Wednesday, July 5, 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 Wednesday, July 5, 2017 Game Stories: Orioles' Ubaldo Jiménez allows three homers for first time since 2015 in 6-2 loss to Brewers The Sun 7/4 Wade Miley allows seven runs in 1 2/3 innings in 8-1 loss to Brewers in first game of road trip The Sun 7/3 Backed by Machado's 3-run HR, Gausman allows just 2 hits in 7 innings in Orioles' 7-1 win over Rays The Sun 7/2 Schoop hits 17th HR; Jimenez struggles in loss MLB.com 7/4 Bats can't come alive as Miley struggles MLB.com 7/3 O's Gausman keeps Rays in check in finale MLB.com 7/2 Orioles slide continues with 6-2 loss to Brewers MASNsports.com 7/4 Miley exits early again in 8-1 loss (with quotes) MASNsports.com 7/3 Gausman deals, Machado homers as O s take series finale MASNsports.com 7/2 Thames hits pair of homers as Brewers defeat Orioles 6-2 AP 7/4 Shaw starts rout, gets hurt as Brewers top Orioles 8-1 AP 7/3 Orioles beat Rays 7-1 behind Gausman, Machado AP 7/2 Manny Machado's Struggles Continue In Orioles' 8-1 Loss to Brewers PressBoxOnline.com 7/3 Kevin Gausman Is Superb In Orioles' 7-1 Win Against Tampa Bay PressBoxOnline.com 7/2 Columns: Zach Britton's return gives Orioles most complete bullpen all season The Sun 7/5 Unfamiliar foe, familiar result: Brewers' Nelson is the latest first-time opponent to baffle Orioles The Sun 7/4 Orioles' Trumbo leaves game with bruise after fouling ball off calf; X-ray is negative The Sun 7/4 Orioles notes: Britton expected to work back into closer's role after activation Wednesday The Sun 7/4 Aquino to start for Orioles Wednesday in place of Tillman The Sun 7/4 Schmuck: Down the road, Matt Wieters keeping tabs on the Orioles while building trust with the Nats The Sun 7/4 Orioles' attempts at building lineup core without Chris Davis haven't created a spark The Sun 7/4 Orioles' Zach Britton ends rehab assignment with scoreless 9th, is expected to be activated Wednesday The Sun 7/4 Another lopsided loss might say something about an Orioles team on the margins of the pennant race The Sun 7/3 Orioles notes: Showalter says Schoop is 'very deserving' of team's lone All-Star selection The Sun 7/3 Second baseman Jonathan Schoop, Orioles' only All-Star, is excited, happy to be selected as a reserve The Sun 7/2 At mathematical midpoint of season, Orioles offer glimpse of how they can make wins add up The Sun 7/2

2 Orioles notes: Chris Davis could return right after All-Star break The Sun 7/2 Orioles honor former Ravens player O.J. Brigance and his wife, Chanda The Sun 7/2 Orioles send Alec Asher back to Norfolk, recall Jimmy Yacabonis to fill long-relief role The Sun 7/2 Aquino to fill in for O's against Brewers MLB.com 7/5 Trumbo exits with calf contusion; X-rays clean MLB.com 7/4 Britton set for return Wednesday vs. Brewers MLB.com 7/4 Miley looks for answers after latest rough start MLB.com 7/3 Hardy reflects as he returns to Miller Park MLB.com 7/3 Schoop earns first career All-Star nod MLB.com 7/2 O's recall Yacabonis, send Asher to Triple-A MLB.com 7/2 Aquino s start and some familiar faces on the other side MASNsports.com 7/5 Trumbo update and wrapping up a 6-2 loss MASNsports.com 7/4 Hearing from Davis, Britton and Wilson (O s down 6-1) MASNsports.com 7/4 Notes on Tillman, Aquino, Britton, Davis, Yacabonis and more MASNsports.com 7/4 Orioles and Brewers lineups (Wilson recalled, Aquino note) MASNsports.com 7/4 Orioles hoping for a repeat performance from Jiménez MASNsports.com 7/4 Showalter on injuries and Schoop s All-Star honor (O s down 8-1) MASNsports.com 7/3 Orioles and Brewers lineups MASNsports.com 7/3 How should Britton be used? (and other notes) MASNsports.com 7/3 Jonathan Schoop selected to first All-Star team MASNsports.com 7/2 Nice rookie season: Trey Mancini has hit for average and power MASNsports.com 7/5 O s game blog: Jimenez on the mound at Milwaukee MASNsports.com 7/4 Are the O s considering Tanner Scott a future starter? MASNsports.com 7/4 O s game blog: Road trip begins in Milwaukee (O s lose 8-1) MASNsports.com 7/3 Notes and quotes with Dan Duquette, Kevin Gausman and more MASNsports.com 7/3 Postgame Gausman, Machado, Showalter quotes (updated) MASNsports.com 7/2 Duquette on Sedlock, plus Showalter comments (O s lead 4-0) MASNsports.com 7/2 O s game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid a sweep MASNsports.com 7/2 Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis returns to O s roster MASNsports.com 7/2 Zach Britton On His Return: 'I Think It's Going To Help Everybody' PressBoxOnline.com 7/4 Jonathan Schoop Is A First-Time Orioles All-Star PressBoxOnline.com 7/2 Tap-In Question: Would you trade Britton or Brach to the Nationals for prospects? BaltimoreBaseball.com 7/3 Yes, the Miley-Miranda deal hasn t worked out for O s, but that s not the real issue here BaltimoreBaseball.com 7/3 Jonathan Schoop gets AL All-Star nod; the right call for a guy who has unquestionably earned it BaltimoreBaseball.com 7/2 The key for the rest of the year happened Sunday big days from Gausman, Machado BaltimoreBaseball.com 7/2

