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

Monday, August 10, 2015

Game Stories:

Bases-loaded hit in 11th inning lifts Angels over Orioles, 5-4 The Sun 8/9

Ubaldo Jimenez takes no-hit bid into sixth, Orioles even series with 5-0 win over Angels

The Sun 8/9

Orioles waste chance to gain ground in playoff race, trounced 8-4 by Angels The Sun 8/8

Parra, Davis go deep, but Orioles fall in extras MLB.com 8/9

Ubaldo's eight scoreless lead O's over Halos MLB.com 8/9

Orioles let Angels slip away MLB.com 8/8

Tyler Wilson scratched with sore oblique (O's lose 5-4 in 11 innings) MASNsports.com

8/9

Dan Duquette on today's roster move (O's lose 8-4) MASNsports.com 8/7

Walk-off loss: David Murphy's single in 11th lifts Angels over Orioles MASNsports.com

8/9

Ubaldo Jimenez pitches eight scoreless innings as the O's top the Angels

MASNsports.com 8/9

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman on mound in series opener at Anaheim (O's lose 8-4)

MASNsports.com 8/7

Murphy drives in 4 runs in Angels' 5-4 win over O's in 11 AP 8/9

Ubaldo Jimenez, Manny Machado drive Orioles past Angels, 5-0 AP 8/9

Trout hits another birthday HR in Angels' 8-4 win over O's AP 8/8

Jimenez magnificent in Orioles 5-0 win CSN Baltimore 8/9

Gausman struggles in Orioles' 8-4 loss to Angels CSN Baltimore 8/8

Columns:

Were the Orioles missing Tommy Hunter on Sunday? The Sun 8/10

Buck Showalter's decision to walk Mike Trout and Albert Pujols backfires The Sun 8/9

Notebook: Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez continues to struggle The Sun 8/9

While you were sleeping: Four takeaways from the Orioles' victory Saturday The Sun 8/9

Showalter pleased Parmelee stays in organization The Sun 8/9

Observation deck: Parting with Travis Snider not a shock The Sun 8/9

Orioles finding themselves fortunate by missing opposing aces of late The Sun 8/8

Bud Norris officially released; Chris Tillman to start Tuesday The Sun 8/8

Managing bullpen could be challenge for Orioles until rosters expand The Sun 8/8

Bud Norris officially released; Chris Parmelee clears waivers The Sun 8/8

Lineups for Saturday's Orioles-Angels game in Anaheim The Sun 8/8

Chris Tillman feels no ankle pain, likely to start Monday The Sun 8/8

While you were sleeping: Five takeaways from the Orioles' 8-4 loss to the Angels on

Friday The Sun 8/8

Now with Orioles, Junior Lake 'ready to go' after Travis Snider designated for assignment

The Sun 8/7

Orioles designate Travis Snider for assignment, call up Junior Lake The Sun 8/7

Orioles notebook: Club plans to use, not stash Rule 5 pitcher Jason Garcia The Sun 8/7

Orioles minor league report: Oliver Drake hasn't allowed a run in minors since April The

Sun 8/7

Orioles pet calendar will be available this month The Sun 8/7

Effective 'pen follows Gonzalez's short outing MLB.com 8/9

Parmelee outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk MLB.com 8/9

Chen, Orioles head to Seattle to open series MLB.com 8/9

Ubaldo slays road demons with gem at Big A MLB.com 8/9

Tillman's return moved to Tuesday MLB.com 8/8

Gausman burnt by final pitch MLB.com 8/8

Garcia's activation complicates O's bullpen MLB.com 8/8

Tillman to return Sunday or Monday MLB.com 8/8

Ubaldo leads Orioles vs. Halos' Richards MLB.com 8/8

Can the Orioles cool down Cruz? MASNsports.com 8/10

Playing the numbers game after yesterday's loss MASNsports.com 8/10

Chris Parmelee accepts outright assignment MASNsports.com 8/9

Orioles going for series win today in Anaheim MASNsports.com 8/9

Notes on the rotation, Schoop and more MASNsports.com 8/8

Orioles and Angels lineups MASNsports.com 8/8

Orioles release Bud Norris (Chris Parmelee clears waivers) MASNsports.com 8/8

Chris Tillman makes his next start on Monday MASNsports.com 8/8

More on the roster and tonight's game MASNsports.com 8/8

Junior Lake batting eighth for Orioles (updated) MASNsports.com 8/7

Orioles recall Junior Lake from Triple-A Norfolk, designate Travis Snider for assignment

MASNsports.com 8/7

More on Chris Davis' hot streak MASNsports.com 8/7

Latest loss brings more concern that Orioles will be on the outside looking in come

October MASNsports.com 8/10

O's game blog: It's Gonzalez against Weaver in series finale MASNsports.com 8/9

Comparing some Triple-A numbers for Alvarez and Lake, Aberdeen's All-Stars and more

MASNsports.com 8/9

O's game blog: Orioles have struggled this year against clubs with winning records

MASNsports.com 8/8

The Orioles starting pitching takes a turn for the worse MASNsports.com 8/8

Minor league notes on Cleavinger, Davis, first-place teams and more MASNsports.com

8/7

Orioles-Mariners Preview SI.com 8/10

Orioles DFA Travis Snider, call up new acquisition Junior Lake SI.com 8/7

Wilson injury could complicate things for Orioles CSN Baltimore 8/10

Orioles must stop hot Nelson Cruz in first of three at Seattle CSN Baltimore 8/10

Orioles' first six games out west a split decision CSN Baltimore 8/9

Could Chris Davis wind up in Boston? CSN Baltimore 8/9

To make postseason, Orioles must keep winning CSN Baltimore 8/9

Orioles outright Parmelee to Norfolk CSN Baltimore 8/9

Orioles try to get within game of wild card CSN Baltimore 8/9

Tillman's start moved back to Tuesday in Seattle CSN Baltimore 8/8

Onetime Orioles pitcher turned outfielder is back CSN Baltimore 8/8

Norris now a free agent after Orioles release CSN Baltimore 8/8

Which Ubaldo Jimenez pitches against the Angels? CSN Baltimore 8/8

From Opening Day roster, it's now eight men out CSN Baltimore 8/7

Orioles designate Travis Snider for assignment CSN Baltimore 8/7

Orioles think Jason Garcia is worth this risk CSN Baltimore 8/7

Is It Time To Remove Miguel Gonzalez From The Orioles' Rotation?

PressBoxOnline.com 8/9

Hannah Storm Talks About Her “Face To Face” With Adam Jones CBS Baltimore 8/6

Orioles Announce 7th Annual Pet Calendar For BARCS CBS Baltimore 8/6

Orioles release Bud Norris NBCSports.com 8/8

Orioles designate Travis Snider for assignment, recall Junior Lake NBCSports.com 8/7

Orioles pitch around Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and lose anyway CBSSports.com 8/9

Orioles struggling SP Miguel Gonzalez pounded again Sunday CBSSports.com 8/9

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-baltimore-orioles-los-angeles-angels-20150809-

story.html

Bases-loaded hit in 11th inning lifts Angels over Orioles, 5-4

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has done funky things with intentional walks over the years,

issuing two in a row or calling for one in the ninth inning of a postseason clincher even though it

put the winning run on base.

And he famously once walked Barry Bonds with the bases loaded.

So it wasn’t shocking that he decided to walk all-world sluggers Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to

load the bases with two outs in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in the rubber match

between two teams fighting in August for a wild card playoff spot.

It didn’t work, though.

Following the free passes, left-handed hitting David Murphy drove a full-count fastball from left-

handed pitcher Brian Matusz to deep left-center field for a game-ending single, giving the

Angels the series victory.

“You are just picking your poison; all three of those guys have had some success against”

Matusz, Showalter said. “But there is so much more to that ballgame than that.”

The Orioles (56-54) have dropped to three games behind the Angels (59-51) for the second

American League wild-card spot and remain five games in back of the first place New York

Yankees in the AL East. The Orioles head to Seattle for the last leg of their three-city West Coast

swing with a 3-3 record on the trip.

“It’s tough, especially with them being ahead of us in the wild card. It’s definitely a tough one,”

said Brad Brach, who combined with T.J. McFarland and Darren O’Day to throw 51/3 innings of

scoreless relief before the 11th. “We held them there for as long as we could. Unfortunately, we

couldn’t come out with a win.”

Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 11th, Orioles reliever Chaz Roe (2-2) allowed a leadoff double, but

then picked up a strikeout when Johnny Giavotella fouled off a bunt with two strikes.

After being so good in the first half after his call-up in late May, Roe has allowed 14 hits in 72/3

innings since the All-Star Break.

“You’ve just got to put your head down and grind through it,” Roe said. “We’re at that point in

the season where everybody’s getting a little tired.”

Showalter lifted Roe so Matusz, who had held lefties to a .131 average heading into Sunday,

could face left-handed hitting Kole Calhoun.

Matusz struck out Calhoun, and with first base open, Showalter called for the intentional walk of

the right-handed hitting Trout, followed by another to the right-handed Pujols, which loaded the

bases.

Murphy was 5-for-12 in his career against Matusz and had already hit a three-run home run in

the third against Miguel Gonzalez. But Pujols was 3-for-6 against Matusz lifetime.

Showalter said he didn’t want to use closer Zach Britton on Sunday because he was in the

bullpen warming for a full inning Saturday and he’s trying to keep his closer fresh and healthy as

the season wanes.

So there was no perfect option — and even Matusz said he wasn’t sure what move would be

made.

“With the Trout situation, I figured that’s a no brainer and then Pujols, that’s just the decision we

went with,” Matusz said. “We want to play the matchup there with lefty on lefty with Murphy.”

The problem was that Matusz fell behind in the count, 3-1, and there was no place to put

Murphy.

“I think once we got into the count that we got into, it took the breaking ball away from” Matusz,

Showalter said. “That hurt us.”

Murphy, a career .341 hitter against the Orioles in 171 at-bats, took a called strike and then

fouled off a pitch before hitting the game- winning drive. It was the sixth walkoff single of his

career and first with the Angels.

“I put myself in a difficult situation to have to throw a strike to give the defense a chance to

make a play, and I just happened to leave a 3-2 fastball up in the zone,” Matusz said. “And

Murphy, you’ve got to give credit, he’s been an Oriole killer all year.”

Before an announced 37,154 on a gorgeous Southern California afternoon, both teams had their

chances throughout the game, but couldn’t capitalize.

Gonzalez lasted just 42/3 innings, and has just one quality start in his five, post-All-Star Break

outings. Angels right-hander Jered Weaver, who was making his first start since June 20 because

of left hip inflammation, flummoxed the Orioles through five innings with his array of off-speed

pitches and low-80s fastballs.

He took a 4-2 lead into the sixth, when reliever Cory Rasmus surrendered two solo homers to tie

the game. Gerardo Parra led off the inning with a home run to right, his 10th of the season and

first since joining the Orioles in a July 31 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Two batters later, Chris Davis added his own solo homer — a blast that landed halfway up the

bleachers in right for his team-best 29th home run of the season. The score remained 4-4 until the

11th, when the Orioles missed out on a chance for a 4-2 record heading into the final leg of this

West Coast trip, which begins Monday in Seattle.

“This was an important series for us. We would have liked to take 2-3, and the bullpen was

incredible today,” Matusz said. “It just would have been nice to get the job done. We’ve just got

to get ready for the Seattle series now.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-angels-0809-story.html

Ubaldo Jimenez takes no-hit bid into sixth, Orioles even

series with 5-0 win over Angels

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

Ubaldo Jimenez has had some strong starts this season – allowing one hit in his season opener

against the Toronto Blue Jays and shutting out his old squad, the Cleveland Indians, for eight

innings in June.

But Jimenez didn’t hesitate when asked whether Saturday night’s 5-0 victory against the Los

Angeles Angels was his best of the year.

“Yes, it was. Of course,” Jimenez said. “It felt really good.”

It wasn’t just the results – Jimenez didn’t allow a hit until Kole Calhoun’s double with two outs

in the sixth inning. He tied a season high by lasting eight innings on a season-most 118 pitches.

He changed speeds effectively and had command of his pitches from his herky-jerky delivery.

Really, though, what made it particularly special is the timing of the outing and the significance

of these games. He’s pitching in a pennant race against a good Angels team that is ahead of the

Orioles in the wild-card race. And he’s trying to rebound from three poor starts in his first four

appearances after the All-Star break.

So, yes, throwing eight scoreless innings, striking out six Angels and permitting just two hits and

one walk in August against a club he has never beaten in five tries, that means the world to

Jimenez (9-7).

“I really needed it. It’s not easy coming into the stadium every day knowing you are not doing

what you’re supposed to,” Jimenez said. “Especially in the spot we are in right now, and that’s

fighting for the division and the wild card, one of those two. It feels really good to get back on

track.”

That redemption wasn’t lost on his teammates.

“Most of all, it’s important for him,” third baseman Manny Machado said. “I think he wanted it.

I think he wanted it more than anybody on that field today.”

It also was a big deal for the Orioles – such a big deal that Orioles manager Buck Showalter

acknowledged that it was an impactful win, the second time he has done that on this West Coast

trip. The Orioles are 3-2 so far, with the rubber match against the Angels on Sunday afternoon

followed by three more in Seattle.

“It’s good for us, OK? We’ve got to win games,” Showalter said. “You see this series out here

against a good team and we’re gonna play another one in Seattle. Any time you see a West Coast

schedule, you know it’s going to be a challenge with the time change and a lot of things that go

on.”

With the victory before an announced 43,041, the Orioles (56-53) moved within two games of

the Angels (58-51) for the second wild card and closed to within five games of the New York

Yankees in the American League East.

Reliever Darren O’Day survived a rocky ninth and the Orioles preserved their ninth shutout of

the season when center fielder Adam Jones made a rocket throw home to get Mike Trout trying

to score on a shallow flyout with one out.

“It’s impressive that Trout goes on such a shallow fly ball like that. He is one of the fastest in the

league,” Machado said. “Jonesy has the best arm in the league, so it was best speed against best

arm in the league. And obviously Jones won.”

There were several outs made on the base paths by both clubs Saturday. Perhaps the most

unusual was in the second when Jonathan Schoop appeared to score on an RBI double by J.J.

Hardy only to have the call reversed on review when replays showed his foot might not have

touched the plate on his slide.

There was also an unusual play in the sixth when Matt Wieters hit a tapper to the right side of the

infield and ended up on second because Angels starter Garrett Richards failed to stay on the first-

base bag he was covering. Wieters took second because no Angel covered that base as the play

seemingly was ending.

The Orioles used some conventional offense, too. For the fourth time in his career, Machado had

a four-hit day, which included a solo homer against Richards (11-9). Catcher Caleb Joseph hit

his 10th homer of the season, his third in five games this month. And Schoop had two RBIs on

sacrifice flies.

The night, however, belonged to Jimenez, the 31-year-old right-hander who had allowed at least

six runs in three of his first four starts after the All-Star break.

“He did a great job, Ubaldo stole the show tonight,” Joseph said.

It didn’t start well. On his second pitch of the game, Jimenez plunked David DeJesus in the thigh

with a 92-mph fastball.

“I thought hopefully this is not a ‘Here we go again,’” said Jimenez, who had allowed a run in

the first in each of his first four starts after the break.

“Hopefully I get out of the first inning, that’s been my trouble in the second half, the first

inning.”

Jimenez didn’t allow a base runner for the rest of the inning – and didn’t give up a hit until

Calhoun’s two-out double. Jimenez admitted he was cognizant of the potential no-hitter.

“It’s not like I thought about it, I just knew it. I didn’t give up any hits in the first inning so I

guess I’m throwing a no-hitter,” said Jimenez, who pitched a no-hitter for the Colorado Rockies

in Atlanta in 2010. “But as a pitcher, you don’t want to put that in your mind. You want to go out

there and just execute pitches. If it’s going to go your way, it’s going to go. But you don’t think

about it.”

The no-hit bid went by the wayside, but the tremendous performance against a playoff-caliber

club remained significant.

“Games are dwindling, there’s what’s at stake and teams are battling tooth and nail for their

division title and wild card,” Showalter said. “You know how much that means to them in their

home ballpark. And now we get a chance to try to win our second series of a road trip on the

West Coast.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-angels-0808-story.html#page=1

Orioles waste chance to gain ground in playoff race,

trounced 8-4 by Angels

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Although they were playing 3,000 miles away from home and against an American League

West opponent, the Orioles had a chance to make some serious headway in their playoff hunt

beginning Friday.

