runs and 12 RBIs in 66 games this season.

The Orioles would like Lough to concentrate on hitting the ball on the ground and utilizing his speed. They're also waiting for someone to seize the left field job.

"It's attractive to everybody, guys who can score from first on a double and second on a single," said manager Buck Showalter.

Lough is one of the fastest players on the team, but his speed doesn't translate into stolen bases. He's 1-for-5 this season after going 8-for-13 in 2014.

"There's a lot of guys who can run a good time in the 60-yard dash, but it doesn't play into baseball speed," Showalter said. "One of the best baserunners I ever had was (Don) Mattingly and he couldn't outrun me, so there's two sides to that.

"David pushed the envelope a little bit last night. Probably on paper, nobody out, a good throw and he's out (at third), but he pushed the envelope and got a return for it. You want athletic guys to play athletically. Guys like him and Nolan (Reimold), I want them to play athletically. There are a lot of guys who test well in the standing broad jump and 10-yard dash and all that stuff, but is it baseball playable? David's capable of that and I just want him to take advantage of his athletic skills."

Steve Pearce, on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, remains in Baltimore and will be examined again on Monday.

"Not a whole lot he can do right now," Showalter said. "We're going to evaluate him tomorrow and decide whether he's going to Sarasota or not. Brady (Anderson) and Richie (Bancells) want to get their arms around it and see where he is.

"I have a sneaking suspicion Stevie found a cage somewhere during the break. What do you think? I'm talking about during the All-Star break. He was supposed to let things quiet down a little bit. I don't know if he did."

The Braves come to Camden Yards on Monday for a three-game series, marking Nick Markakis' return to Baltimore after leaving as a free agent over the winter.

Asked what type of reception Markakis will receive from fans, Showalter replied, "Great. I know what kind he's going to get from me. Great. I hope he doesn't give us a good reception. I'm sure he will."

Markakis is batting .288/.370/.362 with 22 doubles, one triple, one home run and 32 RBIs in 96 games.

"Nick's having a good year, like everybody knew he would," Showalter said. "We know one thing, he can play the right field wall well, right? I'm sure they'll use him in the advance meeting.

Update: The Orioles scored three runs in the top of the first inning to grab an early lead. Chris Davis walked, Adam Jones reached on an infield hit with two outs, and J.J. Hardy singled to score the first run. Nolan Reimold followed with a two-run double.

Hardy is batting .345 (20-for-58) with 19 RBIs with runners in scoring position.

Update II: Jonathan Schoop reached on an infield hit leading off the fourth and Caleb Joseph hit his seventh home run to extend the lead to 5-0.

The Orioles are 31-5 when Joseph has an RBI in his career. They're 14-2 when he has two or more. The Orioles haven't scored five runs or more in consecutive games since June 21-23.

Update III: Chen retired the first 11 batters before back-to-back home runs by Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe.

Sixteen of the 19 home runs surrendered by Chen have been solo shots.

Update IV: Chen was removed after 86 pitches. He allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, with one walk, three and a hit batter. Chen's streak of quality starts ends at six.

Update V: Game over. The Orioles defeat the Rays 5-2 to take the series and end their road trip. Zach Britton recorded his 25th save in 26 opportunities by striking out the side in the ninth. The Orioles are 48-49. They won two of three series on the trip, but went 4-5.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/wieters-and-showalter-on-the-trade- deadline-and-game-update.html

Wieters and Showalter on the trade deadline (O's win 5-1)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Catcher Matt Wieters could more easily ignore the non-waiver trade deadline in past years, his importance to the Orioles or his elbow surgery cementing his status in the organization.

A pending free agent on a team that's lost 15 of its last 20 games, Wieters is now more susceptible to having his name linked to various rumors, including talks with the Braves. All he can do is slip back into ignore mode.

"It's definitelly different, but as a player you can't think about it because right now, the way we're playing, we've got to focus on nothing but playing good baseball and winning baseball," Wieters said before tonight's game against the Rays.

"The trade deadline's always a deadline that comes and goes and you wonder what's going to happen, what's not going to happen. Nobody has answers here, but we know we need to play better baseball. So trade deadline or not, we need to go out there and play a little better."

Wieters wants the Orioles to remain intact rather than start selling off pieces for prospects. "Yeah, we love this club, we still love all the guys in this clubhouse and we're all in it together," he said. "We don't ever want to see anybody go, so we're going to have to continue to play better. The best way to keep everybody together is to play well."

The Orioles could make changes to their roster by bringing up players from the upper levels of their farm system, including Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Dariel Alvarez and first baseman Christian Walker.

"I'm not going to handicap it," said manager Buck Showalter. "We're always looking for ways to get better from within, but I'm talking about within being the 25 people here. I'm not going to start weighing in on ... These guys are capable of doing what we need done and that's the way I'm going to look at it."

Showalter has tired of being asked whether the Orioles are buyers of sellers, mostly because he detests the labels.

"I know that's very cliched when people start talking about buyers and sellers," he said. "It's really disrespectful to the players, I think. Treats them like pieces of meat, like we're moving around carcasses or something. I don't like that term.

"I know that's become stylish for everybody to say, but these are human beings that helped us do some really good things here - and will again - and I'm not going to start throwing them underneath the bus because we haven't done well lately. I'm just not going to get in that world."

Before taking the field for batting practice, center fielder Adam Jones used humor on Twitter to alert fans that the Orioles haven't slipped into panic mode with this tweet.

"I don't think it's time for the live chicken yet though!!!! Continue the grind. #StayHungry"

Showalter appreciates that his players have remained calm in the eye of the storm. It's an approach he's come to expect.

"I like the way they go about it since the first day of spring," he said. "This is a group I'm very proud of. There's so many influences that they get bombarded with every day that don't really know the walk they're walking. I tell them all the time, they hear from me every day, 'Stay together. You guys are the only ones who really know what you're up against.'

"These guys are good over here, too, and those guys we played were good and the guys we're going to play are good. It's just hard to do. That's what makes it so much more gratifying when you can do it, because you know you've taken everybody's best shot every night."

The first six Orioles haven't done anything tonight with Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez. He retired the side in order on seven pitches in the first inning and 11 in the second.

Evan Longoria doubled off Miguel Gonzalez with two outs in the bottom of the first, but James Loney lined to right field. Loney is 4-for-24 lifetime against Gonzalez, but he's batting cleanup tonight.

Update: Chris Davis, another pending free agent who's the subject of trade rumors, hit his fifth career grand slam in the third inning to give the Orioles a 4-0 lead.

The Orioles loaded the bases on singles by J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop and David Lough. Davis ran the count full and unloaded on a 93 mph fastball from Ramirez.

Davis' last slam was Aug. 29, 2014 against the Twins. The Orioles have three this season, the last by Steve Pearce on May 21 against the Mariners.

Davis now leads the club with 22 home runs this season. He also leads in RBIs with 60. Ramirez has thrown 52 pitches in three innings, including 34 in the third.

Update II: David Lough hit his first triple of the season leading off the eighth, and he raced home on Logan Forsythe's errant relay throw. Orioles 5, Rays 0

Gonzalez has allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 3.93. He's thrown 93 pitches.

Update III: Gonzalez lost his shutout bid with one out in the eighth on 's home run. Orioles 5, Rays 1

Gonzalez: 7 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1 home run. He was replaced by Chaz Roe after 107 pitches, one shy of his season high. His ERA is down to 3.99 in 106 innings. It's 0.93 in four starts vs. the Rays.

Update IV: Game over. The Orioles defeat the Rays 5-1 for their sixth win in their last 21 games. The Orioles are 40-1 when leading after the seventh.

This is the second time in 14 games that the Orioles have scored more than three runs. http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/game-update-and-more-showalter-1.html

Game update and more Showalter (O's lose 3-1)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 24, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles allowed three runs in the first inning Wednesday night and four yesterday afternoon, falling into holes they couldn't escape while being swept in the Bronx.

Chris Tillman didn't leave a mess tonight at Tropicana Field, retiring the Rays in order in the first inning on only 12 pitches. He struck out Steven Souza, Jr. and John Jaso and induced a ground ball from Evan Longoria.

Tillman retired the first five Rays, running his streak to 28 batters in a row going back to his last start, before walking David DeJesus with two outs in the second inning.

Rays starter Chris Archer threw 27 pitches in the top of the first, but he struck out Chris Davis to strand two runners. Archer also fanned new leadoff hitter Jimmy Paredes and Adam Jones, sandwiched around a single and Manny Machado walk.

Machado has drawn at least one walk in 11 of his last 15 games, a young hitter maturing before our eyes. His patience apparently travels down the order, with Machado batting third tonight.

Davis struck out for the 118th time in 93 games.

Travis Snider struck out in the second inning and is 2-for-23 this month.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked again tonight about his team's resiliency and how he's counting on it during a brutal stretch.

"We've got to do some things better," Showalter said. "You try to be consistent. Our guys are a little ornery. They should be. They don't like it. We've got something that we're trying to defend. They're trying to take it from us and we've got to do the things to keep them from taking it from us. It's as simple as that.

"They do take it personally. They don't like anything about losing. Try to stay in that game. All the stuff you do before the game, it's all about, once they play that song, let's go play the game now. Play the game like, not only us, but Toronto and Tampa and Boston. We don't have a corner on it. You've got to pitch, you've got to catch, you've got to run the bases and you've got to hit a little bit."

You've also got to tune out all the trade rumors and not lose focus. I wrote earlier that three people in the organization indicated to me today that the Orioles remain buyers. One official referred to the rumblings of a Davis trade to the Pirates as "gossip."

"I think we've got the answers here," Showalter said. "We've got a lot of players who have competed in pressure playoff situations and you trust that. I think our best baseball is always ahead of us and I think our best moments are ahead of us.

"There's so much negativity that can creep in because people are always pounding on it. And also on the flip side, they get a little too positive when things are going real well. As a team and as a manager and as a and whatever, you try to keep everybody in reality, and about life in general.

"The hardest thing to do in sports is win when you're expected to win. Now, a lot of people didn't expect us to win this year. I heard about all of them, where they were picking us, but that's not the expectation we had. We're trying to win a title. We always think it starts tonight.

"They got it. They're a good group. They get it. And if they don't, they've got plenty of teammates to remind them. It's got to come from them. It's everybody. It's the whole atmosphere. You're always a week away from having the sky open up and everything's sunny. But you've got to make it happen. You can't say, 'It's one of those things everybody goes through.' No, you've got to make it happen."

Update: Machado singled in the fourth and scored with one out on Davis' double to break a scoreless tie.

J.J. Hardy singled to put runners on the corners, but Snider bounced into a 1-6-3 . Archer has thrown 83 pitches in four innings.

Tillman has retired nine of 10 batters. The Rays don't have a hit.

Update II: John Jaso singled off Darren O'Day with two outs in the eighth to score Kevin Kiermaier and tie the game 1-1.

O'Day replaced Tillman after Kiermaier's leadoff walk. Tillman is charged with one run and two hits over seven-plus innings, with three walks, four strikeouts and a hit batter. He threw 92 pitches, 58 for strikes.

Tillman didn't allow a run in a career-high 16 consecutive innings dating back to his July 10 start against the Nationals. His streak is the longest this season by an Orioles starter. Mike Wright had tossed 14 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

Update III: Tim Beckham singled up the middle with two out and the bases loaded to score two runs and give Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead.

O'Day stands to be the loser. And the Orioles are blowing a chance to gain a game on the Yankees, who are losing tonight.

Update IV: The Orioles lose for the 15th time in 20 games, falling to the Rays 3-1. The Orioles are three games below .500 for the first time since June 9.

O'Day had allowed three earned runs over his last 33 innings since April 13.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/caleb-joseph-homers-wei-yin-chen-gets- the-win-as-os-take-road-trip-finale.html

Caleb Joseph homers, Wei-Yin Chen gets win as O's take road trip finale

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

The Orioles have not scored a lot of runs this year in support of left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. Today, they did provide some support and even though Chen was not as his best, he did get the win. The Orioles beat Tampa Bay 5-2 to take the final two games of the series.

The Orioles improved to 48-49, ending their road trip going 4-5 on trips to Detroit, New York and Tampa Bay.

Staked to a 5-0 lead in the fourth, Chen allowed back-to-back homers in the last of the fourth to Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe. The homers came after Chen retired the first 11 hitters.

But Chen pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth and was replaced by Tommy Hunter with two on and one out in the sixth. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and two runs to get the win. Chen is 5-6 with an ERA of 2.88. He began today ninth in the AL in ERA.

This was the eighth start in his last nine outings where Chen allowed two earned runs or fewer. He is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.55 in that time and the Orioles are 6-3. His stretch of six straight quality starts that tied his career high ended this afternoon.

The Orioles provided him a 3-0 lead before he threw a pitch today. Chris Davis walked with one out to start the game and went to second on Adam Jones' single. J.J. Hardy's RBI single made it 1-0 and Nolan Reimold's two-run double to left gave the Orioles the 3-0 edge. Reimold, who started the day batting .211, went 3-for-3 with a walk. He's now hitting .250.

After Jonathan Schoop reached on an infield single to start the Orioles fourth, Caleb Joseph homered to left off Matt Moore and it was 5-0. Joseph hit a 91 mph fastball out to left on the first pitch for his seventh homer. The Orioles are 15-2 when Joseph drives in two or more runs.

The Orioles scored five runs in back-to-back games for the first time since June 21-23. They have scored five or more just four times in the last 20 games. During their recent four-game losing streak, they scored nine total runs.

The Orioles bullpen backed Chen with 3 2/3 scoreless innings from Hunter, Brad Brach, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton. Britton got the final three outs to record his 25th save.

Now the Birds return home to face Atlanta on Monday night with Kevin Gausman (1-2, 5.18 ERA) facing left-hander Alex Wood (7-6, 3.78 ERA).

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/os-lose-another-close-game-as-tampa-bay- rallies-in-the-eighth-for-the-win.html

O's lose another close game as Tampa Bay rallies in eighth for win

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 24, 2015

Even on a night they took the lead for the first time since Sunday and got a great outing from their starter, the Orioles still lost. Tampa Bay scored three runs in the last of the eighth offChris Tillman and Darren O'Day. The Rays rallied to beat the Orioles 3-1 at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles have lost four in a row, 10 of 13 and 15 of 20 games to fall to 46-49 for the season.

Their offense produced just one run off Chris Archer and that was not enough for their pitching tonight, even as good as Tillman was.

Tillman took the 1-0 lead and a two-hit shutout to the eighth, and then issued a leadoff walk to Kevin Kiermaier and Buck Showalter called for O'Day after Tillman's 92nd pitch. Kiermaier stole second base and scored on John Jaso's two-out single for the 1-1 tie. A single and intentional walk then loaded the bases ahead of Tim Beckham's two-run single for a 3-1 lead.

Tillman had pitched 16 consecutive scoreless innings entering the eighth. For the night, he went seven innings plus one batter allowing two hits and one run. Over his last two starts, he has allowed three hits and one run. Over his last five starts, he has pitched to an ERA of 1.38.

The Orioles, who never held a lead in the series at New York, took the 1-0 lead in the fourth.Manny Machado led off the frame with a single. One out later, he scored on a Chris Davisdouble down the right-field line on the first pitch he saw. It was Davis' 56th RBI.

The O's did not score further off Archer, but they did elevate his pitch count. Archer went six innings allowing five hits and the one run with two walks and nine strikeouts. It was the 12th start this year where he gave up one earned run or less to tie for the AL lead. Archer has an ERA of 4.08 in three starts against Baltimore this year.

But it is hard to protect a lead of just 1-0, and the Orioles could not tonight as O'Day takes the loss to fall to 5-1. The Orioles were held to six hits and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. They have scored just nine runs the last four games.

In the second game of the series on Saturday night, Miguel Gonzalez (8-6, 4.21 ERA) faces right-hander Erasmo Ramirez (8-3, 3.54 ERA).

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/07/26/ap-bba-orioles-rays

Orioles top Rays 5-2 for second straight win

Associated Press / SI.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Nolan Reimold and the made it a lot easier for Wei-Yin Chen.

Reimold and Caleb Joseph combined for four RBIs in the early innings Sunday, leading the Orioles to a 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Reimold drove in two runs with a first-inning double, the first of his three hits, and Joseph added a two-run home run off Matt Moore in the fourth to to put the Orioles up 5-0. It was Joseph's seventh homer of the season.

''Anytime you can jump out to a five-run lead there in the early innings, it always gives (the pitcher) a little room for error ... it really works in your favor,'' Joseph said. ''If you can draw it up, that's how you'd like to do it.''

Chen (5-6) won for the first time in four starts against Tampa Bay, giving up two runs and six hits while striking out three in 5 1-3 innings.

The win was the second straight for the Orioles after a four-game losing streak

In his fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery, Moore (1-2) became only the second pitcher in Rays history to begin a season with five straight starts of five innings or fewer. Moore gave up five runs and eight hits while striking out four.

Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe homered for the Rays on consecutive pitches off Chen in the fourth. The Rays failed to score again, even after loading the bases with one out in the fifth and putting seven more men on base in the final four innings.

''We had some crucial situations where we could have closed the gap or maybe changed the lead, and we just didn't get it done,'' said Rays manager Kevin Cash.

Chen showed a lot of frustration after being lifted in the sixth.

''I think he was more frustrated in himself at not being to finish than he was frustrated at me,'' said manager Buck Showalter. ''But we had some good innings out of the bullpen and he got a well deserved win.''

Said Chen through a translator: ''I was taken out of the game because I allowed a couple of runners to get on base. Anybody would be angry in that situation.''

Four relievers finished for the Orioles. Zach Britton earned his 25th save.

Longoria's home run was his 10th of the season and his first since July 7. Forsythe hit his career- high 11th homer and also ended a bases-loaded Orioles threat with a diving catch in the third.

The loss was the 21st in 30 games for the Rays. They've dropped eight of their last nine series.

Tampa Bay has scored only 87 runs in those 30 games and has scored the fewest runs (351) through 100 games of any team in the franchise's 18 seasons.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: C Matt Wieters was out of the lineup due to minor back stiffness. Wieters should return for Monday night's game against Atlanta.

Rays: SS Asdrubal Cabrera (right hamstring) expects to play in the next few days.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Showalter expects OF Nick Markakis will get a great reaction from fans Monday when the former Orioles star returns to Camden Yards for the first time since signing a free agent contract with the Braves.

Rays: RHP Nathan Karns (5-5) will face Tigers RHP Anibal Sanchez (10-7), who is 7-0 in his last eight starts, in the opener of a three-game series Monday night. Karns threw five scoreless innings and homered in a 1-0 win at Philadelphia Tuesday night.