3 Orioles' Ubaldo Jiménez allows three homers for first time since 2015 in 6-2 loss to Brewers By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun July 4, 2017 Coming off what many called the best start he s ever had with the club, right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez allowed three home runs for the first time in nearly two years as the Orioles dropped another matinee to the Milwaukee Brewers, this time 6-2 before an announced holiday crowd of 31,818 at Miller Park. "My pitches were a little bit high today compared to my last game," Jimenez said. "I felt really good today.... I wish I could take those [home run] pitches back, but there s no way to take them back. They have a good lineup, and they made me pay for my mistakes." Jiménez looked sharp early but saw the Brewers (46-40) jump to an early lead when catcher Stephen Vogt hit a two-run home run with nobody out in the second inning. Center fielder Keon Broxton bunted his way on immediately after that, then stole second base and scored on a single by shortstop Orlando Arcia. The veteran right-hander worked out of a jam in the third inning and posted a clean fourth inning with a pair of strikeouts, but first baseman Eric Thames and third baseman Travis Shaw each hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to shorten Jiménez s day. He gave up five runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts, allowing three home runs in a game for the first time since July 17, Just five days ago Jiménez struck out eight in eight scoreless innings in Toronto. "Stuff was OK, you know?" manager Buck Showalter said. "I thought it was pretty good. In fact, early on I thought he was carrying similar, but these guys are leading the National League I m not sure about the American League, too in home runs and you make those mistakes, you re going to pay for them. We made three of them." Jiménez has alternated good and bad starts since returning to the rotation June 18 and is 3-4 with a 6.64 ERA this season. Running out of innings: The Orioles (40-43) lost a pair of threats on the basepaths early in Tuesday s loss, all as defensible as they were discouraging. In the second inning, after center fielder Adam Jones pulled a double down the left-field line, right fielder Mark Trumbo hit a tweener pop fly into right field that fell in. But second baseman Jonathan Villar corralled the ball in time to throw Jones out at third base. First baseman Trey Mancini grounded into a double play on the ensuing pitch to end that inning. Trumbo and Mancini singled to put two on with one out in the fifth inning, too, but Trumbo was caught off the bag and doubled off after catcher Caleb Joseph lined out directly to Shaw at third base. Consolation runs: The Orioles' first run scored because Shaw was thinking triple play on a grounder straight at him with no outs in the seventh. However, after he stepped on third base, Manny Machado didn t vacate the basepath as he looked to throw to second base. So instead, Shaw had to rush a throw to first base to try for a second out and committed an error. The next batter, Joey Rickard, dropped a single into center field to score second baseman Jonathan Schoop.

4 Rickard entered the game in the bottom of the sixth for Trumbo, who left with a bruised left calf. Otherwise, the Orioles didn t muster much against Jimmy Nelson, who allowed six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. Schoop homered in the ninth inning off reliever Carlos Torres, giving him a team-high 17 this year. Wade Miley allows seven runs in 1 2/3 innings in 8-1 loss to Brewers in first game of road trip By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun July 3, 2017 Wade Miley spent the first two months of the season succeeding despite admittedly allowing too many base runners. Monday s 8-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park was the continuation of a painful regression for him and the Orioles, with Miley not pitching out of the second inning and letting another game get out of reach early. "I didn t give us a chance," Miley said. "I pretty much blew that one early on. The first and second inning, let them get out to a big lead like that and set the tempo for the other team. That can t happen. It can t continue to happen. Some adjustments have to be made." In a four-run first inning, seven straight Brewers reached on two walks, four singles and a fielder s choice. In the second inning, Miley struck out the first batter he faced before loading the bases on two singles and a hit batter. Three runs scored on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Jesús Aguilar and a double by catcher Manny Piña, and manager Buck Showalter didn t let Miley face another batter. You watch him on his workday, it s as good as you want to see, which has been one of his fortes, and he hasn t been able to command the baseball in the games," Showalter said. "Everything else is there. Tells you there are some other challenges going on. Miley s 1 2/3 innings were his shortest healthy start of the season, though now in three of his past six he hasn't pitched out of the third inning. He doesn t have a quality start since June 1, when he allowed one earned run in seven innings to beat the Boston Red Sox and leave his ERA at 2.82 Since then, Miley has made six starts and allowed 22 runs in 22 1/3 innings to watch his ERA balloon to Ridiculous rundown: With a six-run deficit already stinging enough, the Orioles provided an inglorious defensive moment in the third inning. With shortstop Orlando Arcia on first base, pitcher Brent Suter chopped a ball up the middle and beat the throw for an infield single. Arcia tried to take third base, which was vacated because of the Orioles protecting against a bunt, and beat the throw there, only he slid through the bag. But third baseman Manny Machado wasn t able to tag him because the umpire and third base coach Ed Sedar were blocking his way, and noticing that, Arcia went home. The Orioles had him caught in a rundown, but Machado s throw drew shortstop Rubén Tejada out of the basepath and enabled Arcia to score.