Win three straight against the Los Angeles Angels this weekend, and the Orioles would have

claimed temporary ownership of at least one of the two AL wild cards.

That won’t happen by Sunday now for the Orioles, not after Friday’s 8-4 thumping by the AL

wild card-leading Angels (58-50).

“Of course you want to win every game, but we lose one and we know this is a really good

team,” said second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who had one of two Orioles homers in the loss.

“We’ll come back [Saturday] and try to win. That’s all we can do. Go out there and play hard

and try to do that every game.”

The Orioles (55-53) have dropped three games behind the Angels and 2 1/2 games in back of

the Toronto Blue Jays (59-52) in the wild-card standings. The Orioles remain in third place in

the AL East, six games behind the New York Yankees.

Friday night was billed as an intriguing pitching matchup between two highly regarded 24-year-

olds beginning to realize their potential.

Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, was

pitted against Angels lefty Andrew Heaney, who was taken ninth overall by the Miami Marlins

in the same year.

Gausman had allowed just two runs total in his previous two outings; Heaney hadn’t given up

more than two runs in any of his seven starts in 2015.

Pitching in front of an announced 42,578, neither starter made it through the sixth; both pitched 5

2/3 innings with Gausman giving up six runs and Heaney four.

“It seemed like every time we took the lead I went out there and didn’t put up a scoreless

inning,” said Gausman (2-3), who gave up nine hits and two walks. “Any time you do that, and

you struggle against the bottom half of the lineup like I did, eventually it’s going to hurt you.”

Gausman struck out the first two batters he faced in the first and then Mike Trout came to the

plate on his 24th birthday.

The defending AL MVP had homered on two of his previous three birthdays in the majors. He

quickly made it three of four, lining a 97-mph fastball from Gausman over the center-field wall

for his AL-best 33rd home run of the season.

“He’s trying to get the fastball to a different part of the plate and [Trout] got it,” Orioles manager

Buck Showalter said. “If he got it where he is trying to get it, he’s probably got a lot better

chance to get an out.”

That was the story of Gausman’s night. He had several two-strike counts and he couldn’t get

strike three – he had four total strikeouts - or weak contact. The Angels scored five of their eight

runs with two outs.

“A lot of hits in two-strike counts. It kind of seemed like when I wanted to throw it off the plate I

couldn’t and when I wanted to bury it or elevate it I couldn’t do it,” Gausman said. “I threw a lot

of real good pitches to get to two strikes, but I couldn’t finish them.”

The Orioles tied it in the third on an RBI single by Adam Jones. The Orioles had three hits in the

inning, but two were thrown out on the base paths.

Nolan Reimold attempted to go from first to third on Gerardo Parra’s single to right, but Angels

right fielder Kole Calhoun unleashed a perfect throw to get a sliding Reimold. One batter later,

Parra scored on Jones’ deep fly off the center-field wall. Trout barehanded the bounce and threw

to second to get Jones, who attempted to slide into second at the last moment and was tagged on

the foot.

The Orioles took a 3-1 lead in the fourth, when Schoop hit a laser to left for a two-run shot and

his eighth homer of the season.

The Angels tied it again as Gausman walked Trout and Albert Pujols to lead off the bottom of

the fourth. David Murphy followed by flicking a single to left to score Trout. Pujols scored on a

two-out double by Johnny Giavotella.

“Maybe I was kind of trying to do too much, especially that one inning with Trout leading off

and Pujols,” Gausman said. “Those guys can swing it and I think I tried to be a little too fine and

I ended up walking both of them.”

It remained tied until the sixth, when catcher Matt Wieters hit a full-count sinker from Heaney

into the bullpen in left. The solo homer was his fifth of the year. Heaney left three batters later

after designated hitter Junior Lake, in his first game as an Oriole, hit a two-out double down the

third-base line. Fernando Salas (2-1) entered and struck out Reimold, but Heaney was still

charged with four runs on 10 hits and a walk – his worst outing as an Angel.

“They had the big inning today and I don’t think we had a big inning,” Wieters said. “And a lot

of times that’s what’s going to win you a ballgame - if you can find an inning where you can

score three or more runs, you have a chance to win that day.”

Gausman couldn’t hold the lead in the Angels’ three-run sixth, allowing a two-run, two-out, two-

strike double to Chris Iannetta on a 99-mph fastball.

“The worst pitch I threw all day was the last one, that’s definitely what’s frustrating,” Gausman

said. “I get out of that right there and it’s a pretty solid outing and more importantly we have the

lead going into the seventh. That’s pretty tough.”

Wieters said he considered calling for a breaking ball, but instead stuck with Gausman’s

impressive heat. In retrospect, he said he should have gotten Iannetta off-balance.

“I’m kicking myself for calling time and changing my mind a little bit,” Wieters said. “It

happens in a game and you learn from it and hopefully move forward.”

Chaz Roe entered in relief and permitted an RBI single by David DeJesus to make it 6-4 Angels.

All six runs were charged to Gausman, his most since allowing seven earned runs to

the Minnesota Twins on July 7.

The Angels scored two more in the seventh on a 456-foot blast by pinch hitter C.J. Cron on

reliever Brad Brach's first pitch of the evening. It was Los Angeles’ first pinch-hit homer of

2015.

The Orioles bullpen, which has been so effective this season, couldn’t keep things close Friday.

“Coming into a situation where [the Angels] have got some momentum going, you’ve really got

to make some quality pitches,” Wieters said. “Brad didn’t actually throw a bad pitch, that

[Cron] hit out there. It was just probably a little lower than what we wanted. It’s a tough situation

to come into and they’ve been great all year.”

If there was a bright spot from the bullpen’s performance Friday it’s that Rule 5 right-hander

Jason Garcia pitched for the first time since May 10 and threw a scoreless inning. It wasn’t

flawless – he walked a batter – but he consistently hit 95 to 97 mph with his fastball, renewed

velocity after dealing with shoulder tendinitis for much of the year.

“He is healthy now,” Showalter said of Garcia, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list

and promoted from Double-A Bowie on Thursday. “You can see the arm strength is back. He’s

got a few more bullets.”

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142106678/david-murphy-hits-walk-off-single-to-top-os

Parra, Davis go deep, but Orioles fall in extras

By David Adler and Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM -- On a full count with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning

Sunday, David Murphy cracked a walk-off single to deep left field off Orioles reliever Brian

Matusz, lifting the Angels to a 5-4 win at Angel Stadium.

After Carlos Perez led off the inning with a double into the left-field corner, Johnny

Giavotella and Kole Calhoun both struck out for the Angels. Matusz then intentionally

walked Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to load the bases and set up a lefty-lefty matchup with

Murphy. Matusz quickly fell behind, 3-1, but got back to a full count before Murphy ended the

game.

"None of those pitches were too close, the ones that I took," Murphy said. "I got to 3-1, had the

take on. And I got to 3-2, got a pitch up and middle, and that's a hot zone for me. Praise the Lord

the ball fell."

Calhoun and Murphy homered to back Jered Weaver, who came off the disabled list and held the

Orioles to two runs over five innings in his first start since June 20. He left with a 4-2 lead, in

line for a win, but Cory Rasmus surrendered solo home runs to Baltimore's Gerardo

Parra and Chris Davis in relief of Weaver in the sixth.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Weaver buckles down in return: Weaver's return to the Angels' rotation didn't start well. He

gave up two runs on three hits, hit a batter and threw only 16 strikes in a 30-pitch first inning.

But he was much better from there, holding the Orioles scoreless on one hit over the next four

innings. Weaver didn't walk a batter and struck out seven in his five innings, punching out the

side in the fourth.

"Those last four innings were money," Weaver said. "I was able to keep my weight back and not

try to rush the ball to the plate. Just stayed within myself, and everything mechanically felt good

after that."

New jack city: Parra, who joined the Orioles on July 31, went deep to right field in the sixth

inning for his first homer and RBI in a Baltimore uniform. He hit nine home runs for the Brewers

this season. An out later, Davis hit No. 29, also to right field, getting the O's even at 4.

