Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Transcription

1 World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966 American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969 American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996 Tuesday, July 25, 2017 Game Stories: Orioles defeat Rays, 5-0, in first game of road trip behind Gausman, have won six of past eight The Sun 7/24 O's turn dazzling DP, blank reeling Rays MLB.com 7/25 Gausman and three relievers team for 5-0 win (with quotes) MASNsports.com 7/24 Gausman, Orioles hand Rays season-worst 5th loss in row, 5-0 AP 7/24 Kevin Gausman, Orioles Blank Rays, 5-0 PressBoxOnline.com 7/25 Columns: As Orioles find their rhythm, upbeat players are eager to make some noise in playoff race The Sun 7/25 Orioles notes: Chris Davis out of lineup with illness, so lineup is stacked with righty hitters The Sun 7/24 As Schoop's strong week is recognized, he's settling into big run-production spot in Orioles lineup The Sun 7/24 Miley hoping to reclaim early success vs. Rays MLB.com 7/25 Jones' move to leadoff aids O's Wild Card push MLB.com 7/25 Miley s start, Jones atop the order and Gausman s grit MASNsports.com 7/25 Davis out of lineup, Schoop on Player of Week honor (O s up 4-0) MASNsports.com 7/24 Schoop named AL Player of the Week MASNsports.com 7/24 Notes on Kevin Gausman, Jonathan Schoop and more MASNsports.com 7/25 O s game blog: Kevin Gausman on mound in road trip opener MASNsports.com 7/24 O s minor league playoff contenders and other farm notes MASNsports.com 7/24 Five Reasons The Orioles Could Trade Zach Britton PressBoxOnline.com 7/25 Radio Musings: Britton on lack of O s extension talks, and stress that comes with trade rumors BaltimoreBaseball.com 7/24

2 story.html Orioles defeat Rays, 5-0, in first game of road trip behind Gausman, have won six of past eight By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 24, 2017 Among the many things that must reveal themselves for the Orioles to return to the postseason shuffle is right-hander Kevin Gausman s return to his second-half self of last season. And Gausman took a step in that direction in Monday night s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching six scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory at Tropicana Field. With the win, the Orioles (48-51) crept closer to getting back into the American League wildcard race as the nonwaiver trade deadline looms Monday, while handing the Rays (51-49), a team they re chasing in both the AL East and wild-card standings, their fifth straight loss. Kevin was throwing strikes and working with some tempo and command and he and [catcher] Caleb [Joseph] were on the same page, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. There wasn t a lot of stepping off and catcher visits. There was some tempo that helped. It was the Orioles sixth win in their past eight games overall and their third in four games at Tropicana Field this season. Obviously this time of year, especially in division we need to win these games, Gausman said. Early on, I knew that I had really good command and first couple of innings, it felt like I could throw my fastball wherever I needed to. That s always a positive and makes things a lot easier. If the Orioles are to have any hope of contending, Gausman will have to duplicate performances like Monday s, when he was able to both locate and mix his pitches well against an aggressive Tampa Bay offense. He had help from his defense, especially third baseman Manny Machado, who helped get Gausman out of the first by starting a remarkable inning-ending double play that helped dictate the tone early. But credit Gausman for dictating the tempo. Several times this year, the Orioles have staked him with a lead and he s given it back, but on Monday, he made a one-run lead stick. Peter Schmuck's Orioles report card for the week (July 17-23) Over his past two starts, Gausman has allowed just one run over 12 innings, posting a 0.75 ERA while putting together back-to-back quality starts for just the second time this season in 22 starts. Gausman has held the Rays scoreless in two starts this season, pitching 13 shutout innings against Tampa Bay and striking out 17 while walking five. He pitched seven scoreless July 2 at Camden Yards. The 26-year-old bore down when he needed to, including stranding the bases loaded in the third inning after creating his own damage. Gausman opened the inning by allowing a first-pitch single to Tim Beckham and then walked Mallex Smith after getting ahead of him 0-2. But Gausman then struck out Adeiny Hechavarria and Steven Souza Jr. before walking Corey Dickerson on four pitches before escaping the inning with a grounder to shortstop for a force play at second off the bat of Evan Longoria. Six of Gausman s first eight outs came on strikeouts, including three in the second inning. Gausman used his breaking ball to get ahead early but leaned on his fastball, especially up in the zone against Tampa Bay s free swingers. He induced 10 swinging strikes (and got 10 called strikes) on his 65 four-seam fastballs.