FLORIDA STATE BATTERY

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, the first overall pick in the NFL draft, caught the ceremonial first pitch thrown by Jimbo Fisher, his coach at Florida State. ''Of course I miss baseball, but we've got training camp around the corner,'' said Winston, who pitched and played outfield at FSU.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/07/25/ap-bba-orioles-rays-1st-ld-writethru

Davis, Gonzalez help Orioles stop 4-game skid against Rays

Associated Press / SI.com July 25, 2015

Davis hit his fifth career grand slam and Miguel Gonzalez took a shutout into the eighth inning as the struggling Orioles snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.

The win was only the sixth in the past 21 games for the Orioles, who entered this weekend series coming off being swept by the AL East-leading . They squandered a late lead to lose the opener of a three-game set against the Rays on Friday.

''I think there were situations where we probably pressed a little bit. I think it's natural when you're scuffling,'' Davis said.

Gonzalez (9-6) allowed one run and five hits over 7 2-3 innings to win for the third time in his last four starts. The right-hander didn't issue a walk and struck out five.

Davis hit a 3-2 pitch into the stands in right field for his 22nd homer of the season after J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop and David Lough singled to load the bases against Erasmo Ramirez (8- 4) in the third inning.

''Everybody that inning did a great job of not trying to do too much,'' Davis said. ''Obviously with a full count and bases loaded, I know he's not trying to walk me, so I just looked for a pitch over the plate and was able to put a good swing on it.''

The Orioles added a run in the eighth when Lough tripled down the right field line and bounced up from his slide to jog home and score on second baseman Logan Forsythe's throwing error.

The five runs are the most Ramirez has allowed in two months, a span of 10 starts in which he's gone 6-2 with two no-decisions. He entered Saturday night with a streak of nine consecutive appearances allowing two or fewer runs, tied for the second-longest stretch in Rays' history.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 in four starts against Tampa Bay this season, limiting the light-hitting Rays to three runs in 29 innings. He allowed doubles to Evan Longoria and singles to Kevin Kiermaier and James Loney through six innings, but Tampa Bay went 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.

The Rays avoided being shut out for a 10th time when Curt Casali homered off Gonzalez with one out in the eighth.

''Miguel Gonzalez has got our number,'' said Rays manager Kevin Cash, who before the game talked about the importance of making adjustments against a pitcher whose had success against you in the past.

He thought the Rays took a more aggressive approach to the right-hander this time.

''We didn't have much to show for it, but give credit to the guy,'' Cash said ''This wasn't the first time he's pitched a good ball game against us. We've had some issues with him.''

Ramirez allowed five runs and seven hits over 7 1-3 innings.

Chaz Roe finished the combined five-hitter for the Orioles, retiring all four batters he faced after replacing Gonzalez.

The Rays are 9-20 since June 20, when they were a season-best 10 games over .500.

''We're in a rut,'' Cash said. ''We've been in it for some time.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Jason Garcia (right shoulder) has allowed three runs, six hits and eight walks and struck out nine over nine innings in his first five minor league rehab games with Double-A Bowie.

Rays: LHP (torn labrum) will start a minor league rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Durham. The key acquisition from Detroit in the three-team trade that sent David Price from Tampa Bay to the Tigers last summer hasn't pitched since May 5.

MATT'S MOVEMENT

Orioles C Matt Wieters, who had elbow ligament placement surgery in June 2014, has started working out at first base. Manager Buck Showalter said the prospect of being able to play first could provide another option to keep Wieters' bat in the lineup on days he doesn't catch.

UP NEXT

Orioles: LHP Wei-Yin Chen (4-6) makes his fourth start this season against the Rays in Sunday's series finale. He went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in the first three.

Rays: LHP Matt Moore (1-1) will make his fifth start Sunday since returning from elbow surgery. He hasn't gone more than five innings in his first four outings.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/07/25/ap-bba-orioles

Orioles fall to Rays 3-1 in 1st loss when leading after 7

Associated Press / SI.com July 24, 2015

Buck Showalter saw things a little differently, though, after Tampa Bay's 3-1 win Friday night.

''Darren's one of the best relief pitchers in baseball,'' the Orioles manager said. ''It's very easy to sit in an ivory tower and critique it, but the bottom line is we need to score runs.''

Tim Beckham snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-out, bases-loaded single after John Jaso's tying hit off O'Day (5-1).

The sputtering Rays rallied after being limited to two hits over seven innings by Orioles starter Chris Tillman, who came within six outs of winning his sixth straight decision before walking Kevin Kiermaier leading off the eighth.

Kiermaier stole second and raced home on Jaso's two-out single. Evan Longoriafollowed with a bloop single and James Loney was walked intentionally before Beckham singled up the middle.

''We pieced together (a rally) to get a win off an extremely good reliever, arguably one of the better ones in the American League,'' manager Kevin Cash said after the Rays won for just the ninth time in 28 games. ''That's a credit to the guys. They've been scuffling.''

Alex Colome (4-4) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jake McGee worked the ninth for his fifth save.

Tillman picked up where he left off from a stellar performance at Detroit last weekend, walking three and striking out four while frustrating Tampa Bay most of the night.

Chris Davis gave Tillman all the offensive support it looked like the right-hander might need with a RBI double in the fourth off All-Star Chris Archer (9-8), who allowed one run and five hits over six innings.

The Orioles were 39-0 when leading after seven innings, but couldn't finish the Rays, who were coming off losing two of three at Philadelphia, which has the worst record in the majors. Baltimore has lost four straight and 15 of 20.

''(Tillman) put us in a good spot and I didn't get my job done,'' said O'Day, who lost for the first time since Sept. 19, 2014. ''We needed a win so that's a tough one. It would have been a nice win tonight against one of the best pitchers in the American League.''

Tillman fanned the first two Rays and extended his streak to 28 consecutive hitters before walking David DeJesus with two outs in the second.

Longoria doubled down the right-field line for the first hit off the Tillman, who also walked Beckham before escaping a jam in the fourth. Kiermaier bunted for a single in the fifth, but was stranded when Rene Rivera struck out and Steven Souza Jr. grounded to third.

Tillman allowed two baserunners after the fifth, hitting Beckham with a pitch leading off the seventh. The Orioles turned an inning-ending double play to take the 1-0 lead into the eighth, when Tillman was replaced after the leadoff walk to Kiermaier.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: INF-OF Steve Pearce (strained left oblique), placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday retroactive to July 19, had an MRI exam that showed inflammation. Showalter said it's iffy that Pearce will be ready when eligible to come off the DL early next month.

Rays: SS Asdrubal Cabrera (right hamstring) said he was at 80 percent during his first-base running session. ... OF Desmond Jennings (left knee) ran and took batting practice with Cabrera.

HIGH AND TIGHT

Tillman hit Beckham with a pitch leading off the seventh, so plate umpire John Tumpane warned both benches in the eighth when Colome plunked Manny Machado, the second batter the reliever faced. ''Nobody likes to get thrown at the head, but it wasn't intentional,'' Machado said.

LOOKING FOR A SPARK

In the wake of being swept by the Yankees, Showalter tinkered with his batting order. Machado batted third for the first time in his career, instead of his customary leadoff spot. He walked in the first and singled and scored from first on Davis' double in the fourth. He finished 2 for 2 and reached base four times.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Miguel Gonzalez (8-6) faces the Rays for the fourth time this season. He's allowed one run in 15 2-3 innings over the past two starts against Tampa Bay.

Rays: RHP Erasmo Ramirez (8-3) has all of his wins joining the rotation for good on May 14.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-get-happy-flight-home-after-5-2-win

Orioles get a happy flight home after 5-2 win

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. –- The Orioles come home after a strange road trip. They began with winning two of three in Detroit, and after four straight losses, win the last two at Tampa Bay.

Five days remain before the non-waiver trade deadline, and the Orioles remain relevant.

In their 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays before 18,613 at Tropicana Field on Sunday, the Orioles showed they had some offense.

For the first time since June 21-23, they produced consecutive games of at least five runs.

"I'm always encouraged. I always think today's the day we're going to get back to our track record a little bit,” manager Buck Showalter said.

Their 4-5 road trip leaves them a game below .500. While they’re still seven games behind the first place New York Yankees in the AL East, they’re 3 ½ games behind the Minnesota Twins, the second wild-card team.

“One game isn’t going to derail the thing right now. We’ve got to keep going at it. If we lose, we’ve got to pick it up and play again tomorrow,” Caleb Joseph said.

Wei-Yin Chen retired the first 11 Tampa Bay (49-51) hitters, and by the time Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth, he had a 5-0 lead.

“Sometimes you’ve get a five-run lead, you get deeper in the game and you kind of put it on cruise control sometimes. It’s not necessarily intentional,” Joseph said.

Chen (5-6) allowed a two-out double by Joey Butler, and his inning was saved when David Lough made a sliding catch on James Loney’s line drive to end the fourth.

“In the first couple innings I felt great and I was just trying to stay the same pace. But later on I think the Rays hitters made some adjustment and hit better and better against me,” Chen said through a translator.

Nolan Reimold badly misjudged Tim Beckham’s fly for a double to start the fourth. Jake Elmore singled, and with one out, Chen hit Brandon Guyer with a pitch to load the bases. Steven Souza struck out and Longoria grounded to third to end the inning.

Chen left in the sixth with runners on first and second and one out and wasn’t pleased with it.

“I was taken out of the game because I allowed a couple runners to get on base. Anybody will be angry when you get taken out of the game in that situation. But that’s not something I can control and I will just accept it,” Chen said through a translator.

After Tommy Hunter walked Beckham, and allowed Butler to advance to third on a ball in the dirt, Elmore grounded to third, ending the inning.

In 5 1/3 innings, Chen allowed two runs on six hits.

The Orioles (48-49) took a quick 3-0 lead in the first when Chris Davis walked with one out. Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy both singled, and Davis scored. Reimold doubled to score Jones and Hardy.

Joseph hit a two-run home run in the fourth, his seventh of the season off Matt Moore (1-2), and the Orioles led 5-0.

“Any time you can jump up to a five-run lead there [in] the early innings, it always gives them some room for error,” Joseph said.

In the top of the eighth, the Orioles had a chance to add on, Reimold singled, and with two outs, ran past third base coach Bobby Dickerson’s stop sign on Jonathan Schoop’s single.

“It was a mistake. I was thinking, when I saw the ball go in the gap, I was just putting my head down running. By the time I looked up, it was too late. It was a mental lapse. Things like that can’t happen. I’m glad we won because then I’d feel a lot worse if we didn’t win,” Reimold said.

Brad Brach threw a scoreless seventh and Darren O’Day escaped unscathed in the eighth.

Forsythe singled, but was erased on David DeJesus’ double play. Loney singled, but inexplicably tried to take second. Lough’s throw to second was in time.

Zach Britton pitched a hitless ninth, striking out the side, recording his 25th save. It was just his third save opportunity of the month.

“These games are starting to get important, but we can’t put too much emphasis on it where we go in tight and go in and squeezing the bat too hard and gripping the ball too hard. We’ve just got to keep playing our game,” Joseph said.

NOTES: Britton has successfully recorded 21 straight saves. … Reimold had his first three-hit day since Apr. 20, 2012. … The Orioles have a major league-leading 28 outfield assists. … Alex Wood (7-6, 3.78) faces Kevin Gausman (1-2, 5.18) as the Orioles begin a three-game series with Atlanta.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/gonzalez-pitches-brilliantly-orioles-5-1-win

Gonzalez pitches brilliantly in Orioles 5-1 win

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. –- Before Saturday night’s game, Chris Davis had a special guest. Country singer Kacey Musgraves, who was giving a postgame concert at Tropicana Field is from the same area in Texas that Davis hails from chatted with him.

Davis had one of the bigger hits of the Orioles’ month when he connected on a fourth-inning grand slam, giving Miguel Gonzalez lots of breathing room on the way to a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays before 24,327.

During Musgraves’ concert, she mentioned she visited with a player from the Orioles, drawing some boos from the crowd. “He did hit the grand slam,” she pointed out.

For one of the few times in recent weeks, the Orioles clubhouse was a jovial place.

Manager Buck Showalter said he was getting ready for the concert, too and concluded his postgame remarks by noting: “Right now, it’s all about Kacey Musgraves.”

Before Musgraves’ show, Gonzalez pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits, striking out five and walking one.

The win enabled the Orioles (47-49) to break their four-game losing streak.

Buck Showalter changed the lineup yet again as the Orioles used their 87th different lineup in 96 games. That’s the second most in baseball according to STATS LLC.

Showalter put David Lough in the leadoff spot against Erasmo Ramirez, who allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings against the Orioles on May 30.

Lough responded with a single to load the bases in the third ahead of Davis’ grand slam and an eighth inning triple. Lough was sliding into third when Logan Forsythe’s throw was wild, and he was able to score.

“I was pretty gassed coming around second. I'm not going to lie. I'm not used to running around the bases like that, but it was good. Once I saw the ball get away from third and I was able to score, it was a good feeling,” Lough said.

Ramirez (8-4) retired the first six Orioles. J.J. Hardy led off the third with a single. With one out, Jonathan Schoop singled, and Lough followed with another single to load the bases.

Chris Davis drilled his 22nd home run to right field, the fifth grand slam of his career, and the Orioles led 4-0.

“It was pretty big, especially with the way Miguel’s been throwing the ball against these guys. Everybody that inning did a great job of not trying to do too much, just taking what Ramirez gave them. And obviously with a full count and bases loaded, I know he’s not going to walk me, he’s not trying to walk me, so I just look for a pitch over the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it,” Davis said.

No runner reached third against Gonzalez (9-6) until Curt Casali hit a home run with one out in the eighth to cut the lead to 5-1.

“Coming into this game,the first couple innings I was getting hit hard but at guys who were making plays and I think that was the difference,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez was removed after 7 2/3 innings, allowing the run on five hits. He struck out five without walking a batter. It was his longest start since pitching eight against the Rays (49-50) on May 29. He has an 0.93 ERA in four starts against Tampa Bay this season and is 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA in eight career starts at Tropicana Field.

“He just stayed aggressive the whole game. I don’t think either team walked a hitter the whole game,” Showalter said. “Making them earn their way because they can force the issue on the bases and just trying to keep them out of part of the game they’re good at.”

Chaz Roe got the final four outs.

The Orioles scored more than three runs for just the third time in 14 games.

“It makes pitching a lot easier,” Showalter said. “We’ve got to create some margin of errors for our pitchers.”

Davis said he didn’t feel that the team was tight.

“I think it wasn’t necessarily pressure. I think it just allows you to focus and enjoy the game a little bit. You don’t feel like you’re grinding every at bat, every pitch. You just go out there and play the game and really have fun and enjoy it,” Davis said.

NOTES: It was the third grand slam for the Orioles this season. Schoop and Steve Pearce have the others. … Davis has nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 30 games at Tropicana Field. … is 2-for-27 without an RBI this month. … Wei-Yin Chen (4-6, 2.86) faces Matt Moore (1- 1, 7.23) on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-woes-continue-3-1-loss-tampa-bay

Orioles woes continue in 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 24, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The normally reliable Darren O’Day had a most unusual inning. For the first time in nearly two years, he allowed three hits, and in a shocking turnaround, the Orioles went from holding a tight one-run lead to a three-run loss.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ 3-1 win over the Orioles before 17,838 at Tropicana Field was disheartening because for the second straight start, Chris Tillman was nearly unhittable.

Tillman took a 1-0 lead into the eighth. After allowing just one hit and retiring the final 23 batters in a row last Saturday, Tillman gave up just two hits in seven innings.

After walking the leadoff batter in the eighth, Kevin Kiermaier, he was out of the game, and O’Day, who allowed two hits in just three of his previous 36 appearances, had his roughest inning of an All-Star season.

“He’s so much better than tonight. He gets many mulligans with us,” manager Buck Showalter said.

O’Day’s ERA rose from 1.04 to 1.51.

Joey Butler flied to center, and Kiermaier stole second. Steven Souza struck out, and John Jason singled to right-center, scoring Kiermaier.

Evan Longoria’s single to shallow center put runners on first and third and James Loney was walked intentionally.

Tim Beckham’s single to center hopped off the front of the mound and drove in Jaso and Longoria, and suddenly it was 3-1.

"I made some good pitches. Made a couple really bad pitches. The one to Jaso was pretty bad and the one to Beckham, 0-2, I have to be better than that. Can't leave anything close to the zone where he can win the game like that. Longoria didn't hit the ball hard, but he did his job. He got his bat on the ball with two strikes and extended the inning,” O’Day said.

The Orioles (46-49) have lost four straight and 15 of 20, and for the seventh time in the last eight games, scored three runs or fewer.

“The story is we just haven’t scored any runs,” Showalter said.

The Orioles had a 1-0 lead and Tillman looked to be on the way to his sixth straight win.

Tillman became the first Orioles pitcher since Matt Riley in 2004 with consecutive starts of seven innings, one run and two hits.

“I’m just executing better and when I do get in trouble I’m able to make a pitch to get out of it. It’s been there for a while now, just kind of carried over from the last couple starts from the first half and we are taking advantage of it,” Tillman said.

Manny Machado, who batted third for the first time in his major league career, had two singles, a walk and was hit by a pitch. He scored the Orioles’ only run in the fourth on Chris Davis’ double.

“We’re just a couple of hits away. We’re just a couple of innings away. We’ve just got to clean it up. It’s just part of the game, it’s part of the grind that we’ve got to get. This is where champions are made right here,” Machado said.

Alex Colome (4-4) got the win for Tampa Bay (49-49) with a scoreless eighth. Jake McGee got his fifth save.

Machado was hit in the left shoulder by Colome in the eighth. He yelled at Colome that the pitch was too close to his head. Colome wagged his finger, saying “no, no, no” to Machado.

Home plate umpire John Tumpane, a fill-in from Triple-A, warned both benches because Beckham had been hit an inning earlier by Tillman.

“I just saw the ball up and in. Nobody likes to get thrown at at the head, but it wasn’t intentional like I said. It’s just part of the game. I’ve got to go out there and take a hit by pitch, go to first base like I did and just move on,” Machado said.

Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer allowed a run on five hits in six innings, striking out nine.

The Orioles remain seven games behind in the American League East, and their clubhouse was perhaps the quietest all season.

Asked to assess the clubhouse’s mood, O’Day said: “Look around.”

Tillman said his teammates’ mood won’t change, said the team will stay upbeat.