"[The homer] felt great," Parra said. "I'm just not happy that we lost. That's great baseball today,

I'd just like to make it a win. We'll come out tomorrow, and see what happens."

Murphy picks up Trout, Pujols: Murphy's first home run as an Angel, and the 100th of his

career, was a big one. Trailing the O's, 2-1, in the third inning, the Angels put runners on the

corners with nobody out, but Trout and Pujols struck out in back-to-back unproductive at-bats.

Murphy then fell into an 0-2 hole, but Miguel Gonzalez left him a fastball where he could drive

it, and Murphy hit a two-out, three-run homer just over the right-center-field wall to give the

Angels a 4-2 lead.

"I mean, you look at the history of the game, you look at a guy like Albert that's got 500-plus --

it's not like I'm up there in any of the leaderboards," Murphy said. "But I definitely see it as an

accomplishment, and it's a fun milestone to hit, especially when it was a meaningful home run."

Jones goes back -- twice: Adam Jones, who plays a shallow center field, went racing back to the

wall to make two of his trademark catches and deny extra-base hits. He denied Taylor

Featherston with two outs in the 10th inning, and also robbed Chris Iannetta with two on and two

outs in the second.

"We play good defense. That's a constant," Jones said. "We put some good swings on the ball

today, hit balls right at people. We just have to get a little more offensively."

QUOTABLE

"Right there, you're looking for one out, wherever it might be. You have confidence your pitcher

will throw strikes. The move made sense." -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia, on the Orioles

intentionally walking Trout and Pujols to face Murphy with the bases loaded in the 11th

"I'm really proud of our bullpen today. Their bullpen did a nice job. Their bullpen was just a tad

better." -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter

REPLAY REVIEW

An early review benefited the Angels, when Calhoun's first-inning solo home run was initially

ruled to have stayed in play. Calhoun turned around a 93-mph fastball from Gonzalez, driving it

just over the high right-field wall at Angel Stadium, where it ricocheted off an empty seat and

back onto the field. The umpires ruled that the ball had hit the top of the wall, and Calhoun dove

into second base with an apparent double. But the Angels quickly asked for a crew-chief review,

and the call was overturned to a home run.

A second review also went the Angels' way in the third inning on Murphy's three-run shot, which

landed near where Calhoun hit his ball out. The umpires reviewed the play to see if a fan had

reached over the wall and interfered -- the fan did touch the ball, but it would have cleared the

fence anyway and the home run call was confirmed.

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (5-6, 3.32 ERA) opens a three-game series Monday at 10:10

p.m. ET in Seattle. The Orioles have won his past three starts, and are 13-8 in his starts this

season.

Angels: Matt Shoemaker will begin the Angels' road trip when he starts the series opener on

Monday against the White Sox at 5:10 p.m. PT. Shoemaker will be taking a 19-inning scoreless

streak into U.S. Cellular Field, spanning his last three outings. He's struck out 27 batters during

the run.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142029726/ubaldo-jimenez-holds-angels-to-two-hits-in-

win

Ubaldo's eight scoreless lead O's over Halos

By David Adler and Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM -- Ubaldo Jimenez held the Angels to two hits over eight innings as the Orioles

cruised to a 5-0 win on Saturday night that evened the series at Angel Stadium.

Manny Machado and Caleb Joseph went deep for the O's, who scored three times off Angels

starter Garrett Richards. The Angels tried to get something going in the ninth inning, as Mike

Trout and Albert Pujols had back-to-back singles to lead off the frame, but Trout was ruled out at

the plate, following an Orioles challenge, after tagging up on David Murphy's flyout to center

field.

The Angels (58-51) remained 1 1/2 games behind the Astros in the American League West, with

Houston also losing on Saturday, but they ceded the top AL Wild Card spot to the Blue Jays.

Baltimore (56-53) got back to within two games of the Angels in the Wild Card standings.

"We've got 60 games to play -- nobody in here's scoreboard watching," Richards said. "We've

got two months left of baseball."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Ubaldo silences Halos: Jimenez, who pitched a no-hitter for the Rockies, against the Braves in

April 2010, flirted with a no-no one in this one before Kole Calhoun doubled to straightaway

center field with two outs in the sixth inning. He finished with six strikeouts and threw a season-

high 118 pitches.

"I felt really good today," Jimenez said. "I think I was able to execute most of the pitches down

in the zone, and I think Caleb Joseph was calling a great game."

Handy Manny: Machado launched his career-high 24th homer with one out in the fifth inning,

driving Richards' 88-mph 3-2 slider out to left field. Exit velocity was 102 mph, according

to Statcast™. The Orioles' third baseman finished the night 4-for-5.

"I'm barreling up a bit, getting some hits to drop," Machado said. "I'm kind of feeling like myself

again."

Richards off the mark: Richards' six-inning, three-run line counted as a quality start, but the

right-hander's command was erratic for much of the night. He struck out seven Orioles, but he

missed some spots by wide margins -- most notably on the breaking ball he hung over the heart

of the plate to Machado. Richards has given up five home runs in his last four starts, after

allowing five all of last season.

"Hanging sliders. Hanging sliders, that's it," Richards said. "Last year was last year. This is a

new year."

Blown coverage: The Angels made two sloppy defensive plays where they forgot to cover

bases. In the third inning, Adam Jones advanced to second base on a pitch in the dirt, but

catcher Carlos Perez made a strong throw that probably should have nailed Jones -- if Johnny

Giavotella had covered the bag. And in the sixth, the Angels had a two-part miscue on Matt

Wieters' grounder to first base. Richards covered first and took the flip from Pujols in time, but

missed the bag, and then, with all three infielders shifted to the right side against the lefty-

swinging Wieters, no one covered second and Wieters snuck behind them and beat Giavotella to

the bag.

QUOTABLE

"You say, 'Why can't you do that all the time?'" -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter, on

Jimenez's first career victory over the Angels, after an 0-5 start

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

The Angels won a key challenge to help keep the game scoreless in the top of the second inning.

With Jonathan Schoop on first and one out, J.J. Hardy ripped a double into the right-center-field

gap, past a diving Calhoun, and Schoop appeared to score easily ahead of the relay throw and

sweeping tag of catcher Carlos Perez. But manager Mike Scioscia challenged that Schoop's lead

foot had passed over the top of home plate, and after review, the safe call was overturned.

Richards struck out the next batter, Ryan Flaherty, to end the inning.

The Angels missed out on their first run when a safe call on a similar play was challenged by the

Orioles in the ninth, with Trout's leg ruled not to have touched home even though his slide beat

Joseph's tag.

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Miguel Gonzalez gets the starting nod in the Sunday afternoon finale of this three-game

series. The Orioles' right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in four career starts against the Angels.

First pitch is set for 3:37 p.m. ET.

Angels: Jered Weaver makes his return to the Angels' rotation for the 12:37 p.m PT finale at

Angel Stadium. The right-hander has been on the disabled list since June 21 dealing with left hip

inflammation and an out-of-sync delivery.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/141839900/mike-trout-leads-angels-to-win-on-his-

birthday

Orioles let Angels slip away

By Alden Gonzalez and David Adler / MLB.com

August 8, 2015

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout homered on his 24th birthday and the Angels came from behind with a

couple of two-out hits in the sixth inning on Friday night, beating the Orioles, 8-4, in Southern

California. The Angels (58-50) are now 1 1/2 games back of the Astros in the American League

West, while the Orioles (55-53) are 2 1/2 back of the Blue Jays for the second Wild Card spot.

"They're a good team, having a good year, and we have to operate at a little bit higher level if

we're gonna stay with them," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of the Angels.

Angels starter Andrew Heaney -- 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA heading in -- struggled for the first time

this year, giving up a two-run homer to Jonathan Schoop in the fourth, a solo shot to Matt

Wieters in the sixth and eight other hits over 5 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old left with two on and

his team trailing by one in the sixth, but Fernando Salas struck out Nolan Reimold to end the

inning, and the Angels came back in the bottom half.

With two on and two outs, Chris Iannetta drove a Kevin Gausman offering deep into the left-

center-field gap for a two-run double. David DeJesus followed with a line-drive RBI single to

right off reliever Chaz Roe, his second hit in 22 at-bats since joining the Angels. Two innings

later, the Angels pulled away on C.J. Cron's towering, pinch-hit two-run homer that was

projected by Statcast™ to land 456 feet away.