3 That s something I did against them my last start, too, is expand the zone with my fastball up and down, so whenever I do that, I can be pretty tough, especially on left-handed hitters whenever I have my split [-fingered fastball] in my back pocket, too, Gausman said. They swung at a lot of pitches that were out of the strike zone, but that s what we were trying to do. Those are executed pitches. Gausman kept the game scoreless in the fifth despite allowing a leadoff triple to Smith, getting out of that inning with a double-play ball, and stranded the potential tying run at second base in the sixth after Jesus Sucre s two-out double. It s huge, Gausman said. You just try to limit the damage. Obviously, a leadoff triple is not how you want to start off the inning. I just knew if I kept making my pitches I was going to get some groundballs. Once I walked Souza, I knew I was in a good spot with the game who was coming up to get a ground ball and kind of put ourselves in a situation to turn a double play. Gausman s second half last season, in which he posted a 3.10 in 15 starts after the All-Star break, offered great but unfounded optimism for him in But Gausman spent most of this season with one of the highest ERAs and WHIPs among qualified major league starters until beginning to find himself after his most recent start, six innings of one-run ball against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Jones gives provides spark up top: His season rejuvenated by a recent move to the top of the batting order, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones homered for the fourth time in his past six games with a third-inning solo blast off left-hander Blake Snell. Jones, who is 14-for-29 over that stretch and has driven in 11 runs, was feasting on fastballs from Snell. He took the first pitch of the game down the left-field line for a double, then was fed three straight off-speed pitches before Snell threw Jones a fastball that he hit into the left-field stands for his 19th homer of the season. He s really been a spark for us there, Showalter said of Jones in the leadoff spot. Adam s swinging the bat well. He told me the home run was one of the easiest swings he s taken all year. Just pulled his hands inside the ball. I d like to say something smart aleck like, Why don t you do that more often? But that s just not Adam. That s what makes him so good, too. Since Jones, who added a single in the eighth, moved to the leadoff spot in the Orioles first game after the All-Star break, he is 17-for-48 over an 11-game stretch. Just trying to get a good pitch and hit it, Jones said. The more you think, the more you don t do. I m just trying to get my body ready and my legs ready to hit and just try to put a good swing on the ball. Orioles get insurance in the 8th: The Orioles chased Snell from the game in the eighth after backto-back singles by Rubén Tejada and Joey Rickard, then scored three runs off newly acquired reliever Sergio Romo with station-to-station baseball. Jones single off Romo loaded the bases, and Machado hit a two-run single up the middle to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead and was followed by Jonathan Schoop s sacrifice fly to left to score Jones. Bullpen, defense get job done: Three Orioles relievers Darren O Day, Brad Brach and Richard Bleier combined to pitch three scoreless innings to preserve the win. Brach allowed two base runners in the eighth but kept the Rays scoreless. And Bleier received an incredible defensive play to open the bottom of the ninth. Machado who made several dazzling plays was playing off the line when he backhanded a grounder off the bat of Brad Miller, then slung a throw to first that Trey Mancini lunged for while keeping his foot on the bag for the first out.

4 O's turn dazzling DP, blank reeling Rays By Bill Chastain and Connor Mount / MLB.com July 25, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG -- If the Orioles are going to continue to march up the standings in the American League East and Wild Card races, they'll need to do exactly what they did on Monday. A strong start from Kevin Gausman, a big night from Adam Jones, and most spectacularly, some highlight-reel defense from Manny Machado propelled Baltimore to a 5-0 win against the reeling Rays at Tropicana Field. With the game scoreless in the bottom of the first, Evan Longoria hit a ball down the third-base line. Machado ranged to his right to field the ball, making a tremendous throw while falling in the opposite direction. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop made the difficult turn at second and threw out Longoria to end the inning. "Manny made a couple plays. Nobody takes them for granted; they're so hard," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He's one of the few guys who can make them." Gausman held the Rays' offense in check, and Jones gave the Orioles all the offense they needed early before they broke open the game with a three-run eighth. The Rays (51-49), who are currently in third place in the American League East in front of the fourth-place Orioles (48-51), now have the Orioles creeping up from behind. Gausman allowed five hits and three walks over six innings to pick up his seventh win of the season. He has made two starts against the Rays this season and has not allowed a run in 13 innings. Just like the last time he faced Tampa Bay, Gausman stifled Rays hitters by expanding the zone high with his fastball and changing their eye level with low splitters. "When I'm able to do that, I can be pretty tough, especially on left-handed hitters when I have my split in my back pocket, too," Gausman said. "They swung at a lot of pitches that were out of the strike zone, but that's what we were trying to do, so those are executed pitches." Jones gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead when he hit a 1-2 fastball from Blake Snell into the left-field stands, giving the Orioles slugger 19 home runs for the season. Machado had a two-run single in the eighth against new Rays reliever Sergio Romo and Jonathan Schoop added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4-0. Snell made the longest appearance of his brief Major League career, facing two batters in the eighth before Romo took over. The second-year southpaw allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four, but got tagged with the loss to move to 0-6 on the season. "Probably the best performance we've seen from [Snell] this season," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I was really challenging the hitters and I was proud about that," Snell said. "I've been trying to do that for some time." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Jones goes deep: Jones stepped into the batter's box with one out in the third and proceeded to watch Snell's curveball and slider, then swung at a changeup to move the count to 1-2. Then came the 95 mph fastball and Jones was ready, depositing the baseball 411 feet into the left-field stands. According to Statcast, Jones' barreled ball had a mph exit velocity with a 28- degree launch angle, and gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

