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 2012, 1996

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Game Stories:

Orioles recap: Birds' early, late offense enough for third straight win, 10-8 over Nats The

Sun 8/24

Machado, Wieters plate 8 as O's deny Nats MLB.com 8/25

Orioles change venues, but results stay same vs. Nats MASNsports.com 8/24

A few stats and notes on the Orioles’ third straight win over the Nats MASNsports.com

8/24

O's closer Zach Britton allows first ER in 43 appearances in win over Nats AP 8/25

Machado's 4 RBIs Help Orioles Win 3rd Straight Over Nats CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/25

Columns:

Orioles' Manny Machado regaining early-season form with August resurgence The Sun

8/25

Orioles closer Zach Britton sees scoreless streak end in wild ninth inning against Nats

The Sun 8/24

Orioles' Wade Miley provides solid start at time of need in win over Nationals The Sun

8/24

Orioles facing a painful truth with options lacking to replace top starter Chris Tillman

The Sun 8/24

Dave Wallace says Orioles pitching staff in 'day-to-day mode' without Chris Tillman The

Sun 8/24

Orioles notes: Darren O'Day on his shoulder rehab and Walter Reed visit; injury roundup

The Sun 8/24

Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman raising money for Lousiana flood relief through

GoFundMe page The Sun 8/24

Britton sees record run end but seals victory MLB.com 8/25

Rookie relievers rewarding Showalter's faith MLB.com 8/25

Tillman goes on 15-day DL; Orioles call up Wright MLB.com 8/24

Power meets power as O's take on Scherzer MLB.com 8/24

Looking ahead and glancing back MASNsports.com 8/25

Wrapping up a 10-8 win MASNsports.com 8/24

Wright on his latest return to the Orioles (O’s lead 10-3) MASNsports.com 8/24

Notes on Rickard, McFarland, the pitching and more MASNsports.com 8/24

Ubaldo Jimenez trying to be “the best I can for the team” MASNsports.com 8/24

Orioles recall Wright from Norfolk MASNsports.com 8/24

A look at the O’s success against the Nationals over the years (plus other notes)

MASNsports.com 8/25

For now, Zach Britton is not listening to Cy Young talk (Tillman to DL)

MASNsports.com 8/24

Orioles-Nationals preview STATS, LLC. 8/25

Worley Denied Game Ball After First Save CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/24

Showalter Says Jimenez Is Orioles' Best Option To Start CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/24

Jimenez Replaces Tillman In Starting Rotation CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/24

Orioles Pitcher Kevin Gausman Starts GoFundMe For Louisiana Flood Victims CBS

Baltimore 8/24

Zach Britton allowed an earned run for the first time since April 30 NBCSports.com 8/24

O’s, Machado nearing history; club has never had three 30-homer hitters in one season

BaltimoreBaseball.com 8/25

News flash: Zach Britton is human — scoreless streak snapped at 43 games

BaltimoreBaseball.com 8/25

Analysis: Like it or not, Jimenez gets another shot at redemption Thursday

BaltimoreBaseball.com 8/24

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-recap-birds-nationals-20160824-

story.html

Orioles recap: Birds' early, late offense enough for third

straight win, 10-8 over Nats

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

There’s really no explaining it. The Orioles played some of their worst baseball of the season last

week, but they have had no trouble turning the page against one of the best teams in National

League.

They jumped on Washington Nationals starter Tanner Roark for five runs in the first two innings

and went on to score a 10-8 victory on Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 39,100 at

Nationals Park.

The Nats made several attempts to rally in the middle and late innings before the Orioles erupted

for five runs in the top of the eighth to seemingly ensure that they would be going for an unlikely

four-game interleague sweep when struggling right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez faces former Cy

Young Award winner Max Scherzer in the interleague finale Thursday night.

Turned out, nothing seemed assured when the Nats came back with five runs in the bottom of the

ninth. Closer Zach Britton had to come in to restore order, but the appearance would cost him his

major league-record scoreless streak (43 games) when Anthony Rendon doubled home the final

Nats run of the game.

The Orioles improved to 70-56 and pulled within a game of first place in the American League

East, as both the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays lost Wednesday night.

Third baseman Manny Machado delivered on both ends of the Orioles’ third straight victory with

a four-hit performance that started with a two-run home run in the first inning and also included

run-scoring singles in the second and eighth innings.

“You know what’s funny about him, he’ll go a day or so and it’s almost like he thinks he’s

forgotten how to hit," manager Buck Showalter said. “But he works at it. He’s got a lot of pride.

He doesn’t like to fail. That’s why he’s been so consistent this year.”

Matt Wieters also drove in four runs with a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the first and a three-run

home run in the eighth that proved to be the difference.

“You always try to add on, especially against a great offense like they have," Wieters said. “It

was one of those [games]. Ultimately, you would have loved to keep Zach out of there, but every

win’s important and winning the game is the most important thing.”

Starting pitcher Wade Miley (8-10) got the big early lead and did not give it back the way he did

in Friday night’s ugly loss to the Houston Astros. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs

on seven hits before leaving the game with two runners in scoring position and no one out in the

sixth.

No problem. Right-hander Mychal Givens came on to strand both runners and the Orioles

bullpen kept the Nationals at arm’s length the rest of the way, though not without several

moments of high drama.

Left-hander Donnie Hart also turned in a clutch performance when the Nats threatened in the

seventh. He came on with runners at first and third with two outs and allowed soft flyball single

to score a run, but struck out Bryce Harper on a full-count pitch to preserve a two-run lead.

“Donnie’s not scared," Wieters said. “Nobody in this clubhouse is scared out there on the

mound. He had confidence in his breaking ball. He threw a couple that didn’t come out as good

as he wanted them to, but he still knew he was going to make the pitch when he needed to.”

Right-hander Parker Bridwell allowed a grand slam to Daniel Murphy to cut the Orioles' seven-

run lead to three in the ninth before Britton allowed his first earned run since April 30.

Roark’s wild ride: Roark now knows how Miley felt during his previous start against the Astros

on Friday night. Roark was all over the place in the first inning, allowing a mammoth two-run

homer to Machado, two other hits, a walk and a pair of hit batters – one of which drove home a

run. He finally got out of the inning when Miley bounced out sharply to third base. Roark also

gave up an unearned run in the second.

Manny’s 29th: Machado’s home run nearly got out of the seating bowl in left-center field. It

was measured by Statcast at 452 feet. His next homer will give the Orioles three batters with at

least 30 home runs. Adam Jones is next with 24, so four 30-homer guys this season are not out of

the question.

Givens saves the sixth: When Miley found himself in a big jam in the sixth inning, Givens came

on to shut the door on a potential rally that could have turned the game around. He had runners at

second and third with no outs, but struck out Rendon, got Wilson Ramos on a popout and struck

out Ryan Zimmerman to keep the Orioles three runs up.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/197510794/manny-machado-has-4-rbis-os-beat-nationals/

Machado, Wieters plate 8 as O's deny Nats

By Bill Ladson and Alex Putterman / MLB.com

August 25, 2016

BALTIMORE -- Manny Machado lit up the scoreboard all night and Matt Wieters contributed a

late three-run homer to help the Orioles slug their way past the Nationals, 10-8, at Nationals Park

on Wednesday night. Both Wieters and Machado -- who finished with four hits, including his

29th homer -- drove in four runs in support of left-handed starter Wade Miley, who was acquired

by Baltimore last month and earned his first win as an Oriole with five-plus innings of two-run

ball.

The win was the Orioles' third straight over the Nationals and came hours after the team placed

ace Chris Tillman on the disabled list.

"Right now, this time of the year, it may be important for us because we're thin … right now, and

we need all of our healthy pitchers to do what they're capable of doing," Orioles manager Buck

Showalter said. "There's not much margin for error as we go forward here with 30-some games

left."

The Nationals fell short despite the continued dominance of rookie center fielder Trea Turner,

who followed up Tuesday's 4-for-4 performance with a hit in each of his first four at-bats on

Wednesday, tying a franchise record shared by Andre Dawson and Dmitri Young by recording a

hit in eight consecutive plate appearances.

Turner, who also robbed Adam Jones of extra bases with a diving catch in the right-center-field

gap on the first play of the game, struck out to end his run in the ninth inning.

Washington made it close thanks in part to a ninth-inning grand slam by Daniel Murphy, who

had three hits and increased his RBI total to 95 with five on the night. Washington brought the

winning run to the plate with one out against closer Zach Britton, who had worked a Major

League-record 43 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, but Ryan

Zimmerman grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

"It was a quick one -- warmed up and went right into the game," Britton said. "Not ideal, but we

had a cushion, so if there was any day to not be your best, it was today."

Said Zimmerman: "I got a ball and put a good swing on it. Unfortunately, I hit it right at

[Jonathan] Schoop. It was the first pitch. It's unfortunate."

Typically a reliable workhorse, Nationals starter Tanner Roark was off from the start, hit hard for

five runs (four earned) on seven hits over five innings to take the loss. Roark had little command

in the first two innings, when he threw 62 pitches, allowed the five runs and hit three batters.

"I couldn't locate; it was as simple as that," Roark said. "I was trying to go inside to get them off

the plate and make them feel uncomfortable. That's how I pitch. Obviously not my best outing.

What I love is that we came back and came pretty darn close to tying it up or possibly winning

it."

Baltimore, which holds the second American League Wild Card spot, also gained a game on a

pair of AL East rivals, as both the Red Sox and Blue Jays, who are tied atop the division, lost on

Wednesday.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Starting strong: Baltimore had a four-run lead before Miley and the defense even took the field.

After Turner's stellar catch in center field, six straight Orioles hitters reached base. The first two

runs scored on Machado's homer to left field, which was projected to land 452 feet from the plate

by Statcast™. From there, a double, walk, two hit-by-pitches and a sacrifice fly brought home

two more. Despite Washington's late push, Baltimore held its lead for the rest of the game.

"We had a lot of good at-bats early before Roark could really get his feet on the ground,"

Showalter said. "He's having a big year for them, so you try not to let him settle in."

Machado said he was surprised to see Roark struggle but glad the Orioles could capitalize.

"We took advantage of his mistakes," the third baseman said. "He doesn't really hit many guys,

and he throws a lot of strikes. We just took advantage of the situation."

Many missed chances: In the sixth inning, with Baltimore leading by three runs and Miley

running out of steam, the Nationals had runners on second and third with no outs.

Reliever Mychal Givens entered and extinguished the Nationals' rally. Anthony Rendon struck

out, Wilson Ramos popped out to Schoop at second base and Zimmerman struck out to end the

frame.

"[Givens] threw sidearm at 97 [mph]," Zimmerman said. "I don't know where they get them

from."

Wieters delivers: After the Nationals got a run back in the seventh to cut the Orioles' lead to two

runs, Baltimore answered in a big way with five runs in the eighth. Facing sinkerballer Blake

Treinen, Wieters didn't wait long to push the O's into double digits in runs, driving the first pitch

of the at-bat 416 feet to center field for a three-run homer that widened Baltimore's lead to seven

runs. The homer was especially vital given the Nationals' ninth-inning rally.

"You always want to try to add on, especially against a good offense like they have," Wieters

said.

Turner burner: Turner, who hit three singles and a double in Tuesday night's loss at Camden

Yards, rapped four singles on Wednesday to lift his slash line on the year to .335/.359/.544. The

rookie was humbled to place his name in the franchise's record books after just 64 big league

games.

"It's always nice to have your name associated with other great players and a record," Turner

said. "It's something that I'll remember. I'm not shooting for it, but I'll take eight straight hits any

day of the week.

"I think it's an empty mind. You're not really thinking too much. You just react. I think the more

you can do that, the better you'll be, the more success you'll have. Better pitches you'll swing

at."

QUOTABLE

"We were better than [the Orioles] in hits, but they got some key two-out base hits. That was the

difference in the game. Manny Machado was a handful today, too. Right away -- boom -- he

gave them a 2-0 lead. It was kind of Machado vs. Murphy tonight." -- Nationals manager Dusty

Baker

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Danny Espinosa clubbed his 20th homer of the season and is one shy of his career high, set in

2011.

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: The four-game home-and-home Battle of the Beltways set concludes on Thursday night

at 7:05 ET at Nationals Park. Veteran righty Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10, 6.94 ERA) will take the hill

for Baltimore, making his first start in nearly a month. Jimenez is filling in for Tillman, who was

placed on the disabled list on Wednesday with right shoulder bursitis.

Nationals: Right-hander Max Scherzer, who is 4-2 with a 3.81 ERA in eight career starts against

the Orioles, will oppose Jimenez. Washington's ace is also 9-6 with a 2.75 ERA in Interleague

games when pitching at home over the course of his career.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/orioles-change-venues-but-results-stay-

same-vs-nats.html

Orioles change venues, but results stay same vs. Nats

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON - The view from the press box at Nationals Park makes the players appear the

size of miniature tootsie rolls. However, Tanner Roark’s issues in the first few innings of the

game were magnified. Everyone saw what was happening.

Roark threw 39 pitches in the first inning and raised his count to 62 after the second, the Orioles

scoring five runs and absorbing three pitches that caught flesh. They sent 15 batters to the plate

in two innings. Each one was at risk.

Turns out the Orioles were the team doling out most of the punishment. At least until the bottom

of the ninth.

Manny Machado launched a 452-foot two-run homer in the first and added RBI singles in the

second and eighth as part of a four-hit night, and the Orioles held on for a 10-8 victory over the

Nats before 39,100.

Daniel Murphy hit a grand slam off Parker Bridwell with one out in the ninth and Zach

Britton was forced into the game. Britton allowed his first earned run since April 30 when Bryce

Harper singled and scored on Anthony Rendon’s double.