"I think the biggest thing to take out of the game was the two-out hits," Trout said. "Leaving

guys on base is what's hurt us in the past, and the two-out hits tonight were huge."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Birthday bash: Trout turned on a 97-mph fastball from Gausman in the first inning and lined it

over the fence in left-center field, giving him a home run on his birthday for the third time in four

years. Trout -- with a Major League-leading 33 homers -- also walked twice and lined a single

against the shift.

"It seems like he's had a lot of birthdays -- he hits a lot of home runs," Angels manager Mike

Scioscia said. "He's OK. He just keeps playing baseball, and that's what's so good about Mike."

Sixth-inning struggles: Taking a 4-3 lead into the sixth, Gausman got two outs after a leadoff

single but couldn't get out of the inning. The Orioles gave up four straight hits, including a go-

ahead two-run double by Iannetta on a 99-mph fastball on a 1-2 count that knocked Gausman out

of the game.

"The worst pitch I threw all day was the last one," Gausman said. "And that's definitely what's

frustrating. I get out of that right there and it's a pretty solid outing."

Not so fast: Trout and Kole Calhoun came up with big throws to keep Orioles baserunners out of

scoring position in the third inning. Calhoun charged in on Gerardo Parra's grounder to right

field and fired a bullet to nail Reimold at third base. The next batter, Adam Jones, brought in a

run with a fly ball off the center-field fence, but Trout fired a perfect one-hop throw to second

baseman Johnny Giavotella to retire Jones and end the inning.

"If we don't get those outs, you never know what can happen," Calhoun said. "It definitely

helped us getting out of that inning with only one run."

Rare bullpen troubles plague O's: Even though Baltimore's relievers have been excellent all

season -- the O's entered the game with a 2.79 cumulative ERA, fourth-best in the Majors -- they

couldn't keep Friday's game close. Roe gave up DeJesus' RBI single in the sixth, and Brad

Brach gave up Cron's moonshot in the seventh.

"We didn't pitch very well out of the bullpen," Showalter said. "We get some outs there, there's a

game there to be won. That's what's frustrating."

QUOTABLE

"It gave me the chills. To have fans sing you a happy birthday, it means a lot." -- Trout, on

getting serenaded by the fans in center field right before the first pitch

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez gets the ball for the Orioles in the second game of the

series on Saturday at 9:05 p.m. ET. Jimenez will look to rebound from his last start, when he

gave up six runs in just 4 2/3 innings vs. the Tigers.

Angels: Garrett Richards will start opposite Jimenez for the Angels. In his last start, the right-

hander ended a six-game losing streak against the Indians and reigning AL Cy Young award-

winner Corey Kluber, striking out a career high-tying 11 in the process. He'll try to get the

Angels a third straight win on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. PT.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/tyler-wilson-scratched-with-sore-

oblique.html

Tyler Wilson scratched with sore oblique (O's lose 5-4 in 11

innings)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

Orioles pitching prospect Tyler Wilson was scratched from today's start at Triple-A Norfolk with

a sore oblique muscle.

Veteran left-hander Dana Eveland replaced Wilson in the rotation and tossed two scoreless

innings against Indianapolis. Jorge Rondon took over for Eveland in the third.

Wilson is 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA in six appearances with the Orioles, including two starts. He was

optioned again after allowing two runs in 7 2/3 innings in a 9-2 win over the Athletics on Aug. 3.

Wilson is 5-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 starts with the Tides. Today's game would have marked his

first outing since being sent down.

The Orioles and Angels have moved to the 11th inning with the score tied 4-4.

Third baseman Manny Machado has collected two more hits today and is 9-for-15 in the series.

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop has two more hits and is batting .316.

Schoop is 14-for-27 this month.

Gerardo Parra hit his first home run as an Oriole, and Chris Davis hit his 29th this season to tie

the game in the sixth.

Miguel Gonzalez allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, with two walks, six

strikeouts, two wild pitches and two home runs. He threw 102 pitches and raised his ERA to

4.45.

Gonzalez has failed to work more than 5 1/3 innings in eight of his last 10 starts. The three-run

homer he served up to David Murphy with two outs in the third inning came on an 0-2 fastball

over the middle of the plate.

T.J. McFarland threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and Darren O'Day struck out two and stranded a

runner in the eighth. Brad Brach has struck out three over two scoreless innings.

Update: Murphy singled over left fielder David Lough's head with the bases loaded, two outs and

the count full in the 11th inning to give the Angels a 5-4 win over the Orioles.

Chaz Roe gets the loss, as Brian Matusz let an inherited runner score.

Manager Buck Showalter gambled by having Matusz issue intentional walks to Mike Trout and

Albert Pujols to load the bases and create the lefty-lefty matchup. Matusz fell behind 3-1 before

the count was full, and Murphy gave the Angels the series win.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/dan-duquette-on-todays-roster-move.html

Dan Duquette on today's roster move (O's lose 8-4)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 7, 2015

The Orioles aren't letting their roster grow stagnant in the second half.

Outfielder Travis Snider becomes the third player designated for assignment in the past week,

joining pitcher Bud Norris and outfielder/first baseman Chris Parmelee.

Snider cost the Orioles minor league pitchers Stephen Tarpley and Steven Brault, who were sent

to the Pirates in the January trade. He's under team control through 2016, but he didn't make it

past the first week in August.

Snider batted .237/.318/.341 with three home runs and 20 RBIs in 69 games. He went 3-for-36 in

his last 13 games and didn't homer since June 28.

The writing was on the wall when Snider appeared in only one game after July 28.

"They're all tough," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "This one was tough. It just

didn't work out."

Snider batted .288/.356/.524 with 13 doubles and nine home runs in 60 games in the second half

last season, which prompted the Orioles to make the trade. They hoped that he could replace

Nick Markakis in right field, but he fell considerably short.

"We tried to have as much patience as we could," Duquette said. "Sometimes, these things work

out and sometimes they don't. I think Travis gave his best effort and we tried to have as much

patience as we could, but our production from our outfield has been below average. We tried to

address it last week with the addition of (Gerardo) Parra and this is another effort to address that

by the team."

Duquette will attempt to trade Snider.

"We'll see," he said. "That's certainly our intent."

Duquette also is trying to find takers for Norris and Parmelee.

"We're still working on that," he said.

Duquette spent a few days at Triple-A Norfolk and decided that outfielder Junior Lake was the

best replacement for Snider. Lake was 4-for-12 in four games with the Tides after the Orioles

acquired him from the Cubs on July 31 for reliever Tommy Hunter. He batted .316/.411/.464

with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 62 games between Norfolk and Triple-A Iowa.

Lake is a career .287/.335/.450 hitter in 171 major league at-bats against left-handed pitching.

"He looks like he's made a good adjustment on his pitch selection," Duquette said. "He's shown

good patience at the plate and also the ability to hit the ball hard and with power. And

defensively, he's caught the ball well. He's also stolen a couple of bases. But he's a proven major

league hitter against left-handed pitching, and that's why we brought him up.

"He's already done it in the big leagues against left-handed pitching. And we wanted to add

another right-handed bat to the ballclub."

The Orioles chose Lake over Dariel Alvarez, who's batting .271/.297/.423 with 22 doubles, 14

home runs and 64 RBIs in 110 games at Norfolk.

"Junior Lake is proven in the big leagues," Duquette said. "He's a .287 lifetime hitter and he's

made an adjustment to become more patient at the plate. He's already proven that he can do it in

the big leagues."

Update: Angels starter Andrew Heaney hadn't allowed more than two runs in any of his first

seven starts, but he's trailing 3-1 tonight in the fourth inning after Jonathan Schoop's tie-breaking

two-run homer.

Earlier tonight, Nolan Reimold registered the Orioles' 32nd outfield assist, tops in the majors.

But Reimold was thrown out at third and Adam Jones was thrown out at second within the first

three innings.

Kevin Gausman walked two batters in the bottom of the fourth, which led to the game-tying

runs.

Update II: Matt Wieters hit his fifth home run, tying last year's total, to give the Orioles a 4-3

lead in the sixth inning.