5 Machado delivers: Holding a 1-0 lead, the Orioles' first two hitters in the eighth reached base on singles to chase Snell. Romo then entered the game, making his first Rays appearance since the team acquired the right-hander Saturday night. Jones greeted him with a single to load the bases for Machado, who promptly hit Romo's first pitch back through the middle to drive home two and give the Orioles some separation. QUOTABLE "Yeah, don't hit it to him. Just avoid Manny at all costs. It's a highlight reel every night. He's a special player." "I don't think there's any third baseman and second baseman that roll that double play the way that they did. You feel really comfortable with those guys out there. Obviously Manny's going to run down the line and try to get any ball that he can try to put a glove on." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Rays went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and have hit.128/.244/.154 (5-for-39) with RISP during their five-game losing streak. WHAT'S NEXT Orioles: Wade Miley (4-8, 5.58) will try again to find his groove Tuesday against the Rays in St. Petersburg at 7:10 p.m. ET. Miley has a ERA over his last nine starts and has not thrown more than 5 2/3 innings since June 1. Rays: Jacob Faria (4-1, 2.52) gets the nod Tuesday against the Orioles. The rookie will be facing Baltimore for a third time, the only team he's faced more than once. He is 0-0 with a 3.55 ERA in his two quality starts against the O's. win.html Gausman and three relievers team for 5-0 win (with quotes) By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 24, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Kevin Gausman had no real margin for error tonight against the Rays. Bending was permitted as long as he snapped back into shape without even the tiniest of breaks. All of those meltdowns with a lead and with runners on base had to stay in the past. And that s precisely where Gausman kept them. Gausman navigated through a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third inning to preserve a one-run lead and continued to blank the Rays after surrendering a leadoff triple in the fifth, and the Orioles scored three times in the eighth to claim a 5-0 victory before an announced crowd of 15,187 at Tropicana Field. The Orioles have won six of their last eight games and improved to overall, on the road and 3-1 at The Trop. They re 2 1/2 behind the third-place Rays. Singles by Rubén Tejada, Joey Rickard and Adam Jones loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth and Manny Machado delivered a two-run single off Sergio Romo, making his Rays debut. The first two hits came against left-hander Blake Snell, who was charged with three runs. Jonathan Schoop followed with a sacrifice fly for his 71st RBI, expanding the lead to 4-0. He has 17 RBIs in his last eight games.

6 Gausman escaped his final jam in the sixth, striking out Brad Miller after Jesús Sucre s two-out double, and turned the game over to Darren O Day. He allowed five hits in six scoreless innings, with three walks and eight strikeouts, and came out after 98 pitches. In his last two starts, Gausman has allowed one run and struck out 16 batters over 12 innings to lower his ERA to 5.79 in 112 innings. O Day, coming off a loss Saturday night when he surrendered a three-run homer to the Astros Marwin Gonzalez, rebounded with a scoreless seventh. Tim Beckham walked on nine pitches to lead off the inning, but he was doubled off first base after Rickard ran down Adeiny Hechavarria s slicing fly ball near the right field line. Jones hit his fourth home run in his last six games, demolishing a 95 mph fastball from Snell in the third inning. He almost cleared the last row of seats in left field. Factoring in a leadoff double in the first and a single in the eighth, Jones is 16-for-32 with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs in his last seven games. He s also batting.354 (17-for-48) since moving to the leadoff spot. The Rays tried to answer right back in the bottom of the third, as so many opponents routinely do against the Orioles. Gausman struck out two more batters, including Hechavarria on three pitches to give him six in the game, but he also loaded the bases on a single and two walks. He lost Corey Dickerson on four pitches with two outs to bring Evan Longoria to the plate. Longoria directed a sharp ground ball toward shortstop Tejada, who gambled by throwing to second base and getting Dickerson on an extremely close play. A shutdown inning just when it appeared that Gausman might implode. Both teams failed to score after putting a runner on third base with no outs. Mallex Smith led off the fifth with a triple to left-center field and Steven Souza Jr. walked with one out. Dickerson slapped the ball to Machado, who started a double play to maintain a 1-0 lead. The Orioles had Jones at third base with no outs in the first inning after his first-pitch double to right field and a wild pitch. Snell struck out Machado and Schoop and retired Mark Trumbo on a pop up. Snell was averaging 5.9 walks per nine innings, but he issued only one tonight in seven-plus innings. He also had a 4.98 ERA and WHIP in 11 starts while losing all five decisions, but the Orioles managed only one run off him before Romo let two inherited runners score. Welington Castillo scored with two outs in the ninth on Hechavarria s throwing error. Brad Brach struck out Miller to strand two runners in the eighth inning, Richard Bleier retired the side in order in the ninth and the Orioles had their fifth shutout. The game also featured a spectacular double play to end the first inning, with Machado backhanding Longoria s grounder and throwing off his back foot in foul territory to Schoop, who lifted one leg to avoid contact and fired to first base to get Longoria. Rays catcher Wilson Ramos left the game in the fifth inning after the barrel end of Tejada s broken bat nailed him in the helmet. Tejada grounded out to shortstop as Ramos stayed on the ground and eventually walked off the field with a towel pressed against his head. Ramos suffered a laceration on his head and he received six staples. He ll continue to be evaluated. Manager Buck Showalter on Gausman and defense being nice combination: Obviously, Manny made a couple of plays that nobody takes for granted. They re so hard and he s one of the few