Britton’s major league record of not allowing an earned run in 43 straight appearances came to

an end, but he got Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a 4-6-3 double play after Wilson Ramos

reached on a fielder’s choice.

The Orioles have taken the first three games of the home-and-home series and will go for the

sweep Thursday night. They’re 70-56 overall and 28-34 on the road.

Machado is 27-for-69 (.391) lifetime against the Nats and 17-for-36 (.472) in D.C.

The Orioles broke open the game in the eighth inning with five runs off Blake Treinen, the last

three on Matt Wieters’ home run to center field. Jonathan Schoop had an RBI single as part of a

rally that started with Hyun Soo Kim’s one-out double.

Wade Miley earned his first win with the Orioles in five tries, allowing two runs and seven hits

in five-plus innings. He walked one, struck out five, served up a home run and hit a batter.

Orioles starters have a 2.12 ERA in the first three games of the series. Ubaldo Jimenez joins the

fray on Thursday.

Bridwell retired the side in order in the eighth on three fly balls before it got interesting in the

ninth. But the game actually may have been won in the seventh after rookie Donnie Hart struck

out Harper with the count full to strand two runners.

Schoop was hit to load the bases in the first and Wieters was hit to force in a run. It was that kind

of night. Mark Trumbo was drilled on the hand with two outs in the second, giving Roark three

hit batters among 14 faced.

At least he didn’t hit anyone in the face.

Miley nailed Werth in the bottom of the first inning, knocking the legs out from under him, but

he kept most of his four-run cushion by limiting the Nats to Rendon’s two-out double.

For whatever reason, third base coach Bob Henley sent Murphy and the Orioles gladly took the

easy out at home - Kim to J.J. Hardy to Wieters.

Miley singled in the third inning, because Roark hadn’t already proven that tonight was going to

be a mixed bag - most of it bad, but in varieties.

Trea Turner made a diving catch in right-center field to rob Adam Jones in the top of the first.

Otherwise, the Orioles would have done more damage. Kim singled, Machado homered to

Arlington, Va., Chris Davis doubled, Trumbo walked and Roark hit the next two batters.

Hardy’s sacrifice fly gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead, and Miley was in more of a protective mode

than his last start.

Jones reached on an infield hit in the second and advanced on Rendon’s throwing error. He

scored on Machado’s single to right-center field.

Roark somehow made it through five innings at 111 pitches and continued to trail 5-1. The

Orioles put runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth and failed to score, allowing

Roark to leave on a high note.

He probably would have hit the high notes, too.

The Orioles stranded two more in the sixth and the Nats were poised to take advantage in the

bottom half by putting runners on second and third with no outs. Mychal Givens replaced Miley

and held the 5-2 lead by striking out Rendon, retiring Ramos on a pop up and striking out

Zimmerman.

Can Givens get a save in the sixth inning?

Givens exited with runners on the corners and two outs in the seventh, and Murphy dropped a

broken-bat single into right field off Hart to reduce the lead to 5-3. Murphy’s got the kid’s

number.

Harper does not. He struck out while Brad Brach warmed in the bullpen after bouncing back to

the mound the last time he saw Hart in Baltimore.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/08/a-few-stats-and-notes-on-the-orioles-third-

straight-win-over-the-nats.html

A few stats and notes on the Orioles’ third straight win over

the Nats

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

The Orioles scored five early runs tonight and five more late in the game. Then they had to hold

off the Nationals, who scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth, to win 10-8 in front of 39,100

at Nationals Park.

The Orioles have won three straight games against the Nationals, outscoring them 22-12. They

have won six in a row and 10 of their last 12 games at Nats Park.

Manny Machado went 4-for-6 with a two-run homer in the first inning and four RBIs for the

game. Matt Wieters added a three-run homer when the Orioles put the game away, scoring five

in the eighth inning. The O’s scored five early runs off Tanner Roark, who entered with an ERA

of 2.87, to lead 5-1 after two innings. Daniel Murphy hit a grand slam off Parker Bridwell in the

ninth as Washington turned a 10-3 deficit into a 10-8 game. But Zach Britton got Ryan

Zimmerman to hit into a double play to end it with two men on base.

A blowout turned into a nailbiter but did end in an Orioles victory.

Wade Miley provided a solid start, allowing two runs over five plus innings to get the

win. Mychal Givens pitched out of second and third, no-out jam in the sixth when the lead was

just 5-2. With the score 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Donnie Hart struck out Bryce Harper

with two runners on base to end the inning.

The Orioles improved to 70-56 overall, 28-34 on the road, 11-11 in August and 11-5 versus the

National League.

A few notes on the win:

* Machado’s big night leaves him with an average of .472 (17-for-36) in eight career games at

Nats Park. He has three homers and nine RBIs.

* The Orioles added two more homers tonight. They have homered in eight consecutive games,

hitting 21 total homers. They have homered 39 times in the last 20 games.

* Miley is now 2-1 with an ERA of 1.46 in four career starts at Nationals Park.

* The O’s starters have outpitched the Nats starters the last three games. O’s starters have thrown

17 innings, allowing four runs for an ERA of 2.12. Nats starters have thrown 14 2/3 innings,

allowing 15 runs (12 earned) for an ERA of 7.36.

* Washington leadoff man Trea Turner was 4-for-4 with four singles until he struck out against

Bridwell in the ninth. That ended a run of eight straight hits over two games for Turner to tie a

franchise record, set by Andre Dawson and Dmitri Young.

http://scores.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=360824120

O's closer Zach Britton allows first ER in 43 appearances in

win over Nats

Associated Press / EPSN.com

August 25, 2016

WASHINGTON -- An attempted comeback forced Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton into a

game that shouldn't have required him. Not long after, his perfect run ended.

Britton's remarkable streak of 43 consecutive games without allowing an earned run ended

before he shut down a ninth-inning rally to help the Orioles hold off the Washington

Nationals for a 10-8 victory on Wednesday night.

Daniel Murphy's grand slam off Parker Bridwell cut the Orioles' lead from seven runs to three,

and Britton allowed a single to Bryce Harper and an RBI double to Anthony Rendon.

It was the first earned run Britton has given up since April 30. His string of 43 games without

one is the longest since the earned run became official -- dating back more than 100 years --

according to ESPN Stats and Information research.

But Britton got Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a game-ending double play as Baltimore won

its third in a row against Washington.

"They're a great team over there, and they're not just going to give up," said Orioles third

baseman Manny Machado, who went 4-for-6 with four RBIs. "We can never take it for granted.

They're a great team over there, so you have to play 'til the last out's made."

Baltimore built a lead on the strength of Machado's two-run homer, his 29th of the season, in the

first and Matt Wieters' three-run drive in the eighth.

Baltimore starter Wade Miley (8-10) did the job, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out

five in five-plus innings with what Orioles manager Buck Showalter felt was a crisper fastball

than usual.

Miley picked up his first win since a trade from the Seattle Mariners.

"It feels good, no doubt," the left-hander said. "Obviously, it wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be,

but it's something to build on, and I've got five days to do it again."

After losing six of their previous eight games, the Orioles are feeling good given their success

against the Nationals. Coupled with losses by the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, the

Orioles are one game back of those teams for first place in the American League East.

"We have it there at arm's length," said Machado, who also had a pair of RBI singles. "We're in a

good spot. I know we like the guys that we have on our team right now, and we're just going to

have to keep fighting as one."

The Nationals have lost six of nine but still lead the Miami Marlins by seven games in the

National League East. They got a rough start out of Tanner Roark(13-7), who allowed five runs,

including four earned, in five innings and hit three of the first 14 batters he faced.

"Couldn't locate. It's as simple as that," Roark said. "Not my best outing, but what I love is that

we came back and came pretty darn close to tying it up and possibly winning it."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: OF Joey Rickard is set to see the doctor on Sept. 2 to determine how his right thumb

ligament injury is progressing. Showalter hopes Rickard will be back before the end of the

season. ... LHP Brian Duensing (left elbow inflammation) threw seven pitches in an inning in the

Gulf Coast League, Showalter said.

Nationals: INF Stephen Drew saw an inner ear specialist to get treatment, according to team

broadcaster MASN. He has been out since late July with vertigo.

HARPER HOLDS MEDALS

Harper became Katie Ledecky's medal holder while the swimmer threw out the ceremonial first

pitch. Ledecky, who won four gold medals and one silver at the Rio Olympics, handed them to

Harper before throwing to reliever Shawn Kelley.

TURN, TURN, TURN

With his single in the seventh, Trea Turner tied the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise record

with hits in eight consecutive plate appearances. Andre Dawson and Dmitri Young remained in

the record books when Turner struck out in the ninth to finish his day 4-for-5.

UP NEXT

With Chris Tillman on the disabled list, the Orioles turn to RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10, 6.94

ERA) on Thursday to make his first start since July 28. He'll face Nationals RHP Max

Scherzer (13-7, 3.05).

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/machados-4-rbis-help-orioles-win-3rd-straight-

over-nats

Machado's 4 RBIs Help Orioles Win 3rd Straight Over Nats

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 25, 2016

WASHINGTON—The Orioles looked like they had easily won their third straight game against

the Nationals. Taking a two-run lead to the eighth, the Orioles added five runs, and had a 10-3

advantage heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Daniel Murphy hit a grand slam home run off rookie Parker Bridwell, and suddenly it was 10-3,

and Zach Britton was in the game.

Britton gave up an earned run, his first since Apr. 30, a total of 43 games and 44 1/3 innings,

then tried to get Anthony Rendon at second on a grounder to the mound by Wilson Ramos.

When that failed, the tying run was on, and Ryan Zimmerman was up.

Britton got a double play, the long game was over, and so was his streak.

The Orioles’ 10-8 win over Washington before a sellout crowd of 39,100 at Nationals Park, was

their third straight, and Britton, who didn’t earn a save because he came in with a three-run lead

without the tying run on base, at bat or on deck, and didn’t pitch an inning, still has his saves

streak intact.

“I was a little bit caught off guard, but I felt pretty good once I got in the game. Just everything

that happened—the home run by Murphy, get going. I just really didn’t make good pitches

tonight, really, all the way through. I think I threw maybe one good pitch, and that was about it,”

Britton said.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it. I was just thinking about needing to make some good pitches. I

was getting frustrated, but it happens. A bad outing. I’ve had plenty. You’ve just got to execute

pitches there. They’re a good hitting team, and right off the bat, I just didn’t make any good

pitches. I just need to keep the ball down, and I wasn’t able to. I got fortunate even on the double

play ball, it wasn’t crisp but I got fortunate right there.”

Britton was able to ensure that Wade Miley got his first win with the Orioles in his fifth game.

Miley, was 0-2 with a 9.53 ERA in his first four starts. He allowed two runs on seven hits in

five-plus innings.

“Right now this time of the year it may be important for us because we’re some thin ranks right

now and we need all our healthy pitchers to do what they’re capable of doing. There’s not much

margin for error as we go forward here with 30-some games left,” manager Buck Showalter

said.

Miley had help from Manny Machado, who had four hits and four RBIs.

“We know it’s going to be a battle. They’re a great team over there and they’re not just going to

give up. We knew that. It’s just a matter of the time. They haven’t been swinging the bat like

they have been, and we’ve finally clicked a little bit,” Machado said.

The Orioles (70-56) quickly gave Miley (8-10) a 4-0 lead. Machado hit a two-run home run.

Chris Davis doubled, Mark Trumbo walked, and Tanner Roark (13-7) hit Jonathan Schoop and

Matt Wieters with pitches to score Davis. Trumbo scored on J.J. Hardy’s fly to center.

It could have been worse, but Trea Turner made a terrific sliding catch on Adam Jones’ liner to

start the game.

Washington (73-53) got a run back in the bottom of the first on Anthony Rendon’s RBI double.

Jones began the second with an infield single, and he took second on Murphy’s error. Machado’s

single gave the Orioles a 5-1 lead.

Danny Espinosa’s 20th home run of the year in the fifth made it 5-2.

Mychal Givens, who came on with runners on second and third in the sixth, got the next three

outs, and struck out Espinosa in the seventh. Pinch hitter Ben Revere doubled, and Turner tied a

franchise record with his eighth straight hit, a single.

Werth fouled to Davis, and tossed his bat away, as Donnie Hart came into face Murphy, who

singled to score Revere, but struck out Bryce Harper.

“It was good. As a competitor, this is a situation that you wanted to be in, I was kind of hoping

and wishing that the phone rings and he calls my name,” Hart said.

Machado’s fourth RBI, a single to right, scored Kim, and the Orioles moved ahead 6-3 in the

eighth.

In eight games at Nationals Park, Machado is batting .472 (17-for-36) with three homers and

nine RBIs.

Schoop added an RBI single, and Wieters hit his 11th home run, a three-run shot, to center field

for a five-run inning off Blake Treinen and a 10-3 lead.

“Ultimately we would have loved to keep Zach out of the game, so every run’s important, but

getting a win is the most important thing,” Wieters said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-manny-machado-regaining-early-

season-form-with-august-resurgence-20160824-story.html

Orioles' Manny Machado regaining early-season form with

August resurgence

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

August 25, 2016

The last time Manny Machado got this way — with frequent bat slams in frustration and his

focus wavering in the field — you could tell something was percolating. It was early June, and

that frustration manifested itself in an on-field fight with Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura.

This time, it turned into kinetic energy in a more productive way. Machado homered in the first

inning to start his third four-hit night of the season, and drove in four runs to help the Orioles to a

10-8 win over the Washington Nationals.

“You know what’s funny about him?” manager Buck Showalter said. “He’ll go a day or so and

it’s almost like he thinks he forgot how to hit or something. But he works at it. He’s got a lot of

pride. He doesn’t like to fail and that’s one of the reasons why he’s been so consistent this year.”