5 Showalter came out to the mound after to discuss possibly appealing to third base that Arcia never touched the bag, and stood there in silence as they waited. "It was tricky," catcher Welington Castillo said. "It was tricky, honestly. I just saw the guy. I knew there wasn t going to be a play at second base, and Manny was in between second and third. I just thought that I was going to go there just in case. The guy broke there and Manny was there, and I just tried to go back to the plate but it was late." Showalter said vacating home plate was the biggest problem, though pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis was going to back up third base on the play. "But in a perfect world you arm-fake that ball to first and take the out on the rounding second base when you realize that you don t have a play at first," Showalter said. "And there s some things there. Their pitcher runs real well. And I think sometimes that catches some people offguard. They re used to guys not doing that. But we mentioned in the advance meeting. Better from the bullpen: Yacabonis was charged with an earned run from that, mainly because no error was actually committed. But that was the only run allowed in 6 1/3 innings from the Orioles bullpen. Yacabonis was responsible for 3 1/3 of those on his own, allowing three hits and striking out two. From there, Darren O Day, Donnie Hart and Richard Bleier combined to allow one hit in three scoreless innings one apiece. "Darren had two days off and I knew I was going to use him one inning," Showalter said. "So we kept the pitch counts down with him and Bleier and Donnie. They ve been pitching well here lately. But Yac was the key. Otherwise, we were going to see if you could come down and pitch. Jimmy, we sent him down to get stretched out a little bit and work on some things, shorten up the breaking ball a little bit, and he presented himself well." Yacabonis bonus contribution: The rookie reliever also supplied the Orioles only run of the day, grounding out to second base and scoring Tejada from third base in the third inning. Tejada had singled to open the inning and advanced two bases on an error by right fielder Domingo Santana. Otherwise, rookie left-hander Suter stymied the Orioles, striking out eight while allowing just four hits. Rookie Trey Mancini ended an 0-for-14 stretch to pace the Orioles with two hits.

6 Backed by Machado's 3-run HR, Gausman allows just 2 hits in 7 innings in Orioles' 7-1 win over Rays By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun July 2, 2017 The Orioles didn t win the just-completed three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, but they left town Sunday with reason to feel a lot better about their beleaguered starting rotation. Three scoreless performances in the past six games will do that for a team, and the second one in a week by right-hander Kevin Gausman helped the Orioles score a 7-1 victory over the Rays on Sunday before an announced 26,489 at Oriole Park. Gausman, who had been struggling with a six-plus ERA since mid-april, pitched seven shutout innings Sunday after holding the Toronto Blue Jays scoreless over 5 1/3 innings last Monday, which reduced his ERA to a more respectable That was impressive, manager Buck Showalter said. I felt the seventh inning was the most impressive inning he had. You could tell he was going to carry good stuff. His secondary stuff was really good today. Probably the best secondary stuff he s had this year. It was about this time last year that he turned his season around and delivered a strong second half, so the Orioles and their fans can only hope that recent history is about to repeat itself. Definitely, I think you only get confidence from success, he said. You ve got to have that first. I feel like I m throwing the ball well right now and just got to keep it going. I had a great second half last year, so obviously I m looking forward to that and knowing that I m the type of guy who gets better as the season goes on, so that s always good. Gausman looked comfortable on the mound throughout and was overpowering at times striking out nine to match a season high. He said there was no secret to his recent success. Obviously fastball command, and being able to put guys away with it also, he said. I had a good feel for my split and my changeup. Even my slider, and my first-pitch strikes were pretty good, too, so getting ahead always helps. He looked comfortable on the mound throughout and was overpowering at times striking nine to match a season high and his offense made it easy to relax, staking him to a five-run lead in the early innings. Manny Machado, whose struggles at the plate this year have been well-documented, delivered the key blow in the third inning. He lined a three-run home run into the left-field bleachers to give Gausman a four-run lead. Mark Trumbo added his second home run of the series in the fourth to make it 5-0. Gausman threw 112 pitches before giving way to reliever Mychal Givens, who allowed a leadoff home run to catcher Jesus Sucre that accounted for the Rays only run. Miguel Castro finished up with a scoreless ninth inning. Caleb stays hot: Reserve catcher Caleb Joseph made his fourth start in the past seven games and continued to swing a very productive bat. He came into Sunday s game with six hits in 10 at-bats over his previous three starts and added three more hits in four at-bats in the series finale against the Rays. His third three-hit performance of the season gave him nine hits in his past 14 at-bats, for an otherworldly average over that period of.643.

7 Rotation on upswing: Thanks largely to the work of Ubaldo Jimenez and Gausman, the Orioles rotation posted a 3-1 record and a sterling 2.62 ERA for the week. And it picked a pretty good time to do that considering that the Orioles scored a total of 12 runs in the five games coming into Sunday s seven-run performance. More hitting highlights Trumbo s homer was his second of the series and 12th of the season. He also hit one in the 10th inning on Friday night.... Fill-in shortstop Ruben Tejada has three hits in his first seven at-bats of July. Schoop hits 17th HR; Jimenez struggles in loss By Adam McCalvy and Andrew Gruman / MLB.com July 4, 2017 MILWAUKEE -- Jimmy Nelson pitched seven solid innings and the Brewers hit four home runs in a 6-2 win over the Orioles that moved Milwaukee 3 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs and the rest of the National League Central on the Fourth of July. But you won't catch Nelson studying the standings just yet. Asked when he will start to take note, Nelson said, "After the last game is played and we're still up. You can't really look at it now. There's a lot of things that can happen. I was here in '14 when all that happened." He was referring to a late-season collapse that cost the 2014 Brewers a spot in the postseason and began a plunge into rebuilding. Now they are ahead of schedule thanks to a wave of new players, including Eric Thames, Travis Shaw and Stephen Vogt, all of whom homered Tuesday to back Nelson's strong effort. Thames hit his 22nd and 23rd home runs, Vogt hit a two-run homer to open the scoring in the second inning and Shaw added a solo shot to back Nelson, who struck out eight and limited the Orioles to one unearned run on six hits and no walks on 87 pitches over seven innings. Brewers manager Craig Counsell had a fresh bullpen at his disposal, so he lifted Nelson for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the seventh and covered the final two innings with Jacob Barnes and Carlos Torres, who finished off Milwaukee's fifth win in its last six games and sealed a series victory. Orioles All-Star Jonathan Schoop hit his 17th home run off Torres in the ninth, but Baltimore played most of the day from behind. O's starter Ubaldo Jimenez was unable to build off his brilliant eight-inning start five days earlier against the Blue Jays, allowing five runs on six hits, including three homers, in five innings against the Brewers. He walked three and struck out seven. "These guys are leading the National League in home runs, and when you make those mistakes, they are going to make you pay for it," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "[Jimenez] made three of them. We made some bad pitches and they made us pay." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED They believe in Stephen Vogt: Vogt, an All-Star each of the past two seasons for the A's, has settled in nicely in his new home ballpark. Vogt has at least one RBI in all three of his Miller Park starts, beginning on Friday with a two-homer, three-rbi introduction against the Marlins