7 guys who can make them. Joey played a good right field, too. Jonathan turning that double play, that s a tough one. But Kevin was good. Showalter on tempo aided by Gausman and defense: Kevin was throwing strikes and working with some tempo and command and he and Caleb were on the same page. There wasn t a lot of stepping off and catcher visits. There was some tempo that helped. Their guy was really good, too. Snell was tough. Showalter on Jones responding to leadoff spot: He didn t the first couple games. I was kind of going Aw. But he s really been a spark for us there. The first inning we got man on third and nobody out. I think they did, too, and neither one of us pushed a run across. A lot of times you don t like the way that game starts, but Adam s swinging the bat well. He told me the home run was one of the easiest swings he s taken all year. Just pulled his hands inside the ball. I d like to say something smart aleck like, Why don t you do that more often? But that s just not Adam. That s what makes him so good, too. Gausman on back-to-back quality starts: Obviously, this time of year, especially in division, we need to win these games. Early on, I knew that I had really good command and the first couple of innings it felt like I could throw my fastball wherever I needed to. That s always a positive and makes things a lot easier. Gausman on evening record to 7-7: Obviously, to get to that point I ve had to kind of battle and brush off some really bad starts. I also had good starts. It s kind of been a little bit of a roller coaster ride this year. It s all about how I finish and how we finish as a team. This series is big, and really every series from here on out is big. Caleb called a great game, and you have Manny and Schoop making plays like that. I don t think there s any third baseman and second baseman that roll that double play the way that they did. You feel really confident with those guys out there. Obviously, Manny s going to run down the line and try to get any ball that he can try to put a glove on. You always feel confident with those guys behind you. Gausman on getting out of jams: It s huge. You just try to limit the damage. Obviously, a leadoff triple is not how you want to start off the inning. I just knew if I kept making my pitches I was going to get some ground balls. Once I walked Souza, I knew I was in a good spot with who was coming up to get a ground ball and kind of put ourselves in a situation to turn a double play. Gausman on expanding zone up and down: That s something I did against them my last start, too, is expand the zone with my fastball up and down, so whenever I do that, I can be pretty tough, especially on left-handed hitters whenever I have my split in my back pocket, too. They swung at a lot of pitches that were out of the strike zone, but that s what we were trying to do. Those are executed pitches. Jones on Gausman setting the tone: When he goes out there and throws strike one, our defense, you can see what Manny was able to do today. That s what happens when you attack the zone, and we feed off that as an offense. Jones on Schoop: Just watching. I m just watching him. Just watching him. Not trying to do too much with him. Just let him do his thing and let him come into himself. Jones on how it s fun to watch Schoop: It s always fun to watch people succeed. And he s doing it at a high level. That s 71 RBIs. That s a lot. He s third in the league. That s a lot and that good to see. Jones on Orioles winning six of eight: It all feeds off the starting pitching. When they go out there and they attack that zone and use our great defense, good things seem to happen. I just ride the wave. Baseball is a day-to-day game. So tomorrow, it s do exactly what we did today, come out aggressive and swing the bats.

8 Jones on success batting leadoff: Just trying to get a good pitch and hit it. The more you think, the more you don t do. I m just trying to get my body ready and my legs ready to hit and just try to put a good swing on the ball. Gausman, Orioles hand Rays season-worst 5th loss in row, 5-0 By Associated Press July 24, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are teams currently heading in different directions. Kevin Gausman pitched six strong innings, Adam Jones homered and the Orioles sent the Rays to their season-worst fifth straight loss, 5-0 Monday night. "It all feeds off the starting pitching," Jones said. The Rays began the day tied for the second AL wild-card spot. Baltimore won for the sixth time in eight games. "It's all about how we finish as a team," Gausman said. Gausman (7-7) gave up five hits and struck out eight. He has permitted seven hits over 13 scoreless innings in two starts this season against Tampa Bay. The right-hander is 4-1 in his last seven starts. "Kevin was throwing strikes, and working with some tempo and command," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Darren O'Day, Brad Brach and Richard Bleier completed the six-hitter. Blake Snell (0-6) went a career-high seven-plus innings. The lefty, who entered with 19 of 30 career starts lasting five or fewer innings, allowed three runs and six hits. "Snell was tough," Showalter said. Jones, who also doubled and singled, has an RBI in six straight games. Manny Machado drove in two runs during a three-run eighth and Jonathan Schoop drove in a run for his eighth game in a row. Rays catcher Wilson Ramos left in the fifth after he was struck on the head by a piece of Ruben Tejada's broken bat. The team said Ramos got six staples and will be evaluated. "He won't start tomorrow, but we're confident that he feels good," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "A little bit of a scare there. I think Wilson would have preferred to stay in the game. We just weren't able to stop the bleeding." Jones opened the game with a double and went to third on a wild pitch, but Snell rebounded to strike out Machado and Jonathan Schoop, and retired Mark Trumbo on a popup. Jones hit his 19th home run in the third. Snell left in the eighth with two on and no outs. Sergio Romo, in his Rays debut, gave up a tworun single to Machado and Schoop's sacrifice fly. Schoop has 18 RBI during his streak.