“Just go up there, just take it day by day,” Machado said. “What happened the last couple days is

history. You can’t replace that. You can only look forward to today and to tomorrow. Today was

history, so tomorrow I’ve got to go out there and face another ace that’s going to be tough to try

to beat. I’m just going to have to try to put some good at-bats together to try to put my team in a

good position.”

Those days when Machado is as down on himself as he’s seemed lately are few and far between.

Even as he seemed at his wit's end this week, he was building what is now a nine-game hitting

streak. In an August that’s seen the Orioles play 21 games, he’s gone hitless in just three,

bringing his season line to .306/.359/.557 with a month that has seen Machado bat .319 with

seven home runs and a .947 OPS.

It’s a big improvement from July, when Machado batted .204 with four home runs and a .625

OPS. Machado hadn’t had such a month in the majors since Sept. 2013, when he batted .194. A

lot has changed since then.

Over that span, Machado has grown into one of the game’s best hitters. His 29th home run

Wednesday means last year’s total of 35 is well within reach, and all of that is with a July that

simply didn’t have much going for it. What happened then, and what changed?

In July, he posted a season-low batting average on balls in play of .208, the result of hitting line

drives less often and ground balls more often, according to FanGraphs. His season line drive rate

is 21.3 percent, with 37 percent ground balls. In July, those were 17.3 percent and 45 percent.

He’s driving the ball 28.8 percent of the time in August, with a 38.4 percent ground ball rate.

As you may have learned watching him this year, when Machado does hit line drives and fly

balls, they have a penchant for getting out of the park. He went in-depth in an interview with

FanGraphs on his batting approach this season—including waiting out more pitches he can drive

— and he’s getting the results.

Now that he’s back on track, Machado hopes to help the Orioles back to the postseason.

“From now on, it’s playoff baseball,” Machado said. “Every team that we’re going to play from

now on, they’re trying to compete. They’re trying to win a World Series and they’re trying to

win games. It’s going to be tough. We’re going to be facing some great teams and we just have

to keep grinding it out, honestly. We can’t really do much if our hitters are not there or if our

pitchers are not there. We just have to pick each other up and honestly just battle. It’s up for

grabs. Every game from now on it’s going to be a tough one to play and we’re going to be facing

some good teams, so we just have to try to beat everybody.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-closer-zach-britton-sees-scoreless-

streak-end-in-wild-ninth-inning-against-nationals-20160824-story.html

Orioles closer Zach Britton sees scoreless streak end in wild

ninth inning against Nats

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

Orioles closer Zach Britton saw his major league-record streak of 43 straight

appearances without allowing an earned run come to an end Wednesday, just as quickly as he

had to warm up and get into the game itself.

Britton warmed up quickly with just a few bullpen tosses after rookie Parker Bridwell served up

a tension-raising grand slam to Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy that made

it 10-7 Orioles, and had thrown all of five pitches by the time right fielder Bryce Harper singled

and scored on a double by third baseman Anthony Rendon.

“Well, you’ve got to be ready, right?” Britton said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I was a little

bit caught off guard, but I felt pretty good once I got in the game. Just everything that happened

— the home run by Murphy, get going. I just really didn’t make good pitches tonight, really, all

the way through. I think I threw maybe one good pitch, and that was about it.”

Britton hurt his own cause when fielding a comebacker by Wilson Ramos and trying to get

Rendon out going back to second base, and ended up with the winning run at the plate in a 10-8

game before Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman grounded into a game-ending double

play.

“I was getting frustrated, but it happens,” Britton said. “A bad outing. I’ve had plenty. You’ve

just got to execute pitches there. They’re a good hitting team, and right off the bat, I just didn’t

make any good pitches. I just need to keep the ball down, and I wasn’t able to. I got fortunate

even on the double-play ball. It wasn’t crisp, but I got fortunate right there.”

Britton’s streak began on May 5 and gained acclaim as it built. With it, buzz grew around his

jaw-dropping season. His ERA grew from 0.53 to 0.69 with the run allowed, but he’s still 38-for-

38 on save chances, not earning his 39th on Wednesday because he entered with less than three

outs remaining and the tying run not on deck at the time.

The personal statistics haven’t been something Britton has allowed himself to get wrapped up in

this season, and once the record-setting streak ended, he was glad to have something more

pressing to worry about.

“You’re not even thinking about that,” Britton said. “You’re thinking, ‘Hey, let’s get out of this

inning and get a win.’ Those losses right there, when the team’s able to get back from such a big

deficit, those are devastating. When you’re out there, you’re just trying to make a good pitch and

get out of the inning. I knew we had an out, so find a way. Fortunately, we got the win.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-orioles-wade-miley-provides-solid-start-at-time-

of-need-in-win-over-nationals-20160824-story.html

Orioles' Wade Miley provides solid start at time of need in

win over Nationals

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

The addition of veteran left-hander Wade Miley earlier this month was intended to bolster

the Orioles starting rotation, a group that is now limping toward the regular season’s final weeks

after the indefinite loss of their most reliable pitcher, ace right-hander Chris Tillman, to a

shoulder injury.

The team’s shaky rotation is in need of stability now more than ever, and Miley, the team’s

primary nonwaiver trade deadline acquisition, knows he must start to provide it. The Orioles

have few options, as evidenced by jettisoned right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez getting Thursday’s

spot start to fill in for Tillman. So barring a savvy move, the Orioles will hoist their playoff

hopes on the arms they have now.

“It’s [important] for everybody,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Right now, this time of

year, it’s important for us because there are some thin ranks right now and we need all of our

healthy pitchers to do what they’re capable of doing. There’s not much margin for error as we go

forward here with 30-some games left.”

Through his first four starts with the Orioles, Miley’s performance left more questions than

answers. He arrived in Baltimore advertised as a veteran innings eater who would be an upgrade,

but the Orioles are still waiting to see his best.

Wednesday’s 10-8 win was a step forward. Miley wasn’t marvelous – he acknowledged that

much himself. But he still earned his first win with the Orioles in his fifth appearance with his

new club, holding the National League East-leading Washington Nationals to two runs on seven

hits over five-plus innings.

“It feels good, no doubt,” Miley said about getting his first Orioles win. “But at the same time,

we just have to keep moving forward and keep building on that. Obviously, I wasn’t as sharp as I

wanted to be, but it was something to build on. And you’ve got five days and do it again.”

For his second straight outing, Miley’s offense gifted him with a sizable lead before he stepped

on the mound. But unlike his previous start, when historic first-inning offensive muscle was

quickly overshadowed, Miley held things in check.

Over Miley’s first four outings with the Orioles – who acquired him from the Seattle

Mariners for minor league left-hander Ariel Miranda a day before the nonwaiver trade deadline –

he posted a 9.53 ERA and opponents hit .359 against him, hardly the veteran stability he was

expected to bring.

Showalter made mention that Miley had been battling sickness during each of his two outings

before Wednesday. Miley wasn’t as forward, saying “everything’s fine.”

“We’re just looking to move forward off of this one,” Miley said. “I feel like I made some pretty

decent strides and just try to keep building on that.”

It was a fine line between his past two outings, as Miley danced in and out of trouble in several

innings, but he managed to find enough footing to give the Orioles five innings.

The last time he was given an early lead, it didn’t end favorably. On Friday against the Houston

Astros, the Orioles hit four homers before making an out, giving Miley a 5-1 lead. But the left-

hander couldn’t hold it, unable to get out of the second inning. He was torched for six runs over

1 2/3 innings in an eventual 15-8 Orioles loss.

Miley found trouble again early Wednesday. Three of the first five batters he faced reached base

against him, but he escaped having allowed just one run in the first inning, cutting the Orioles'

lead to 4-1. After allowing a leadoff single to Trea Turner and hitting Jayson Werth, Daniel

Murphy’s fielder’s choice put runners at the corners with one out. After Miley struck out Bryce

Harper, Anthony Rendon drove Turner in with a two-out double to left.

Left fielder Hyun Soo Kim slid to cut off Rendon’s hit, and J.J. Hardy’s relay throw home

eliminated Murphy at the plate to end the inning. After that scare, Miley put two on with one out

in the third, but induced a 6-4-3 double-play ball to escape that jam, a play that might have been

the most pivotal of the game.

After Rendon’s RBI double in the first, Miley retired nine of the next 11 batters, a groove he

hadn’t been able to put together in his earlier starts with the Orioles.

He relied more on his slider Wednesday, throwing it more often (33 percent) than any of his

previous four outings with the Orioles, still able to get most of his in-play outs on ground balls

while also striking out six, his most with his new club.

He did allow a solo homer to Danny Espinosa in the fifth and couldn’t get an out in the sixth,

needing reliever Mychal Givens to strand a pair of base runners.

After his outing, Miley spoke about needing to help carry the load in Tillman’s absence. Of the

Orioles’ four regular starters, he has the most experience of the group.

“We need to hold it down until obviously he gets back healthy,” Miley said. “It’s a big run.

September’s coming up, obviously the playoff race, and we want to keep it right where we’re at

and keep winning ballgames. It’s in our hands right now.

“We're trying to win a pennant, not just [get to] the wild-card game. We're trying to win the

division. Just got to keep grinding, keep playing hard."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-schmuck-column-0825-20160824-

column.html

Orioles facing a painful truth with options lacking to replace

top starter Chris Tillman

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

The truth hurts more than Chris Tillman's sore shoulder.

The Orioles have had a pitching depth problem since the day they reported for spring training

and every attempt to address it — except for the decision to rush Dylan Bundy into the rotation

— has brought frustrating results.

So, when the decision was made Tuesday night to put Tillman on the disabled list, there was no

good option to replace him. Manager Buck Showalter finally decided to give Ubaldo Jimenez a

chance Thursday to become part of the solution instead of a big part of the problem. But that

decision tells you all you need to know about the playoff-killing crisis that could be developing

in the starting rotation.

It's not that Jimenez is an illogical choice. He's on the roster because of his substantial contract

and he hasn't proved to be a capable long reliever, so giving him another shot at redemption in

the rotation makes sense because, well, no one else in the organization does.

If you need to know just how desperate this situation could become, consider Showalter's

immediate answer when asked why he chose Jimenez to take Tillman's slot against Washington

Nationals ace Max Scherzer on Thursday.

"As opposed to who?" he said.

That wasn't meant as a shot at Jimenez, just a gut response to a question that really had no other

answer.

"Ubaldo is actually probably the most equipped," Showalter continued. "He has pitched well

here against these guys. We looked at our options and it looked like he was the one worthy of

getting the opportunity."

Clearly, there was no alternative but to grasp at the only straw available, which is the amazing

career record that Jimenez has compiled against the Nats. He is 6-1 with a 2.32 ERA in eight

starts against them and 4-0 with an 0.92 ERA against them at Nationals Park, which would be

pretty compelling if not for the fact that all but one of those games were pitched well before

Jimenez began his star-crossed Orioles career.

It's only one game, of course, and it's a game that the Orioles would not be favored to win even if

a healthy Tillman were going to take the mound, but the problem does not go away even if

Jimenez pitches a terrific game. The uncertainty about Tillman will remain along with the very

limited options available to the club if he doesn't come back quickly.

Though there has long been debate over Tillman's status as a legitimate ace, he certainly has

been that this season. The Orioles are 20-6 in his starts this year and entered Wednesday just 49-

50 in all their other games. He has made a habit of throwing himself in front of whatever

adversity the Orioles have encountered and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the rotation who

can take over that role.

The shoulder soreness that has sidelined him could not have cropped up at a worse time. The

Orioles are staring into the final month of the season with their top starting pitcher and the

captain of their bullpen (Darren O'Day) on the shelf. Bundy has been a revelation, but he's a

rookie who is just getting comfortable in the rotation, and Kevin Gausman has begun to assert

himself, but still is burdened by his inability to win on the road.

Baseball operations chief Dan Duquette sought to avoid a vacuum like this by signing veteran

Yovani Gallardo in spring training and acquiring left-hander Wade Miley at the midseason trade

deadline. But the results from Gallardo have been mixed and Miley entered Wednesday night's

game with a 9.53 ERA in his four Orioles starts.

Theoretically, there is still time for Duquette to go back into the trade market before the Aug. 31

deadline for acquiring players eligible for their new team's postseason roster. In reality, acquiring

a quality pitcher at this time of year is all but impossible, especially with an expanded wild-card

format in which there still are 18 teams with plausible playoff hopes.

What you see on the Orioles organizational pitching roster is what you're going to get if Tillman

doesn't come back soon after he becomes eligible to leave the DL on Sept. 5 … and no one wants

to ponder the team's postseason prospects if he doesn't come back at all.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-dave-wallace-says-orioles-pitching-staff-

in-day-to-day-mode-without-top-starter-chris-tillman-20160824-story.html

Dave Wallace says Orioles pitching staff in 'day-to-day

mode' without Chris Tillman

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

In announcing Ubaldo Jimenez as Thursday’s starter against the Washington Nationals and

adding Mike Wright to the bullpen as a long reliever, the Orioles signaled they’ll be replacing

their most reliable starter — Chris Tillman — with an extension of their most reliable pitching

philosophy.

Tillman went on the disabled list Wednesday, retroactive to Aug. 21, with right shoulder bursitis,

and the Orioles added Wright to the 25-man roster in his place.

While stressing he doesn’t consider Tillman “lost,” pitching coach Dave Wallace said

Wednesday that the Orioles' approach to cobbling together the innings Tillman will leave won’t

change from how they normally approach games, or series, or weeks for that matter.