Update III: The shutdown inning continues to elude the Orioles, with Chris Iannette's two-run

double in the bottom of the sixth giving the Angels a 5-4 lead and knocking Gausman out of the

game.

Chaz Roe let an inherited runner score.

Update IV: C.J. Cron's long two-run homer off Brad Brach extended the Angels' lead to 8-4 in

the seventh. One run was charged to Brian Matusz.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/walkoff-loss-david-murphys-single-in-the-

11th-lifts-the-angels-over-the-orioles.html

Walk-off loss: David Murphy's single in 11th lifts Angels

over Orioles

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

After leading early by two runs and then trailing by two, the Orioles tied today's game. They

never could get the lead back and then lost in walk-off fashion.

David Murphy's single to deep left field on a 3-2 pitch fromBrian Matusz with the bases loaded

in the last of the 11th gave the Los Angeles Angels a 5-4 win over the Orioles in the series finale.

No. 9 Carlos Perez hitter led off the last of the 11th and doubled off Chaz Roe. After a strikeout

on a bunted third strike, Matusz came on and fanned Kole Calhoun. Manager Buck Showalter

then called for back-to-back intentional walks of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols with two outs to

bring up Murphy with the sacks full.

Matusz fell behind 3-1 in the count and then threw a strike followed by a foul ball. Then,

Murphy lined a game-ending single to deep left field.

The Orioles lost two of three in this series to fall to 56-54. They could have moved to within a

game of the Angels in the wild card race with a win. But they could not get it.

The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the first when Manny Machado singled and Chris Davis was hit by

a pitch. They scored on a Matt Wieters single and an RBI double by Jonathan Schoop. That

extended Schoop's hitting streak to a career-best eight games.

Calhoun's solo homer in the last of the first made it a 2-1 game. He hit No. 16, which was ruled a

homer only after a replay review.

Miguel Gonzalez struggled for most of this start, and he gave up three runs in the third as the O's

fell behind 4-2. With two on and none out, Gonzalez fanned both Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.

But then, just one pitch from putting up a zero, he grooved an 0-2 pitch to Murphy. Murphy hit

the 93 mph fastball that found the middle of the plate for a three-run shot and two-run lead.

For the eighth time in his last 10 starts, Gonzalez pitched 5 1/3 innings or less. Today he went 4

2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs, including two homers. He threw 102 pitches as

his ERA increased to 4.45. Over his past nine starts since he came off the disabled list in late

June, Gonzalez has an ERA of 6.22.

Down 4-2, the Orioles homered twice in the sixth off Cory Rasmus to tie the game. Gerardo

Parra hit his first as an Oriole in his eighth game with the team. It was also his first RBI with the

Orioles. One out later, Chris Davis hit his 29th of the year for a 4-4 tie. Davis hit the first pitch

for the homer to right. Over his last 18 games, Davis has hit 10 homers with 27 RBIs.

On the mound for the Orioles, T.J. McFarland pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of

Gonzalez. Darren O'Day pitched a scoreless eighth, and Brad Brach threw two scoreless frames

before the Angels won it in the 11th against Roe and Matusz.

Now, the Orioles move on to the third and final stop on their West Coast trip and start a series

tomorrow night at Seattle. Wei-Yin Chen (5-6, 3.32 ERA) pitches against left-hander Vidal

Nuno (0-0, 2.88 ERA).

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/ubaldo-jimenez-pitches-eight-scoreless-

innings-as-the-os-top-the-angels.html

Ubaldo Jimenez pitches eight scoreless innings as the O's top

the Angels

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

After pitching to an ERA of 10.61 over his last four starts, Orioles right-hander Ubaldo

Jimenez hit the first batter he faced tonight. But it got a lot better for him from there. Jimenez did

not allow a hit until Cole Calhoun doubled with two outs in the sixth as the Orioles blanked Los

Angeles 5-0 to even this series at a win each.

With the win, the Orioles improved to 56-53. They have won 10 of 14 games and are now five

games back of first-place New York and two games behind the Angels for the American

League's second wild card berth.

Jimenez gave up just two hits over eight scoreless innings. He walked one and fanned six to

improve to 9-7 with an ERA of 3.79. This was a big turnaround for Jimenez after he allowed 22

runs in 18 2/3 in four second-half starts. He was also 0-5 with a 5.34 ERA in five career starts

versus the Angels.

But today, he was in charge and he needed this outing. So did the O's rotation, which had pitched

to an ERA of 7.07 over the last eight games. Jimenez tied his season high going eight innings

and set a season high throwing 118 pitches.

Darren O'Day pitched the ninth and allowed three hits, but still was able to complete the Orioles

ninth shutout of 2015. Mike Trout tried to score on a fly ball to center, but was thrown out at the

plate by Adam Jones. Trout was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned on a replay

review.

In the second inning, the Orioles had a 1-0 lead erased after a replay review. J.J. Hardy doubled

to right-center and Jonathan Schoop scored from first. But the review showed that on his slide at

home, Schoop's left leg was elevated and missed the plate, and he was tagged before his right leg

touched home.

An inning later, the Orioles did get a 1-0 lead. Adam Jones plated Manny Machado on a fielder's

choice grounder for his 57th RBI. In the fifth, Machado blasted a solo homer for a 2-0 lead. He

hit No. 24 on a 3-2 slider. He hit his previous career high of 14 homers in 667 at-bats in 2013. He

hit his 24th this year in his 421nd at-bat. The O's made it 3-0 in the sixth. Chris Davis led off

with a double, reached third on an error and scored on Schoop's sac fly.

Schoop added a second sac fly for a 4-0 lead in the eighth. It scored Davis again. This time he

singled, stole his first base of the year and went to third on a Matt Wieters single. Caleb

Joseph's solo homer in the ninth made it 5-0 and was Joseph's 10th home run.

Machado went 4-for-5 with three singles and the homer. His first four-hit game of 2015 raised

his average to .300 and was his 36th multi-hit game of the year. Machado is 7-for-10 in this

series.

In the series finale at Anaheim on Sunday afternoon, Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32 ERA) pitches

against Los Angeles right-hander Jered Weaver (4-8, 4.75 ERA).

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/09/ap-bba-orioles-angels-1st-ld-writethru

Ubaldo Jimenez, Manny Machado drive Orioles past Angels,

5-0

Associated Press / SI.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Ubaldo Jimenez's second pitch hit David DeJesus squarely in the hip,

and the Baltimore starter immediately flashed back to his regrettable recent outings.

''The first thing I thought, `Oh, here we go again,''' Jimenez said.

Jimenez's night went to much better places from there on out for the Orioles.

Jimenez yielded two hits over eight dominant innings, and Manny Machado had four hits and

scored two runs in the Orioles' 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.

Kole Calhoun broke up Jimenez's no-hit bid with a two-out double to center in the sixth, but the

veteran right-hander had little trouble against Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the struggling

Angels, who have lost 11 of 15 after winning 17 of 20.

Jimenez (9-7) had four losses in his past six starts, failing to make the fifth inning in three of the

last four. Yet he overwhelmed the Angels, striking out six and walking one.

''I really needed it,'' said Jimenez, who beat the Angels for the first time in his career. ''It's not

easy coming to the stadium every night knowing you're not doing what you're supposed to,

especially where we are fighting for a wild card. It feels really good to get back on track.''

Los Angeles couldn't get a runner to third base against Jimenez while getting shut out for the

fourth time in 15 games and the ninth time this season.

Machado and Caleb Joseph homered, and Jonathan Schoop drove in two runs in the Orioles'

third win in five games. Baltimore scored in five different innings in an 11-hit effort led by

Machado, the All-Star with 10 hits in his last five games.

''We did a lot of different things to score runs, and those are the things that are going to have to

continue if we're going to go somewhere this season,'' Machado said.

Garrett Richards (11-9) gave up seven hits and three runs over six innings for the Angels. He has

taken three losses in four starts for the first time in his major league career.

Richards struck out seven, but repeatedly found trouble while giving up at least three runs for the

fifth time in six starts. He gave up three earned runs in five of his previous 19 starts dating to last

season, which ended early with a knee injury.

''It was a battle night,'' Richards said. ''We just didn't get it done as a team. That's it. On to the

next one. We've got 60 games to play, so nobody is scoreboard-watching.''