“Clubhouse is fine. I’ve never seen it change, win or lose, rain or shine it’s always the same. We got a lot of veteran guys in there that do the job and that’s what’s going on now as well. We are not playing bad baseball. We just aren’t getting the timely hits and timely pitches,” Tillman said.

The one-run losses shouldn’t eat at the Orioles.

“You’d rather be in a close game than a blowout,” Tillman said.

COMING UP: Miguel Gonzalez (8-6, 4.21) faces Erasmo Ramirez (8-3, 3.54) on Saturday at 6:10 p.m.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baltimore-sports-blog/bal-orioles-prospect-doesnt-touch- home-on-goahead-home-run-called-out-20150727-story.html

Orioles prospect doesn't touch home on go-ahead home run, called out, team loses

Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun July 27, 2015

If you thought the Orioles’ issues scoring runs this month have been bad, an Orioles minor league affiliate has taken that to a whole new level.

Low-A outfielder Elier Levya, a 24-year-old Cuban signed earlier this year, on Sunday hit one out of Augusta’s Lake Olmstead Stadium with a man on and a one-run deficit in the top of the ninth inning, all but assuring the Shorebirds would take a 5-4 lead — or more —into the last of the ninth.

That second run, however, was contingent on him touching home, something Levya erred in doing while celebrating with his teammates.

Augusta appealed after noticing that Levya didn’t touch home plate, and he was ruled out. He was credited with an RBI triple, and the out was recorded at home.

The Greenjackets scored in the bottom of the 10th to win the game, 5-4. The loss dropped Delmarva to 16-14 in the second half, four games behind first-place West Virginia.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-monday-morning-thoughts-and- observations-on-the-road-trip-the-reeling-rays-and-markakis-retu-20150727-story.html

Orioles Monday morning thoughts and observations on the road trip, the reeling Rays and Markakis' return

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 27, 2015

The Orioles learned over the past two days what a difference getting a sizable early lead makes.

When the Orioles took a quick three-run lead in the top of the first inning in their 5-2 series- clinching win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon, it marked their highest scoring first inning in more than five weeks, since scoring six runs in the opening frame in an eventual 19-3 win over the Phillies on June 16 at Camden Yards.

Going up 3-0 provided left-handed Wei-Yin Chen with the cushion he needed. Chen hadn’t allowed more than three runs in his last 10 starts entering Sunday’s game.

“Yeah it was good,” said Orioles right fielder Nolan Reimold, who posted his first three-hit game since April 20, 2012. “It always feels good to get a lead but [Chen is] a really solid , so you know if you get him a couple runs, you have a really good chance of winning the game. He pitches really well today and we’re happy to come out with a win.”

The Orioles won two series on their nine-game road trip out of the break to Detroit, New York and Tampa Bay, but were just 4-5 overall on the trip.

“You want to go out and win every single game,” catcher Caleb Joseph said. “I think coming back and being able to win out of three against a good Tampa team; they’re right in the thick of it, fighting just like we are. To be able to take two out of three after we lose three to the Yankees, we’ve got to keep fighting, we’ve got to keep grinding.

"One game isn’t going to derail the thing right now," Joseph added. "We’ve got to keep going at it. If we lose, we’ve got to pick it up and play again tomorrow. These games are starting to get important, but we can’t put too much emphasis on it where we go in tight and go in and squeezing the bat too hard and gripping the ball too hard. We’ve just got to keep playing our game.”

While the Orioles back-to-back wins in Tampa Bay definitely give fans something to be encouraged about, the O’s didn’t gain any ground on the division-leading Yankees, still trailing New York by seven games. But they are just 3 ½ games out of the second wild-card spot, which should be their primary postseason focus now.

And even though these were big wins because they beat a Tampa Bay team that is still competing in the AL East and wild card races, here’s how much the Rays are struggling offensively. This weekend marked their eighth series loss in their last nine. They’ve lost 21 of their last 30 overall and over that span they’re averaging just .220 as a team and scoring just 2.9 runs a game.

Here's a staggering stat: Through 100 games this year, the Rays have scored just 351 runs, the fewest through that point in the season in the franchise's 18 years of existence, which included some pretty morimund teams. Tampa Bay scored 361 runs through 100 games in the team's inaugural season in 1998.

So the fact that the Orioles took two of three from the reeling Rays must be taken with a grain of salt. They’re struggling.

As the Orioles open up a seven-game homestand today with the first of three games against the Atlanta Braves, the main storyline of the game will be Nick Markakis’ first game back at Camden Yards since he joined Atlanta.

In an interview with The Sun this weekend, Markakis admitted he didn’t know what to expect in his return to Camden Yards as an opposing player after being drafted by the Orioles, coming up through the organization and playing nine years with the team before becoming a free agent.

Though they won’t say it publicly, the circumstances under which Markakis left still leave a bad taste in some Orioles’ mouths. Markakis was on the verge of agreeing to a four-year deal in November until a MRI showed a bulging disk in his neck, a remnant of a herniated disk that he had dealt with since 2013. The Orioles pulled their offer, concerned about the condition, which would likely require surgery, and never made another formal offer. The Braves then swooped in to sign Markakis to a four-year deal.

Some of the Orioles felt the organization should have treated a player who gave the team everything a little better. And that’s understandable. Markakis was the longest-tenured Oriole and one of the organization’s cornerstones. He had been through the battles with several of the team’s established veterans, grinded through the tough times and was a part of the club’s recent resurgence. And above all, he wanted to remain an Oriole.

Still, nearly four months into this season, they’ve started to get used to life without Markakis. It’s not that they don’t miss his presence on and off the field, but in baseball, life does go on.

“I don’t think you ever replace a guy with his skill set or his presence around the clubhouse,” catcher Matt Wieters said. “But at the same time, you just look at every year as a different team. There’s a different dynamic each year and we’ve taken a different dynamic this year. That doesn’t mean that Nick’s ability and presence isn’t welcomed in any clubhouse. As players, we really don’t look at the ‘what ifs.’ He wasn’t here, so other guys had to take on different roles and they do what they can do.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-chris-davis-and-the-orioles-are-at-a- major-crossroads-20150726-story.html

Chris Davis and the Orioles are at a major crossroads

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun July 26, 2015

Orioles first baseman/outfielder Chris Davis is one of those players who can leave you in awe or frustration at just about any point in the season, which is why no one should be surprised that he may hold the key to which way the Orioles turn in the next five days.

Davis suddenly is on a roll. He enters Sunday in an eight-game hitting streak. He has homered in three of the last four games. His batting average was up to an acceptable .242 after he launched a grand slam to carry the O’s to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night at Tropicana Field.

He becomes more attractive as big-time trade bait by the moment and he has the pop to pull the Orioles out of their lengthy slump and make such a deal unnecessary. Maybe that’s all academic anyway, since club officials continue to insist that they will not be holding any kind of fire sale before Friday’s deadline for making trades without passing players through waivers.

Still, his resurgence — provided it continues — could not come at a better time for an offense that needs a huge shot in the arm. And it couldn’t come at a better time for Davis, who figures to be a very hot commodity in this winter’s free agent market if he can finish this season on a roll.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-nick-markakis-returns-0727- 20150726-story.html#page=1

Nick Markakis, former O's teammates agree: return will be 'weird'

By Dan Connolly and Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 26, 2015

Nick Markakis and several former O's teammates used the same word to describe his return as a Brave: "weird."

The Orioles pulled a contract offer to Nick Markakis over health concerns. How will fans react in his return?

"I can tell you it'll be good to see him," J.J. Hardy said of Nick Markakis' return to Baltimore. Nick Markakis admits he's thought a lot about what it'll be like when he takes the field at Camden Yards on Monday evening, the first time he'll do so as an opposing player in his 10- season career.

He also admits he has no idea what his emotions will be.

"I don't know what to expect, but once I get out there and I'm playing right field in a Braves uniform in Camden Yards against a team I played with for nine seasons, I can't say it's not going to be weird," Markakis told The Baltimore Sun this past weekend. "I'm sure it is going to be weird. We'll see. It's going to be fun; it's going to be an interesting experience."

Markakis, who signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Atlanta Braves in December, said he recently spoke with infielder Kelly Johnson about playing against a former team. Johnson was drafted by Atlanta in 2000 and spent his first decade as a pro with the Braves organization before leaving for the as a free agent in 2009. He played part of last season with the Orioles and spent most of this year with the Braves before being traded to the on Friday.

"Kelly told me that when he went back and played against the Braves for the first time, it was a weird feeling," Markakis said. "He didn't expect anything at first, or he didn't know what to expect. But once you get there and the game starts, it's a little weird. I think I'm along those same lines right now."

For the Orioles players who called Markakis a teammate for so long, seeing the man who patrolled the right field corner of Camden Yards for nine years wearing an opposing uniform at Oriole Park — playing through lean years as well as the club's recent resurgence — will be odd.

"It's definitely going to be weird for me," catcher Matt Wieters said. "When he goes out there in right field with a different uniform on, it will be a little weird. He did so many great things for our organization and for Baltimore.

Markakis, the Orioles' first-round draft pick out of a Georgia junior college in 2003, became a fan favorite in Baltimore for his hustle, professional demeanor, strong all-around game and community involvement. He still has a permanent residence in Monkton, and when he left the Orioles this past winter, he took out a full-page ad in The Sun thanking the community for its support.

He'd like to think that goodwill will carry over to this week's, but doesn't know for sure.

"If they want to cheer, if they want to boo, they have every right to do whatever they want," Markakis said. "They are the ones coming out and paying to watch a ballgame and I'm the one going out there and trying to prevent their team from winning. They can do what they want."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he expects Markakis to be welcomed back to Camden Yards warmly.

"I know what kind he's going to get from me," Showalter said. "I know our [fans]. I hope he doesn't give us a good reception. Nicky is having a good year, like everyone knew he would. We know one thing, he can play the right field wall well, right? I'm sure they'll use him in the advance meeting."

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who played four years with Markakis in Baltimore, said players always wonder how they will be received when they return to a city they've played several years in.

So I guess what we've learned is that playing against your old team is "weird". A fascinating look into the mind of the professional athlete. I was sorry to see Nick go, but his scintillating personality wasn't one of the leading reasons.

"I think guys are always interested in how it's going to be when you come back," Hardy said. "I know I was when I went back to Milwaukee. How's it going to be? Are you going to get boos? Are you going to get cheers? Is it going to be nothing at all? So, I'm sure it's crossed his mind, but I can only imagine it's going to be cheers and everyone hopes for the best for him.

"I can tell you it'll be good to see him. I'm sure the fans will be excited to see him. We played four years together and had some good times but in this business, this happens quite a bit. You play with someone and play against them the next year."

Often times when a longtime Oriole leaves for free agency, a sense of betrayal lingers for the fans. This case might be a little different, though. Markakis was close to agreeing to a four-year, $40 million deal in November with the Orioles until an MRI showed a bulging disk in his neck, a remnant of a herniated disk that he had dealt with since 2013.

The Orioles pulled their offer from the table, concerned about the condition that likely would require surgery, and never made another formal offer. Instead, the Braves swooped in and lured Markakis back to the area where he spent his teenage years.

Markakis was irked this spring when the negotiations — and the reasoning for the Orioles' decision not to re-sign him — were characterized as being about money and contract length and not his health. But he said this past weekend that he's not harboring any animosity toward the organization.

"There are no hard feelings. It's a business and I understand the business side of baseball now," he said. "I have never been through it before and it's a tough process. And it is tough to process. [But] I'm coming in for three games and I'm going to try my best to win each game and then I'll move on to the next city."

Markakis, 31, underwent neck fusion surgery in December and couldn't participate in his normal offseason strength and fitness routines. Still, he made it into the Braves' lineup for and has started all but one game this season.

He's hitting .286, which would be his best mark since 2012, and his on-base percentage, is .368, potentially his best mark since 2010. He has only one fielding error and is on pace to hit more than 30 doubles — something he hasn't accomplished since 2011. But he also has just one homer, hit last Monday, and likely will fail to reach double-digit home runs for the first time as a big leaguer.

That, he believes, is a byproduct of his inability to train last offseason.

"My homers are down, but you look at everything else and you can argue I'm having one of my better seasons," he said. "It's [lack of] strength. Strength is a big thing for me. I'm not one of those guys that can sit around and then go out there and play a game and be successful without prior work in the offseason with weight training. There are some people in this game that do it the right way and doing it the right way is the hard way. And it takes time; stuff just doesn't happen overnight, so the offseason is big for me."

Markakis said he still keeps in touch with many of his old teammates, specifically Adam Jones, Hardy, Wieters and Ryan Flaherty. And he doesn't expect that to change, no matter what uniform he is in on Monday.

"I've spent a long time playing with those guys and I check up on them out of a personal position," Markakis said. "They are my friends and they were there for a long time next to me and I just don't open the trash can and throw them away. I check up on them and hope they do well and I pull for them."

Markakis' former teammates have also kept up on Markakis from afar, but are looking forward to seeing him again and catching up.

"Even though he's on a different team now, he's still a close friend and we've been through a lot of battles together," Wieters said. "Nick's not the most talkative personality in the world, but it will be nice to catch up and see how he's liking it.

"When you play with a guy so long and you get to admire the way he goes about his business, it will be a little different when he's with another team. You're trying to get him out, but you still have the utmost respect for the guy and how he goes about playing the game."

Markakis said he paid attention to the club's downward slide in July and the inconsistency on either side of Jones since he and left fielder Nelson Cruz left for free agency this past winter. But he doesn't concern himself with what could have been or with the Orioles' outfield carousel.

"I move on. It's not my problem anymore. That's their [outfield] problem," Markakis said. "I'm doing my thing over here and they're trying to do their thing over there."

For the next three days he'll be doing it in Camden Yards again — just for someone else.

"I'm going to have a lot of people there supporting me and I'll get a chance to play against my old boys," Markakis said. "I've got to go out there and perform and help the Atlanta Braves win a ballgame. And hopefully I can run down a couple fly balls and throw a couple of those guys out."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0727-20150726-story.html

Stiff back keeps Wieters out of lineup

Matt Wieters was out of the starting lineup for the first time since the All-Star Break in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Rays after complaining of back stiffness following Saturday's game against Tampa Bay. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he wanted to start Wieters at first base in Sunday's series finale at Tropicana Field, especially since he is hitting .571 (8-for-14) with two home runs against Matt Moore, who started for the Rays on Sunday.

Wieters had been doing pregame work at first base the previous two days.

Showalter said he expected Wieters to be back behind the plate when the Orioles open their three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Monday at Camden Yards.

"He's a lot better today," Showalter said. "I think he'll be fine to catch tomorrow. … I talked to him this morning. I know it was more of a definite 'no' last night than talking to him today. He's a lot better today, but I don't want to jeopardize tomorrow.

"It just stiffened up on him a couple times. You couldn't tell from him catching. I thought he had a heck of a game behind the plate, but he said it was challenging the past couple of innings."

Wieters started his seventh consecutive game since the All-Star Break on Saturday, but has played catcher on back-to-back days just once — July 6 and 7 — since returning from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Otherwise, he is still catching every other day, but the Orioles have kept Wieters' bat in the lineup by slotting him as the designated hitter.

But he hasn't had much success there. Wieters is 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts as a designated hitter this season and is a career .196 hitter in 153 plate appearances as a DH.

Reimold has mixed results in Sunday's start

Starts have been few and far between for Nolan Reimold, but the Orioles right fielder recorded a three-hit, two-RBI game in his third start since the All-Star Break. It was his first three-hit game since April 20, 2012.

But Reimold also committed two miscues, misplaying a fly ball hit to right field by Tim Beckhamthat dropped for a double to lead off the fifth inning, the first hit in an inning during which starterWei-Yin Chen had to work out of a bases-loaded jam.

In an attempt to score on Jonathan Schoop's two-out single in the eighth, Reimold also ran through third base coach Bobby Dickerson's stop sign, and was caught in a rundown between third and home to end the inning.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-minor-league-capsules-0726- 20150725-story.html

Orioles minor league report: Christian Walker regaining his power with Tides

Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun July 25, 2015

Triple-A Norfolk

First baseman Christian Walker homered four times over the course of the seven-game hitting streak he carried into Friday, giving him nine home runs on the season and raising his average to .262 with 12 hits in 31 at-bats during the streak. Walker entered the weekend second on the Tides in home runs, and tied for second behind outfielder Dariel Alvarez with 42 RBIs.

Double-A Bowie

Andrew Triggs, a right-handed reliever acquired from the in April, has been one of the best relievers in the system this season. The 26-year-old had a 0.64 ERA with a .193 average against in 42 1/3 innings over his first 26 appearances this season, striking out 48 and walking just 10. Entering Friday's game, he hadn't allowed a run since May 20.

High-A Frederick

With six three-hit, one-run innings Thursday, right-hander David Hess turned in his third quality start in six outings since the All-Star break and lowered his ERA to 4.26 on the season. Hess is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, 30 strikeouts and 11 walks in 35 innings since the break, a span over which he has allowed just five runs.

Low-A Delmarva

Right-hander Josh Walker, a 22nd-round draft pick in 2014 out of New Mexico, picked up his fifth win of the season Wednesday. He allowed one hit and issued one walk while striking out four in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. It was Walker's fourth scoreless start of the season, and lowered his ERA to 2.96 in 48 2/3 innings.

Short-A Aberdeen

Lefty Tanner Scott, a sixth-round pick in 2014, struck out six in three scoreless innings Tuesday for Aberdeen, giving him 30 strikeouts in his first 19 1/3 innings over eight appearances.

Rookie-level GCL Orioles

Right-hander Michael Costello, a 40th-round pick this year out of Radford, entered Friday having allowed 10 hits and one run with 11 strikeouts in 13 innings in the Gulf Coast League.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-looking-back-at-the-orioles-loss-friday- and-looking-ahead-to-saturdays-game-20150725-story.html

Looking back at the Orioles' loss Friday and looking ahead to Saturday's game

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 25, 2015

The Orioles have found many ways to lose over the last three weeks, but their 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night was different than most.

The Orioles, who took a one-run lead into the eighth inning, hadn’t lost a game this season when leading after seven innings. They were 39-0 in those situations before Friday night. That shows how good their bullpen had been late in games, and how resilient they’ve been down the stretch.

Orioles setup man Darren O’Day has been so clutch this season, especially when entering the game with runners on base. When the Rays scored three runs in the eighth inning with O’Day on the mound, it marked the first time this season that O’Day has allowed three hits in an outing and the first time he has allowed multiple earned runs in an appearance this year.