“You know what, we’re in a day-to-day mode right now,” Wallace said. “We have to, as we have

been for a long time. We’ll manage tonight’s game, try to get through the best we can with

tomorrow in mind and do that each day. That’s kind of the way this staff is built. We can’t do

anything about it. We’ve got to play with the cards we’re dealt, and we will. Buck [Showalter]

does a great job handling the staff.”

Tillman hopes he won’t need more than the two required weeks on the DL for the right shoulder

bursitis to clear up.

“Knowing Chris, he’ll pitch,” Wallace said.

Until then, the options that exist almost exclusively have already pitched in and washed out of

the rotation this season. Jimenez has a 6.94 ERA and gets the start because unlike the other

options — Vance Worley, Wright and Tyler Wilson — he’s really of no value in the bullpen.

Wright was added after going 2-3 with a 4.23 ERA in his most recent stint at Triple-A Norfolk. It

hadn’t gone well for him in his first three trips to the big leagues to date. Wright is 3-4 with a

5.97 ERA in 14 games for the Orioles this season, but said he has improved since then.

“I felt good,” Wright said. “I felt really strong, really positive. You know, every outing felt like I

was getting better. … It’s the same thing you always do every season, continue to try to execute

as many pitches as you can every game.”

Worley remains in the bullpen for the time being after pitching three innings Tuesday in

Baltimore, while Wilson was optioned out of the bullpen on Friday and can’t return until 10 days

after being sent down.

Jimenez is glad for the opportunity to rejoin the rotation, even if it comes under difficult

circumstances for the Orioles.

“It’s never a good thing to have to take the spot of someone when he gets hurt, especially the

way Tilly, the way that he was pitching,” Jimenez said. “But it’s part of the game. Whatever

adversity you have to face, you have to go through it. And I think that’s something that I’m

going to be doing tomorrow, trying to be the best that I can be for the team.”

Jimenez last started on July 28, allowing one run in five innings despite waiting 19 days between

starts. Since then, has made just three relief appearances, most recently on Aug. 19.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as my last start, when I had to pitch with [19] days' rest,”

Jimenez said. “Being in a couple games before tomorrow, I don’t think it’s going to be that bad.

I’ve been working on stuff, I’ve been able to get on the mound and get my innings.”

For Jimenez, it’s yet another opportunity to contribute to a team that has stomached some rough

stretches from him in his three years in Baltimore. Before he was removed from the rotation for

the first time this season in mid June, he was the worst qualified pitcher in baseball.

“I know that things haven’t been the way that I want it to be, but that’s baseball,” Jimenez said.

“That’s life. You have to continue fighting. … Hopefully I’ll be there for the team in the last

month, because we really need it, especially now that Tilly is out.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-notes-darren-o-day-on-his-

shoulder-rehab-and-walter-reed-visit-injury-roundup-20160824-story.html

Orioles notes: Darren O'Day on his shoulder rehab and

Walter Reed visit; injury roundup

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

Reliever Darren O’Day, a longtime advocate of the United Services Organizations, was one of

many Orioles players to visit the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday

morning, spending time with wounded servicemen and women and their families.

“We got to visit a lot of servicemen and women, just kind of hang out, meet them, meet the kids,

take some pictures, sign some autographs,” O’Day said. “It was fun. It’s always a great

experience, very rewarding. It’s busy, it’s hectic, but it’s fun. You get to meet people from all

different states, all different walks of life, all who made sacrifices to a job that not many of us are

willing or able to do. It was a good day.”

The visit comes at a time when O’Day could likely use a boost. He’s been on the disabled list for

the last 10 days after getting a cortisone shot to relieve a right rotator cuff strain. It's his second

DL stint this season.

O'Day has long supported families in the military. This year alone, he's worked a baseball clinic

at Ft. Meade, and helped organize the team's pending donation of proceeds from their stars-and-

stripes Fourth of July jerseys.

As for the shoulder, O’Day backed up manager Buck Showalter’s comments that he’s been

making a lot of progress recently. He won’t be able to return when eligible to come off the

disabled list Saturday, but said it shouldn’t be long before he’s throwing again.

“It’s getting there,” O’Day said. “The last few days have been very positive — working though

most of the pain, soreness, tightness. It’s just that last little bit, then we’re going to start

throwing. One of these days, I’m going to come in and it’s not going to hurt at all, then we’re

going to get going. … I just want to do it right. You talk about setbacks or anything, we’re not

working on a big timeline this time of year. We’ll do it once and do it right.”

McFarland return on horizon:

Showalter said that lefthanded pitcher T.J. McFarland, currently on a minor league rehab

assignment for left-knee inflammation, was considered for Thursday’s start.

Ideally, the club would like to get McFarland one or two more rehab outings and work on back-

to-back days before being activated, but he could join the team this weekend in New York.

Though the Yankees aren’t as left-handed heavy as they’ve been, McFarland has had success

against New York, pitching to a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings against the Yankees and holding

them to a .248 batting average.

McFarland has been on the disabled list since June 29. In four minor league rehab outings, he has

allowed six earned runs over 7 1/3 innings.

Worley fills out bingo card:

Right-hander Vance Worley seemed nonplussed about recording his first career save Tuesday

against Washington for finishing the final three innings. Recording a save means he’s actually

filled every role possible on the team this year.

He said he asked left fielder Nolan Reimold for the ball once he heard it was a save, but Reimold

said he’d already thrown it to a fan.

Around the horn:

Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky (Bethesda), who won five medals in Rio, threw out the

ceremonial first pitch before Wednesday's game at Nationals Park. ... Outfielder Joey Rickard,

currently on the DL with a right thumb ligament injury, is scheduled to see a hand specialist on

Sept. 2. Showalter hopes to have him back shortly after then. “He’s a big part of our team,”

Showalter said. “For quite a while, we haven’t had him … Left-hander Brian Duensing (elbow)

threw one relief inning in a Florida Gulf League game Wednesday. He needed just seven pitches

to toss a scoreless frame, allowing one hit, striking out one and getting a double-play ball. …

LHP Ashur Tolliver, who is on the seven-day minor league DL with a hamstring injury, is now

throwing batting practice. “He’s kind of turning a corner," Showalter said. "He should get back

in the mix now.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-right-hander-kevin-gausman-

raising-money-for-baton-rouge-flood-relief-through-gofundme-page-20160824-story.html

Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman raising money for

Lousiana flood relief through GoFundMe page

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

August 24, 2016

The images of the devastation brought to Louisiana by last week’s floods might no longer be

receiving nationwide attention, but Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman – an LSU product who

called Baton Rouge his offseason home – has set up his own GoFundMe site hoping to raise

awareness and funds for the victims of the floods.

Gausman is attempting to raise $30,000 in the next two weeks for the Baton Rouge Area

Foundation Flood Relief Fund, and has pledged to donate an additional $15,000 to what is raised.

“I think one thing that people don’t realize is that yeah, the water has subsided but there are a lot

of families who have nothing,” Gausman said before Wednesday’s game. “Even my fiancée’s

cousin, they have a newborn baby, and she woke up in the middle of the night and put her feet

down and there was standing water in their bedroom. People don’t realize that it happened very

quickly.”

Gausman said that his idea to create the page was initiated following a text message group chat

with several of his former LSU teammates, including Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola,

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Mikie Mahtook and Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Ranaudo.

Gausman was an All-American pitcher at LSU before the Orioles took him with the fourth

overall pick in the 2012 draft.

“Even talking to [former LSU product and Orioles right-hander] Ben McDonald when he was

here [doing Orioles radio broadcasts], he was one of those guys who was in his boat and he was

out there helping people and having people stay at his house,” Gausman said. “I know that his

mother-in-law’s house was really affected by it. I’ve talked to Wade Miley, too, because he has

some family and friends affected also. Being that I kind of have a platform down there, too, I just

wanted to just do anything I can to bring some awareness and hopefully help.”

The Red Cross said last week that the floods were the nation’s worst natural disaster since

Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast four years ago and that at least $30 million in damage has

been done.

Gausman said he hopes the GoFundMe page is just the beginning. He said he hopes to spend the

offseason helping people in need -- especially through the avenue of baseball -- and specifically

mentioned aiding a 14-and-under youth baseball team that had nine of 12 players’ families

forced into shelters by providing new equipment and other supplies.

“You’re just trying to help the families,” Gausman said. “I’m going to try to do some other

things for the community down there. It’s going to be a work in progress. I’ll probably go into

the offseason doing some stuff down therem too. When you have that many houses affected, it’s

tough on a lot of families.”

Gausman is a Colorado native, but he and his fiancée bought a house in Baton Rouge two years

ago.

“I love the area, but I think I love the people more,” Gausman said. “There’s something about

that Southern hospitality down there. I grew up in Colorado, and you couldn’t just go over to

your neighbor’s house and ask for something. It was kind of one of those, ‘We’re neighbors, but

there’s a line.’ But down there, you’re just one big community.

"Everybody down there went to LSU and loves LSU, so you always have that in common with

people. So I think people just gravitate toward helping each other, and they’ve been through

tough situations with Hurricane Katrina and it kind of seems they just kind of always come

together and really come around sports. … I’m just trying to help in any way I can.”

To donate to Gausman’s page, click here.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/197549150/os-pitcher-zach-brittons-streak-ends-at-43/

Britton sees record run end but seals victory

By Alex Putterman / MLB.com

August 25, 2016

WASHINGTON -- Though the Nationals couldn't steal a win from Zach Britton and the Orioles

on Wednesday night, they did steal the closer's Major League-record streak of consecutive

scoreless appearances, ending the lefty's run at 43.

Britton finished off a 10-8 Baltimore victory at Nationals Park but allowed a run on two hits in

the process. The closer entered with one out in the bottom of the ninth following a Daniel

Murphy grand slam that cut the Orioles' lead to three runs. He allowed a single to Bryce

Harper and an RBI double to Anthony Rendon, and just like that, the streak was over.

"It was a quick one -- I warmed up and went right into the game," Britton said. "Not ideal, but

we had a cushion, so if there was any day to not be your best, it was today."

The run, the first Britton had allowed since April 30, raised the lefty's ERA to 0.69.

After Rendon's double, Britton got Wilson Ramos to ground back to the pitcher. Britton threw to

second to try to catch Rendon diving back to the base, but the runner beat the tag, putting men on

first and second. Undeterred, Britton got Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a game-ending double

play.

Britton said he wasn't too disappointed in the streak ending, especially since the Orioles hung on

to win the game.

"You can't get caught up in it, because tomorrow, you could be in the game again," Britton said.

"Those things can get out of control easily when you start dwelling on them."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/197570570/orioles-donnie-hart-mychal-givens-excelling/

Rookie relievers rewarding Showalter's faith

By Ryan Baillargeon / MLB.com

August 25, 2016

WASHINGTON -- Donnie Hart conceded on Wednesday night that he couldn't have envisioned

these moments a couple of months ago when he was pitching for the Double-A Bowie Baysox.

No, not facing reigning National League Most Valuable Player Bryce Harper in front of a sellout

crowd at Nationals Park.

But the Orioles lefty didn't shy away from the situation -- runners on first and third with two outs

in the seventh inning of a two-run game. Hart threw Harper eight straight sliders, the final of

which Harper swung through for a crucial strikeout in the Orioles' 10-8 win.

"Donnie, he's not scared," catcher Matt Wieters said. "Nobody in this clubhouse is scared on the

mound. He has confidence in his breaking ball."

Hart, who kept his ERA at 0.00 after completing his ninth Major League appearance, helped the

O's escape in the bottom of the seventh, just as rookie Mychal Givens had an inning earlier. The

two young relievers rose to the occasion to help the O's capture their third straight victory over

the National League East leaders.

On Monday, Hart was also called upon to face the heart of Washington's lineup: Daniel

Murphy and Harper. Though he allowed Murphy to reach in both games, Hart got the best of

Harper on Wednesday.

"It feels good," Hart said. "As a competitor, those are the situations you want to be in. So I

always kind of hope and wish that the phone rings and [manager Buck Showalter] calls my

name."

On Wednesday, Showalter turned to Givens when starter Wade Miley put runners on second and

third to open the sixth, the Orioles clinging to a 5-2 advantage.

The converted infielder struck out Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman around a popout to

strand the inherited runners.

"It was second and third; you hope to get back to the dugout giving up one," Wieters said. "For

him to get us back in there without giving up any was pretty good."

Givens, who is 8-1 with a 3.17 ERA this season, has been especially sharp in August. Though he

ran into trouble when he came back out for the seventh -- Hart worked out of the jam Givens

created, allowing one inherited runner to score -- Givens has struck out 20 over 12 innings this

month.

"Donnie and Mychal have stepped up in a time of need with Darren [O'Day] out," Showalter

said.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/197426840/orioles-chris-tillman-lands-on-disabled-list/

Tillman goes on 15-day DL; Orioles call up Wright

By Ryan Baillargeon / MLB.com

August 24, 2016

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles placed ace right-hander Chris Tillman on the disabled list with

right shoulder bursitis on Wednesday and recalled righty Mike Wright from Triple-A Norfolk.

Wright will serve as the O's long reliever, with Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10, 6.94 ERA) taking

Tillman's spot in the rotation on Thursday against the Nationals.

"It's never a good feeling when you have to take the spot of someone when someone gets hurt,

especially Tilly, the way he was pitching," Jimenez said. "We really needed him to be out there,

but it's part of the game."

Tillman has been dealing with shoulder pain for the past two weeks, and he experienced

discomfort when throwing on Tuesday, his work day. The Orioles announced after Tuesday's 8-1

win over the Nationals that Tillman was headed to the DL. Tillman is eligible to come off the DL

on Sept. 5, and the righty said he's optimistic that he'll be ready by that point.