Machado scored on Adam Jones' grounder in the third in a rally that began with the Angels

dropping a catchable pop fly to right. Joseph was tagged out in a rundown at the plate moments

earlier.

Machado then connected on a full-count pitch in the fifth, driving his 24th homer into the

bullpen beyond left field. The homer was the fifth in four starts allowed by Richards, who only

gave up five homers all last season.

RUNS OFF THE BOARD

Trout singled and appeared to score on David Murphy's fly in the ninth, but after video review,

the umpires ruled the AL MVP slid over the plate and didn't touch it before the tag.

The Orioles also lost a run at the plate on video appeal in the second inning when umpires saw

that Schoop failed to touch home plate while sliding in well ahead of the Angels' throw.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: Jason Garcia returned from the 60-day DL on Friday, pitching in the eighth inning of

Baltimore's loss.

Angels: Jered Weaver will return to the rotation Sunday, making his first start in seven weeks

due to left hip inflammation.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32 ERA), who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, has lost his

last two starts.

Angels: Weaver (4-8, 4.75 ERA) makes his 16th start of the season. He won in Baltimore on

May 15.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/08/ap-bba-orioles-angels-1st-ld-writethru

Trout hits another birthday HR in Angels' 8-4 win over O's

Associated Press / SI.com

August 7, 2015

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Mike Trout was thrilled when the fans in the Angel Stadium outfield

seats serenaded him with a birthday song in the first inning.

A few minutes later, Trout gave them quite a present.

Trout homered on his birthday for the third time in his career, and Chris Iannetta delivered a go-

ahead, two-run double in the Los Angeles Angels' 8-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on

Friday night.

Trout celebrated his 24th birthday by going 2 for 3 with two walks and scoring two runs, but he

also added another unique moment to his superlative career.

The reigning AL MVP hit his major league-leading 33rd homer off Baltimore starter Kevin

Gausman, blasting it to the fake rock pile beyond left-center.

Trout also homered on his birthday in 2012 and 2013, becoming the first player in major league

history to hit three birthday homers before even turning 25.

''I think that gave me the chills,'' Trout said of the first-inning chorus from the stands. ''To have

fans sing me `Happy Birthday,' it means a lot. It's huge.''

Trout's 131st career homer was his first of August and his first in six games, ending a 1-for-20

slump for the four-time All-Star. Only Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott and Ken Griffey Jr. hit more

homers before their 24th birthday in major league history.

Pinch-hitter C.J. Cron hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Angels, who trimmed Houston's

lead in the AL West to 1 1-2 games with their third win in four games following a six-game skid.

David Murphy, Johnny Giavotella and David DeJesus all drove in runs for the Angels, but

Iannetta boosted his average to .193 by coming through with a two-out, two-strike double off the

wall in the sixth. He connected on the 98th pitch by Gausman (2-3), who gave up nine hits and

six runs.

''It's been a rough year, but I was finally able to barrel one up, and it felt really good,'' Iannetta

said. ''This was a really good team win with a lot of contributions from everybody.''

Matt Wieters and Jonathan Schoop homered for the Orioles, who blew a 4-3 lead in the sixth for

their third loss in five games.

''It seemed like every time we took the lead, I went out there and didn't put up a scoreless

inning,'' Gausman said. ''And when you struggle against the bottom half of the lineup like I did,

eventually it's going to hurt you.''

Rookie Andrew Heaney had his worst start for Los Angeles, yielding season-highs of 10 hits and

four runs while getting chased in the sixth. The left-hander had won five of his first seven starts

since joining the Angels' rotation in late June, never allowing more than two runs.

Schoop hit a two-run homer in the fourth, but Los Angeles evened it later in the inning with

Murphy's first RBI for the Angels and Giavotella's tying double.

Wieters connected in the sixth for his fifth homer, but Fernando Salas (2-1) stranded two

Baltimore runners in scoring position by striking out Nolan Reimold.

''We didn't pitch very well out of the bullpen,'' Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. ''There's

a game there to be won, and that's what's frustrating. They had some good at-bats and they found

some holes. They're a good team that's having a good year, and we have to upgrade our level a

little bit if we're going to stay with them.''

DeJesus added an RBI single after Iannetta's clutch drive, improving to 2 for 22 with his new

team.

NEW GUY

Junior Lake went 1 for 4 with a sixth-inning double in his debut with the Orioles, who acquired

the outfielder from the Cubs last month. Baltimore recalled him from Triple-A Norfolk before

the game, designating Travis Snider for assignment.

BIG BLAST

Cron's homer went an estimated 456 feet on reliever Brad Brach's first pitch. It was the Angels'

first pinch-hit homer of the season and their first since David Freese connected on July 5, 2014.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: LHP Chris Tillman will return from resting his sore left ankle either Sunday or Monday.

Angels: RHP Jered Weaver is expected to return Sunday. He has been out since June 21 with

inflammation in his left hip.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez (8-7, 4.04 ERA) looks to rebound from a loss to Detroit.

Angels: Garrett Richards (11-8, 3.46 ERA) goes after his first career victory over Baltimore in

his eighth appearance.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/jimenez-magnificent-orioles-5-0-win

Jimenez magnificent in Orioles 5-0 win

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 9, 2015

GAME SUMMARY: Ubaldo Jimenez allowed just two hits in eight innings to lead the Orioles

to a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.

Jimenez (9-7), who’s struggled through a challenging second half, didn’t allow his first hit until

two were out in the sixth inning. He walked one, struck out five and hit two batters.

Manny Machado had four hits including his 24th home run off Garrett Richards (11-9) in the

sixth. Caleb Joseph hit his 10th homer in the ninth.

The Orioles (56-53) are five games in back of New York for the AL East lead and trail the

Angels (58-51) by two games for the second wild card spot.

THE GOOD: Matt Wieters alertly taking second when the Angels infielders converged on first

base, leaving second uncovered on a ground ball in the sixth. He scored on a sacrifice fly by

Jonathan Schoop.

THE BAD: Schoop was called out trying to score in the second inning thanks to a challenge by

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia.

THE UGLY: Ryan Flaherty was 0-for-4 and struck out three times to run his hitless streak to 0-

for-30.

NOTABLE: Machado made his 13th error of the season, his first since July 2.

NOTABLE II: Jimenez won his first game in six starts against Los Angeles.

NOTABLE III: Joseph has four home runs in his last seven games.

DOUBLE DIGITS: Joseph is the fifth Oriole with 10 or more home runs. Machado, Chris

Davis, Adam Jones and Jimmy Paredes are the others.

SHUT THEM OUT: The Orioles recorded their ninth shutout of the season. Chris Tillman

started the previous three.

COMING UP: Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32) faces Jered Weaver (4-8, 4.75) on Sunday

afternoon at 3:35 p.m.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/gausman-struggles-orioles-8-4-loss-angels

Gausman struggles in Orioles' 8-4 loss to Angels

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 8, 2015

GAME SUMMARY: Chris Iannetta’s two-run double keyed a three-run sixth inning as the Los

Angeles Angels beat the Orioles 8-4 on Friday night.

The Orioles (55-53) led 4-3 after 5 ½, but Iannetta’s hit off Kevin Gausman (2-3) gave Los

Angeles (58-50) the lead.

David DeJesus added an RBI single in the sixth, and C.J. Cron’s two-run homer in the seventh

extended the lead.

Jonathan Schoop and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles. Manny Machado had three hits.

Fernado Salas (2-1) retired his only batter in the sixth and got the win.

The Orioles trail Toronto by 2 1/2 games for the final wild card spot.

THE GOOD: The Orioles scored four runs in 5 2/3 innings against Andrew Heaney, who hadn’t

allowed more than two in any of his previous starts.

THE BAD: Gausman allowed six runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

THE UGLY: Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones both made outs on the bases in the third inning.

Jones thought he had homered, but Mike Trout quickly retrieved the ball and threw to second for

the third out.

NOTABLE: Junior Lake was 1-for-4 in his first game after being recalled from Triple-A

Norfolk. He was acquired a week ago from the Chicago Cubs in the Tommy Hunter trade.

NOTABLE II: Mike Trout homered on his 24th birthday off Gausman in the first inning. It was

his 33rd.