9 Tampa Bay loaded the bases with two outs in the third but Evan Longoria grounded out. Mallex Smith hit a leadoff triple in the fifth but was left stranded. "We've just got to continue as this little bit of a funk goes," Cash said. "we've got to find a way to get ourselves out of it." TRAINER'S ROOM Orioles: 1B Chris Davis was out of the lineup due to illness.... INF Ryan Flaherty (right shoulder strain) could start a rehab assignment this week. Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier (broken right hip) is expected to start a rehab assignment with Class A Charlotte by the weekend. Charlotte hosts Tim Tebow and the St. Lucie Mets Sunday through Tuesday.... INF Rickie Weeks Jr. (right shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and released. STILL WORKING Romo, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday for cash, was added to the roster before the game. "I'm thankful for the opportunity," Romo said. "I was unable to get a lot of consistent work. What they've got going on there, which is really good, they've got young guys that are just getting the job done. I was unable to, in a sense, match those efforts." UP NEXT Orioles LHP Wade Miley (4-8) and Rays RHP Jake Faria (4-1) are Tuesday night's starters. Kevin Gausman, Orioles Blank Rays, 5-0 By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com July 25, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Kevin Gausman continued his resurgence, and the offense continued to score during one of the Orioles' more fulfilling wins of the season. The right-hander produced his second straight quality start by limiting the Rays to five hits in six scoreless innings during the Orioles' 5-0 win before 15,187 at Tropicana Field July 24. In Gausman's last two starts, he's given up one run on nine hits in 12 innings and recorded backto-back wins for the second time this season. He's shut out Tampa Bay in 13 innings during his last two starts against them. Four of Gausman's seven wins have come in his last six starts and his record is back to.500 at 7-7. "To get to that point, I've had to kind of battle and brush off some really bad starts. I also had good starts," Gausman said. "If these guys give me a three-run lead, more often than not, I've kind of gone out and kind of given it right back. It's good to be able to kind of shut the door today." Adam Jones hit his 19th home run of the year in the third inning. The center fielder had three hits following his four-hit performance July 23. Since moving to the leadoff spot July 14, Jones is batting.354 (17-for-48) with four homers and 11 RBIs. "Just trying to get a good pitch and hit it," Jones said. "The more you think, the more you don't do. I'm just trying to get my body ready and my legs ready to hit and just try to put a good swing on the ball." Since being swept by the Chicago Cubs July 14-16, the Orioles have gone 6-2.

10 "It all feeds off the starting pitching," Jones said. "When they go out there and they attack that zone and use our great defense, good things seem to happen. I just ride the wave. Baseball is a day-to-day game. So tomorrow, it's do exactly what we did today, come out aggressive and swing the bats." The Orioles scored three runs in the eighth on a two-run single by third baseman Manny Machado, who started an impressive double play in the first inning. Machado backhanded Steven Souza Jr.'s grounder past third, and in foul ground rifled a throw to second where Jonathan Schoop high-stepped as he threw to first to complete the double play. "I don't think there's any third baseman and second baseman that roll that double play the way that they did," Gausman said. "You feel really confident with those guys out there. Obviously, Manny's going to run down the line and try to get any ball that he can try to put a glove on. You always feel confident with those guys behind you." Schoop, who earlier in the day was named the American League's Player of the Week for his.433 average and 16 RBIs from July 16-23, hit a sacrifice fly to left for the fourth run. Schoop's post-all-star Game run has impressed manager Buck Showalter. "A lot of times when guys go to All-Star Games, you worry," Showalter said. "I've had a lot of experience with guys coming back from the All-Star Game and going through a little [down] period when they get back here, but Jon seems to be relishing it." Schoop's 71 RBIs rank third in the AL behind Seattle designated hitter Nelson Cruz (75) and New York outfielder Aaron Judge (73). "That would catch most people in baseball by surprise -- except us," Showalter said. "It's fun to win [awards]," Schoop said. "But, winning is more fun." NOTES: First baseman Chris Davis was out because of illness. Left-hander Wade Miley (4-8, 5.58) will face right-hander Jake Faria (4-1, 2.52) July As Orioles find their rhythm, upbeat players are eager to make some noise in playoff race By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 25, 2017 The vibe inside the Orioles clubhouse after Monday night s 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays was a little different from the one seen all too often this season. There was more life in the room, music blasting from the clubhouse speakers, playoff-relevant games from the West Coast playing on the television sets above, and a certain swagger that projected confidence that the team believes it still has a chance to reach the postseason. The players inside this clubhouse have always said what they ve supposed to say, that this group can win now, that the pieces to contend are all here. But underneath they also realize the hole they ve dug for themselves, and that the even in late July, the math is difficult. But when this club gets solid starting pitching as it did from Kevin Gausman s six shutout innings against an aggressive Tampa Bay batting order the rest of the team feeds off it. That s when you see Manny Machado make the spectacular look routine, helping Gausman out of the first inning by flagging down a ball hit down the line by Evan Longoria and slinging a