"It's tough," Tillman said on Tuesday. "I don't like it, but it is what it is. It happened, and we've

got to get better now. I think this is the best way to go about it, and we had talked about it a little.

I'd rather feel better at the end of the season than fight it all year."

Wright, who began the season as a starter with the O's, was sent down to Norfolk on June 2. This

is the third time he's been recalled since then, but he hasn't pitched in the Majors since July 8.

In 11 starts for the Tides this season, Wright is 3-3 with a 3.17 ERA.

"I felt really strong, really positive," Wright said of his Minor League starts. "Every outing, I felt

like I was getting better."

Wright was scheduled to start for Norfolk on Thursday, so joined the O's fresh and available out

of the 'pen. Wright has struggled for the Orioles this year, posting a 5.97 ERA over 69 1/3

innings spanning 14 outings (12 starts).

"This is a different role than he had before," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's here because

he provided length and could fit the role we needed."

Worth nothing

• Showalter said that lefty T.J. McFarland, who has been on the DL since June 30 with left knee

inflammation, is an option to be activated soon. McFarland has made four rehab appearances, but

Showalter said he'd prefer to have McFarland work back-to-back days before the reliever rejoins

the Orioles.

"Mac's probably an outing or two away, but we could if we had to," Showalter said. "His name

came up [Tuesday] night."

• Outfielder Joey Rickard is going to see a doctor on Sept. 2 for his right thumb ligament injury.

His thumb has been immobilized in a splint since he was placed on the DL on July 22.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/197570570/orioles-donnie-hart-mychal-givens-excelling/

Power meets power as O's take on Scherzer

By Ryan Baillargeon / MLB.com

August 24, 2016

Max Scherzer and Chris Tillman were scheduled to meet in a matchup of aces in the final game

of the Battle of the Beltways on Thursday night at Nationals Park, but with Tillman on the

disabled list, Ubaldo Jimenez will take the hill for the Orioles.

The 32-year-old Jimenez, who is 5-10 with a 6.94 ERA, has the highest ERA among all Major

League pitchers with at least 90 innings. O's manager Buck Showalter didn't commit to starting

Jimenez past Thursday, but the veteran right-hander understands the importance of joining the

rotation amid a postseason chase.

"Hopefully, I'll be there for the team in the last month because they really need it, especially now

that Tilly's down," Jimenez said.

Showalter said Jimenez's experience made him the best choice to fill in for Tillman against the

Nationals. He'll match up with one of the game's best in Scherzer (13-7, 3.05 ERA), who won the

2013 American League Cy Young Award and leads the Majors with 217 strikeouts.

Scherzer won't have an easy task, however, as Baltimore enters the finale of the Battle of the

Beltways with a Major League-leading 197 home runs.

Three things to know about this game

• Jimenez will be making his first start since July 28, when he held Minnesota to one run in five

innings. In that outing, Jimenez was pitching on 18 days' rest. He expects this start to be easier,

given that he last pitched on Friday.

• Scherzer didn't post a quality start in either of his two most recent outings, his only two-game

stretch of the season without one. Over those two starts, against the Rockies and Braves,

Scherzer allowed eight runs in 10 1/3 innings (6.97 ERA).

• Thursday's game marks the final Interleague contest for the Nationals this season. The Orioles

have a three-game set against Arizona in late September.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/looking-ahead-and-glancing-back.html

Looking ahead and glancing back

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 25, 2016

Mike Wright remains in place as the long reliever for tonight’s game against the Nationals that

concludes the lopsided home-and-home series. If Ubaldo Jimenez is done early, Wright figures

to get the call in his latest return to the Orioles.

Wright needs the positive results at Triple-A Norfolk to accompany him back to the majors.

“I think he was working a lot on his fastball command,” said catcher Francisco Pena. “He did a

pretty good job when he was done there. He threw the ball real well. He had a real good slider

going on and he was going after hitters. I think he went down there to work on the stuff he

needed to work on and hopefully get that opportunity again up here.”

Pena senses that Wright’s confidence is back, as well.

“Yeah, especially when he went out there and performed the way that he did,” Pena said. “He

threw the ball real well and I think that it helped him a lot.”

You already know Jimenez’s numbers against the Nats and in D.C. because I’ve written them

multiple times the past few days, but just in case:

Jimenez is 6-1 with a 2.32 ERA in eight career starts against the Nationals and 4-0 with a 0.92

ERA in four starts in D.C. Never forget it.

Jayson Werth is 4-for-11 with a triple and home run off Jimenez, and Ben Revere is 4-for-12

with a double and triple.

Max Scherzer takes the mound tonight for the Nationals with a 0.960 WHIP and 217 strikeouts

that lead the majors. However, he’s 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA and 1.066 WHIP in four starts this

month after going 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.726 WHIP in June and 2-1 with a 1.32 ERA and

0.882 WHIP in July.

Scherzer, who’s holding right-handed batters to a .161 average, is 4-2 with a 3.81 ERA in eight

career starts versus the Orioles. He limited them to two runs and four hits over 8 2/3 innings on

July 12, 2015 at Camden Yards, but Manny Machado hit a two-run homer off him in the seventh

inning on Sept. 23 at Nationals Park to give the Orioles a 4-3 win.

That game may be remembered more for Jonathan Papelbon’s ejection after drilling Machado,

who dared to hit his 30th home run of the season.

Machado is only 1-for-15 against Scherzer. Adam Jones is 11-for-25 with two doubles and three

home runs, Matt Wieters is 7-for-23, Chris Davis is 8-for-21 with a double and home run, Steve

Pearce is 3-for-9 with a home run, J.J. Hardy is 6-for-32 with two doubles and two home runs

and Mark Trumbo is 0-for-8 with six strikeouts.

So much happened in last night’s game that it’s easy to forget details, but rookie left-hander

Donnie Hart came up big again versus Bryce Harper, striking him out with the count full to end

the seventh and preserve a 5-3 lead.

How’s that for a manager’s trust?

“It was good,” Hart said. “As a competitor, this is a situation that you wanted to be in, I was kind

of hoping and wishing that the phone rings and he calls my name.”

Harper is 0-for-2 against Hart, including the comebacker at Camden Yards that caught Daniel

Murphy straying too far from second base. Did seeing Harper previously make it any easier last

night?

“No, that’s your job,” he said. “You don’t really think about if it’s going to be easier or harder or

all that kind of stuff. You still have to go out there and execute pitches. I was able to do that

when I needed to.”

Hart never could have imagined at Double-A Bowie that he’d be pitching in these situations.

“No, no. Honestly, no,” he said.

“It was a lot of hard work and learning involved in it. I was fortunate enough to have some good

leaders and instructors along the way to help me do what I’m doing right now.”

The kid is making quite an impression inside the clubhouse.

“Donnie, he’s not scared. Nobody in this clubhouse is scared on the mound,” Wieters said.

“He has confidence in his breaking ball. He threw a couple that probably didn’t come out as

good as he wanted to. He still knew that he was going to make the pitch when he wanted to.”

Same with another rookie, Mychal Givens, who inherited a second-and-third, no-out mess in the

sixth and didn’t allow a run. He struck out Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman and retired

Wilson Ramos on a popup.

“Big, that was a big inning,” Wieters said. “It was 5-3 at that point. To be able to kind of get to

the seventh, get to the eighth. It was second and third. You hope to get back to the dugout giving

up one. For him to get us back in there without giving up any was pretty good.”

It was imperative as the Orioles move forward without Darren O’Day, who remains on the

disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff.

Said manager Buck Showalter: “Donnie and Mychal have stepped up in a time of need with

Darren out.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/wrapping-up-a-10-8-win.html

Wrapping up a 10-8 win

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON - The Orioles moved within a game of first place in the American League East

tonight following their 10-8 win over the Nationals and losses by the Red Sox and Blue Jays.

Another roster move is coming as the Orioles rotate fresh arms into the bullpen. They may send

down Parker Bridwell after he retired the side in order in the eighth, but surrendered a grand

slam to Daniel Murphy in the ninth. He threw 35 pitches and wouldn’t be available on Thursday.

“We’ve got Ubaldo (Jimenez) pitching tomorrow and we probably have to make a pitching move

tonight to make sure we’re covered,” said manager Buck Showalter. “Not because he’s pitching.

It’s one of the advantages of having an optional bullpen. We’ve got to keep our late game arms

healthy and available and that’s why we’re going to keep moving in and out.”

Triple-A Norfolk won in 13 innings and outfielder L.J. Hoes took the mound in the final inning

to earn the victory. Are there any fresh arms left?

“I saw that,” Showalter said. “I was checking who pitched before we decide who. I want to check

and see how L.J. did first. If he’s breathing and can throw some left-handed, too, maybe we’ll

find he’s ambidextrous. These challenging times call for things that aren’t necessarily

aesthetically pleasing to look at.”

Joe Gunkel remains a candidate despite not being on the 40-man roster. Odrisamer Despaigne

threw four scoreless and hitless innings tonight and he’s not eligible anyway because he hasn’t

been down the minimum 10 days. Same with Tyler Wilson. Oliver Drake pitched yesterday.

Jason Garcia started today for Double-A Bowie and Logan Ondrusek pitched yesterday. T.J.

McFarland may not be ready to come off the disabled list, though the Orioles considered him last

night.

The Orioles hung on tonight to win their third in a row over the Nats, with Zach Britton getting

Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a double play after allowing his first earned run since April 30.

He set a major league record with 43 consecutive appearances without an earned run.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it,” he said. “I was just thinking about needing to make some good

pitches. I was getting frustrated, but it happens. A bad outing. I’ve had plenty. You’ve just got to

execute pitches there.

“They’re a good hitting team and right off the bat I just didn’t make any good pitches. I just need

to keep the ball down and I wasn’t able to. I got fortunate even on the double play ball. It wasn’t

crisp, but I got fortunate right there.

“You’re thinking, ‘Hey, let’s get out of this inning and get a win.’ Those losses right there when

the team’s able to get back from such a big deficit, those are devastating. When you’re out there,

you’re just trying to make a good pitch and get out of the inning. I knew we had an out, so find a

way. Fortunately, we got the win.”

Britton wasn’t in a reflective mood over the streak ending.

“Not really,” he said. “You can’t get caught up in it, because tomorrow you could be in the game

again. You’ve got to do well. Those things can get out of control easily when you start dwelling

on them and thinking that the season’s over. We’ve got a long way to go.”

The bottom of the ninth felt as though it lasted forever. Britton wasn’t supposed to pitch, but a

seven-run lead began to dissolve.

“Well, you’ve got to be ready, right?” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I was a little bit

caught off guard, but I felt pretty good once I got in the game. Just everything that happened, the

home run by Murphy, get going.

“I just really didn’t make good pitches tonight, really, all the way through. I think I threw maybe

one good pitch and that was about it.”

I’ve got a lot more postgame quotes to share. Here’s a sampling, with more coming in the

morning:

Showalter on Machado, who had four hits, including his 29th home run: “You know what’s funny about him? He’ll go a day or so and it’s almost like he thinks he forgot

how to hit or something. But he works at it. He’s got a lot of pride. He doesn’t like to fail and

that’s one of the reasons why he’s been so consistent this year.”

Machado on the tense ninth inning: “We know it’s going to be a battle. They’re a great team over there and they’re not just going to

give up. We knew that. It’s just a matter of the time. They haven’t been swinging the bat like

they have been, and we’ve finally clicked a little bit. We’ve got to keep playing baseball like

we’ve been playing, and we can never take it for granted. They’re a great team over there, so you

have to play till the last out’s made.”

Machado on getting four runs off Tanner Roark in the first: “He’s good. He’s one of the big guys. We kind of took advantage of his mistakes. He had a

rough couple innings that he normally never does that. He doesn’t really hit many guys and he

throws a lot of strikes, so we took advantage of the situation and we just got lucky on that one.”

Machado on whether the games now are more important:

“It’s always been important since Day One. It’s just getting to a point that we’re just getting

closer to our goal. We’ve got to strap it on, keep playing as a team. We have it there at arm’s

length. We’ve got to go out there every day, try to win, try to battle, try to out-hit the other team,

try to out-pitch the other team. We’re in a good spot. I know we like the guys that we have on

our team right now, and we’re just going to have to keep fighting as one.”

Machado on beating the Nationals three in a row: “From now on, it’s playoff baseball. Every team that we’re going to play from now on, they’re

trying to compete. They’re trying to win a World Series and they’re trying to win games. It’s

going to be tough. We’re going to be facing some great teams and we just have to keep grinding

it out, honestly. We can’t really do much if our hitters are not there or if our pitchers are not

there. We just have to pick each other up and honestly just battle.

“It’s up for grabs. Every game from now on it’s going to be a tough one to play and we’re going

to be facing some good teams, so we just have to try to beat everybody.”

Matt Wieters on the ninth inning: “You always want to try to add on, especially with a good offense that they have. Ultimately, we

would have loved to keep Zach out of the game, so every run’s important, but getting a win is the

most important thing.”

Wieters on whether he was worried in the ninth:

“We play this game for 162 days, so if you’re going to worry, you’re in the wrong sport. We

would have liked to get into the ninth inning a little bit smoother, but at the end of the day,

getting a win is most important.”

Wieters on Wade Miley, who earned his first win with the Orioles: “He mixed. I think early I thought he had the fastball command that he wanted to. Early in the

game, he made some good pitches with his fastball, but he went to a backup plan of being able to

mix in his off-speed stuff, which was big for him.”

Miley on getting his first win: “It feels good, no doubt, but at the same time we just have to keep moving forward and keep

building on that. Obviously, I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be, but it was something to build on.

And you’ve got five days and do it again.”