The two runs charged to O’Day – an inherited runner was charged to Chris Tillman after his leadoff walk in the eighth - matched his previous 21 outings combined. O’Day had also posted 10 straight scoreless outings against Tampa Bay, not allowing a run against the Rays since June 16, 2014. He had never allowed three hits against the Rays in 43 appearances against Tampa Bay, dating to 2008 when O’Day was pitching with the .

Given all that, it’s easy to overlook that Friday was another woeful outing by the Orioles offense. Runs were going to be at a premium against Tampa Bay ace Chris Archer, but the Orioles were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight base runners on the night.

The Orioles also struck out 14 times Friday, their most in a game since June 29.

Manny Machado reached base four times Friday in his first career start in the third in the batting order. He was 2-for-2 with a walk, scoring the Orioles’ only run of the game when he scored from first base on Chris Davis’ RBI double in the fourth inning.

Experimenting with Jimmy Paredes in the leadoff spot didn’t go so well. Making his seventh career start atop the batting order, Paredes went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. That marked the first time an Orioles leadoff hitter recorded four strikeouts in a game in nearly four years, since J.J. Hardy whiffed four times on July 27, 2011.

Adam Jones was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Friday – stranding five base runners – and is hitless in his past 13 at bats, with four strikeouts in that span. The bottom third of the Orioles batting order was 0-for-12 on Friday.

The Orioles now turn to right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (8-6, 4.21 ERA) to end their four-game losing streak. Gonzalez is 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season, allowing just two earned runs over 21 1/3 innings with 17 strikeouts and six walks. He has held Tampa Bay to a .139 batting average this season, most recently allowing one run over eight innings in a 2-1 win on May 29 against them at Camden Yards.

Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez (8-3, 3.54) has won his past two decisions and has allowed one run or fewer in eight of his past nine starts, posting a 1.29 ERA over that span.

That stretch started with a strong start against the Orioles in Baltimore on May 30, when Ramirez threw a season-high seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in a 3-0 Tampa Bay victory.

That was Ramirez’s only start against the Orioles all year, but he hasn’t allowed a run against them over 8 1/3 innings this season.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-center-club-pub-20150717-story.html#page=1

Membership's privilege: Angelos gives Center Club an O's pub

By Jean Marbella / The Baltimore Sun July 24, 2015

The deal was struck, as so many are, over lunch at the Center Club. This time though, the private downtown club was both setting and subject of the $400,000 transaction.

The proposal: Bring into the hushed and formal club something more commonly associated with the loud and boozy — a sports pub. For an establishment where previous changes in the dress code allowing the tieless and the denimed caused some harrumphing, it might have been a tough sell.

"We went to a long-term member of the club, who is a frequent user of it," said David Nevins, president of the club located on the 15th and 16th floors of the Transamerica building on Light Street. "He said, 'I love it, how much will it cost, I'll pay for it.'"

That member is Peter Angelos, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles. In addition to throwing in more than $300,000 toward the costs of transforming the space now serving as the club's grill room, he's handed over naming rights. The Orioles Pub at the Center Club is scheduled to open the day after Labor Day.

While Angelos did not return calls for comment, his son and member of his law firm, Louis F. Angelos, said the pub would offer a more casual option to what is already the city's "foremost" business club of its kind.

"It will generate interest and business and get more people to join," he said. "The more casual atmosphere is the key."

Like others of its ilk, the Center Club is seeking a place for itself in a much-changed business climate seemingly at odds with the kind of formal dining and socializing that it represents.

The white-tablecloth lunch has so given way to takeout at the keyboard that the term "al desko" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary last year. Networking increasingly has shifted toward online rather than face-to-face, and many professionals have long since abandoned the suit-and-tie uniform of club members.

"We don't want to have to deny entrance to Mark Zuckerberg," Nevins said wryly of the famously casual Facebook founder.

But at the same time, loosening up on club formalities to appeal to younger, more casual potential members comes at the risk of offending the traditionalists.

"Every time the dress code was discussed, there was one gentleman who always started shaking his head in his suit and bow tie," recalled John E. Pastalow III, 38, who heads the club's Young Members Committee (and whose LinkedIn profile picture shows him in similar neckwear).

Most members, though, accept that less formality is "an evolution that has to occur," Pastalow said.

In truth, the Center Club was never as hidebound as the classic old-boys retreats depicted in New Yorker cartoons, with their wingback chairs, aged rugs and equally aging members. In fact, it was created 53 years ago as something of an alternative, open to African-Americans, Jews and eventually women. And, particularly after a 2009 renovation, it is decidedly sleek and modern, a high-rise aerie with sweeping city and harbor views.

A sports pub makes a certain sense at least logistically for the Center Club, according to Nevins, who heads a Towson-based public relations firm. Many members already use the club's equally exclusive underground parking when they have tickets to Camden Yards, a short walk away, he said.

"But they couldn't have dinner here before going to the game," Nevins said of the casually dressed sports fans, "because you don't want to wear a suit and tie to the game."

Come September, those members will be able to come up to the pub on the 16th floor, dine and then head to the game. At least as long as they're wearing stadium attire on the nicer end of the scale — team jerseys, say, or khakis and a golf-style shirt. Ratty T-shirts and flip-flops will still be verboten. Plus, they'll be asked not to parade through the main dining room on the 15th floor, where jackets remain "recommended."

The pub will have an appropriately casual menu of burgers, panini and the like, plus a raw bar. Members with a hankering for the Dover sole or other fancy fare featured downstairs can order off that menu as well. There will be multiple TVs and sofas along with regular dining tables, as well as Orioles memorabilia and framed front pages of The Baltimore Sun featuring local pro and college sports triumphs.

Private clubs have had to adapt to survive, said consultant Bill McMahon. While he was not familiar with the Center Club's new sports pub, McMahon said it sounds in line with what he advises his clients seeking to attract younger members.

"Get a very casual environment, relax your dress code, relax your rules on the use of technology," said McMahon, chairman of the St. Louis-based McMahon Group that advises private clubs.

It's possible to do that without turning off members who prefer a more traditional atmosphere, he said, by creating separate spaces, as the Center Club is doing.

"The issue is, if city clubs stay old-fogey, formal, very strict dress code, no tech devices, they're dying," he said.

The Center Club has been building membership since dropping under 1,600 during the worst of the recession. While it remains invitation-only, the club is seeking new members and offers a variety of levels, including resident, nonresident, intermediate, junior and retired, as well as corporate and nonprofit. Initiation fees range from $500 to $1,250, and annual dues from $250 to $1,200.

Membership is now about 2,000, which is "growing ever so slowly," Nevins said. He'd like to see it up to 2,500 and thinks the pub will help achieve that.

It's been a balancing act — the dress code has been relaxed, although not throughout the club. Denim, for example, is only allowed in the Light Street deck of the main dining room.

"Every club is trying to figure it out," Nevins said.

Some changes are beyond the club's control. While once much of the professional set was concentrated downtown and within walking distance of the club, now it's "stretched out" — to Harbor East, Towson, Hunt Valley and beyond, Nevins said.

For some professionals, private clubs simply are not on their radar. Luke Cooper, a tech entrepreneur who gives his age as mid-30s, said he prefers to network online or at subject- specific gatherings rather than at a general business club.

"You want engagement," said Cooper, whose 2-year-old company, Peach, develops mobile applications, including one that allows consumers to shop for warranties for electronics. "It's not enough to have people at the club handing out business cards."

Cooper said he's received invitations in the past to join a couple of Baltimore's private clubs, and thinks membership might have made more sense back when he was working as a corporate lawyer. Now though, his networking needs are handled elsewhere.

"Definitely, a lot more of it happens online — LinkedIn, Conspire," he said. "It happens around topics I'm interested in."

Pastalow, of the young members committee, joined 10 years ago and enjoys the relaxed atmosphere among members of different ages and professional ranks, something he said he doesn't experience at other gathering spots.

"I always tell the young members, 'Don't feel you can't go up and say hello if you see the CEO of "XYZ Company" at the club.' You may not feel like you can do that if you see him on the street," said Pastalow, a Bel Air-based financial advisor.

"But you're both members," he said. "It's a level playing field."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138878178/three-first-inning-runs-help-to-spark-orioles

Fast start vs. Rays sparks Orioles

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com July 26, 2015

On the heels of a five-run output in Saturday's win, Baltimore's bats jumped out to a first-inning lead and scored five runs total off Rays starter Matt Moore in Sunday's 5-2 series victory. After scoring more than four runs just once in a 13-game span, the O's have now done it back-to-back.

"We saw what it did yesterday for [Miguel Gonzalez]," O's catcher Caleb Josephsaid of the early offense. "Any time you can jump up to a five-run lead there [in] the early innings, it always gives them some room for error.

J.J. Hardy started Sunday's scoring with a two-out single and Nolan Reimoldfollowed with a two-run double into left field to give the O's a three-run cushion before they even took the field. "It felt good," Reimold said of his three-hit afternoon. "It was good to get the feel, get a couple hits, contribute to the offense and hopefully bring it in to the next game."

Joseph added to the lead, belting his seventh homer of the year off Moore in the fourth. Joseph sent a first-pitch fastball into left-center field to also score Jonathan Schoop, who had a leadoff single.

"I'm always encouraged," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of the offense. "I always think today's the day we're going to get back to our track record a little bit. We're scoring more runs than they score after 27 outs and that's the whole deal... I know it's how we evaluate a lot of things numerically, but there's so much more to it than that. It's a mind set. It's a test of your will sometimes when you've got a lot of people telling you the sky is falling and it's not."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138877364/wei-yin-chen-gets-well-deserved-win-over- rays

Chen battles through rough patches for win

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG -- O's lefty Wei-Yin Chen saw a streak of six consecutive quality starts snapped with Sunday's outing, as Chen was only able to last 5 1/3 innings in the Orioles' 5-2 series win over the Rays.

Chen, who turned in his shortest outing since June 10, retired the first 11 batters before things went awry and he surrendered back-to-back homers to Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe. He worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, but put another pair on in the sixth -- on a walk and a single -- to end his afternoon.

"In the first couple innings I felt great and I was just trying to stay the same pace," Chen said through his interpreter. "But later on I think the Rays' hitters made some adjustment and hit better and better against me."

Chen, who had 10 quality starts in 16 games against the Rays coming in, still recorded the win and is 5-6 with a 2.88 ERA on the season.

"He was good. He was pitching with his fastball for three or four innings. We talk about it all the time. When he's got some depth with his breaking ball and whatever and when he went to it, he was able to get out of a couple situations," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I think he's a little frustrated at himself for not being able to finish there, or maybe he's just frustrated at me. We got some good innings out of the bullpen and he got a well-deserved win."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138818358/matt-wieters-site-with-back-stiffness-vs-rays

Wieters out of lineup with back stiffness

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG -- Matt Wieters was out of Sunday's Orioles lineup with back stiffness that first crept up during Saturday's 5-1 win over the Rays.

"I really was going to play him at first base today, but just another thing with the turf and things you run into," manager Buck Showalter said of Wieters, who has been taking pregame work at first the past two days. "I think he'll be fine to catch tomorrow, I just don't want to put that in jeopardy."

Wieters has particularly good numbers against Sunday's Rays starter Matt Moore, going 8-for-14 (.571) with two homers and three RBIs.

"I talked to him this morning, I know it was more of a definite no [to start] last night. Talking to him today, he's a lot better," Showalter said. "[His back] just stiffened up on him a couple times. You couldn't really tell catching, I thought he had a heck of a game behind the plate. He said it was challenging the last couple of innings."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138821202/orioles-ready-for-nick-markakis-return

O's ready to welcome back Markakis to Baltimore

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG -- Nick Markakis will make his return to Camden Yards on Monday, as the longtime Orioles outfielder makes his first trip to Baltimore as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

But what kind of reaction will Markakis, who was drafted by the O's and spent nine of 10 big league seasons there, get from the O's faithful?

"Great," Orioles manager Buck Showalter predicted. "I know what kind he's going to get from me. Great."

Markakis, who signed a four-year deal with Atlanta as a free agent last winter, is batting .286 with a .368 on-base percentage in 97 games.

"I hope he doesn't give us a good reception," Showalter said. "Nick is having a good year, like everybody knew he would. We know one thing, he can play the right field wall well. I'm sure they'll use him in the advanced meeting."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138723876/orioles-offense-comes-through-against-rays

O's offense breaks out at right time vs. Rays

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Davis gave the struggling Orioles offense a huge lift on Saturday evening, connecting for a third-inning grand slam that helped the O's snap a four-game skid with a 5-1 win over the Rays.

The inning got started with a leadoff single from J.J. Hardy and, one out later,Jonathan Schoop and David Lough each got hits to load the bases. Davis then sent Erasmo Ramirez's full- count pitch into right-center field for his fifth career grand slam, staking the O's to an early 4-0 lead.

"It is [a relief]," Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez said of the team's struggling lineup getting up early. "Having him to come up in that situation is really huge. Even though Ramirez threw really well after that and settled down we were able to win this ballgame, and it was really important for us."

Davis, who has a team-leading 22 homers, has 60 RBIs on the year. He's got 29 RBIs in in 30 career games at Tropicana Field, his most in any opposing ballpark, and acknowledged that Saturday's were particularly important.

"I think it gives you a little bit of breathing room and allows the pitching staff and the defense to go out and relax a little bit," he said. "Obviously, when you score you want to keep scoring and you don't want to stop or slow down, but I think we did a great job tonight of having good at bats, making them work and taking advantage of opportunities to score."

Saturday's win, which included Lough's triple and run scored in the eighth, marked just the second time in the last 14 games the Orioles have scored more than four runs. It also marked only the third time in July the O's have scored five or more runs.

"We grouped some hits together and you get a big blow," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "You're not going get many opportunities [with] as good a pitching staff as they have. [Ramirez] pitched real well against us last time and really did again today-except for that inning."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/138601166/chris-davis-grand-slam-helps-orioles-beat-rays

Davis' grand slam helps Orioles knock off Rays

By Brittany Ghiroli and Troy Provost-Heron / MLB.com July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG -- Led by Chris Davis' grand slam, the Orioles snapped a four-game losing streak with Saturday's 5-1 series-evening victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Davis, who collected his 22nd homer of the year, gave a struggling Baltimore lineup a lift with his one-out, third-inning blast off Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez. David Lough also tripled and scored in the eighth to back Os starter Miguel Gonzalez's stellar outing.

"It was pretty big," Davis said of his homer, "Especially with the way Miguel's been throwing the ball against these guys. Everybody that inning did a great job of not trying to do too much, just taking what Ramirez gave them."

Gonzalez held Tampa Bay to one run -- Curt Casali's eighth-inning solo homer -- over 7 2/3 innings. Ramirez went 7 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits.

"Gonzalez has got our number apparently," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I mean, obviously he's a good pitcher … He just continues to mix speeds and throw well-located pitches that we just have trouble with."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Gonzalez deals: The O's righty turned in his longest outing since May 29, holding the Rays to five hits and no walks. Gonzalez struck out five in the 107-pitch outing and has a 0.93 ERA in five starts against Tampa Bay.

"I think there's times that you are going to have your ups and downs and you just have to go out there and minimize it," Gonzalez said. "We've pitched well here, attacking guys and staying ahead -- that's what helped me get to the eighth inning."

Costly mistake: Ramirez cruised through two innings, but in the third the Orioles got to the reliable right-hander, loading the bases with three singles and then unloading them with Davis' grand slam. From there, though, Ramirez rebounded and retired 14 of the next 18 batters he faced as he pitched a season-high 7 1/3 innings.

"Erasmo was really good again," Cash said. "He had one inning where they clumped a couple hits against him and then the big one from Davis. Probably not the guy you want to see coming up with the bases lead because you know the potential of him hitting the ball out of the ballpark, but sometimes that's the way it goes.

Davis' slam: Davis delivered his fifth career grand slam and his first of the season to give the Orioles some much-needed early offense. The O's first baseman has 29 RBIs in 30 career games at Tropicana Field, his most in any opposing ballpark.

"I think it gives you a little bit of breathing room and allows the pitching staff and the defense to go out and relax a little bit," Davis said of the O's early 4-0 lead. "Obviously, when you score you want to keep scoring and you don't want to stop or slow down, but I think we did a great job tonight of having good at bats, making them work and taking advantage of opportunities to score."

Not many opportunities: Hitting with runners in scoring position has been an issue for the Rays as of late, but on Saturday, they didn't get many chances to drive runners in. Evan Longoria delivered a two-out double in the first, but was quickly stranded there after a James Loney fly out. From there, the Rays only got one other runner into scoring position when John Jaso doubled in the sixth.

"Baseball is a crazy game," Casali said. "There's highs and lows, and obviously we've had some highs this season, particularly in the beginning part. Most teams go through something like this. People can say what they want about the depth of our lineup, but I'm not buying that. We have Major League hitters on this team and we are going to continue to grind it out and sneak out wins however we can."

QUOTABLE

"I think it was kind of a relief. We haven't been putting up too many runs, but to be able to do that and get a good cushion, a good lead, I think it definitely made us more calm." -- Lough, on Davis' homer.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The Rays have scored four runs or fewer in each of their last 12 games (30 runs total), which is the second-longest streak in club history. The club's longest streak, which was set from Sept. 3- 22, 2000, is 17 games.

WHAT'S NEXT

Rays: Matt Moore (1-1, 7.23 ERA) will take the mound in the series finale on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. ET. In eight career appearances (seven starts) against the Orioles, he is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA, but allowed a career-high 12 hits and nine runs against them in his most recent outing vs. Baltimore.

Orioles: Lefty Wei-Yin Chen will take the mound for the O's as they cap a three-city, nine-game road trip. Chen has been the ace of Baltimore's staff and is 4-2 with a 2.86 ERA on the season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/christian-walker-receives-weekly- honor.html

Christian Walker receives weekly honor (so does Corban Joseph)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 27, 2015

Triple-A Norfolk first baseman Christian Walker has been rewarded for his recent surge at the plate.

Not with a promotion to the majors. He has to wait for a return trip. However, Walker was named the 's Batter of the Week.

Walker hit .414, going 12-for-29, and led the league with three home runs, 10 RBIs and seven extra-base hits. He also collected four doubles and scored nine runs.

He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, batting .372 (16-for-43) with five doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs. Since the All-Star break, he ranks first in the league in total bases (36) and extra-base hits (10), and is tied for first in doubles (five). He's second in home runs (five) and RBIs (15).

Walker's 26 doubles this season rank third in the league. He's batting .267/.321/.416 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs in 95 games.

The Tides also are surging, having won six of their last seven games despite the constant roster shuffling. They have a season-high three-game lead in the South Division.