8 and continuing Tuesday with his two-run shot off Jimenez in the second inning. The homer put the Brewers on the board and sparked a three-run frame. "You want to prove yourself, no matter who you are," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "No matter how long you've been in the league, you want to prove yourself. He's gotten off to a heck of a start. He's been really valuable, swinging the bat really well. He's been a big part of a couple of wins." Vogt also earned praise from Nelson for his work behind the plate. "Vogt did a really good job behind the dish," said Nelson. "His experience comes in huge, especially since he has seen those guys quite a few times [in the American League]. He did a great job game-calling." Slide on by: Orlando Arcia turned a slide past third base into a Brewers run on Monday, but the Orioles' Adam Jones wasn't as fortunate in the second inning on Tuesday. He was at second base after a double right down the third-base line when Mark Trumbo's pop fly fell between Brewers Jonathan Villar and Domingo Santana in shallow right field. Jones tried to advance, but he slid through the bag and was an easy out for Shaw at third after collecting Villar's throw. The Orioles didn't have another hit off Nelson until the fifth. "Things aren't going our way right now, and they haven't been going for us," Orioles third baseman Manny Machado said. "The only thing we can do is keep grinding it out and keep putting together quality at-bats and pass the baton." QUOTABLE "All of the All-Star Game stuff and all of the pressure, let go. Now I'm just playing. Now everybody is kind of feeling the mojo off each other, so we're going to keep rolling." -- Thames, who has four hits including a trio of home runs -- and no strikeouts -- in three games since taking two days off last week. UPON FURTHER REVIEW The Orioles won a challenge in the seventh, when Monday's winning pitcher, Brent Suter, entered the game as a pinch-runner for a hobbled Eric Sogard and was initially safe at second base on a fielder's choice. Second-base umpire Eric Copper ruled that shortstop Paul Janish hadn't kept his foot on the bag while preparing to make a relay throw to first, but that call was overturned, and Suter was out. WHAT'S NEXT Orioles: With Chris Tillman to be placed on the paternity list Wednesday, left-hander Jayson Aquino will start the series finale for the Orioles at 7:10 p.m. ET. The 24-year-old Aquino went 2-7 with a 4.46 ERA over 12 starts with Triple-A Norfolk this season. He has already made one start for the Orioles this season, allowing two runs over six innings against the Red Sox on April 22. Brewers: Right-hander Matt Garza will take the mound for the Crew and go for a series sweep at 6:10 p.m. CT on Wednesday. He received a no-decision in his last start, a 3-2 comeback victory against the Marlins on Friday. While he hasn't faced the Orioles since May 27, 2014, the veteran starter is 9-1 with a 3.11 ERA in 13 career starts against them.

9 Bats can't come alive as Miley struggles By Adam McCalvy and Andrew Gruman / MLB.com July 3, 2017 MILWAUKEE -- Brent Suter pitched brilliantly in a spot start and the Brewers backed him with a torrent of early offense in an 8-1 win over the Orioles on Monday at Miller Park. Making the first start in place of injured starter Chase Anderson, Suter dug deep for 97 pitches and held Baltimore to one unearned run on four hits over six quick innings. Suter walked one and set a career high with eight strikeouts, the most for a left-handed Brewers starter since Tom Gorzelanny struck out eight Mariners on Aug. 10, 2013, in Seattle. Suter became the first lefty starter to win a home game for the Brewers since Randy Wolf in "It was my first start at Miller Park and there were a lot of cool emotions going on," said Suter. "A chance to pick up the team, maybe eat some innings for the bullpen, and I was very fortunate I was able to come through." When Brewers manager Craig Counsell had already announced the lefty earned himself another turn in the rotation, Suter smiled. "Awesome. I didn't know that. That is very good news," said Suter, who is scheduled to start Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The Orioles countered with their own southpaw, Wade Miley, who entered the day with a 5.17 ERA in five career starts against Milwaukee and saw it rise to 6.82 after allowing seven earned runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. "There's been zero command," Miley said. "Any time you put yourself in those situations, battling back, behind in the count all the time, it is pretty tough to pitch up here like that." Manny Pina and Orlando Arcia collected three hits apiece for the Brewers, who took command with another big first inning. Including its four runs against Miley, Milwaukee has outscored opponents in the opening frame this season. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Pina pours it on: Pina has been one of the National League's most productive catchers this season, and he added two more run-scoring hits and three RBIs in the first two innings Monday. Pina's single drove home the third of Milwaukee's four runs in the first inning before his two-run double off the wall in left-center field extended the lead to 7-0 in the second, knocking Miley from the game. "He's doing a beautiful job offensively," Counsell said. "I think we're getting a player who has been really solid, really consistent, offensively. Not playing every day, but playing regularly, I would say. I think that's helped him. I think we've got him in a good spot." Orlando magic: It's shaping into a heck of a homestand for Arcia, who had eight hits in his first 11 at-bats since returning home after he singled in his first two trips to the plate Monday. In the third inning, he scored all the way from first on Suter's infield hit, sliding past third base and then popping up and foiling the Orioles' attempt at a rundown. The crazy play gave Milwaukee an 8-1 lead. "Once I over-slid, at that point there was no going back. There was just going home," Arcia said through translator Carlos Brizuela. "If they were going to tag me, it might as well be at home trying to score." QUOTABLE "He's talked about that he was going to have to take the mindset this year, 'I've just got to be