Miley on Machado: “He’s probably the best third baseman in the game, offensively and defensively. He’s pretty

incredible.”

Miley on winning without Chris Tillman: “It’s huge. We need to hold it down until obviously he gets back healthy. It’s a big run.

September’s coming up, obviously the playoff race, and we want to keep it right where we’re at

and keep winning ballgames. It’s in our hands right now.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/wright-on-his-latest-return-to-the-

orioles.html

Wright on his latest return to the Orioles (O’s lead 10-3)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON - Mike Wright can litter a transaction page with the best of them.

Wright broke camp in the Orioles’ rotation and was optioned on June 2 after nine starts, the last

ending after the Red Sox ambushed him for six runs in 2 2/3 innings. He was needed the next

day with reliever Darren O’Day going on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, but the

Orioles optioned him again on June 17 after allowing eight runs to the Blue Jays in 3 2/3 innings.

Wright’s final appearance with the Orioles came on July 8, the day he was recalled again from

Triple-A Norfolk. He worked 4 2/3 relief innings against the Angels, allowing four runs (two

earned) and was sent down after the game’s final out.

This isn’t unusual for Wright, who’s gone back and forth with such frequency that he can find

his way blindfolded.

The Orioles recalled him again this afternoon while placing Chris Tillman on the disabled list

with bursitis in his right shoulder. Wright was told last night about his latest assignment. The

bags, I assume, had been unpacked.

“Obviously, it’s a good feeling to be back up here,” he said.

“I’ve been down there for a while, but no matter what level you’re at, that’s where you’re at and

you’re trying to compete and do well. It doesn’t matter if it’s there or here, you’re trying to do

well. And if you’re competing, you’re going to be all right.”

Wright seems content with a bullpen role. Anything to stay in the majors.

“That’s fine,” he said. “I’m back here where we’re making a push for the playoffs and it’s an

exciting time.”

Wright is 3-4 with a 5.97 ERA and 1.471 WHIP in 14 games (12 starts) with the Orioles over 69

1/3 innings. He’s 3-3 with a 3.17 ERA 1.133 WHIP in 11 starts with Norfolk over 65 1/3

innings. He’s averaging 1.7 walks per nine innings with the Tides, compared to 3.4 with the

Orioles.

“I felt really strong, really positive,” he said. “Every outing felt like I was getting better.”

Asked what he’s done to find better results besides moving down, Wright said, “Same thing you

always do every season. Just continue to try to execute as many pitches as you can every game.”

Wright wanted another long reliever in the bullpen with Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez

starting the two games in D.C. He’s reluctant to push Parker Bridwell, who’s still transitioning

from starter to reliever.

“It’s a different role than (Wright) had before because he provided length and could fit the role

that we needed because Parker hadn’t pitched back-to-back much, so we have to be careful

there,” Showalter said.

“Parker comes in and pitches, two, three innings tonight we’d probably get somebody to replace

him because we’re not going to go without arms to protect everybody. We’ll see when the smoke

clears today what we’re going to do tomorrow.”

Perhaps Wright will get his first major league save, as Jimenez and Vance Worley have done this

month.

Worley covered the final three innings last night, allowing one run in the Orioles’ 8-1 win over

the Nationals at Camden Yards.

“It felt good,” he said. “The first inning was a little rough, but after that I settled down and made

some pitches and closed it out.

“It’s just another thing that I can say that I’ve done. This year, I’ve done every role now that I

have a save. Excited to have it under my belt and just being able to contribute.

“I just wait on that call. I’m pretty much ready from the first pitch of the game. I know that at

some point of that game I could get a call, whether it’s early, middle of the game, end of the

game. It depends on the score, how our other pitchers are doing, do they need a blow? I’m the

guy they call on.”

Worley, affectionately known as the “Vanimal,” had no idea that his outing qualified as a save.

“No, I was just worried about making pitches and getting it over as quick as I could,” he said.

“I heard the announcer say that I got my first major league save, so that was cool. I then asked

Nolan (Reimold) for the ball and he says, ‘I threw it in the stands.’ And I said, ‘Well, never

mind. I didn’t want that ball anyway.’”

Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky of Bethesda, who won five medals at the Summer Olympics in

Rio, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before tonight’s game. She wore the medals as she

stepped on the mound and handed them one at a time to Bryce Harper, who placed them over his

arms.

Update: The Orioles scored four runs off Tanner Roark in the first inning, sending nine batters to

the plate and working him for 39 pitches. Trea Turner made a diving catch to rob Adam Jones or

it would have been worse.

Manny Machado followed Hyun Soo Kim’s single with a home run that Statcast measured at 452

feet. Chris Davis doubled, Mark Trumbo walked and Roark hit Jonathan Schoop and Matt

Wieters to force in a run. J.J. Hardy’s sacrifice fly completed the scoring.

Update II: Miley gave back a run in the bottom of the first on Anthony Rendon’s two-out RBI

single, but Daniel Murphy was an easy out at the plate to end the inning.

The Orioles scored in the top of the second to lead 5-1 after Rendon made two errors on one play

- he let Jones’ ground ball squirt through his legs and airmailed the throw to first, which allowed

Jones to take second - and Machado singled for his third RBI of the night.

Update III: Danny Espinosa lined his 20th home run of the season to left field, reducing the lead

to 5-2 in the fifth inning.

Update IV: Mychal Givens was charged with a run in the seventh on Daniel Murphy’s RBI

single off Donnie Hart, who proceeded to strike out Bryce Harper. And the Orioles broke open

the game with five runs in the eighth off Blake Treinen, the last three on Matt Wieters’ home

run.

Machado has four RBIs and the Orioles lead 10-3.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/notes-on-rickard-mcfarland-the-pitching-

and-more.html

Notes on Rickard, McFarland, the pitching and more

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON - Outfielder Joey Rickard will have his right thumb re-examined on Sept. 2, and

manager Buck Showalter is hoping to get more than just a few weeks out of the Rule 5 pick.

“I think we’ll get an idea how that’s progressing,” Showalter said.

“He was a big part of our team for quite a while and we haven’t had him.”

Left-hander Brian Duensing threw another inning in the Gulf Coast League, needing only seven

pitches and getting a double play. He’s scheduled to throw two innings at Double-A Bowie on

Saturday and Tuesday.

Left-hander T.J. McFarland was a consideration for today’s call-up before the Orioles chose

Mike Wright. McFarland remains with Double-A Bowie on an injury rehab assignment.

“We’d really like to get him some back-to-back days,” Showalter said. “We had to make a

decision how we’re going to use him the next few days in case he had to play into this. I think

the Yankees are carrying three or four left-handed hitters as opposed to six or seven, but that

could change the next three days.

“Mac’s probably an outing or two away, but we could if we had to. His name came up last

night.”

Showalter chose Ubaldo Jimenez to start Thursday night against the Nationals.

“As opposed to who?” he said. “No, actually he’s probably the most equipped. He’s pitched well

here and against these guys. We looked at our options and felt like he was worthy of getting

another opportunity.

“Actually, it probably makes our bullpen work a little better, too, the other four days. He’s a guy

that’s physically better-suited to start.”

Showalter isn’t looking beyond the one start. Jimenez could be called upon again or head back

into a sporadic relief role.

“We’re going to go that way tomorrow and see where we are,” he said.

Showalter is confident that the bullpen can cover for Jimenez if the veteran makes an early exit.

“We have people,” he said. “That’s why Mike Wright’s here. That’s why Vance (Worley) has

been so valuable. And (Parker) Bridwell is here. It also allows us to have an optionable bullpen,

which we’re going to need. Somebody said, ‘Well, why don’t you just wait until Sept. 1?’ There

are a lot of games between now and Sept. 1. Or Sept. 2 actually. We’re off Sept. 1.

“It allows us to be able to move guys in and out to cover anything if there’s a short start, which

we hope there’s not.”

The Orioles continue to search for available pitching. The need for more depth is illustrated

again with Chris Tillman on the disabled list.

“We have choices, but just ... Everybody’s got choices,” Showalter said.

“I know a lot of things that factor into it. I’m not trying to change the subject, but you go over to

Walter Reed today and there’s nothing that’s going to top the fact that they told me there’s only

one soldier in there. They’re at their low right now. So, pitching somebody, I look at it as an

opportunity.

“There are some guys on their club how have been considered for the Cy Young and Chris was

at one point. Ubaldo’s got that type of pedigree and he’s pitched well in this situation before. He

pitched well in Minnesota that day, all things considered. It’s going to be tough on him because

he hasn’t started in a while, but he’s built up and the most experienced option we have. And I’m

not going to get into critiquing what our other options are.

“I know one thing, everybody’s getting blocked and claimed this time of year. Usually, there’s

somebody there. We think Ubaldo’s our best option right now.”

Worley has proven too valuable in the bullpen. He covered the last three innings last night to

spare the other relievers.

“Here’s the part about that is, if he doesn’t pitch that game last night, probably Zach (Britton) or

(Brad) Brach or (Mychal) Givens or all three of them would have been in that ballgame,”

Showalter said. “In order for us to be good tonight and the next night and whatever, we’ve got to

have somebody to do that job. And it’s not a given that Vance would do well as a starter.

“A guy who can give you long innings in the American League is extremely important. It allows

you to keep your bullpen healthy. And when you don’t have a maneuverable bullpen with

options and stuff, you’ve got to do it from within. That’s why we’ve had to carry two or three

long guys most of the year to keep everybody intact.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/ubaldo-jimenez-trying-to-be-the-best-i-can-

for-the-team.html

Ubaldo Jimenez trying to be “the best I can for the team”

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON - Chris Tillman, on the disabled list with right shoulder bursitis, remains

optimistic that he can return to the active roster when eligible on Sept. 5. However, he’s taking it

a day at a time and resisting the urge to push it.

With Tillman unable to pitch, the Orioles are turning again to Ubaldo Jimenez, whose last three

appearances have been in relief.

We’re not counting the Aug. 17 game against the Red Sox at Camden Yards, when he was ready

to take the mound before the storm arrived and ended play after six innings.

“It’s never a good feeling when you have to take the spot when someone gets hurt, especially

Tilly, the way he was pitching,” Jimenez said. “We really need him to be out there, but it’s part

of the game. Whatever adversity you have to face, you have to go through. I think that’s

something I’m going to be doing tomorrow, try to be the best I can for the team.”

Jimenez made his last appearance Friday night against the Astros, allowing three runs and

walking four batters in three innings. He hasn’t started since the July 28 makeup game in

Minnesota, when he allowed one run and struck out eight batters in five innings.

At least Jimenez has gotten a little more work heading into Thursday’s start. He hadn’t pitched

since July 8 before facing the Twins.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as my last start when I had to pitch with (19) days,” he said.

“I’ve been in a couple games before tomorrow, so I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. I’ve

been working on stuff, I’ve been able to get on the mound and get my innings.”

Manager Buck Showalter most likely has considered Jimenez’s past success against the Nats.

The veteran right-hander is 6-1 with a 2.32 ERA in eight career starts and 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA

in four starts in D.C., with three earned runs (four total) in 29 1/3 innings.

“You never put a lot of thought on that,” Jimenez said. “I just want to go out there and compete

and give the team a chance to win. It doesn’t matter where it is.”

What’s important is making a contribution while Tillman is out and the Orioles are fighting to

get back into first place. Jimenez is 5-10 with a 6.94 ERA in 22 games. This may be a fleeting

opportunity in the rotation. He wants to make the most of it.

“I’m looking forward to doing that,” he said. “I know things haven’t been the way that I wanted

them to be, but that’s baseball, that’s life. You have to continue fighting. It doesn’t matter what.

I’m looking forward to doing that.

“Hopefully, I’ll be there for the team in the last month because they really need it, especially

now that Tilly is out.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/08/orioles-recall-wright-from-norfolk.html

Orioles recall Wright from Norfolk

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON - The Orioles have recalled Mike Wright from Triple-A Norfolk to

replace Chris Tillman on the 25-man roster.

Tillman has been placed on the disabled list retroactive to Sunday with right shoulder bursitis.

Wright is available tonight in the bullpen while Wade Miley starts for the Orioles. He hasn’t

pitched since Friday night, when he allowed one run and seven hits in five innings in Durham.

Wright, 26, went 3-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 starts with the Tides this season. He’s 3-4 with a

5.97 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) with the Orioles this season.

In his last appearance with the Orioles on July 8, Wright allowed two earned runs (four total) and

three hits in 4 2/3 relief innings against the Angels.

Wright is 6-9 with a 6.00 in 26 career major league games, including 21 starts.

Tillman is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sept. 5.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/08/a-look-at-the-os-success-over-the-

nationals-over-the-years-plus-other-notes.html

A look at the O’s success against the Nationals over the years

(plus other notes)

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 25, 2016

Both the Orioles and Nationals have been winning teams since the 2012 season. Both have been

in the playoffs twice since then.

But despite the fact that the Nats have been a pretty good team since then, the Orioles are 17-6

(.739) versus Washington since that 2012 season, and again this year the Orioles will win the

season series, leading 3-0 with one game to play.

The O’s went 4-2 in 2012 and then went 3-1, 3-1 and 4-2 the next three seasons and then added

3-0 this season.

The Orioles and Nats have played every year since 2006 and the O’s have lost one season series,

going 2-4 in 2007. Since then, they are 7-0-2 in nine season series. The Nationals will have to

wait until at least 2017 to win a season series against Baltimore.

Before 2012, both teams were losing teams. Since then, both have been winners. But throughout

all of it, the Orioles have had the better of the Nationals and are now 36-23 (.610) since the team

moved to Washington.