11 throw to second, where Jonathan Schoop maneuvered an off-balance pivot for as pretty a double play you ll ever see. You have Manny and Schoop making plays like that, Gausman said. I don t think there s any third baseman and second baseman that roll that double play the way that they did. You feel really confident with those guys out there. Obviously, Manny s going to run down the line and try to get any ball that he can try to put a glove on. You always feel confident with those guys behind you. That s when center fielder Adam Jones, who realizes he s playing out of position as the team s leadoff hitter, emerges as an offense catalyst, not in the reckless swing-from-your heels way, but with controlled aggressiveness by jumping on Rays left-hander Blake Snell from the first pitch of the game. I think any leadoff hitter who gets on base helps the team, Jones said. You see what [Rays leadoff man Steven] Souza s been doing the last few weeks when he moved to the leadoff spot. He s getting on base and scoring a lot of runs, so you get on base, especially with our lineup. I m able to run the bases well. We ve got Manny and Schoopy, [Chris Davis], [Mark] Trumbo behind me, [Trey] Mancini also. So when I get on base, the chances of me scoring are pretty good. It all helped Gausman, who spent most of his forgettable first half of the season not that far away from being decent, his season foiled by two-strike hits, spotty command and untimely breakdowns. This season, he had given far too many leads away, deflating the rest of the club. But on Monday, he held the one-run lead he was given with six goose eggs. That s one thing during the season, up to this point, that I haven t been able to do, Gausman said. If these guys give me a three-run lead, more often than not, I ve kind of gone out and kind of given it right back. It s good to be able to kind of shut the door today. Their guy pitched great, too. That was one of those things early on I knew if we could get some runs off this guy and I could kind of limit the damage, we might have a shot to win. Said Jones: When he goes out there and throws strike one, our defense, you can see what Manny was able to do today. That s what happens when you attack the zone and we feed off that as an offense. Machado sparked the Orioles defensively two other times, running down a ball in foul ground near the visiting bullpen in left field, then making a backhanded play while playing off the line in the ninth inning. Lost in the shuffle was a key double play turned by right fielder Joey Rickard, who helped Darren O Day erase a leadoff walk to Tim Beckham in the seventh by running down Adeiny Hechavarria s drive down the line, then rifling a throw to first to catch Beckham off the bag. Manny made a couple of plays that nobody takes for granted, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. They re so hard and he s one of the few guys who can make them. Joey played a good right field, too. Jonathan turning that double play, that s a tough one. But Kevin was good. As Schoop's strong week is recognized, he's settling into big run-production spot in Orioles lineup Over the course of a 162-game season, you re always looking for a turning point, one game or series that sends a team down its ultimate path. It was just one win, but Monday s victory felt like a game with the potential to set the Orioles forward. On Monday, the Orioles showed their past winning self. If they play the way they did in the series opener, they will have a chance. If not, there are more lopsided losses to come in the season s final two months. But a win like Monday s might have been just enough to convince ownership that it s worth making a run at October instead of selling off as the trade deadline approaches.

12 That feeling, however, can be short-lived. Now it s up to left-hander Wade Miley and righthander Ubaldo Jiménez to build off the momentum in the last two games of the series at Tropicana Field before traveling to Texas. It all feeds off the starting pitching, Jones said. When they go out there and they attack that zone and use our great defense, good things seem to happen. I just ride the wave. Baseball is a day-to-day game. So tomorrow, it s do exactly what we did today, come out aggressive and swing the bats. Orioles notes: Chris Davis out of lineup with illness, so lineup is stacked with righty hitters By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 24, 2017 First baseman Chris Davis was out of the starting lineup for the Orioles series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night with an undiagnosed illness, manager Buck Showalter said before the game. Showalter hoped that Davis would be available in some form off the bench. They re waiting on the internist for Tampa [Bay] to get here, Showalter said. Obviously, he s under the weather. Without Davis, Showalter stacked his lineup with right-handed hitters against left-hander Blake Snell, who holds left-handers to a.212 batting average. Mark Trumbo filled in for Davis as first and rookie Trey Mancini, who regularly played his original position of first base when Davis was on the disabled list with an oblique strain, was in his converted position of left field. I don t like to have Trumb DH too much, Showalter said. I think he needs to stay connected defensively. Trumbo is either going to play right field or first base, and if he plays right field, then Mancini has to come in and then Joey [Rickard] moves around [from right to left], so I think you re looking at where you hope you re best defensively too. As for Davis, he s actually hitting for a higher average against left-handers (.244), than righties (.202) this season, but he entered Monday just 6-for-37 with 16 strikeouts since returning from the disabled list in the Orioles first game after the All-Star break. His ninth-inning bunt in a one-run game Friday night, a decision he said he made because of the feast or famine results he s had since his return, was a sign of his struggles. Four of Davis six hits since coming off the DL were for extra bases (three homers and one double). For the Orioles to have any logistical hope of reaching the postseason they entered Monday four games under.500 but just 3 1/2 games out of the second AL wild-card spot they need to finish at least third in the American League East. So getting back into division play against Tampa Bay, which entered the day holding that spot, offered a change after opening the nonmathematical second half of the season with 10 straight games against nondivision opponents (Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros) on their 5-5 homestand. Getting in our division, we may be a little more knowledgeable and comfortable about what you re facing and what they can do and not do, Showalter said. It s a lot better than playing the Brewers in the middle of the season or playing the Pirates in the last week of the season. I ve still