10 ready for anything.' I think it's a testament to if you put your mind to something, and that's where your frame of mind is going to be, then you can handle what's ahead of you." -- Counsell, on Suter "We've had some challenges with our starting pitching -- we've had some good outings, too, lately -- I don't want to say, 'Here we go again,' but it is just kind of 'OK, we have to fight our way through this.' There's some games we can come back from if we can stay engaged and connected to the games. But when you've had the challenges we've had, there's a certain mental challenge that's hard to overcome nightly." -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Not only did the Brewers score eight runs without hitting a home run, a season high, Pina's double was their only extra-base hit. It was only the second time since 2006 that the Brewers scored that many runs with one or fewer extra-base hits. "The first inning was single, walk, single, walk, single, [fielder's choice], single," Counsell said. "That shows me a bunch of guys having good at-bats in a row. We made [Miley] work. We were disciplined, we didn't chase. He was off a little bit in the first inning and we kept making him work." WHAT'S NEXT Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez will make his 12th start of the season at 4:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Jimenez struck out a season-high eight batters in his last start, and lowered his ERA from 7.26 to Brewers: After recording 50 strikeouts in June, Jimmy Nelson will make his first start of July at 3:10 p.m. CT on Tuesday. The right-hander tied his career high with 11 strikeouts in his last start, an 11-3 win over the Reds on Thursday. His June strikeout total tied him with Ben Sheets for the second-most in a month in Brewers franchise history.

11 O's Gausman keeps Rays in check in finale By Mandy Bell and Bill Chastain / MLB.com July 2, 2017 BALTIMORE -- For a team that has struggled with getting quality starts from its pitching staff this season, the Orioles took advantage of a two-hit gem from Kevin Gausman Sunday afternoon against the Rays at Camden Yards. In a 7-1 win over Tampa Bay -- one that moved the Orioles to 1 1/2 games behind the third-place Rays in the American League East -- Gausman went seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out nine for his first quality start since May 26. "You know, just my fastball command [was better today]," Gausman said. "Obviously being able to put guys away with it also. Had a good feel for my split and my changeup, and even my slider too. I think my first-pitch strikes were pretty good too, so you know, getting ahead always helps." The Rays praised Gausman for the job he did Sunday. "That's about as well-pitched of a game as they've had against us this year, or a long time," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "You're talking about a guy -- Gausman was throwing mph spotting his fastball. Showed a really good splitter and an occasional slider. He made it tough." Added Evan Longoria: "We ran into a little bit of a bowling ball with Gausman today. He threw the ball well, put it where he wanted to. He's tough on a day when he doesn't have his 'A' stuff because he throws 98. But you get him on a day when he had the splitter and slider going early and then he was able to locate the fastball on top of that. So, yeah, it was a tough day." Orioles third baseman Manny Machado belted a three-run homer in the third after a throwing error by Rays starter Alex Cobb brought in a run to put the O's up 4-0. Mark Trumbo added a solo shot in the fourth before Seth Smith launched a two-run double to the left-center gap in the seventh. "It's just a play I've never really done before," Cobb said. "I've always taken pride in being able to field my position. And stay under control. I can't really explain what happened there. I guess I let it speed up a little bit." The Rays picked up their lone run on a long ball by Jesus Sucre against reliever Mychal Givens in the eighth. Cobb allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits, including two home runs through 6 1/3 innings. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Cobb's costly error: In the third, the Orioles had their first base runners of the game on second and third with one out for Smith. Smith chopped one back to Cobb on the mound, who had plenty of time to look the runner back to third and still record the out at first. Instead, Cobb airmailed the throw into right field allowing the O's to put the first run on the board and set up Machado for a three-run homer in the next at-bat. Smith's two-run double: With two on and one out in the seventh, Smith laced a liner to the leftcenter field warning track that Mallex Smith tried to catch reaching over his head on the run, but the ball deflected off his glove and sent him tumbling to the ground. Th knock scored two and chased Cobb, extending the O's lead to 7-0. QUOTABLE "If we keep winning within the division, everyone in here has a feeling that we're not going