The kids are all right: Left-hander Donnie Hart has now gotten 2015 National League MVP

Bryce Harper out twice in three games this week, and they were two big outs. Last night, he

fanned Harper on a 3-2 pitch with two on and the Orioles leading 5-3 in the seventh. Lefty

batters are 3-for-19 (.158) against Hart in nine big league appearances.

An inning earlier, right-hander Mychal Givens inherited a second-and-third, no-out jam and did

not allow a run. He fanned Anthony Rendon on a 96 mph fastball, got Wilson Ramos to pop out

and fanned Ryan Zimmerman with 96 mph heat. Three big outs.

In nine games this month, Givens has an ERA of 1.50 in 12 innings with three walks and 20

strikeouts. For the season, Givens has fanned 76 over 59 2/3 innings to average 11.4 strikeouts

per nine innings.

For starters: Orioles starter Wade Miley provided a better outing last night. He began the sixth

inning at 90 pitches but was replaced by Givens after giving up hits to Daniel Murphy and Bryce

Harper. Miley allowed two runs over five innings-plus and is 1-2 with an 8.18 ERA in five O’s

starts.

But this was much better and the second time he gave up two runs or less for his new team. He

had also allowed 13 runs in six innings his previous two starts, so this was an improvement. Now

he needs to become more pitch efficient and eat more innings.

A MASN graphic when he left the game showed he threw breaking balls 51 percent of the time

last night. It was 30 percent on the year before this outing. In the fourth inning, when he went 1-

2-3 with a pair of strikeouts against Harper, Rendon and Ramos, Miley threw 21 pitches and 14

were curveballs or sliders.

Series starters: The Nationals certainly have had a better starting rotation this season than the

Orioles. But it has not played out that way in the three games between the teams.

The O’s starters - Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Miley - have pitched 17 innings, allowing

four runs. That is an ERA of 2.12.

The Nats starters - A.J. Cole, Reynaldo Lopez and Tanner Roark - have pitched 14 2/3 innings,

allowing 15 runs (12 earned). That is an ERA of 7.36.

The clutch hits: Last night, each team had a lot of scoring chances and the Orioles went 4-for-12

with runners in scoring position and the Nationals went 4-for-15.

For the last three games, the Orioles are 11-for-27 (.407) with RISP, while the Nationals are 6-

for-28 (.214).

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/08/for-now-zach-britton-is-not-listening-to-

the-cy-young-talk-tillman-to-dl.html

For now, Zach Britton is not listening to Cy Young talk

(Tillman to DL)

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 24, 2016

By any standard, Orioles closer Zach Britton is having a brilliant season. It is a year that could

end with Britton becoming the 10th reliever in major league history to win a Cy Young Award.

In 54 games, Britton is 2-1 with an ERA of 0.53 and 38 saves in 38 chances. He has walked 16

and fanned 61 in 51 1/3 innings with a batting average against of .142.

He has not allowed an earned run since April 30. He has gone 43 consecutive games and 41 1/3

innings since then. He has not allowed any runs since giving up three unearned runs on June 21.

Since then, he has thrown 25 consecutive scoreless outings.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the 43 straight appearances without allowing an earned run is

the longest streak of its kind since earned runs became an official statistic. All of this is beyond

impressive and some national reporters are starting to beat the drum for Britton’s Cy Young

chances.

Earlier this week, I hosted Britton for a MASN chat with readers on our Facebook page. A fan

asked Britton if he had paid attention to the Cy Young talk.

“You know, I really haven’t,” he said. “It’s probably the furthest thing from my mind at this

point. There are so many opinions and there are a lot of people that don’t think relievers merit

consideration, while a lot think that they do.

“If you don’t think about it, that is the best way to go about it. I’ve had people tell me, ‘I don’t

think you should be in the conversation,’ and I’ve had people tell me, ‘You should.’ So I just

avoid it at all costs. As long as we are playing good and winning games, that is really all that

matters. If you are not on a winning team, you never even get considered for that stuff anyway.

“The main thing is for us to win and get into the postseason. If you are deserving of awards - and

not just me, there are a lot of guys on our team that are deserving of awards - those things can

come to you if you are part of a winning team.”

The last reliever to win the Cy Young was the Dodgers’ Eric Gagne in 2003. The last of four to

win the award in the American League was Dennis Eckersley of Oakland in 1992.

So should a reliever merit consideration for the Cy Young?

“I’ve done both, so I can see both sides of it, starting and relieving,” Britton said. “Baseball has

really taken a turn to where it is more reliever-oriented now. If you build a dominant bullpen,

you can win the World Series like the Royals.

“So the question would be is 200 innings from a starter more valuable than a guy that can affect

more games? Starters don’t affect as many games, but they impact way more innings. So if a

reliever pitches in 70 plus games is that more important to that specific team? That is the

question.”

Tillman to the DL: The Orioles’ chance to win the American League East took a hit last night

with the news that 15-game winner Chris Tillman is headed to the disabled list with right

shoulder inflammation. The Orioles rotation was inconsistent and 12th in the American League

in ERA with Tillman heading it up.

Now they will be without the right-hander until at least Sept. 5. That is the earliest date he can

return. But will Tillman be back then and can he return then pitching to the level that he has for

most of this year?

Whatever good feelings that came out of the Orioles 8-1 win last night over the Nationals were

quickly tempered with the news about Tillman.

The Orioles don’t have a suitable replacement or that pitcher would have been in the rotation

already. Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10, 6.94 ERA) will start in Tillman’s place Thursday in Washington.

Triple-A right-hander Joe Gunkel was scratched from his scheduled start last night, presumably

to possibly join the Orioles. But it seems with Jimenez starting Thursday that is probably not

happening now. Gunkel is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA his last five starts.

At Double-A Bowie, right-hander Jason Garcia has pitched to an ERA of 1.77 in August. In his

last three starts, Garcia has not thrown more than 72 pitches. Perhaps the club is backing off him

a bit since he threw 45 innings in 2015 and is at 108 innings now. Or maybe they are saving

some innings for use in Baltimore.

Jimenez will get a shot to step into Tillman’s spot on Thursday, but this turn in the rotation

comes up again one more time before the rosters can be expanded on Sept. 1.

Can the Orioles overcome the loss of Tillman and still win the AL East? If he misses more than

the next 11 days, maybe not. This is probably the time that the Orioles offense needs to try and

pick up the slack. They are going to have to figure out some way to offset Tillman’s loss for

however long it lasts.

http://scores.espn.com/mlb/preview?gameId=360825120

Orioles-Nationals preview

STATS, LLC. / ESPN.com

August 25, 2016

WASHINGTON -- For the second time in four days, a right-handed pitcher with 15 wins will be

scratched from making a start in the Beltway Series.

Baltimore ace Chris Tillman (15-5, 3.76 ERA) was slated to start against the Washington

Nationals in the finale of the two-city, four-game series.

But Tillman went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with right shoulder bursitis. That came

after Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg was pulled from making a start Monday in

Baltimore as he went on the DL with elbow concerns.

The Orioles will start Ubaldo Jimenz on Thursday against Washington right-hander Max

Scherzer, who is 13-7 with a 3.05 ERA. Jimenez is 5-10 with a 6.94 ERA in 22 games (18

starts).

"We think he is the best option," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Jimenez, who began

the season in the rotation but was removed due to ineffectiveness. "Everyone has a choice. A lot

of things factor in.

"He's probably the most equipped. He's pitched well here and against these guys. We looked at

our options and felt like he was worthy of getting another opportunity. Actually, it probably

makes our bullpen work a little better, too, the other four days."

Have the Orioles considered using Vance Worley, a long reliever, as a starter this year?

"A guy who can give you long innings in the American League is extremely important. It allows

you to keep your bullpen healthy," Showalter said. "And when you don't have a maneuverable

bullpen with options and stuff, you've got to do it from within."

Jimenez was signed to a four-year contract as a free agent prior to the 2014 season.

"He hasn't started for us in a long time," Showalter said. "We felt he was the one."

It will be a tough test against Scherzer, who may be want to be careful against Baltimore center

fielder Adam Jones.

Jones is 11-for-22 against the right-hander, and three of those hits are home runs. Scherzer is 8-3

with a 2.32 ERA in his last 15 starts and is 4-2, 3.81 in eight career starts against the Orioles.

Jimenez doesn't have much of a track record against Washington hitters.

Ben Revere is hitting .333 in 12 at-bats against the right-hander while Daniel Murphy is 3-for-11

with one homer. Revere did not start Wednesday in a 10-8 loss to the Orioles but came off the

bench and hit a pinch-hit double to left in the seventh.

Chris Davis is hitting .381 with one homer in 21 at-bats against Scherzer.

Jimenez will have to deal with Washington center fielder Trea Turner, who had singles in his

first four at-bats Wednesday to give him eight hits in a row. That tied a Montreal/Washington

franchise record as Andre Dawson had eight hits in a row in 1983 for the Expos. He also made a

diving catch for the first out of the game on the warning track in center.

"That was big. He just outran that ball," Washington manager Dusty Baker said. "Trea's been

playing great. He had a great night at the plate. He's also a very determined young man. That

determination and youthful exuberance I think has rubbed off on the team."

Turner was finally retired for the first out in the top of the ninth Wednesday. Later in the inning,

Murphy hit a grand slam to make it 10-7 and Anthony Rendon had an RBI double to make it 10-

8 before Zach Britton got the final two outs to nail down the win.

The Nationals have lost four straight.

"Physical puts wear and tear on your body and mental puts wear and tear on your mind," Baker

said. "If you're body's weak and your mind is strong, that makes your body strong. Like I said,

these guys showed a lot of mental strength tonight because they could have just rolled over and

just wrote the game off, but they didn't. We were a hit away from walking away with that game,

and that would have been probably one of the greatest comebacks of all-time because I talk to

them all the time about the old comeback, and that was almost the old comeback, so we'll get

there."

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/worley-denied-game-ball-after-first-save

Worley Denied Game Ball After First Save

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 24, 2016

BALTIMORE—Vance Worley filled out another line in his statistical record on Tuesday night.

Worley pitched the final three innings of the Orioles’ 8-1 win to record his first career save.

Like Ubaldo Jimenez on Aug. 7, who also picked up his first save, Worley didn’t know he had

done that.

“No. I was just worried about making pitches and getting it over as quick as I could,” Worley

said.

“It felt good. The first inning was a little rough, but after that I settled down and made some

pitches and closed it out.”

Worley is an extremely versatile pitcher. He’s started four times, and now he’s gotten a save.

“It’s just another thing that I can say that I’ve done. This year, I’ve done every role now, now

that I have a save. Excited to have it under my belt and just being able to contribute,” Worley

said.

“I just wait on that call. I’m pretty much ready from the first pitch of the game. I know that at

some point of that game, I could get a call whether it’s early, middle of the game, end of the

game. It depends on the score, how our other pitchers are doing, do they need a blow? I’m the

guy they call on.”

Worley learned he had gotten the save after Clint Robinson flied to Nolan Reimold in left to end

the game.

“I heard the announcer say that I got my first major league save, so that was cool. I then asked

Nolan for the ball, and he says: ‘I threw it in the stands.’ I didn’t want that ball anyway,” Worley

joked.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/showalter-says-jimenez-orioles-best-option-

start

Showalter Says Jimenez Is Orioles' Best Option To Start

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON—Ubaldo Jimenez is Buck Showalter’s choice to start Thursday, and he’s not

backing down from it.

“He’s actually probably the most equipped. He’s pitched well here and against these guys, and

two-fold, we’ve looked at our options and [he’s] the one most worthy of getting the

opportunity,” Showalter said.

“Actually, [it] makes our bullpen work a little bit better too the other four days. He’s a guy who

is physically better suited to pitch, to start.”

Vance Worley threw three innings on Tuesday night, and that eliminated him.

“Here’s the part of that. If he doesn’t pitch that game last night, probably Zach [Britton] or

[Brad] Brach or [Mychal] Givens or all three of them would have been in that ballgame. In order

for us to be good tonight and the next night, we need somebody to do that job,” Showalter said,

adding: “It’s not a given that Vance would do well as a starter.”

Jimenez has pitched well, and in 2010 had even a better year than Chris Tillman is having now.

“Ubaldo’s got that type of pedigree. He’s pitched well in this situation before. He pitched well in

Minnesota that day, all things considered. It’s going to be tough on him because he hasn’t started

in a while, but he’s built up and he’s the most experienced option we have. I’m not going to get

into critiquing what our other options are. I do know one thing. Everybody’s getting blocked and

claimed this time of year. We think Ubaldo is our best option right now,” Showalter said.

Showalter thinks that Wright will do better in this stint with the Orioles because he won’t be

starting—for now.

“It’s a different role than he had before because he provided length and could fit the role that we

needed because Parker [Bridwell] hadn’t pitched back-to-back much, so we have to be careful

there. Parker comes in and pitches, two, three innings tonight we’d probably get somebody to

replace him because we’re not going to go without arms to protect everybody. We’ll see when

the smoke clears today what we’re going to do tomorrow,” Showalter said.

Showalter said that T.J. McFarland, who’s currently rehabbing with Bowie was discussed as an

option for the role Wright is going to fill, and could be added if Bridwell is swapped out. He did

say that ideally, he’d prefer McFarland get one or two more outings before he’s brought back.

NOTES: Joey Rickard, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb injury, will be

reexamined on Sept. 2. … Brian Duensing (elbow) threw seven pitches in the Gulf Coast League

in his first rehab appearance. … LHP Ashur Tolliver (hamstring) is throwing batting practice for

Norfolk.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/jimenez-replaces-tillman-starting-rotation

Jimenez Replaces Tillman In Starting Rotation

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON—The Orioles officially sent Chris Tillman to the 15-day disabled list

retroactive to Sunday with right shoulder bursitis.