13 got to have someone explain that one to me. I don t think there s any advantage or disadvantage. You just line them up and play them. You just know everybody s not facing the same advantages of the schedule. I think we ve had the toughest schedule, what four years in a row? The Orioles entered Monday against the AL East. Double-A Bowie outfielder Austin Hays one of the organization s fast-tracked position player prospects needed 10 stitches after he was hit by his own foul ball Sunday. High-A Frederick third baseman Jomar Reyes, a top prospect who has been out since mid-may with a broken right pinkie finger, is near returning to games, Showalter said. Reyes would likely start in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Utility man Ryan Flaherty (right shoulder strain) and Rule 5 draft outfielder Anthony Santander (right forearm strain) are scheduled to begin minor league rehabilitation games Thursday. As Schoop's strong week is recognized, he's settling into big run-production spot in Orioles lineup By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 24, 2017 Jonathan Schoop learned early in his major league career never to give too much attention to his own statistics good or bad dating to some veteran advice he received from Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy during his first taste of the major leagues. I m not big about numbers, Schoop said. My first season, J.J. talked to me, [he told me] try to be healthy, and try to do your best during the season and your numbers are going to be there. Don t chase the number, try to win, and play hard every day and try to stay out there for your teammates and when the season s over, the numbers are going to be there. But after a week that netted Schoop AL Player of the Week honors, he couldn t help but take a peek after he was told about the merits of his past seven games, during which he led all major leaguers with 16 RBIs, a total that would represent a good month for many. Peter Schmuck's Orioles report card for the week (July 17-23) Schoop also hit.443/.438/.800 with two doubles and three homers during the week. I did [look] today, Schoop said. Of course, sometimes you worry because you know you re not doing good, but I rather [not] see them. Like J.J. said, if you play the whole season healthy, your numbers are going to be there. The Orioles have won five of seven games over the stretch, which is more important to Schoop than the award. No matter if you go 4-for-4 and you lose, it still doesn t feel right, Schoop said. You go 0-for- 4 and you feel better, but you know, it feels good when you re going through a stretch like that. You want to stay focused and stay consistent. That s my main goal, and to stay healthy and contribute to my team. In the midst of the Orioles inconsistent season, Schoop is one of the long-lasting bright spots. His 70 RBIs this season entering Monday night s game rank him third in the AL, trailing only the Seattle Mariners Nelson Cruz (75) and New York Yankees Aaron Judge (73). I think that would catch most people in baseball by surprise except us, [the thought that], Gosh, he s up there with those guys, and a really good week and he s ahead of them? Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

14 Schoop s run production spike coincides with his ascent into the No. 3 spot in the the batting order. Schoop has hit in the bottom part of the order for most of his career as most young hitters do, cutting their teeth before moving up and the Orioles experimented with him in the leadoff and No. 2 spots briefly earlier in the season. Showalter first put Schoop in the No. 3 spot June 22, and he s hit there in 26 of the next 27 games since. Over that span, Schoop is hitting.339/.373/.578, with five doubles and seven homers while averaging an RBI a game. Many times [bench coach] John [Russell] and I have thought about moving him up, and [hitting coach] Scott [Coolbaugh, too], it seemed like every time we did, you could see a little different approach, Showalter said. They kind of put a little too much pressure on themselves. We found that this time, this year, he s been able to handle a lot more, not getting out of himself. Showalter said Schoop has been able to carry over a newfound patience at the plate Schoop said he and Coolbaugh have been working on limiting the number of pitches he chases low in the zone this season into the No. 3 spot. Just his maturity, Showalter said. You watch him quit on a lot of balls. His no button has gotten better. And believe me, when you re driving in 70 runs, third in the American League, you re not sneaking up on anybody. They re throwing the kitchen sink at you. Jon, I remember talking to him about picking up those baby RBIs with a man on third and one out with the infield back. He s gotten so much better at that, where he shortens up, sticks his nose out there and gets those guys in. Those are the RBIs you really can t pass on. The really good RBI guys just don t miss those RBIs. Schoop said he s tried to keep the same plate mentality as he s moved higher in the order. It s not different because even if I hit nine they re going to pitch me the same way, Schoop said. Just because I m hitting high, it doesn t mean they re going to throw me fastballs down the middle, but I think you get up to bat quicker. That s the only difference there. If you re lower maybe you have to wait two or three innings, but if you re top three you hit right away. Avoiding sweep, Orioles start six-game trip hoping it's the road to the playoffs, not a dead end Still, Schoop s growth as a hitter is rooted in the discipline he s demonstrated. His on-base percentage of.353 entering Monday is 55 points higher than his career average, and with 62 games left in the season, his 20 walks are just one short of last season s career-high total of 21. Schoop s.368 average with runners in scoring position this season ranks fifth in the AL rookie Trey Mancini ranks first (.431) and center fielder Adam Jones is fourth (.371) so he s been able to take advantage of driving runners in all season. But this past week s run production also coincides with recent production from the bottom third of the order and top-of-the-order reshuffling that led to improved production from leadoff hitter Jones and No. 2 hitter Manny Machado. Jones hit.419 during the past week, and Machado had a.320 average over the past seven games. That s why you have to give credit to your teammates, Schoop said. Your teammates get on base, get in scoring position, and then you get a chance to drive them in. Without them, I d be by myself hitting over there, so I ve got to thank them to get on base to drive them in. Said Showalter: We ve had some issues in our leadoff spot and Manny s had some struggles, so I don t know if saying moving him up has helped his RBI total. It has recently because Manny s gotten it going again and Adam s been good here recently.