12 away." -- Longoria, on the Rays' playoff chances "Think about this: [Machado is] probably leading our club in balls hit hard that have been caught. His first at-bat, he hits a sharp ball right up the middle that the guy makes a great play on. Mental toughness comes from not going, 'Here we go again.' It comes from going back up there and hitting a ball on the screws for a three-run homer. That was the key offensive blow of the game." -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter, on Machado's homer WHAT'S NEXT Rays: Chris Archer (6-5, 3.92) will get the nod for the Rays on Tuesday when they begin a twogame series against the Cubs in a 2:20 p.m. ET contest at Wrigley Field. Archer allowed five home runs in 31 innings in June after allowing six in 79 1/3 innings prior to June. Orioles: The Orioles will head to Milwaukee on Monday for a three-game series against the Brewers. Wade Miley will take the mound for the O's and is looking to kick off July on a better note than his previous month as he ended June with a season-high 4.54 ERA. Last time out, the lefty allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits through five innings. First pitch is slated for 2:10 p.m. ET. Orioles slide continues with 6-2 loss to Brewers By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 4, 2017 MILWAUKEE - Ubaldo Jiménez couldn t duplicate the magic. Jiménez served up three home runs to the Brewers in five innings and the Orioles lost again today 6-2 before an announced crowd of 31,818 at Miller Park. The Brewers finished with four home runs, the second from Eric Thames coming off reliever Tyler Wilson in the seventh inning. Fireworks seemed appropriate on this day. The Orioles are three games below.500 at to match their worst mark of the season. They ve lost four of their last five and five of seven. Stephen Vogt hit a two-run homer in the second inning to provide Milwaukee with an early lead. Thames and Travis Shaw added solo shots in the fifth and Wilson entered the game in the sixth. Jiménez tossed eight scoreless innings in Toronto in his last start, but he allowed five runs in five innings today, with three walks and seven strikeouts. The three home runs were the most off Jiménez since July 17, 2015 in Detroit. The Orioles continue to play from behind, with the Brewers taking a 3-0 lead in the second on Vogt s home run and Orlando Arcia s RBI single after Keon Broxton reached on a bunt single and stole second. Jiménez stranded two runners in the third and actually retired the side in order in the fourth with two strikeouts, but Thames and Shaw clobbered him in the fifth. The rotation isn t the sole reason for the Orioles latest slide.

13 Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson allowed one baserunner in the first four innings on Adam Jones leadoff double in the second. He rationed the Orioles to an unearned run over seven innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts. The Orioles have been held to two runs or fewer in four of their last seven games. They did, however, hit into some tough luck this afternoon. Jones tried to advance to third base when the Brewers let Mark Trumbo s shallow fly ball drop in right field, but he overslid the bag and was out. Trey Mancini followed by grounding into a double play. Trumbo and Mancini singled with one out in the fifth, but Caleb Joseph lined into a 5-4 double play. He smoked the ball and got two outs for it. The Orioles finally broke through in the seventh. Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoopopened the inning with singles and Jones grounded to third. Shaw stepped on the bag, thought about going for the triple play and threw wide of first base. Joey Rickard followed with an RBI single into center field to cut the lead to 5-1. Rickard has replaced Trumbo, who exited with a bruised left calf caused by a foul ball. Rickard was inserted into right field in the bottom of the sixth. The inning fizzled when Mancini and Joseph struck out. Schoop homered with one out in the ninth, his 17th, to give him the team lead. The Orioles will try to avoid being swept Wednesday night by sending left-hander Jayson Aquino to the mound for his second major league start. Is more evidence needed that this team is navigating through choppy waters? They d like to keep their heads above.500, but they re in deep.

14 Miley exits early again in 8-1 loss (with quotes) By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 3, 2017 MILWAUKEE - The Orioles didn t need further proof that momentum is the next day s starting pitcher. They ve lived and died with the inconsistencies. Kevin Gausman spins the rotation in a positive direction yesterday with seven scoreless innings against the Rays and Wade Miley throws 44 pitches in the first inning today while the Brewers bat around and tally four runs. Just because this happens doesn t mean that s going to happen. Manager Buck Showalter preaches it all the time. Someone should pass the collection plate while it happens. Finding home plate was an issue for Miley, who kept falling behind hitters and turned in his shortest non-injury start of the season. He was charged with seven runs in 1 2/3 innings and the Brewers cruised to an 8-1 victory before an announced crowd of 36,457 at Miller Park. Miley gave up seven hits, walked two batters and hit Travis Shaw on the left hand, forcing him out of the game. Miley threw 67 pitches, 37 for strikes. The Orioles are two games below.500 again at They re on the road. Miley gave up four hits and walked two batters in the first inning. Five straight batters reached after leadoff hitter Jonathan Villar lined out. Shaw, Manny Piña and Orlando Arcia had RBI singles. With no designated hitter, Brewers starter Brent Suter struck out to end the inning while Jimmy Yacabonis began to get loose in the visiting bullpen. The Orioles don t really have a true long reliever, with Alec Asher optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Yacabonis would have to suffice. Yacabonis replaced Miley in the second after the Brewers took a 7-0 lead. Ten of 15 Brewers reached against the veteran left-hander, with Piña s two-run double forcing a pitching change. Miley hasn t lasted more than 5 2/3 innings since June 1. He s gone 2 2/3, 2 1/3, 5 2/3, five, five and 1 2/3 innings. The Brewers scored a run off Yacabonis in the third, the only one surrendered by the bullpen, and it defined the Orioles day. Arcia led off with a single and Suter reached on an infield hit. Arcia beat Trey Mancini s throw to third base, slid past the bag and bolted for home. He got caught in a rundown and scored when Manny Machado made a wide throw that caused catcher Welington Castillo and shortstop Rubén Tejada to get tangled up. It looked like Tejada interfered with his own teammate, which isn t in the rules. The play actually began to break down because Yacabonis didn t run Arcia back to third before relinquishing the ball. Tejada scored the Orioles run in the top of the third inning when he led off with a single, took third base on right fielder Domingo Santana s error and came home on Yacabonis ground out. Yacabonis had his first major league RBI in his first plate appearance. Yacabonis gave the Orioles 3 1/3 innings to spare the bullpen excessive use. He allowed one run, threw 44 pitches and wondered if he s boarding the shuttle to Triple-A Norfolk.