Ubaldo Jimenez will start in his place on Thursday, and to take his roster spot, the Orioles

recalled Mike Wright from Triple-A Norfolk.

Jimenez is 5-10 with a 6.94 ERA in 22 games, 18 of them starts.

“It’s never a good feeling when you have to take the spot when someone gets hurt, especially

Tilly, the way he was pitching. We really need him to be out there, but it’s part of the game.

Whatever adversity you have to face, you have to go through. I think that’s something I’m going

to be doing tomorrow, try to be the best I can for the team,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez’s last start came on July 28 in Minnesota after an extraordinarily long time in between

starts due to the All-Star break and paternity leave.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as my last start when I had to pitch with [19] days. I’ve been

in a couple games before tomorrow, so I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. I’ve been working

on stuff, I’ve been able to get on the mound and get my innings,” Jimenez said.

Wright, who was 3-4 with a 5.97 ERA in 14 games, 12 starts. He was 3-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 11

starts with Norfolk.

“I’m back here where we’re making a push for the playoffs and it’s an exciting time,” Wright

said.

“I’ve been down there for awhile, but no matter what level you’re at, that’s where you’re at and

you’re trying to compete and do well. It doesn’t matter if it’s there or here, you’re trying to do

well. And if you’re competing, you’re going to be all right.”

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/08/24/orioles-pitcher-kevin-gausman-starts-gofundme-for-

louisiana-flood-victims/

Orioles Pitcher Kevin Gausman Starts GoFundMe For

Louisiana Flood Victims

CBS Baltimore

August 24, 2016

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Earlier this month, southern Louisiana experienced prolonged rainfall

that resulted in catastrophic flooding and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman has started a

GoFundMe account to raise money and awareness for the Louisiana flood victims.

Gausman, an LSU baseball alumni, tweeted,

“Orioles fans, I’m asking for your help in donating towards the many flood victims in

Louisiana.”

He writes:

“I grew up in Colorado, but now Baton Rouge, Louisiana is home to me. My fiancee and I

wanted to start this gofundme account to raise money and awareness for the Louisiana flood

victims. Countless numbers of homes flooded and the water came in so fast, people were being

rescued by boats for days. The water has since subsided but many people, including friends and

family to me, have lost everything. My goal is to raise money for these families who need

anything from toothbrushes to places to sleep.”

Gausman will keep the account active for two weeks and will donate $15,000 on top of whatever

sum is raised.

You can find more information here.

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2016/08/24/zach-britton-allowed-an-earned-run-for-the-first-time-

since-april-30/

Zach Britton allowed an earned run for the first time since

April 30

By Bill Baer / NBCSports.com

August 24, 2016

Orioles closer Zach Britton had appeared in a major league record 43 consecutive games without

allowing an earned run, spanning May 5 to August 22. That streak came to an end on Wednesday

evening against the Nationals.

The Orioles entered the bottom of the ninth inning holding a 10-3 lead, but reliever Parker

Bridwell immediately found himself in hot water. He yielded back-to-back singles to Danny

Espinosa and Clint Robinson. He was able to strike out Trea Turner, but walked Jayson Werth to

load the bases. Daniel Murphy then crushed his first career grand slam to make it a 10-7 game.

That prompted manager Buck Showalter to bring in Britton.

Britton, too, was knocked around. He served up a single to Bryce Harper, followed by a double

to Anthony Rendon that scored Harper, pushing the score to 10-8 and ending Britton’s

streak. Wilson Ramos reached on a fielder’s choice back to Britton, but the lefty finally finished

the game by getting Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Britton now holds a nice 0.69 ERA with 38 saves and a 61/16 K/BB ratio in 52 innings of work

this season.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/08/25/os-machado-nearing-history-club-never-three-30-

homer-hitters-one-season/

O’s, Machado nearing history; club has never had three 30-

homer hitters in one season

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

August 25, 2016

With his first-inning homer Wednesday, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado now has 29 on

the season. When he hits his next one, it will be the first time in Orioles’ modern day history in

which they have had three players with 30 or more in one season.

That’s pretty incredible — and it’s only August.

The 1996 team – which had seven hitters with 20 or more – only had two with 30 homers or

more that season: Brady Anderson (50) and Rafael Palmeiro (39). Bobby Bonilla was next with

28.

Those great clubs of the late 1960s and 1970s didn’t do it. However, nine different Orioles’

teams – including this 2016 one – has featured two, 30-or-more homer guys.

So Machado, Mark Trumbo (38) and Chris Davis (30) can make franchise history.

They can make a little overall baseball history, too. According to Stats LLC, the Orioles will be

the 13th team since 1973 to have at least three, 30-homer players prior to September if Machado

homers before the month ends.

You don’t have to go very far back to find the last trio to do it, though.

How about last year?

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion all accomplished

the feat before Sept. 1.

According to Stats, the only team since 1973 to have four players with 30 or more homers before

Sept. 1 was the 2000 Los Angeles Angels: Troy Glaus, Mo Vaughn, Garret Anderson and Tim

Salmon.

More love for Hart, Givens

Rookie left-hander Donnie Hart had a tough assignment Monday at Camden Yards when he had

to face lefties Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper in the eighth. He gave up a double to Murphy

but then erased it when Harper hit a comebacker to Hart, who threw out Murphy darting away

from second base.

That said something about Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s faith in Hart, who began the year

at Double-A Bowie.

Showalter reiterated that message Wednesday at Nationals Park. With two on and two outs in a

5-2 game, the manager again summoned Hart to face Murphy and, possibly, Harper.

Murphy, the National League’s leading hitter, singled to make the score 5-3. But then Hart

rallied by striking out Harper, the reigning NL MVP, and ultimately preserve the win.

It wasn’t the only clutch performance by an Orioles rookie reliever.

In the sixth, right-hander Mychal Givens relieved starter Wade Miley – who picked up his first

win as an Oriole by allowing two runs in five-plus innings — with runners on second and third

and no outs. The game was hanging in the balance.

Givens struck out Anthony Rendon, got Wilson Ramos to pop up and then struck out Ryan

Zimmerman to strand the runners.

“Mychal and Donnie did a great job and those are the situations they are going to get thrown into

and so it’s nice to see them step up and do a really good job,” said Orioles closer Zach Britton.

“And they have been doing that for a while now, so that was good.”

If the Orioles starters aren’t going to get through six or seven innings, the club needs that kind of

performance from the bullpen, especially from guys like Givens and Hart, who are the bridge to

Brad Brach and Britton. It’s exceptionally important with set-up man Darren O’Day injured.

“Donnie and Mychal have stepped up in a time of need with Darren out,” Showalter said.

Healthy reinforcements coming for early September?

The Orioles surely will promote several players from the minors when rosters expand Sept. 2

(the club is off Sept. 1). It’ll mainly be relievers, catcher Caleb Joseph and reserve outfielders

such as Dariel Alvarez, Julio Borbon and/or Chris Dickerson. Paul Janish, Christian Walker and

Trey Mancini are also possibilities.

But Orioles manager Buck Showalter is hoping to get some healthy players back next month as

well. O’Day and Chris Tillman are the headliners but outfielder Joey Rickard and lefties T.J.

McFarland and Brian Duensing also could return.

Rickard (thumb) will be re-examined Sept. 2 and Showalter said, if all goes well, he could be

back in mid-September. Duensing (elbow) threw one inning in the Gulf Coast League on

Wednesday. He threw only seven pitches, partially because he induced a double play. He hopes

to re-join the team at some point in September.

McFarland (knee) is pitching at Double-A Bowie and Showalter said was a consideration for a

promotion Wednesday when the club added Mike Wright. But the manager said he’d like to see

McFarland have at least another rehab outing.

As much as Showalter claims to hate expanded rosters, having extra arms at his disposal gives

him an advantage over many managers because of the deft way he handles his bullpen.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/08/25/news-flash-zach-britton-isnt-perfect-scoreless-

streak-snapped-43-games/

News flash: Zach Britton is human — scoreless streak

snapped at 43 games

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

August 25, 2016

Standing in the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park on Wednesday, Zach Britton shrugged off

the end of one of the most impressive streaks in Orioles history.

Heading into Wednesday night, the Orioles closer hasn’t allowed an earned run in 43 straight

appearances, dating back to when he permitted a run April 30 versus the Chicago White Sox.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, that’s the longest such streak of scoreless outings in modern

baseball history.

Britton allowed no earned runs in 10 May games, 12 June games, 13 July games and eight in

August before Anthony Rendon doubled home Bryce Harper with one out in the bottom of the

ninth.

“I knew eventually something is going to happen. Because you get some good luck along the

way. I don’t think anybody that’s ever had a streak like that would ever say they did it and there

was no luck involved,” said Britton, who has now allowed earned runs in just four of 55

appearances this season. “There are outings where maybe you should have given up one and you

didn’t. I didn’t really focus on it too much.

“I was eventually going to give up one. I just didn’t want it to be an outing where we got a loss,”

he added. “That was the biggest thing, just trying to win the game for the team, just help them

win.”

It was a strange ending to the streak for Britton and a surreal ending of a 10-8 victory for the

Orioles.

They started the ninth up 10-3 with rookie Parker Bridwell on the mound. He had had a clean

inning in the eighth, but things quickly unraveled for him in the ninth.

Two singles, a strikeout and a walk. And then Bridwell served up a grand slam to Daniel

Murphy. Suddenly, it was a three-run game and Britton was needed.

Britton said he had begun to get loose when the bases were loaded, but once Murphy hit the

grand slam, he knew he had to hurry as manager Buck Showalter walked slowly to the mound.

“Mentally you’ve got to stay in it. When Murphy hit the home run there, I thought maybe I’d get

one more hitter, so I threw four more pitches as Buck was making his way out. Just tried to get

mentally and physically ready to go. And didn’t really make more than one good pitch out of that

outing,” Britton said. “It was tough. It was a quick one, warmed up and went right into the game.

Not ideal, but we had a cushion, so if there was any day to not be your best, it was today. Just

happy we won.”

Britton entered to face Harper and gave up a single. Harper then scored the streak-breaker on

Rendon’s double. Wilson Ramos followed with a comebacker to Britton, who turned and saw

Rendon off second base. So instead of going for the sure out at first, he tried to get the lead

runner. Rendon got back safely.

“I know a lot of people think that’s probably not what you’re supposed to do, but that is what

you are taught to do. Less than two outs, a guy takes off for third you throw it to second,” Britton

said. “You want to pitch with a guy on first base anyway, you’d rather pitch there then with the

guy on second even with two outs. It didn’t go my way, but it’s set up the double play for me, so

you can look at it that way.”

Suddenly, the Nationals had the go-ahead runner at the plate in Ryan Zimmerman, who hit into a

game-ending double play to help Britton and the Orioles escape.

Britton is considered a serious candidate for American League Cy Young Award. And he should

remain that way despite the ninth-inning scare. His ERA sits at 0.69. He still hasn’t blown a save

in 38 chances this year. But his 43-game scoreless streak is no more.

“All good things come to an end at some point,” Britton said. “So just start a new one.”

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/08/24/analysis-like-not-jimenez-gets-another-shot-

redemption-thursday/

Analysis: Like it or not, Jimenez gets another shot at

redemption Thursday

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON — Ubaldo Jimenez understands the three crucial pieces of information

associated with his start Thursday against the Nationals.

He wouldn’t be in this position if team ace Chris Tillman wasn’t dealing with shoulder bursitis

severe enough to push him to the disabled list Wednesday.

He understands losing Tillman is a huge blow to this club as it pushes for the postseason — and

now other members of the rotation have to step up in his absence.

And, without a doubt, Jimenez knows very few have faith in him as he prepares to face the

Nationals. That’s what happens when you pitch to a 6.94 ERA in 22 games.

It’s not that he doesn’t care about what he’s done – or not done this year – it’s that Jimenez can’t

care about it right now.

“I know things haven’t been the way that I wanted them to be, but that’s baseball, that’s life. You

have to continue fighting. It doesn’t matter what,” Jimenez said. “I’m looking forward to doing

that. Hopefully, I’ll be there for the team in the last month, because they really need it, especially

now that Tilly is out.”

Jimenez said the right things Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park. Jimenez always says the

right things. He so badly wants to pitch well, turn things around and get into the fans’ favor,

something he’s done for only a few months during the three seasons he’s been with the Orioles.

What matters, though, is how he pitches. And even that won’t matter for the Ubaldo Pitchfork

crowd that will continue to hold his four-year, $50 million contract – and the subsequent results

— against him. If it weren’t for that contract, Jimenez would almost surely be out of an Orioles’

uniform. That’s a fact.

But he isn’t. And now he has an opportunity to spin this season, maybe his Orioles’ career, a

little differently. Or he has another chance to bury himself further.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter admitted that part of the reason that Jimenez is getting

Tillman’s start is because Jimenez doesn’t fit particularly well in the bullpen. It’s something he

hasn’t done much in his career and his inability to consistently throw strikes is even more of a

detriment when he has to enter with men already on base.

But there is more. In his career, Jimenez is 6-1 with a 2.32 ERA in eight games against the

Nationals and 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA in four games at Nationals Park. If there is a good matchup

for Jimenez right now, it’s in D.C.

Showalter hasn’t committed to Jimenez in the rotation beyond Thursday, saying only “we’re

gonna go that way tomorrow and see where we are.”

But Tillman is expected to miss at least two starts – his DL stint was backdated – and maybe

more. It’s pretty obvious that Jimenez could have a shot at redemption here.

No predictions this time. Hard to imagine Jimenez suddenly turns his season around. But crazier

things have happened in this game. Tillman is down. And now, like it or not, believe it or not,

this could be Jimenez’s chance to rise.