15 Miley hoping to reclaim early success vs. Rays By Connor Mount / MLB.com July 25, 2017 Rays rookie righty Jacob Faria (4-1, 2.52) and O's veteran lefty Wade Miley (4-8, 5.58) will meet at Tropicana Field on Tuesday. Despite his rookie status, Faria has had limited struggles this season. When he gave up four runs to Oakland over five innings his last time out, it was his first non-quality start in eight Major League appearances. He's eager to get back on the mound after recalibrating his delivery between starts. "Just playing catch the last few days, it felt a lot cleaner and a lot easier. My bullpen was great," Faria said. "So I'm really excited to get back out there and put it to work." Miley's battles are more extensive. The southpaw has a ERA over 37 2/3 innings spanning his last nine starts, and hasn't lasted more than 5 2/3 innings since June 1. Three things to know about this game Miley has walked 59 batters, or 5.4 per nine innings. Both numbers lead the American League among qualified pitchers. Miley had not walked more than 3.4 per nine innings in a full season before this year. Faria has already met Baltimore twice in his young career, having pitched 12 2/3 innings against the O's in June, giving up five earned runs and nine hits while striking out 13. Faria did not factor into the decision of either game. Faria's.179 expected batting average allowed with runners on base according to Statcast -- based on the quality of contact against him -- ranks behind only Max Scherzer among starters with at least 50 opponent at-bats in those situations. Jones' move to leadoff aids O's Wild Card push By Connor Mount / MLB.com July 25, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG -- The O's are gaining ground, having won six of their last eight games including Monday's 5-0 win over the Rays. It should come as no surprise that Adam Jones has picked up steam at the same time. Baltimore began the second half with Jones penciled in at the leadoff spot for the first time all year. He went 1-for-12 in his first three games in the role as the Cubs swept Baltimore, but has clicked since then. During his past seven games, he's 16-for-33 (.485) with four homers and 11 RBIs, including a 411-foot shot off Blake Snell on Monday. "He's really been a spark for us here," O's manager Buck Showalter said. "Adam's swinging the bat well. He told me the home run was one of the easiest swings he's taken all year. He just put his hands inside the ball." It's no secret that Jones is important to the O's offense. His 19th home run Monday gave him nine consecutive seasons with at least that many homers. He's also driven in runs in six consecutive games to tie the longest streak in O's history for a leadoff batter.

16 Driving in runs is no longer as important for Jones as setting up his teammates to do so. He's scored runs in eight consecutive games, boosting sluggers such as No. 3 hitter Jonathan Schoop, who drove in 16 runs over a seven-game stretch to win the most recent American League Player of the Week honors. "I think any leadoff hitter that gets on base helps the team," Jones said. "I'm able to run the bases well. We've got Manny [Machado], Schoop, [Chris Davis], [Mark] Trumbo, [Trey] Mancini. I get on base, chances of me scoring seem pretty good." Jones' scoring has been a boon for Baltimore. The O's are this season when Jones scores a run and when he plays and does not score. They're 1-6 when he's out of the lineup. The O's are 3 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race and have picked up their play as Tampa Bay struggles. Jones will be a focal point of the offense as Baltimore attempts to continue its climb. Miley s start, Jones atop the order and Gausman s grit By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 25, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Is it possible for a pitcher to better locate the strike zone after he s settled into his comfort zone? The Orioles are banking on Wade Miley to carry on his success against the Rays and inside Tropicana Field as they continue their three-game series. Miley is 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA and WHIP in 10 career starts against the Rays over 62 1/3 innings. He faced them on April 25 at Camden Yards and allowed two runs and four hits over seven innings. Miley also walked six batters and struck out eight. He s put up some crazy lines this season. In four career starts at The Trop, Miley has gone 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA by allowing five runs and 17 hits over 25 1/3 innings. The current group is batting.202 (19-for-94) against Miley. Evan Longoria is 5-for-26 (.192) with three doubles, two home runs and nine strikeouts. Tampa Bay rookie Jacob Faria has allowed one run in five of his eight starts and three earned runs or fewer in seven outings. His worst start is his most recent, when he permitted four runs and six hits and walked four batters over five innings in Oakland. The Orioles faced Faria in back-to-back starts in late June and he allowed a combined five earned runs (six total) and nine hits in 12 2/3 innings. He walked one batter and struck out 13. Adam Jones, Welington Castillo and Joey Rickard homered off Faria. Jones also has a double in six at-bats, and Rickard is 3-for-5 with a double. Jones had three more hits last night, coming within a triple of the cycle, and he s batting.485/.500/.939 (16-for-33) during a seven-game streak. He has three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs. This is the second time in two seasons that Jones has collected RBIs in six consecutive games from the leadoff spot, tying the team record. J.J. Hardy did it from Aug. 2-11, 2011 and Brady Anderson did it in 1994, 1996 and Jones is batting.354 (17-for-48) since moving to the leadoff spot.