The Orioles selected Walker, 24, in the fourth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina. He was recalled on July 8 after the Orioles optioned pitcher Kevin Gausman and went 1-for-2 with a walk. The Orioles returned him to Norfolk after the game.

Walker appeared in six games in 2014, going 3-for-18 with a double, a home run and nine strikeouts.

Baseball America ranked Walker as the Orioles' No. 3 prospect before the 2015 season. He was named the organization's minor league Player of the Year last summer after leading the system in home runs (26) and RBIs (96).

The Orioles wanted Walker to concentrate on improving his defense at first base to make him a more viable option if they need a replacement next season. Chris Davis and Steve Pearce are pending free agents.

The International League also named former Orioles left-hander Randy Wolf as its Pitcher of the Week. Wolf, 38, tossed 13 2/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo.

Update: Double-A Bowie infielder Corban Joseph, the brother of Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph, has been named the Eastern League's Player of the Week after batting .417 with a double, triple, five home runs, eight RBIs and eight runs scored.

Corban had four hits yesterday, including two home runs.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/the-road-trip-markakis-back-in-baltimore- and-more-on-tonights-game.html

The road trip, Markakis back in Baltimore and more on tonight's game

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 27, 2015

The Orioles are home tonight for the first time since July 12, the final game heading into the All- Star break. It's been that long.

They were a .500 team after losing their final two games to the Nationals. They can reach .500 again with a win tonight over the Braves.

The Orioles went 4-5 on their road trip, sandwiching series wins in Detroit and St. Petersburg around the Yankees' three-game sweep in the Bronx. Win two of the three series and it's still not good enough in the heat of a pennant race.

If you're more into the wild card race, the Orioles are 3 1/2 games back for the second spot.

Tonight's game marks the return of Nick Markakis to Camden Yards, and he figures to receive a warm reception from former teammates and most fans. There may be a smattering of boos after he signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Braves.

The Orioles were negotiating a four-year deal with Markakis after declining their half of a $17.5 million mutual option, but they pulled their offer after reviewing the results of his MRI and learning that he would require surgery to remove a herniated disc and fuse vertebrae. The sides never came close to an agreement and Markakis, who is keeping his home in Monkton, headed to Atlanta. It wasn't his first choice.

The Orioles have been anticipating his arrival since he left.

"We looked on the schedule and we thought with Nick coming back, it's going to be weird seeing him play against us and not have him on our team," said closer Zach Britton. "Sort of like when Jim (Johnson) came back last year, and obviously Jim's coming back, too, with Atlanta. Any time you see two guys you played with for a little while and you've known them as Orioles for a long time, especially Nick, it's going to be kind of awkward in a sense. But it will be good to see them.

"When he signed with Atlanta, I was at Brady (Anderson's) house and I remember we were on FaceTime or whatever, me and Miguel (Gonzalez) and Brady, so we got to talk to him. But it will be nice to get there and talk to him. We hadn't really gotten to since he's been gone."

The Orioles traveled to Orlando twice to play the Braves in the final week of , but most of the regulars stayed back in Sarasota.

"I know he'd like to be here," Britton said. "That would be nice. And we would really love to have him here, too, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. He was Mr. Oriole as far as I was concerned, from when I got drafted all the way through last year. When people thought Orioles, I felt like Nick was the guy. And (Adam) Jones as kind of taken that spot now. But it will be good to see him."

Catcher Matt Wieters agreed that it will seem strange for Markakis, who played 1,365 games with the Orioles over nine seasons, to be in Braves attire this week as he patrols his old position.

"It'll be weird seeing him in a different color uniform in right field," Wieters said, "but I'm excited to get to see him for the first time since spring training."

The two friends try to remain in contact, but Markakis isn't the chatty type. Asked whether they stay in touch, Wieters smiled and replied, "As much as Nick talks."

"We'll text occasionally, which, a text message here and there is a pretty good conversation for Nick," Wieters said. "We stay in touch and see how we're doing."

Does Wieters expect the crowd to give Markakis a nice ovation the first time he's introduced?

"I do," he said. "For as much as he's done for Baltimore and as much as he's done for the organization, I think he'll get a nice cheer from the Orioles fans who are great baseball fans."

Kevin Gausman will be pitching to Markakis tonight, making his fifth start of the season. Gausman is 0-2 with a 5.57 ERA in four starts over 21 innings, and 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in eight relief appearances over 12 innings.

Left-handers are batting .310 against Gausman, compared to the .175 average by right-handers.

Gausman has never faced the Braves. He's 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA and 1.667 WHIP in five games (four starts) against the .

The Orioles are seeing another left-hander tonight, Atlanta's Alex Wood, who's never faced them. Travis Snider most likely will be in the lineup because he's 3-for-7 with a double and home run against Wood. David Lough is 1-for-1.

That's it for current Orioles who have faced Wood, who's 3-3 with a 2.28 ERA in 12 career interleague games, including seven starts.

Wood is 7-6 with a 3.78 ERA and 1.455 WHIP in 19 starts this season. He registered a 2.78 ERA and 1.142 WHIP last year in 35 games, including 24 starts. Right-handers are batting .303 against him this season, left-handers .278.

The Orioles took two of three from the Braves in Atlanta in June 2012, spinning back-to-back shutouts in the last two games. The Braves swept a three-game series at Camden Yards in July 2000.

Markakis had a career-high five hits against the Braves on July 3, 2011. Maybe it was an omen.

Britton started for the Orioles that day and hit a home run off Brandon Beachy. Johnson replaced him in the sixth and worked two innings, was credited with a hold in the eighth and Kevin Gregg earned his 15th save by retiring the Braves in order in the ninth.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/wrapping-up-a-5-2-win-1.html

Wrapping up a 5-2 win (more quotes)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Maybe the sky isn't falling. It's hard to tell inside a dome.

The Orioles were swept in The Bronx, but they also took two of three from the Tigers and Rays to move within a game of the .500 mark. However, they failed to gain any ground on the Yankees.

Wei-Yin Chen allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings and the bullpen tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a 5-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles scored five or more runs in consecutive games for the first time since June 21-22. Caleb Joseph hit a two-run homer. Nolan Reimold had three hits and two RBIs, but he also overran a ball near the right field line and got in a rundown between third and home after running through a stop sign. More on that later.

Here's a sampling of quotes before I race to the Tampa airport to catch my flight home:

Manager Buck Showalter on winning the last two games: "We keep talking about it. You can't wallow around in self-pity. There's too many challenges. This team has been as consistent as anybody in our division, so if you come in here with any woe is me, you're going to get it handed to you. We won two of the three series played on the road. Obviously, we had two one- run games in New York that we weren't able to cross over because of how good they were at the end of the game. I thought we pitched pretty well today, especially the bullpen. We had some guys who needed work today. Darren (O'Day) got back on the horse."

Showalter on Chen: "He was good. He was pitching with his fastball for three or four innings. We talk about it all the time. When he's got some depth with his breaking ball and whatever and when he went to it, he was able to get out of a couple situations. I think he's a little frustrated at himself for not being able to finish there, or maybe he's just frustrated at me. We got some good innings out of the bullpen and he got a well-deserved win. He was pitching as good as you can see anybody pitch."

Showalter on whether it was tempting to keep Chen in the game at 86 pitches:"Tempting? No. It really wasn't. I thought that was about where he should be. It really matched up. I knew they were going to go left-handed there and it just set up well for us the rest of the game, too."

Showalter on whether he's more encouraged by the offense: "I'm always encouraged. I always think today's the day we're going to get back to our track record a little bit. We're scoring more runs than they score after 27 outs and that's the whole deal. And if get involved in this means that and that means this ... I know it's how we evaluate a lot of things numerically, but there's so much more to it than that. It's a mindset. It's a test of your will sometimes when you've got a lot of people telling you the sky is falling and it's not."

Showalter on how he'll reflect on road trip: "I put it behind me. We're headed for Atlanta. I don't get into that deep, this means that and that means that and that means this. If we get a well- pitched game tomorrow from our starter, we'll have some fun tomorrow."

Showalter on Reimold ball in right field: "They scored that a hit? They scored that a hit? That was an error all the way. That wasn't even close."

Showalter on evaluating Reimold's day: "I don't. We'll talk about it. We already have and we'll move on. You can't dwell on those things. It's hard to do. I think he told Bobby (Dickerson) he had a misstep going and he looked down at the bag to make sure, and by the time he looked up, he figured out (Dickerson) had put a stop sign up. But he did some good things, three hits today. We talked about how some things will go our way, too. People hitting chalk lines and hitting bags. Nolan had two broken-bat singles, we had two duck flares that trickled through a shift, so we had some things go our way, too."

Chen, through his interpreter, on his day: "In the first couple innings, I felt great and I was just trying to stay the same pace. But later on, I think the Rays hitters made some adjustment and hit better and better against me."

Chen on whether he was surprised he came out of the game: "I wouldn't say surprised, because this is baseball and anything could happen. I was just trying to do my job."

Chen on why he looked angry coming off the mound: "I was taken out of the game because I allowed a couple runners to get on base. Anybody will be angry when you get taken out of the game in that situation. But that's not something I can control and I will just accept it."

Chen on the offensive support: "I don't have to worry that much, I can just focus on my pitching and focus on getting every hitter out. Today we won because every hitter did their job and our bullpen did great today. It was a team effort."

Reimold on his first three-hit game since 2012: "It felt good. It was good to get the feel, get a couple hits and contribute to the offense and hopefully bring it in to the next game. I think Atlanta has a few lefties, so it's good to get a couple hits and hopefully carry it over to the next game."

Reimold on road trip: "We didn't play very well in New York, so it was good to bounce back and get a series win. We lost a tough one the first night, so I think it was a good way to bounce back and finish the road trip and finish the series. Two wins here and two out of three series wins. You can look at it positively like that, but you've got to be consistent and we could have played better in New York."

Reimold on couple plays he'd like to have back: "Absolutely. It looks a lot worse than it is, that play down the line. It's not an excuse. It needed to be caught. Chen really got out of a jam and got me out of a jam, so I appreciate him doing that, bearing down and getting some guys out. I'm glad that didn't come back to cost us a couple runs that inning.

Reimold on the stop sign: "It was a mistake. I was thinking when I saw the ball go in the gap, I was just putting my head down running. By the time I looked up, it was too late. It was a mental lapse. Things like that can't happen. I'm glad we won because then I'd feel a lot worse if we didn't win."

Reimold on the fly ball: "When you start breaking down, there's two rows of lights. So when I started breaking down, it was in the lights a couple times and I just didn't judge it correctly and it was off. I'd like to have that one back, but I'm glad I got a couple hits, but I've got to play good defense."

Joseph on Chen's struggles after retiring first 11 batters: "Sometimes you've get a five-run lead, you get deeper in the game and you kind of put it on cruise control sometimes. It's not necessarily intentional. You just are starting to have success and just a loss of focus. It happens a lot when you're hitting the ball real well. You're hitting .350, one at-bat here and there, it kind of doesn't matter, but you give up a couple of hits and kind of lose a little control here and there, and before you know it, you're behind the eight ball. He worked out of some jams early on, too. First couple of innings he was working out of some really tough jams there. He was in high pressure situations making high pressure pitches and he did a good job keeping us in the game there."

Joseph on relaxed atmosphere in clubhouse: "Definitely. I think a lot of it has to do with the preparation before the game, too. There's quite a few guys who have been in that situation before. I think back, there's a lot of guys on that team that were on that 2012 team that came down to the very last day. They didn't lose it or win on whatever today's day is, July whatever, so there's a lot of preparation going into it knowing that we need to get wins. But at the same time you've got to trust the process and continue to do what we need to do baseball-wise, and then going out and starting early on and performing well is always a good sign for our club."

Joseph on road trip: "You want to go out and win every single game. I think coming back and being able to win two out of three against a good Tampa team, they're right in the thick of it, fighting just like we are. To be able to take two out three after we lose three to the Yankees, we've got to keep fighting, we've got to keep grinding. One game isn't going to derail the thing right now. We've got to keep going at it. If we lose, we've got to pick it up and play again tomorrow. These games are starting to get important, but we can't put too much emphasis on it where we go in tight and go in squeezing the bat too hard and gripping the ball too hard. We've just got to keep playing our game."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/the-reason-wieters-isnt-in-todays- lineup.html

The reason Wieters isn't in today's lineup

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Matt Wieters is out of today's lineup due to back stiffness that cropped up during last night's game against the Rays.

Wieters would have made his second career start at first base. He's 8-for-14 with a double and two home runs lifetime against Rays left-hander Matt Moore.

"Just another thing with the turf," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "He's a lot better today. I think he'll be fine to catch tomorrow, but I don't want to put that in jeopardy.

"Matt DHing, I don't think it quite agrees with him too much statistically, but we'll still do it again." Wieters is 1-for-17 as a DH.

Showalter checked on Wieters again today and noted the improvement. "I don't want to jeopardize tomorrow," he said.

"Just stiffened up on him a couple times. Couldn't really tell catching. I thought he had a heck of a game behind the plate, but he said it was challenging the last couple of innings."

Showalter wanted Wieters' bat in the lineup against Moore.

"I saw the same thing you did," he said. "Pretty good numbers."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/orioles-going-for-series-win-to-conclude- road-trip.html

Orioles going for series win to conclude road trip

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A win today will return the Orioles to third place in the American League East, a half-game ahead of the Rays, who are 25-28 at home. The Orioles are 18-14 in the last game of a series.

A win also would make the Orioles 4-5 on a road trip that began with such promise and took a serious nose dive in the Bronx.

When super-agent Scott Boras dons his cape and soars into the in Nashville, he's going to omit Wei-Yin Chen's record from his presentation to team executives. It's irrelevant. Check the 2.86 ERA and 1.9 walks per nine innings over Chen's first 18 starts. Check how he's a left-hander.

Check how the Orioles concede that he's not re-signing with them.

Chen has lost his last two starts, but he's strung together six quality starts in a row to raise his total to 13. Forget the 4-6 record. It doesn't define his season.

If the Orioles eventually become sellers, they may as well try hard to move him and insert one of their Triple-A starters into his spot. Continue to critique Mike Wright or Tyler Wilson. Envision whether one of them could move into the rotation in 2016. At some point, the Orioles must figure out whether Wright is better suited for the bullpen, perhaps as Tommy Hunter's replacement if the right-hander leaves as a free agent.

The alternative, of course, is making Chen a qualifying offer and taking the draft pick. Teams have plenty of starters to choose from, which could lessen Chen's value on the trade market.

In the meantime, the Orioles say they're looking to add pieces and go for it in 2015. They could have climbed within six games of first place last night if the Yankees hadn't rallied past the Twins. They were down 5-1 when Chaz Roe (or #ChazHands) recorded the final out at Tropicana Field.

Chen has faced the Rays three times this season. He allowed three runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings on April 7, two runs and seven hits in six innings on May 3, and three runs and five hits in seven innings on May 30. He's 3-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 16 career starts against the Rays and 1- 2 with a 3.10 ERA in nine start at Tropicana Field.

James Loney is 5-for-16 with two doubles and a home run against Chen. Kevin Kiermaier is 4- for-9 with a triple and home run, Brandon Guyer is 5-for-14 with three doubles, Logan Forsythe is 6-for-20 with a double and two home runs, and Evan Longoria is 8-for-28 with three doubles.

Matt Moore is making his fifth start of the season. He's 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA, 10 walks and 11 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. He's averaging 4.8 walks per nine innings.

In a small sample size, he's been the anti-Chen when it comes to locating the strike zone. Moore has worked 4 2/3, 4 1/3, five and 4 2/3 innings in his four starts, keeping the Rays' bullpen busy.

Moore is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against the Orioles. The current group is batting .322 (28-for-87) against him.

Adam Jones is 9-for-19 with a double and two home runs, Matt Wieters is 8-for-14 with a double and two home runs, Manny Machado is 3-for-10 with a double and triple, Chris Davis is 2-for-13 with a double, and Nolan Reimold is 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.

David Lough singled, tripled and scored two runs last night as the leadoff hitter, but does his left- handed bat crack the lineup today against Moore?

The ideal Orioles lineup for me would include Machado batting second and Jones third. Davis, the team leader in home runs and RBIs, would move down from the second slot that he occupied last night. But Showalter is scrambling to find the right combination and to get the offense in gear.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/wieters-and-showalter-on-the-trade- deadline-and-game-update.html

Wrapping up a 5-1 win

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A team that's been scuffling for runs and maybe pressing a bit at the plate was able to exhale after one big swing.

The game was far from over, but a four-run cushion brought a certain level of comfort. Chris Davis hit his fifth career grand slam tonight in the third inning and Miguel Gonzalez held the Rays to one run over 7 2/3 innings in a 5-1 victory at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles won for only the sixth time in their last 21 games. They've scored more than three runs in two of their last 14 games.

"It was pretty big, especially with the way Miguel's been throwing the ball against these guys," Davis said. "Everybody that inning did a great job of not trying to do too much, just taking what (Erasmo) Ramirez gave them. And obviously, with a full count and bases loaded, I know he's not going to walk me, he's not trying to walk me, so I just look for a pitch over the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it.

"I think it gives you a little bit of breathing room and allows the pitching staff and the defense to go out and relax a little bit. Obviously, when you score you want to keep scoring and you don't want to stop or slow down, but I think we did a great job tonight of having good at bats, making them work and taking advantage of opportunities to score."

Davis conceded that the Orioles may have been trying too hard as the offense sputtered and the losses piled up.

"I think there were situations where we probably pressed a little bit," he said. "I think it's natural when you're scuffling to try to score runs to try to go out there and do too much. I thought it was a great inning for us to put together some base hits and come through with a big hit and for Miggy to shut them down was big.

"I think it just allows you to focus and enjoy the game a little bit. You don't feel like you're grinding every at bat, every pitch. You just go out there and play the game and really have fun and enjoy it."

David Lough, batting leadoff for the first time this season, singled in the third inning before Davis' slam.

"I think it was kind of a relief," he said of the home run. "We haven't been putting up too many runs, but to be able to do that and get a good cushion, a good lead, I think it definitely made us more calm."

Lough also tripled in the eighth and raced home with a big tack-on run when Logan Forsythe's relay sailed past third base.

"I was pretty gassed coming around second. I'm not going to lie," he said. "I'm not used to running around the bases like that, but it was good. Once I saw the ball get away from third and I was able to score, it was a good feeling.

"I peeked and I looked at Bobby (Dickerson) at third and he was waving his arms. I thought I had a chance, but I couldn't see the ball where it was. I just had to look at the third base coach."

Was Lough hoping that the official scorer would credit him with an inside-the-park home run?