15 One possibility is Yacabonis going down, Jayson Aquino being recalled and the Orioles starting the left-hander on Wednesday if he isn t needed in relief Tuesday afternoon. Or Yacabonis is rewarded for his effort today by sticking around, leaving Showalter with a short bullpen. Darren O Day retired the side in order in the sixth and Donnie Hart did the same in the seventh. Richard Bleier followed with a scoreless eighth after a leadoff single. The Orioles might have figured out early that they were destined to struggle - before Miley took his first warmup tosses. Machado bunted into a 1-3 double play in the top of the first inning after Joey Rickard s leadoff single. Suter caught the ball and Rickard was nowhere near the bag. There s no way that Showalter put on the bunt sign. Same as the game at Tropicana Field when Machado bunted on his own, except he didn t get a hit today. The Orioles didn t do much with Suter, who allowed an unearned run and four hits in six innings. He walked one batter and struck out eight. The sausage race had more drama. Update: Tyler Wilson has been scratched from today s start at Norfolk, according to The Virginian-Pilot, and is joining the Orioles in Milwaukee. Showalter on Miley: You watch him on his workday, it s as good as you want to see, which has been one of his fortes, and he hasn t been able to command the baseball in the games. Everything else is there. Tells you there are some other challenges going on. Showalter on whether big early deficits worse than close losses: No, a close loss is tough, too. Because we ve had some challenges with our starting pitching... We ve had some good outings here, too, lately. This one puts you in that - I don t want to say here you go again - but it s just kind of, OK, we ve got to fight our way through it. There are some games that we can come back from if we can stay engaged and connected to the game. But when you ve had the challenges that we ve had, there s a certain mental challenge that s hard to overcome nightly. Showalter on Yacabonis: Darren had two days off and I knew I was going to use him one inning. So we kept the pitch counts down with him and Bleier and Donnie. They ve been pitching well here lately. But Yac was the key. Otherwise, we were going to see if you could come down and pitch. Jimmy, we sent him down to get stretched out a little bit and work on some things, shorten up the breaking ball a little bit, and he presented himself well. Even got an RBI. I think the ball hit his bat as much as anything. Showalter on whether he had a message for team after botched rundown: I didn t talk to them. That was about appealing third base. We were told that he possibly had never touched third. I was just going by what the replay said. Showalter on rundown: It s an unconventional play, obviously, coming from that angle. Manny s coming in for the ground ball and trying to scramble back. Probably the biggest thing was vacating the plate. You ve got to make sure your pitcher s there. But think about, the pitcher s breaking toward backing up third, and because of Jimmy s delivery, he fell toward first base. So, the play that normally a pitcher makes that s straight on. But in a perfect world you arm-fake that ball to first and take the out on the (runner) rounding second base when you realize that you don t have a play at first. And there s some things there. Their pitcher runs real well. And I think sometimes that catches some people off-guard. They re used to guys not doing that. But we mentioned in the advance meeting. Miley on reason for struggles: The command. There s been zero command. Any time you put yourself in those situations, battling back, behind in the count all the time, it s pretty tough to pitch up here like that.

16 Miley on whether losses like this are tougher: A loss is a loss, man. I didn t give us a chance. I pretty much blew that one early on. The first and second inning, let them get out to a big lead like that and set the tempo for the other team. That can t happen. It can t continue to happen. Some adjustments have to be made. I don t know. Miley on relying on experience to pull himself out of slump: You ve just got to keep grinding, keep working in the bullpen and just look for something to click. When it clicks, hopefully it can get going in the right direction. Like Buck said, I feel really good in my sides and in between, but it s just not translating, for whatever reason. Castillo on Miley: He was really good in the pen. There was command of all his pitches. He had pretty good life on the fastball, the changeup, everything was going. In the game, it was like he wasn t commanding anything. He was behind in the count. I was talking to him and he said he wasn t feeling like his body was connecting. I think he wasn t having a clue of what he was doing or feeling with his body, you know? But that s a guy that, he s going to give you everything he s got. He s going to be out here competing, but it s tough for him and for the team, being behind the count all the time if you don t have your offspeed for strikes when you need it. But that s a guy who s going to make an adjustment. Castillo on big losses versus close ones: Losses are losses, no matter if you lost by 10 or by one. Losses are losses. Nobody wants to lose a game or lose a couple of games. We ve just got to stay positive and keep our head up and come tomorrow strong. Castillo on rundown: It was tricky. It was tricky, honestly. I just saw the guy... I knew there wasn t going to be a play at second base, and Manny was in between second and third. I just thought that I was going to go there just in case. The guy broke there and Manny was there, and I just tried to go back to the plate, but it was late. Me and Tejada just collided a little bit and Arcia just snuck into the plate. Gausman deals, Machado homers as O s take series finale By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 2, 2017 Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman pitched a gem. Manny Machado hit a blast. Those were the highlights this afternoon as the two former Orioles first-round picks led the club to a 7-1 win over the Rays at Oriole Park. Using a fastball that nearly hit 100 mph and a, at times, swing-and-miss splitter, Gausman threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only two singles. No Rays runner reached third against him. He walked two and fanned nine to tie a season high in strikeouts and come within one of a career best. He threw 112 pitches, 71 strikes, and improved to 5-7 with an ERA of He shut down a Rays team that had scored 16 runs and hit six homers over the last two nights in taking the first two games of the series. Gausman averaged 96 mph on his four-seam fastball and topped at 99 mph. Gausman has recorded back-to-back scoreless starts. He has thrown 12 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, over his past two games. The seven-inning outing ties for his longest of the year, done once before. The Orioles today reached the midpoint of the season and are at the 81-game mark. They moved to within 1 1/2 games of the third-place Rays and denied Tampa Bay its first three-game sweep in Baltimore since May 17-19, With a big boost from a critical throwing error, the Orioles took a 4-0 lead in the last of the third. Caleb Joseph s bloop single started the inning, Rubén Tejada was hit by a pitch and Joey