"It doesn't matter to me," he said. "As long as I scored the run." Lough said he was looking forward to batting first tonight.

"It's been a while," he said. "Glad I was able to help our team win tonight and hopefully we keep it rolling."

Gonzalez lowered his season ERA to 3.99 in 106 innings. He's posted a 0.93 ERA in four starts this season against the Rays.

Gonzalez is 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA in eight career starts at Tropicana Field.

"Coming into this game, the first couple innings I was getting hit hard, but at guys who were making plays, and I think that was the difference," Gonzalez said.

"I think Wiety (Matt Wieters) did a good job changing speeds. My curveball was really good today, and my slider. Toward the end I was flying a little open, but its important to throw in to hitters early in the game and that's what really changed the game for us." So did the Davis slam.

"Having him to come up in that situation is really huge," Gonzalez said. "Even though Ramirez threw really well after that and settled down, we were able to win this ballgame and it was really important for us."

Here's a sampling from manager Buck Showalter:

On Gonzalez and the defense: "Good, good. It took a couple of innings to find his step. We played really good defense the first couple of innings. There were some hard hit balls. We were fortunate. Ryan (Flaherty) played really well at first base again tonight. I thought Snides (Travis Snider) got a got break on a ball. Adam (Jones) played like he always does. Jonathan (Schoop), some places we put him, worked out for us. Manny (Machado), we don't take for granted what he does for us over there."

On having a four-run lead: "It makes pitching a lot easier. Same as I've been telling you all every game for a while now, we've got to create some margin of error for our pitchers. Some guys don't perform as well with that, but our guys know I think right now that runs are at a premium for us offensively until we get it going. To go out there and throw a zero after that four- spot, which I thought was big. Then Miguel really got in step. I thought in the first couple of innings he was up with some pitches and we were able to catch it."

On Lough batting leadoff: "That's one game. We've had some guys go in there for a game and not ... David has that ability. I think when he saw the lineup, he was looking forward to giving us something that we were in need of. We've hit Chris second two or three times. I was hoping David would get on and get a few more , too. Right now, it's all about Kacey Musgraves."

She's performing at The Trop as I type this blog entry. I don't know a single song, but it's nice background music.

Some Rays fans are booing because Musgraves noted how she's friends with Davis because they're from the same region in Texas. Then she added, "Well, he did hit the grand slam tonight."

Boom.

Davis has 29 RBIs in 30 career games at The Trop, his most in any visiting ballpark. He's hit 28 in Toronto.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/more-on-matt-wieters-at-first-base.html

More on Matt Wieters at first base By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles rotation will stay in turn for the three-game series against the Braves next week at Camdem Yards.

Kevin Gausman will start Monday night, followed by Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman.

Matt Wieters came up with the idea of taking ground balls at first base this weekend at Tropicana Field. He suggested it to third base coach and infield instructor Bobby Dickerson, who passed it along to manager Buck Showalter.

"It's something where I wanted to be available to play first base if Buck wants it, especially with (Steve) Pearce on the DL now and not having a right-handed first baseman," Wieters said. "I knew it may be more of a possibility now than before. I just wanted to sort of prepare myself in case that call came around, and just take a few ground balls over there and get used to seeing it over there.

"I just thought it might be an option, especially with some lefty pitchers. It may be an option to have both me and Jimmy (Paredes) hit against left-handers and get me in the field. But it's more that I just want to prepare myself in case that situation arises, as opposed to just going out there cold turkey and not taking any ground balls and not having to cram 150 ground balls the first day I'm playing first base."

The Orioles will see three left-handed starters in the next four days - Tampa Bay's Matt Moore and Atlanta's Alex Wood and Manny Banuelos.

Wieters has played two games at first base in the majors and made one start in 2011. His other appearance came earlier this season and it lasted one inning.

Wieters worked out at first base before batting practice on Friday and during BP today.

"Matt did it on his own, but, yeah, in case we've got to put him over there," Showalter said. "Came close a couple times. He'll be fine over there. Really, it's footwork more than anything, so you don't worry about something with a runner down the line or something. But there's a lot of similarities to catching. Just make sure we've got our options available.

"It's something we've always considered, but it also keeps him in the game in case there's a problem with Caleb (Joseph) physically, even though I don't mind DHing him. I don't mind putting him in there. It's not the bugaboo people think it is to lose your DH. You don't really lose your DH. In that time of the game you're going to hit for you pitcher anyway.

"We've got plenty of coverage at first base."

Wieters still doesn't have a timetable for catching back-to-back games. He's done it once since coming off the disabled list, in Minnesota right before the All-Star break.

"It's probably going to be a little while still," he said. "It's something to where, when we did it in Minnesota we thought it was a good time to schedule because we had those off-days built in, and realizing after doing it that I wasn't going to be much help to the team on the day off in between. It might be better for a little while at least to go every other day to where I feel like if I'm needed late in the game I'm there to help the team in those games."

Wieters is behind the plate tonight, but he could stay in the lineup Sunday at first base or as the designated hitter. He's 8-for-14 with a double and two home runs lifetime against Moore.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/on-the-offense-tonights-game-and-a- scoring-change.html

On the offense, tonight's game and a scoring change

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 25, 2015

ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - What else can Orioles manager Buck Showalter do in an attempt to ignite his offense?

Showalter tinkered with his lineup again yesterday, putting Jimmy Paredes in the leadoff spot against Rays starter Chris Archer. Paredes struck out in all four at-bats.

Ryan Flaherty batted second and singled in the first inning. Jonathan Schoop will replace him at second base tonight.

Manny Machado was lowered to third and singled twice and walked. He also was hit by a pitch. He's going to hit in any spot in the order.

Showalter needs a few guys to heat up and he's giving them plenty of opportunities. Paredes is 11-for-59 with three walks and 23 strikeouts this month. Travis Snider struck out and bounced into a double play last night before being removed for a pinch-hitter, making him 2-for-24 with six strikeouts this month. Chris Parmelee is 6-for-43.

Paredes was the first Orioles leadoff hitter with four strikeouts since J.J. Hardy on July 27, 2011 in Toronto.

It all starts with starting pitching, and there's room for improvement in the rotation, but the lack of offense is killing this club.

Miguel Gonzalez is an example of how the rotation needs to become more consistent. He's living it by allowing six, one, six and two runs in his last four starts. In his last two outings, he's allowed eight runs and 15 hits over 10 innings.

Gonzalez has faced the Rays three times this season and surrendered two runs and 10 hits in 21 1/3 innings. He's walked six and struck out 17.

Gonzalez is 5-4 with a 3.20 ERA in 14 career starts against the Rays and 4-2 with a 2.05 ERA in seven starts at Tropicana Field. The current Rays are batting .218 against him.

James Loney is 4-for-23, Kevin Kiermaier is 2-for-11 and Evan Longoria is 7-for-30 with a home run.

Left-handers are batting .251 against Gonzalez this season and right-handers are hitting .250. I guess that counts as being consistent.

Tampa Bay right-hander Erasmo Ramirez has allowed one earned run or fewer in eight of his last nine starts. He surrendered only two runs in the other start, and he's lost once since May 24.

Ramirez's first appearance against the Orioles this season came in relief. He tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one on May 3. Ramirez started on May 30 and shut out the Orioles on three hits over seven innings. He's 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four career games (three starts) against them.

The current Orioles are 5-for-50 against Ramirez, who's holding left-handers to a .189 average this season. Flaherty is 2-for-5, Matt Wieters is 1-for-5 with a home run, Machado is 1-for-8 with a home run and Chris Davis is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts.

Chris Tillman last night became the first Orioles pitcher with consecutive starts of seven or more innings, two hits or fewer and one run or fewer since Matt Riley on Sept. 7-15, 2004. Riley issued 12 walks in those two starts.

Darren O'Day hadn't allowed a run to the Rays in 10 consecutive appearances before taking the loss last night. The last run came June 16, 2014. The three hits allowed were the most against the Rays since June 9, 2008 while pitching for the Angels.

Before yesterday's game, Showalter said he agreed with the scoring change Thursday afternoon that gave Davis a double on a ball that Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner appeared to lose in the sun. Gardner initially was given an error.

Official scorer Howie Karpin checked with both clubhouses afterward and made the change.

"Oh, yeah," Showalter said." In fairness to him, I've known him a long time and he's very conscientious. One of the few guys who comes down. He came down and asked, and he went to Gardner afterward. He never called it a hit and then went to error and back to hit. They just put it up there. And that's what's tough on scorers. Guys jump to conclusions. He scored it an error all the way.

"That's a great example of how there should be a team error. A pitcher shouldn't get penalized for giving up a fly ball to left field, the left fielder shouldn't get penalized, and the hitter really shouldn't get penalized for contacting a ball into an area where nobody could catch it because of the sun. So who's at fault? It's a hit, but the pitcher shouldn't get penalized, either.

"There are so many things. You should be able to assume a double play in the majors on a routine double play. And I think you should get an RBI for hitting into a double play with a man on third. You did bat the run in. There are about 10 they should change. A team error would make it so much easier for scoring.

"You've got different scorers looking at it differently, which is crazy. It should be uniform."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/wrapping-up-a-3-1-loss.html

Wrapping up a 3-1 loss

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 24, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles lost for the 15th time in 20 games tonight, failing for the first time in 40 chances to hold a lead after the seventh inning.

The Orioles hadn't lost when leading after the seventh since July 23, 2014 in Anaheim.

Players have been insisting that they're not frustrated, but there's no doubt that they were dressing in a somber clubhouse following tonight's 3-1 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Asked for the collective mood, reliever Darren O'Day replied, "Look around. Come on. Next."

O'Day was charged with the loss after letting an inherited runner score and two of his own in the eighth inning. He hadn't surrendered three hits in an inning until tonight.

John Jaso singled with two outs to score Kevin Kiermaier and tie the game. Evan Longoria singled, James Loney was walked intentionally after working a three-ball count and light-hitting Tim Beckham delivered a two-run single up the middle, the ball kicking off the front of the mound.

"I made some good pitches. Made a couple really bad pitches," O'Day said after the Orioles fell three games below .500 for the first time since June 9.

"The one to Jaso was pretty bad and the one to Beckham, 0-2, I have to be better than that. Can't leave anything close to the zone where he can win the game like that. Longoria didn't hit the ball hard, but he did his job. He got his bat on the ball with two strikes and extended the inning."

Chris Tillman was denied the win after taking a two-hit shutout into the eighth. He hadn't been charged with a run in 16 consecutive innings.

"He pitched great," O'Day said. "His past two starts have been awesome and that's what we need out of him. We know he's capable of it. He put us in a good spot to win. I didn't get my job done and get it to Zach (Britton). We needed a win, so that's a tough one."

The offense has produced nine runs during a four-game losing streak. Too much pressure is placed on the starters and bullpen.

Perhaps it just takes one win, one offensive uprising, to get the Orioles rolling again. But how long can they afford to wait?

"Yeah, you want to get some momentum going," O'Day said. "It would have been a nice win tonight against one of the best pitchers (Chris Archer) in the American League. It just wasn't meant to be." The Orioles were 39-0 when leading after seven innings. O'Day had allowed only three earned runs in his last 33 appearances.

"Darren is one of the best relief pitchers in baseball," said manager Buck Showalter. "I'm not even going to attempt to critique. He's been solid, he was a pitch away from getting out of that. He got us back in the dugout. He's so much better than tonight. He gets many mulligans with us.

"The story is we just haven't scored any runs. I'm not going to sit here and critique pitching. Tilly was outstanding again and unfortunately their guy was, too. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball and (Jake) McGee is one of the best relievers in baseball and we've done a good job of competing with those guys over the years. We've just got to give our pitchers some margin for error."

Here's more from the clubhouse:

Showalter on Tillman:

"He's been good more than those two. Chris is a track record guy that has a lot of heart and guile and he'll go home tonight upset because he walked the leadoff hitter. He was getting a little off his game I thought the inning before, but we've got someone like Darren down there. He's as good as anybody. We liked the matchup. It just didn't work out tonight. Bottom line, we just have to score some more runs. We aren't giving our pitchers any margin or error. It's very easy to sit in an ivory tower and critique that, but those guys are very good pitchers. It's not easy."

Showalter on raising Archer's pitch count with good at-bats:

"There were some competitive at-bats. One of the reasons why we had a shot, we made Archer... There's two ways to look at that. He throws a lot of pitches because he's striking a lot of guys out. Let's not pat ourselves on the back too quick. But I thought our guys grinded it. Tilly was the reason we stayed in the ballgame. One run doesn't usually do it. Chris matched a very good pitcher by going deeper in the game than he did."

Tillman on why he's been so much better:

"I'm just executing better and when I do get in trouble I'm able to make a pitch to get out of it. It's been there for a while now. Just kind of carried over from the last couple starts from the first half and we're taking advantage of it."

Tillman on the mood of the club:

"Clubhouse is fine. I've never seen it change. Win or lose, rain or shine it's always the same. We've got a lot of veteran guys in there that do the job and that's what's going on now as well. We're not playing bad baseball, we just aren't getting the timely hits and timely pitches."

Tillman on O'Day:

"He's been good. It's tough. I didn't finish my job and I put him in a bad situation. That's on me."

Manny Machado, who had two hits and a walk, on batting third:

"Another place in the batting order. I've got to go up there and do the same job that I've been doing all year and help this team try and win whatever win."

Machado on his reaction to being hit on the left shoulder by Alex Colome:

"I just saw the ball up and in. Nobody likes to get thrown at at the head, but it wasn't intentional, like I said. It's just part of the game. I've got to go out there and take a hit by pitch, go to first base like I did and just move on. We came up with the loss today which just makes it sick back in the heart. We've got to come out tomorrow and play. We've got to keep playing baseball. We're just a couple of hits away. We're just a couple of innings away. We've just got to clean it up. It's just part of the game, it's part of the grind that we've got to get. This is where champions are made right here."

Machado on Archer:

"He had all his pitches working today. His slider was nasty. His fastball was getting up there the whole game. It was going to be tough. Whenever you can get a lead on a guy like that, you have to. We're just a couple hits away, a couple runs away, but it's just a part of the grind. We're going to be facing the best of the best from now on and we know this is where we're going to make it or break it here. We've just got to clean it up a little bit, go out there and do better with runners in scoring position and our part."

Machado on Tillman's roll:

"It's awesome. He's got to keep it up. It sucks that we couldn't get the W for him today, but it's all part of it. He's needs to keep throwing the ball well, keep doing what he's doing and don't change anything."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/updates-on-peace-the-lineup-and-trade- rumors.html

Updates on Pearce, the lineup and trade rumors

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 24, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Steve Pearce's MRI on his left oblique revealed a Grade 1 strain, which is considered good news for the Orioles.

Manager Buck Showalter doesn't know whether Pearce will be ready in 15 days, saying it's "iffy." Pearce is eligible to return from the disabled list on Aug. 3.

"It showed some inflammation in there. Not severe as it could have been, but he's obviously got something in there," Showalter said.

"I know the normal time those things take. What's tough is you can't go test it, but it's definitely a good decision to put him on."

Pearce most likely will stay with the Orioles instead of reporting to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota.

"I'll talk to Steve a little bit when we get back on Monday," Showalter said. "I think we'll probably keep him, but don't hold me to it. When he gets close to going out, there might be a different scenario there."

Showalter juggled his lineup by lowering Manny Machado to third and batting Jimmy Paredesleadoff.

"Just a little different look, move a couple things around, see if we can get a little more production," Showalter said.

As for Paredes batting first, Showalter said, "We don't really have that the way that people look at it. If not him, then who? I look at everybody. Chris Davis."

Ryan Flaherty is starting at second base and batting second, with Jonathan Schoop on the bench. Schoop will return to the lineup on Saturday, and he's guaranteed to be in it Sunday against Rays left-hander Matt Moore.

"I really didn't want to play Jon on the turf three straight days if I could help it," Showalter said. "We'll take it day by day. I'd love to run the same lineup out there every day - the same left fielder, same right fielder, same leadoff guy, but it's been hard to do."

Machado never has batted third in the majors, but he's tied for the team lead in home runs with 21 and ranks second in RBIs with 51.

"He could be leading off tomorrow," Showalter said. "We're looking for something to kind of jump start us a little bit. If (Chris) Archer is on top of his game tonight, it's going to be a challenge. We'll see. I don't know. Manny's done a nice job leading off and probably will again. It's nice to know he's capable of doing that."

This is the point where Showalter mocked all the trade rumors.

"We've got these four or five big trades that can happen any second now that's going to change all that," he said, rolling his eyes.

The hot rumor today was Chris Davis going to the Pirates for two minor league pitchers. I also heard from an industry source that the Orioles were talking to the Braves regarding catcherMatt Wieters, another pending free agent and Scott Boras client. But three people in the organization indicated to me that the Orioles remain buyers.

Director of public relations Kristen Hudak keeps Showalter posted on the latest rumors and speculation.

"I don't read anything or listen," Showalter said. "Obviously, I have to go get coffee and someone's talking on MLB Network, but unless she tells me about it, I don't know. She told me about (Kevin) Gausman because he was pitching that night, and Gaus started laughing about it. And something about Davis and Pittsburgh and something."

Told that there's been speculation that the Orioles also could deal Wei-Yin Chen, the third pending free agent repped by Boras, Showalter replied, "That's news to me."

"Dan (Duquette) hasn't even brought that up and he brings up anything and everything that might be out there," Showalter added. "He hasn't even mentioned that. There's so much stuff."

I do know that the Mariners are searching for another catcher and have contacted the Orioles about Triple-A Norfolk's Steve Clevenger, who was named to the International League All-Star team. However, the Orioles are hesitant to part with him unless they can package him in a bigger deal.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/a-look-at-the-wild-card-race-and-a-take- on-nick-markakis-return-tonight.html

A look at the wild card race and a take on Nick Markakis' return tonight

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 27, 2015

There are now six teams within five games of the second wild card berth in the American League. The Orioles are one of the six and they are 3 1/2 games back of Minnesota at this point.

Did the Orioles pull some fans back in with back-to-back wins at Tampa Bay? The wins came right after a four-game losing streak that included dropping three in a row at New York.

Last night, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted this:

"On July 29, 2014, KC was 3 1/2 games behind in WC race--and played Game 7 of the World Series. DET starts this game 3 1/2 behind in WC."

Did I mention the Orioles are 3 1/2 out in the wild card race right now? The Royals were 53-52 last year on that date.

Now the Orioles return for seven straight at home, where they are 27-18. A grueling West Coast trip follows this homestand. The mountain still seems pretty big for the Orioles to climb, but the uphill climb continues tonight at Camden Yards.

Tonight is a big start for Kevin Gausman. For one, he'll try to keep the momentum generated the last two days. For two, he's given up 12 runs in 9 2/3 innings over his last two starts. This is his chance to prove he belongs in the 2016 rotation with his starts the rest of this year.

Does he have a strong outing in him tonight?

Nick at night tonight at the Yard: I would never tell any fan or paying customer going to Camden Yards how to feel or whether to cheer or boo. I can only say I hope the fans give Nick Markakis a nice welcome back to Camden Yards tonight.

Markakis was a very solid player and leader for the Orioles for nine years. He played hard and he played every day. He led by example. He showed the younger players the way and he played very well on some very bad Orioles teams.

Many fans can probably remember how sad it was on that September night in 2012 when CC Sabathia threw a pitch that broke Markakis' thumb. As the team was charging toward the playoffs for the first time since 1997, Markakis would not be there to join them. At the time, there was faint hope he'd make it back, but it was a longshot that didn't come in.

Markakis finally got to play in a playoff game for the Orioles last October. It was great to see the lifelong Oriole - a player drafted in round one by the club in 2003 - get to do that. He more than earned it.

Markakis was proud to wear the orange and black at a time when it was hard for fans to be proud of the franchise. A few players have told me privately this year that there is no doubt that his leadership in the clubhouse is missed.

Rather than use today and tonight to once again debate whether he should have been re-signed or if his neck injury was a major concern or to go over old ground, it would be nice to just remember his Orioles career. It will clearly take him to the team's Hall of Fame one day.

In the end, the Orioles passed on the chance to re-sign Nick at the price of four years and $44 million. I hope fans don't pass on the chance tonight and during this series to let Markakis know they appreciated what he did for and what he meant to the Orioles.

Pregame TV: I'll be on "O's Xtra" tonight at 6:30 p.m. on MASN, talking about the Orioles minor leagues. Triple-A Norfolk won again last night, beating Durham 11-1. Christian Walker homered off Drew Smyly, who allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Tides.

The Orioles' top three minor league clubs remain in first place with Norfolk, Double-A Bowie and Single-A Frederick leading their divisions. Short-season Single-A Aberdeen is just one game out of first. Some good things are happening on the farm and we'll talk about some of them tonight.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/os-game-blog-its-chen-against-moore-in- road-trip-finale.html

O's game blog: It's Chen against Moore in road trip finale

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

The Orioles scored five runs in their win over Tampa Bay on Saturday night. While four came on one swing, it was still just the third time in the last 19 games the Orioles have scored five or more runs.

With that 5-1 win, thanks in large part to Chris Davis's fifth career grand slam, the Orioles are 41-12 when they score four or more runs and 6-37 when they score three runs or less.

The Orioles have had 10 hits or fewer in 23 of their last 24 games. They've had seven hits or fewer in the last five games, with a team average of .181 with 14 runs scored in that stretch. Five of their seven hits last night came in the third inning. They went 5-for-8 that inning and 2-for-26 the rest of the game.

But still they got a win to break a four-game losing streak and improve to 47-49. They will try to end their road trip with a win today to take the series against Tampa Bay.

While last night they faced a pitcher on a roll while their starter had struggled recently, today the opposite is true.

The O's start Wei-Yin Chen (4-6, 2.86 ERA) against left-hander Matt Moore (1-1, 7.23 ERA). Coming back from Tommy John surgery, this will be Moore's fifth start of the season.

Chen gave up three runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings in his last start at New York, snapping a stretch of seven straight starts allowing two earned runs or less. Chen has recorded a career-high tying and an O's season-high six straight quality starts, going 2-2 with a 2.28 ERA. Over his last eight starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.47 ERA.

Chen has been pretty consistent this year with an ERA of 2.88 at home and 2.83 on the road. He had an ERA of 2.78 in April, 3.46 in May and 2.13 in June. His July ERA is 2.76.

Chen is 1-2 with a 3.10 ERA in nine career starts at Tropicana Field. He is 3-5 with an ERA of 3.42 in 16 starts versus the Rays.

The 26-year-old Moore has had some command issues in his return from surgery. In 18 2/3 innings, he has allowed 25 hits with 10 walks, 11 strikeouts and a .333 average against. He has thrown between 81 and 88 pitches in each of his four starts.

Moore has not faced the Orioles this year and is 4-3 with an ERA of 3.86 in eight games and seven career starts versus Baltimore. He has allowed an average of .286 with a WHIP of 1.61 in his career against the Orioles.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/miguel-gonzalez-with-a-bounce-back- outing-and-some-bowie-banter.html

Miguel Gonzalez with a bounceback outing, plus some Bowie banter

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 26, 2015

With Chris Davis and Miguel Gonzalez playing co-starring roles, the Orioles ended their four- game losing streak and won for just the sixth time in 21 games on Saturday night. They improved to 47-49 for the season.

Davis hit his fifth career grand slam to back a much-needed strong outing by Gonzalez, who had pitched to an ERA of 6.75 over his previous five starts. But he gave up just one run in 7 2/3 innings to help the Orioles end the losing streak with a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay.

Gonzalez and Chris Tillman have gotten the starts as the Orioles have pitched back-to-back five- hitters in this series. They have combined to allow just two runs in 14 2/3 innings. The Orioles have two straight seven-inning outings from their starters for the first time since the June 28 against Cleveland.

Gonzalez continues to pitch well within the division. That was his 51st career game and 48th start versus an American League East opponent. He is 22-11 with an ERA of 3.16 and 28 quality starts against the East.

Bowie Baysox banter: When I talked to Double-A Bowie manager Gary Kendall earlier this week to discuss right-hander Terry Doyle, we also talked about a few other Baysox players.

Right-hander Andrew Triggs, 26, is another veteran pitcher who has had a strong year for Bowie. In 27 games out of the bullpen, Triggs is 0-2 with an ERA of 0.62 and nine saves in nine chances. Over 43 1/3 innings, he has allowed 29 hits, just three earned runs and no homers with 10 walks and 48 strikeouts. He has allowed an average of .160 versus lefty batters and .212 against right-handed hitters.

Drafted in round 19 by Kansas City in 2012 out of USC, Triggs was a Double-A Texas League All-Star in 2014.

He throws from an arm slot that is low three-quarters and almost sidearm with a low 90s fastball. Triggs has pitched 16 consecutive scoreless outings since May 20.

"He's had a really good year, really consistent," Kendall said. "You know here is a right-hander that throws from the side and often the splits from that arm slot are usually better against right- handers, but he has the ability to get left-handers out just as well.

"He sinks the ball and has a good sweeping slider that he usually keeps down and he changes speeds. He pitches average to a touch better with his fastball. But for the most part, it's about where he locates the ball and he has good life to his fastball."

Bowie recently moved left-hander Tim Berry to the bullpen. He struggled, going 2-7 with a 7.75 ERA in 15 starts. He has a 5.06 ERA in six bullpen appearances over five innings.

Ranked as the Orioles' No. 6 prospect by after the 2013 season and No. 7 after last year, Berry went 6-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 2014 with the Baysox.

"A lot of it is confidence," Kendall said. "He got off to such a rough start and it's been a tough year for him. With the move to the bullpen, the Orioles thought it might be a way to get through this thing and just try to execute one out at a time and go after hitters.

"I think he has taken to the role and he's getting his bullpens in and is trying to better execute pitches. He had times earlier where he would get two quick outs and then leave a few balls in the middle of the plate and get hurt.

"We're just trying to get him some work to get that confidence and get him to believe in himself, because we certainly believe in him. Get that consistency of the back and his breaking ball. It is all about him executing pitches. When he does he has success."

Miranda debuts: Meanwhile, Cuban left-hander Ariel Miranda, signed by the Orioles in May, made his Bowie debut last night. It was a good one. Miranda went six innings at Harrisburg, allowing four hits and one unearned run. He walked two, fanned seven and threw 55 of 82 pitches for strikes.

The 26-year-old Miranda made five starts with Single-A Frederick before his promotion to the Baysox. In his last two Frederick starts, he was 1-0 with an ERA of 0.82. He pitched six no-hit innings in his final outing for the Keys.

Harrisburg scored two late runs off Jason Garcia last night to beat Bowie 3-2 and drop the Baysox to 54-45. In his past two appearances, Garcia has allowed six hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings. He did not allow a run over six innings in his first four Bowie outings.

Single-A Frederick produced its seventh walk-off win of the season last night. 's RBI double in the 11th inning gave the Keys a 2-1 win over Winston-Salem. The Keys have won four in a row. At 17-13, Frederick holds the lead in its division in the second half race by 2 1/2 games.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/a-few-notes-on-the-latest-loss-and-more- winning-winning-on-the-os-farm.html

A few notes on the latest loss and more winning on the O's farm

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 25, 2015

Not too much more to say after the latest loss for the Orioles, one that has Birdland remaining in an ornery mood.

Despite public comments that they remain buyers, not sellers, there seems at this point little reason for the Orioles to part with anything that could help in the future. Yes, they can get draft picks for departing free agents that turn down a qualifying offer. But if the return they can get now is better, I see no reason to strongly consider that.

I would open extension talks with reliever Darren O'Day to try to at least keep together the O's one-two punch at the end of games. Other than that, I'd be very willing to listen to any offers.

Now, some not-so-great numbers:

* The Orioles are 15-19 in series-opening games, including an 0-3 mark in the second half. * The Orioles are 5-13 in July. Their team ERA in the month is 3.82, but the O's team batting average is just .224 and they are scoring 3.1 runs per game. * The Orioles are now 24-24 against the AL East. Take away their 9-4 record against Boston and they are 15-20. Last year the Orioles went 47-29 in AL East games. * The Orioles are 2-5 on this road trip and 19-31 on the road this year. Last year, they went 46- 35 away from the Yard. * The Orioles are 6-37 when they score three runs or fewer, something they have done in 14 of the last 17 games. They are 2-31 when scoring two runs or fewer.

Chris Tillman deserved a few more runs last night. It's hard to win 1-0, something the Orioles had done once before this year. They beat Boston by that score June 9.

Tillman has clearly turned around his season. After retiring the last 23 batters he faced Saturday at Detroit he retired the first five he saw last night. Yep, he got 28 in a row, one more than you retire in a perfect game.

Tillman faced 36 consecutive batters between allowing hits. He gave up a single to the first batter he faced in Detroit and then didn't allow a hit until Evan Longoria doubled with one out in the fourth last night.

Tillman is the first O's pitcher with consecutive starts of seven-plus innings, allowing two hits or less and one run or less since Matt Riley did it. Riley accomplished that on Sept. 7 and Sept. 15, 2004.

Over his last five starts, Tillman is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.38. In 32 2/3 innings, he has allowed 25 hits and five runs with six walks, 28 strikeouts and no homers allowed.

At least something is going right these days.

Here is more going right: The Orioles' top three farm teams are in first place after their latest wins Friday night.

Triple-A Norfolk won a modified doubleheader. They won the first game - which was the completion of a suspended game on July 3 - 2-0 over Durham. They took the nightcap 3-2. The Tides are now 58-41, lead their division by two games and have the best record in the International League.

When the first game was resumed it was 0-0 in the fifth. Norfolk quickly gained the lead on RBI singles by Dariel Alvarez and Christian Walker.

The two runs were enough for Norfolk's relief corps, as Steve Johnson (4-1), Dana Eveland and Oliver Drake fired five shutout innings to help the Tides register their 11th shutout. Johnson earned the win with three shutout innings, while Drake picked up the save after striking out the side in the ninth in his first outing off the disabled list.

In the second game, O's prospect Zach Davies outdueled Tampa Bay's No. 4 prospect, . Davies, now 4-6 with a 3.02 ERA, gave up two runs in six innings.

Walker had three more hits in the second game. Over an eight-game batting streak, he is hitting .441 (15-for-34) with five doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs.

With the Orioles possibly having an opening at first base next year, Walker is on a tear now, Trey Mancini is batting .360 at Bowie and don't completely discount . He is hitting .312 with an OPS of .970 for the Baysox.

Meanwhile, the amazing season of Bowie right-handed pitcher Terry Doyle continued last night as he scattered 11 hits over 7 2/3 innings in Bowie's 5-1 win over Harrisburg. Doyle is now 12-1 with an ERA of 2.02.

His 12 wins ties for the lead in all of minor league baseball and the 29-year-old Doyle has the most wins by a Baysox pitcher since Brad Bergesen had 15 and Jason Berken 12 in 2008. Earlier this week I wrote this profile on Doyle.

Meanwhile, Single-A Frederick completed a sweep of Potomac with a 5-1 win last night. The Keys staff allowed one run in three straight games. Conor Bierfeldt drove in three, and Frederick is 16-13 and leading its division in the second-half race.

The Keys return home tonight for a big evening. It includes a Christmas in July promotion along with a Zach Britton bobblehead giveaway and postgame fireworks.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/07/26/ap-bbo-braves-orioles-preview-1st-ld-writethru

Braves-Orioles Preview

SI.com July 27, 2015

With Nick Markakis providing a dependable bat and stellar defense, the Baltimore Orioles made runs to the playoffs in two of the previous three seasons.

Now they're hoping they have what it takes to do it again with Markakis now in Atlanta.

As their one of their former cornerstones returns to Camden Yards for the first time, the Orioles seek their first three-game winning streak in nearly a month Monday night against the Braves.

Markakis, Baltimore's first-round pick in 2003, emerged as one of the club's top players early on during his nine-year stay. He then batted near the top of the lineup when the Orioles claimed an AL wild-card spot in 2012 and their first East title in 17 years last season.

The right fielder also won his second Gold Glove Award in 2014 before grabbing an opportunity to return to his roots by inking a four-year, $44 million deal with Atlanta in the offseason. He lived in Woodstock, Georgia, after moving there when he was 10 years old.

"Nick is having a good year, like everybody knew he would," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter told MLB's official website. "We know one thing, he can play the right field wall well. I'm sure they'll use him in the advanced meeting."

Markakis, a career .288 hitter at Camden Yards, is batting .286 with the Braves (46-52) after going 1 for 5 in Sunday's 3-2 win over St. Louis that snapped a season-high seven-game road skid. He's hit well versus AL pitching this year, going 12 for 31 (.387) in nine interleague games.

The Orioles, meanwhile, have used eight different players in right field. Delmon Young, who has played a team-high 40 games there, was released earlier this month. Travis Snider has struggled of late with just two hits in 27 at-bats over his last 10 games.

Nolan Reimold, though, shined there Sunday with three hits and two RBIs in a 5-2 win at Tampa Bay. Baltimore (48-49) has totaled 10 runs and 17 hits in the last two games after hitting .175 and scoring nine times while losing its previous four.

After falling out of first place during a 5-15 stretch, the Orioles hope to take another step forward by winning three straight for the first time since a four-game run from June 25-28.

Atlanta's Alex Wood struggled in an 11-3 loss at Colorado on July 12, but got back on track Tuesday by giving up three runs over 6 2-3 innings in a 4-3 home win over the .

The left-hander has never faced the Orioles, though Snider has gone 3 for 7 with a home run off Wood (7-6, 3.78 ERA) dating to his time with Pittsburgh.

Since allowing two runs over 11 1-3 innings in his first two starts, Kevin Gausman has surrendered 12 runs over 9 2-3 while dropping his last two. He yielded four runs over six in Wednesday's 4-3 loss at in his first outing following a two-week stint at Triple- A Norfolk.

Gausman (1-2, 5.18) has given up three first-inning runs in each of his last two starts. Atlanta, however, hasn't scored in the first while batting .194 and totaling six runs in its last four games.

Freddie Freeman went 1 for 3 Sunday in his first start since June 17 due to a wrist injury, while rookie third baseman Adonis Garcia hit his first career home run.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-try-win-third-straight-markakis-returns

Orioles try to win third straight as Markakis returns

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 27, 2015

Tonight's Game:

Atlanta Braves (46-52) vs. Baltimore Orioles (48-49), Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Alex Wood (7-6, 3.78) vs. Kevin Gausman (1-2, 5.18)

Keys to the Game:

Can the Orioles continue their hot hitting against the Braves? The Orioles have scored five runs in two straight games for the first time since June 21-23.

Can Gausman give the Orioles a strong start? In his last start against the Yankees, Gausman allowed three runs in the first inning.

News and Notes:

It will be Nick Markakis' first appearance in Baltimore as a visiting player.

Jim Johnson, who holds the Orioles single-season record for saves, is now the Braves' closer and has nine saves and a 2.11 ERA.

Matt Wieters missed Sunday's game with a stiff back. Manager Buck Showalter said he's expected to play on Monday.

Nolan Reimold had his first three-hit game on Sunday since Apr. 20, 2012.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-will-find-out-more-about-pearce-monday

Orioles will find out more about Pearce on Monday

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. –- The Orioles will have a chance to check on Steve Pearce on Monday. Pearce was placed on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, retroactive to July 12, on Wednesday.

Manager Buck Showalter has termed Pearce’s chances as “iffy” to return from the disabled list when he’s eligible on Aug. 3.

Pearce was upset to have missed the trip to Tropicana Field. He’s from nearby Lakeland, and has a .283 average with five home runs and 11 RBIs in 17 games here.

Showalter says the team has to evaluate him and decide whether Pearce is going to rehabilitate with the Orioles or go Sarasota for more intensive treatment.

“I have a sneaking suspicion Stevie found a cage somewhere during the break. What do you think? I'm talking about during the All-Star break. He was supposed to let things quiet down a little bit. I don't know if he did,” Showalter said.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/stiff-back-prevents-wieters-playing-first-base

Stiff back prevents Wieters from playing first base

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 26, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Buck Showalter wanted to start Matt Wieters at first base against Tampa Bay left-hander Matt Moore. Wieters isn’t playing because his back stiffened up late in Saturday night’s game.

Wieters is 8-for-14 (.571) with two home runs against Moore. “I really was going to play him at first base today,” Showalter said. “A lot better today. I think he’ll be fine to catch tomorrow. I don’t want to put that in jeopardy.”

Wieters has recently been working out at first base and Showalter wanted to give him his second career start there and his first since Aug. 21, 2011.

Showalter didn’t want to use him as the designated hitter, either.

“Matt dhing, I don’t think quite agrees with him too much,” Showalter said.

Wieters is just 1-for-17 as a designated hitter this year.

Showalter noted that Wieters feels better than he did last night.

“It just stiffened up on him a couple of times,” Showalter said. “He said it was challenging the last couple of innings.”