17 Rickard advanced both with a sac bunt. Then pitcher Alex Cobb made a big mistake on a Seth Smith dribbler to the third base side of the mound. Cobb airmailed the throw past first as a run scored. Smith wound up on second and Tejada on third. They both could jog home when Machado ripped a three-run homer to left for a 4-0 lead. Machado had gone 10 games with a homer, batting.154. He was 1-for-19 in his last five games before today. But he connected off Cobb and his 16th homer traveled 403 feet. When Mark Trumbo homered to lead off the fourth, the lead grew to 5-0. Trumbo hit No. 12 on 0-1 fastball for his second homer in three games. He has hit eight of his homers at Oriole Park. The lead grew to 7-0 on Smith s two-run double off the glove of center fielder Mallex Smith in the seventh. It scored Joseph and Tejada, both singling to start the inning. Joseph had three hits and is 9-for-14 his past five games. The O s bid for a shutout ended when catcher Jesús Sucre led off the Tampa Bay eighth with his fourth home run, connecting off Mychal Givens. The Orioles fly to Milwaukee tonight and face the Brewers Monday through Wednesday before starting a four-game series Thursday at Minnesota to end the first half. Britton note: For weather-related reasons, the Orioles have moved Zach Britton s last scheduled minor league rehab game tomorrow night from Triple-A Norfolk to Single-A Frederick. He will pitch for the Keys in tomorrow s 7 p.m. game at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. Thames hits pair of homers as Brewers defeat Orioles 6-2 Associated Press / ESPN.com July 4, 2017 MILWAUKEE -- Eric Thames is showing signs of breaking out of a prolonged slump that led to a two-day stint on the bench last week. Thames belted a pair of home runs to back another strong pitching performance by Jimmy Nelson and lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. "I relaxed for a few days. I was hanging out with (hitting coach Darnell Coles) a lot talking mechanics," Thames said. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he has seen an improvement in Thames since returning to the lineup. "He's had a couple of good days, for sure. He's swinging the bat well," Counsell said. Stephen Vogt and Travis Shaw also homered for the Brewers and Nelson (7-4) continued his resurgence, winning for the fifth time in six decisions. He gave up six hits and an unearned run in seven innings. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter. "The first six innings, he was in as good a groove as we've seen him this year," Counsell said. Nelson held the Orioles in check even without strong command of his fastball. "I didn't have my best fastball today, but I was able to throw my off-speed stuff for strikes, especially early in the game," Nelson said. He credited battery mate Vogt, the veteran whom the Brewers claimed off waivers from Oakland last week, for his pitch calls and defense behind the plate. "We were on the same page and that was the first time he caught me," Nelson said. "He blocks everything. He is tough as nails back there."

18 The Brewers jumped ahead on Vogt's two-run homer in the second off Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (3-4). Vogt has three home runs since joining the Brewers. Keon Broxton followed with a bunt single, then stole second and scored on Orlando Arcia's single. Thames belted a solo home run off Jimenez with one out in the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Shaw hit a solo shot as the lead ballooned to 5-0. The Orioles got a run in the seventh on Joey Rickard's run-scoring single. The Orioles had two on with one out but Nelson fanned the last two batters to end the threat. Nelson yelled and pumped his arms as he left the field. Milwaukee extended the lead to 6-1 in the seventh on Thames' second homer of the game. Thames has gone deep 23 times this season. Jonathan Schoop hit a solo homer for Baltimore in the ninth. Jimenez, who pitched two-hit ball over eight shutout innings at Toronto in his previous start, gave up five runs and six hits over five innings. "We made some bad pitches and they made us pay," Showalter said. STREAK INTACT Shaw had gone 52 consecutive games at third base without committing an error. That streak appeared to end in the seventh when he was charged with an error on a throw to first that deflected off Thames' glove. The official scorer changed the ruling following the game, giving the error to Thames. ROSTER MOVES: The Orioles recalled RHP Tyler Wilson and optioned RHP Jimmy Yacabonis, who started Monday's game, to Triple-A Norfolk..LHP Jayson Aquino will be recalled from Norfolk on Wednesday and RHP Chris Tillman will be placed on the paternity list. TRAINER'S ROOM Orioles: Closer Zach Britton is expected to be activated on Wednesday. Britton, who has been on the disabled list since April with a left forearm strain, was 47-for-47 in save chances last year and had a 0.54 ERA in 69 games. He is 0-0 with five saves and a 1.00 ERA in eight games this season....of Mark Trumbo left the game in the sixth after fouling a ball off his left calf. Initial X-rays came back negative, Showalter said. "It got to the point where he couldn't really function on it," he said. Brewers: Shaw started after leaving Monday's game when hit on the left hand by a 93 mph pitch in the second inning. Shaw initially stayed in the game but left in the fourth with a contusion..inf Eric Sogarddidn't start due to ankle soreness. "He was running the bases in Cincinnati and had to stop real quick at third base, so it's still a little bit sore," manager Craig Counsell said..of Ryan Braun got the day off to rest. UP NEXT Orioles: Showalter announced prior to the game that Aquino will start on Wednesday. Aquino is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three appearances, including one start, for Baltimore this season. "I'm confident that I can do a good job here, especially as a starter," Aquino said through a translator. Brewers: Matt Garza (3-4) is 9-1 with a 3.11 ERA in 13 career starts against the Orioles but has not faced Baltimore since May 27, 2014.