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/showalter-doesnt-want-hear-buyers-or-sellers

Showalter doesn't want to hear 'buyers or sellers'

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Some have suggested the Orioles promote some top players from Norfolk. Others think the Orioles ought to be aggressive in the trade market.

Manager Buck Showalter says the Orioles are open to anything.

“We’re always looking for ways to get better,” he said.

But, Showalter who has often said the answers are going to come from within the clubhouse defends his players.

“These guys are capable of doing what we need done,” Showalter said.

A lot of the rumors have upset Showalter because he’s developed close working relationship with many of his players.

“When people start talking about buyers and sellers, that’s really disrespectful to the players, I think. It treats them like pieces of meat like we’re moving around carcasses or something. I don’t like that term. I know it’s become stylish for everybody to say,” Showalter said.

“These are human beings who have helped us do some really good things here and will again and I’m not going to throw them underneath the bus because we haven’t done well lately. I’m just not going to get in that world.”

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-yet-have-complete-game-2015

Orioles yet to have complete game in 2015

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 25, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are the only two American League teams without a complete game. The Orioles have yet to have a pitcher work into the ninth inning.

“I’d like to have about 10 in a row,” manager Buck Showalter joked. “It usually means you win the game. I like that part of it.”

Last year, the Orioles had three, one each by Kevin Gausman, Miguel Gonzalez and Chris Tillman, though Gausman’s came in a game shortened to five innings by rain.

“It’s hard to do,” Showalter said.

The Orioles have excellent relief options in Zach Britton and Darren O’Day and because of their reliability, Showalter is more likely to use them than stick with a starter.

On July 1, Wei-Yin Chen didn’t come out for the ninth inning despite throwing just 87 pitches in the first eight innings. Chris Tillman had 106 on July 18 and left after eight.

“Knowing your starters and what they did in their last outing and what their track record shows what it means over the long haul, the wear and tear,” Showalter said.

“There are so many variables…If you don’t have Zach and Darren down there, you look at your options. You don’t want to rob from Peter to pay Paul and put some starting pitcher in harms way for his next start four days later.”

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-looking-spark-move-machado-down

Orioles looking for a spark, move Machado down

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 24, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. –- After 69 consecutive games as the leadoff hitter, Manny Machado will bat third for the first time as a major leaguer on Friday night. Manager Buck Showalter moved Machado from first to third and has Jimmy Paredes in the leadoff spot.

“Just a little different look, kind of move a couple of things around, see if we can get a little more production,” Showalter said.

Paredes is the first Oriole DH to bat leadoff since Nick Markakis did on Sept. 2, 2014.

“If not him, then who? I look at everybody,” Showalter said.

“I’d love to run the same lineup out there every day, same left fielder, same right fielder, same leadoff guy, kind of hard.”

Showalter said not to expect the same lineup on Saturday.

“We’re looking for something to jump start us a little bit. We’ll see,” Showalter said.

“Manny’s done a good job leading off and probably will again. It’s nice to know he’s capable of doing that.”

NOTE: Steve Pearce had an MRI on his left oblique. Showalter said the results showed that Pearce’s strain was mild, but he didn’t want to guess if he could return from the disabled list when he’s eligible on Aug. 3.

“He’s obviously got something in there,” Showalter said. “I know the normal time those things take, but it’s tough because you can’t go test it. It’s definitely a good decision to put him on [the disabled list]. I’d say it’s iffy if he makes the DL period.”

Showalter thinks that Pearce will probably rehab with the team and he’ll discuss it with him when the team returns to Baltimore on Monday.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/07/27/wear-orange-get-free-chicken-at-os-days-at-chick-fil-a/

Wear Orange, Get FREE Chicken At ‘O’s Days At Chick-fil- A’

CBS Baltimore July 27, 2015

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Chick-fil-A partnered with the Baltimore Orioles this year to offer fans “O’s Days at Chick-fil-A.”

From April through September, there will be one date each month when Orioles fans wearing orange clothing or Orioles apparel can visit any participating Baltimore area Chick-fil-A between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. to receive a complimentary original chicken sandwich. Each participating fan may receive one sandwich per visit on the six select dates.

“O’s Days at Chick-fil-A” will take place on the first day of one Orioles homestand each month. Orioles fans who wish to participate in this new promotion can enjoy “O’s Days at Chick-fil-A” on the following dates:

Monday, July 27 Monday, August 31 Monday, September 28

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/07/24/new-home-run-medallions-installed-for-chris-davis/

New Home Run Medallions Installed For Chris Davis

CBS Baltimore July 24, 2015

Two new home run medallions have been added to Eutaw Street in honor of Chris Davis. Be sure to check them out on your next visit to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Chris Davis’ medallions (his 6th and 7th) join other Orioles, such as Matt Wieters, Brady Anderson, Eddie Murray, Luke Scott, Jay Gibbons, and more. Let’s not forget about the famous Ken Griffey Jr. homer during the that hit the warehouse.

Check out the Eutaw Street Home Run Tracker here to see the placement and even a video of each of the heavy hits.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2015/7/24/friday-replay-meet-the-baby-os-fans-named- camden-and-yardley

Friday Replay: Meet the Baby O’s Fans Named Camden and Yardley And four other things that happened in sports this week.

By Ron Cassie / Baltimore Magazine July 24, 2015

1. The biggest, little O’s fans. Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992 and for all we know there could already be millennial-generation season-ticket holders who were named after the best ballpark in America. Still, we’ve got a feeling that Camden Serra and his June-born sister Yardley are going to grow up to be Hall-of-Fame-caliber O’s fans. How could they not? Their parents, Colleen and Tony, got engaged in Cooperstown and held their wedding reception at the Camden Club inside the B&O warehouse. They met playing softball in 2009 and haven’t missed Opening Day together since.

2. Kickin’ it at Patterson Park. We love Justin Tucker. The Ravens kicker isn’t just one of the best clutch performers in the business, he’s also one of the NFL’s most fun personalities off the field. He sings opera in Dr. Pepper ads, maintains an active social media relationship with fans, and even does an uncanny Christopher Walken impression. He also keeps his valuable right leg in shape booting field goals at Patterson Park in the summer—even tweeting out his informal workout schedule so fans can watch, and if so inclined, help shag footballs. We really hope the Ravens sign this guy to a long-term deal soon.

3. 2131 beer. Does Cal Ripken Jr. drink Natty Boh? No, probably not. However, the Iron Man shortstop who broke Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played 20 years ago, may go for something more upscale—like the premium lager “Fielder’s Choice”—the new commemorative brew from Baltimore’s Heavy Seas. With every case sold, Heavy Seas says they will make a donation to the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation. Sounds like a win-win. (To read more about Cal and the 20th anniversary of the streak, see our upcoming September issue.)

4. Ravens-themed emojis. We’re not sure what John Unitas or Artie Donovan would have to say about the newRavens- branded emoji keyboard. Okay, maybe we do. But football has changed since their old-school days with the Colts and so has the marketing that goes with it. So, go-ahead, next-gen Baltimore fans, eat it up. Text, tweet, email, and purple-emoticon away.

5. Manny forever. There hasn’t been a lot of good news on diamond for the O’s this week. However, Manny Machado, further establishing himself as one of the game’s great young ballplayers, delivered his 20th home run of the season, making him the youngest Oriole to so since the guy mentioned two paragraph’s up—Cal Ripken Jr. He also did a cool little dugout dance after the 434-foot bomb.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/baltimore-orioles-manny-machado-best- young-player-debate-mike-trout-bryce-harper-072715

What About Manny?

By David Golebiewski / FOX Sports July 27, 2015

Ever since they were teammates in 2011, the debate has raged on: Who's the game's top young talent, Mike Trout or Bryce Harper? Manny Machado, for one, is sick of it. The Orioles third baseman has injected himself into the conversation by breaking out in 2015.

Slowed by knee surgeries the previous two seasons, Machado is finally complementing his Brooks Robinson-esque glove work with thunderous lumber. Once a hacker, he's now displaying patience beyond his years and has boosted his OPS+ from 104 during the 2012-14 seasons to 147, which tops all MLB third basemen. Machado also paces his position in Wins Above Replacement (5.2) and ranks behind just Harper, Trout and Paul Goldschmidt among all players.

We're living in a golden era of third basemen, with Kris Bryant crushing pitches on to Waveland and Sheffield Avenues and Nolan Arenado coming of age in Colorado. Machado? He might just be the best youngster we've seen at the hot corner since Ike held office. Harper and Trout might be baseball's Super Powers, but Machado's a contender.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenpaul/every-major-league-baseball-stadium- ranked?bffbfood&utm_term=4ldqphi#.laaWjpx59

A Guide To Baseball’s Best And Worst Stadiums Where’s the best place to enjoy America’s past time?

By Lauren Paul / Buzz Feed July 25, 2015

30. Tropicana Field

Team: Tampa Bay Rays Capacity: 31,042 Food Highlight: Rays Cuban Sandwich The fixed roof seriously detracts from the ~feel~ of a baseball game: No view, no breeze, and there are lots of obstructed views. It’s lacking pretty much everything that makes the sport great for fans, so sadly it takes the bottom seed.

29. O.co Coliseum

Team: Capacity: 35,067 Food Highlight: A slice from West Side gastropub It’s pretty bold for a stadium that barely fits 35,000 to call itself a ‘coliseum’. The concourses are super narrow, making the place extra claustrophobic, and an entire section of perfectly fine seating is covered in tarp and reserved for Raiders games.

28. Turner Field

Team: Atlanta Braves Capacity: 50, 096 Food Highlight: A Holeman & Finch burger Despite being less than 20 years old, Atlanta is already looking to replace this sprawling leftover from the 1996 Olympics with a suburban counterpart by 2017. Probably because aside from its size, this park is pretty nondescript.

27. Rogers Centre

Team: Capacity: 49,282 Food Highlight: Wings from Quaker Steak & Lube Canada’s MLB home field once felt super cool and advance for having a retractable roof and a hotel INSIDE the stadium. Now it feels kind of like what we thought the future would look like 20 years ago. But hey, you can’t beat the poutine.

26. U.S. Cellular Field

Team: Capacity: 40,615 Food Highlight: A slice of Beggars Pizza deep dish Next to Wrigley Field, everything about the U.S. Cellular Field is pretty industrial, especially nestled next to the Dan Ryan Expressway. Though the deep dish pizza in the stadium does help.

25. Globe Life Park in Arlington

Team: Capacity: 48,114 Food Highlight: Deep-fried S’mOreos This stadium with the ever-changing name is unreasonably huge and has the food portions to match, like the 3-pound Boomstick hot dog. It’s easy to feel swamped, and the hot Texas sun on this southern facing field doesn’t help much.

24. Chase Field

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks Capacity: 48,519 Food Highlight: The Churro Dog: A churro in an eclair topped with ice cream. It would be nice to praise Chase Field for the gorgeous Arizona sunset and perfect ballgame weather, but the field is usually shielded from the sun by its retractable roof. But they’ve got some loaded hot dogs, from the Churro Dog to the Sonoran Dog.

23. Busch Stadium

Team: St. Louis Cardinals Capacity: 46,861 Food Highlight: You can bring your own food! You gotta admit, it’s pretty picturesque: Beyond the sea of red seats, the St. Louis arch peeks out over the skyline. But other than that it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill park. Oh, except for deep-fried Oreos. That’s something.

22. Marlins Park

Team: Capacity: 36,742 Food Highlight: Arepas from Panna Cafe Marlins Park def gets points for being unique. From the strange Floridian “sculpture” in center field to the aquariums behind home plate, this place kind of feels like another Florida theme park. Though it seems people come for the escapades at Clevelander rather than the actual game.

21. Progressive Field

Team: Capacity: 36,675 Food Highlight: The Thomenator Dog with sauerkraut and pierogis The irony of the name of this field and the name of the team that plays there is actually too much to handle. And though the third deck is way too high and the view of Cleveland is OK, the food is top notch and domestic beers are only 4 bucks!

20. Kauffman Stadium

Team: Kansas City Royals Capacity: 37,903 Food Highlight: Burnt ends from Royals All-Star BBQ The big screen is worthy of the Royals’ namesake, but they removed most of the lovely outfield fountains! Nonetheless, Kansas City has some of the best BBQ, and a resurgence of fans makes this stadium an all-around good time.

19. Yankee Stadium

Team: New York Yankees Capacity: 49,642 Food Highlight: Anything form Parm This replica of the historic Yankee Stadium is everything you’d expect from the richest team in baseball. It’s bigger, showier, and full of opportunities to spend money. For better or worse, It’s basically a microcosm of NYC, from overwhelming crowds to food galore.

18. Great American Ball Park

Team: Capacity: 42,319 Food Highlight: Skyline Chili For better or worse, the dimensions of this park make it pretty easy to hit a home run or catch a foul ball. The view of the Ohio River ain’t too shabby, and the food options are always improving (box o’ buffalo wings, anyone?).

17. Citizens Bank Park

Team: Capacity: 43,651 Food Highlight: Two words: CRAB FRIES. Though the stadium itself is pretty standard, Phillies fans are certainly an excitable bunch, and you’re guaranteed an entertaining game no matter who wins. And the combo of authentic Philly Cheesesteaks and crab fries is hard to beat.

16. Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Capacity: 43,250 Food Highlight: A brisket sandwich at Smoke Ring Barbecue Not much has changed about this stadium, besides, you know, the name. But even an older stadium in the heart of Southern Cali is a good time, from the weather to the food to usually- packed and chill crowds. And it’s only five minutes from Disneyland!

15. Minute Maid Park

Team: Capacity: 41,574 Food Highlights: Chicken & waffle CONES This park is so weird. There’s a train full of oranges, a romanesque left field wall that is alarmingly low, and this little slope in center field called Tal’s Hill that is just an accident waiting to happen. But hey, weird is fun, and the vibe is that of a welcoming Texas backyard BBQ.

14. Petco Park

Team: Capacity: 41,164 Food Highlight: Carne Asada fries from Bay View Grill Petco Park is awesome because it’s a pretty modern field that feels like an old school ball park. And it doesn’t hurt that you’re in San Diego’s Gaslamp District, so you’ve got hundreds of postgame options for a night on the town.

13. Comerica Park

Team: Capacity: 41,574 Food Highlight: The poutine dog Damn, Detroit, lookin’ good. This field is a hidden gem in a city that gets a tough rap, and it’s almost always packed for game day. Plus, there’s little touches that make it feel homey: The sculpted dirt, the stone tigers out front, and of course, the poutine dog.

12. PNC Park

Team: Capacity: 38,362 Food Highlight: The Brunch Burger: A bacon/beef patty topped with egg and cheese, lovingly embraced by a glazed donut. PNC Park truly has the most beautiful view of Pittsburgh you’ll probably ever see. The stadium isn’t very big but it feels cozy, all snug on the riverbed, and while the food is pretty standard, the occasional monstrosity keeps it interesting.

11. Citi Field

Team: New York Mets Capacity: 41,922 Food Highlight: The Catch of the Day from Midtown Esca For many New Yorkers, this vast improvement on Shea Stadium, is the preferred place to catch a ball game. Though there is a pretty steady dull roar from the plane traffic at LaGuardia, the food and fans more than make up for it. 10. Nationals Park

Team: Capacity: 41,341 Food Highlight: Chili fries from Ben’s Chili Bowl Spacious and sleek, Nationals Park is a great place to catch a game. There’s tons of food options, from local treasure Ben’s Chili Bowl to national gem Shake Shack. And the Presidents Race in the 4th inning is always fantastic (#LetTeddyWin).

9. Safeco Field

Team: Capacity: 47,574 Food Highlight: Mariners’ Fish n’ Chips This is one of the only baseball stadiums to master the “dome”: It’s just a partial covering of the seats when it rains, so you still feel outdoors. Also, baseball season is the best weather in Seattle, and the stadium keeps up with the classy culinary rep of the city at large.

8. Coors Field

Team: Capacity: 50,398 Food Highlight: Rocky mountain oysters! Since the thinner air at high altitudes helps really soar, you got more chances of catching a stray one, right? This is also the only ball park to boast a working brewery (A+, Blue Moon), and delicious local favorites: If fried bull testicles aren’t your thing, go for a green chile burrito.

7. Wrigley Field

Team: The Capacity: 41,072 Food Highlight: The “High Plains” bison hot dog from Decade Diner This place is truly timeless. From the ivy-coated walls to the old-school bleachers, it’s easy to feel like you’ve fallen back in time at Wrigley. The food is pretty classic if not exciting, and the consistent crowds are about as friendly as it gets.

6. Dodger Stadium

Team: L.A. Dodgers Capacity: 56,000 Food Highlight: A Kirin Ichiban draft topped with frozen foam Always packed and always gorgeous, this place has stood the test of time. The California weather, view of the Chavez Ravine, and the Dodger Dog are all pretty reliable reasons to watch a game at Dodger Stadium.

5. Target Field

Team: Minnesota Twins Capacity: 39,021 Food Highlight: The Bloody Mary This field is not only named for America’s favorite store, but it’s also in the heart of our kindest, most self-effacing state! And not only do you have bites from local standbys like Murray’s Steakhouse, but you can wash it all down with an epic, pizza-garnished Bloody Mary.

4. Miller Park

Team: Capacity: 41,900 Food Highlight: The Beast: A hot dog stuffed in a brat, all wrapped in bacon and topped with ‘kraut and onions. If you were hoping a stadium and team named for beer would show you a good time, then you’re in luck. Brewers fans are an awesome tailgating crowd, and the sixth-inning sausage race will keep your appetite fueled for everything from nachos on a stick to classic cheese curds.

3. Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Team: Baltimore Orioles Capacity: 45,971 Food Highlight: Pit beef from Boog’s BBQ Always ahead of the curve, Baltimore went for timeless charm when other stadiums were trying to cram everything in one concrete package. It’s nostalgic without being cloying, and celebrates Baltimore with all its best food and drink. You stay classy, Camden Yards.

2. Fenway Park

Team: Capacity: 37,673 Food Highlight: Lobster roll in the summer, clam chowder for fall. This place is packed with character and history, and it’s genuinely beautiful. It’s also intimately packed with rowdy fans who are truly delightful so long as you pledge eternal allegiance to their fair city. Though the stadium eats are standard, just outside are tons of places to rally with another beer or enjoy a good meal.

1. AT&T Park

Team: Capacity: 41,915 Food Highlight: Garlic sourdough with crab sammie from Crazy Crab’z Probably the most picturesque park in existence, the home of the Giants has A LOT going for it. There’s the varied and delicious food, some surprisingly good beer, consistently pleasant weather and a winning team to boot. It’s a breezy, retro park that, let’s face it, has pretty much everything you could ask for.