NOTABLE III: Jason Garcia, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday,

pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

COMING UP: Ubaldo Jimenez (8-7, 4.04) faces Garrett Richards (11-8, 3.46) on Saturday

night at 9:05 p.m.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-were-the-orioles-missing-tommy-hunter-

on-sunday-20150809-story.html

Were the Orioles missing Tommy Hunter on Sunday?

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 10, 2015

In his years in Baltimore, right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter didn’t get a lot of love from a

vocal quadrant of the fan base. He didn’t succeed as a closer and, when he didn’t pitch well, it

was magnified because he was often in high-pressure, high-profile situations.

And he certainly wasn’t having his best season this year, pitching to a 3.63 ERA in 39 games in

2015 as an Oriole after posting sub-3.00 ERAs in his previous two seasons with the club.

But he’s an experienced major league reliever. He’s started a World Series game. No situation is

too much for him.

So, when the Orioles carried a 4-4 tie into the 11th inning Sunday, it would have been a perfect

time to use Hunter, who was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 31 for outfielder Junior Lake.

(It was a curious deal, partially because the right-handed hitting Lake seems to be redundant with

Nolan Reimold also on the roster, at least for now, though Lake is only 25. But that’s a blog for

another day.)

It seems that one of the main reasons to trade Hunter, a pending free agent, was because the

Orioles wanted to have more roster maneuverability in their bullpen, and no one had minor

league options remaining. So by trading Hunter and releasing Bud Norris, the Orioles gained

roster flexibility with two spots, which they used for optionable relievers Mike Wright (now

injured) and Mychal Givens.

Makes sense. But then they blocked one of those avenues Thursday when they recalled Rule 5

right-hander Jason Garcia from his expired injury rehab stint. Garcia can’t be sent to the minors

without having to be put through waivers (and, after that, he must be offered back to his original

team, the Boston Red Sox).

Garcia, who is 23 and throws in the mid-90s, might have a bright future, but he’s not a pitcher

manager Buck Showalter can immediately trust in extra innings.

So, once T.J. McFarland, Darren O’Day and Brad Brach had combined for 5 1/3 scoreless

innings, Showalter had to turn to Chaz Roe, who was great in May and June but has struggled in

the second half. After Roe gave up a leadoff double and then recorded an out, Showalter turned

to lefty Brian Matusz to strike out lefty Kole Calhoun.

Showalter said he didn’t want to use closer Zach Britton, who had warmed up for a full inning on

Saturday, so it was up to Matusz to get one more out and whisk the Orioles out of the 11th.

And since Matusz is so much better against lefties, Showalter had him intentionally walk Mike

Trout and Albert Pujols to face left-hander David Murphy, who drove in the game-winner.

Matusz had no room for error with the bases loaded. And when he threw three of his first four

pitches for balls, he then had to abandon his breaking stuff to make sure he threw strikes. And a

veteran hitter like Murphy was waiting for his pitch.

If Hunter had been on this team, though, he probably would have started the 11th. Or, he might

have been called in to face Trout or Pujols. Those two superstars are each 0-for-6 against Hunter

lifetime.

Maybe Hunter wouldn’t have gotten the job done. But he has more experience than Roe and

Garcia combined.

The point is that the Orioles weakened their bullpen with the trade of Hunter in hopes guys like

Wright and Givens could fill the void. But Wright’s on the disabled list and Givens is in Bowie.

And, to me, it sure looked like this club could have used Hunter on Sunday.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-schmuck-buck-showalter-move-backfires-

0810-20150809-column.html

Buck Showalter's decision to walk Mike Trout and Albert

Pujols backfires

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

Keep in mind Buck Showalter once ordered an intentional walk to Barry Bonds with the bases

loaded, so the decision on Sunday to walk Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to load the bases with

two outs in the 11th inning shouldn't have shocked anyone.

That doesn't mean I agree with it.

Buck's the expert here and he's right a whole lot more than he's wrong, but putting Brian Matusz

in a position where he couldn't afford to fall behind in the count created a scenario in which

David Murphy could expect a fastball at the critical moment in the game.

Of course, Matusz is way better against left-handed hitters than right-handers, and both Trout

and Pujols had good head-to-head numbers against him, so the percentages were in the Orioles'

favor going into the final at-bat of the game. Walking Trout was a no-brainer, since his run

wasn't relevant, but pushing the winning run to third backed Matusz into a corner he could not

escape.

He fell behind in the count, 3-1, after he did not get the called strike on a close pitch and then

had to split the plate three straight times. Murphy took the first one, fouled off the second and

drove the third over drawn-in left fielder David Lough to win the game and the series.

"All three of those guys have had good success against Brian, so you're picking your poison,''

Showalter said on the MASN postgame show.

That's true, but even the best hitters in baseball are statistically twice as likely to make an out

than not, and there was no guarantee that Angels catcher Carlos Perez would have scored from

second base on a base hit by Pujols.

Factor in that Murphy was the man on Sunday. He already had hit a two-out, three-run homer off

starter Miguel Gonzalez after Gonzalez had struck out both Trout and Pujols with runners at

second and third.

The game-winner was a fly ball that landed short of the warning track, but the Orioles were

playing Murphy shallow because he can morph into a slap hitter against left-handed pitchers and

they apparently were more concerned about him getting a dink hit than hitting a long fly ball.

So it goes. The Orioles were in extra innings on the road, so it's not like getting Murphy out was

going to guarantee them a victory. Still, it's got to be frustrating for them to come into Anaheim,

Calif., and lose a series to the struggling Angels while the Toronto Blue Jays were sweeping the

first-place New York Yankees.

This was the first game since the July 31 trading deadline that the Orioles appeared to miss

Tommy Hunter. Showalter had to turn the game over to inexperienced reliever Chaz Roe in the

11th and he gave up the leadoff hit that would eventually become the winning run.

It's not all gloom and doom. The Orioles have split the first six games on this nine-game West

Coast road trip and still have a chance to make good things happen in the final series against the

Seattle Mariners.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0810-20150809-story.html

Notebook: Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez continues to

struggle

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

The struggles of right-hander Miguel Gonzalez don't seem to be going away, and though he says

he's healthy and confident, the results have been problematic since he returned from a groin

strain in late June.

"Physically, I'm fine. I have nothing wrong with my shoulder or my elbow," said Gonzalez, who

allowed four runs in 42/3 innings in Sunday's 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

"I've been, obviously, struggling a little bit, but it is part of the game. Sometimes, you've got to

keep grinding and you can't look back. Can't look back. It's the only thing I can think of right

now."

Since June 25, his first start following a stint on the disabled list, Gonzalez has allowed 32

earned runs in 461/3 innings (6.22 ERA). In those nine starts, he has pitched more than six

innings once and failed to pitch more than five innings six times.

On Sunday, he threw an inefficient 102 pitches without completing five innings. He continually

had trouble putting away hitters when he moved ahead in the count. In the third inning, he

had David Murphy down 0-2 and left a 92-mph fastball in the middle of the strike zone that

Murphy clobbered for a three-run home run. Gonzalez also allowed a home run on an 0-1 pitch

to Kole Calhoun in the first inning.

"One pitch has been changing the game for us," Gonzalez said. "If I throw it a little bit higher,

Murphy might pop it up. You don't know exactly what can happen there. You've just got to keep

working."

Gonzalez was pitching in front of a large contingent of friends and family Sunday, and usually is

dominant against the team that originally signed him. Previously, he was 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA

against the Angels and had posted a quality start in each of his four career outings against them.

But he labored from the beginning Sunday in a game that lasted more than four hours.

"I've never seen him work with that [slow] tempo," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "That

tells me you're not feeling very comfortable."

Garcia glad to be here

Rule 5 right-handed pitcher Jason Garcia said he feels a lot looser and healthier in his second

stint with the Orioles after a rough April and May.

"I wasn't unhealthy or hurt. I just never felt loose. Just kind of always felt stiff and I guess I was

kind of going through a dead arm phase," Garcia said. "But this is definitely the best I've felt all

year."

The 23-year-old Garcia made the Orioles out of spring training, partially because the club would

have had to put him through waivers and/or offer him back to his original club, the Boston Red

Sox, before being able to send him to the minors.

He had elbow surgery in 2013 and hadn't pitched above Class A ball when he joined the Orioles

on Opening Day. He walked 11 batters in his first 132/3 innings and saw his high-90s velocity

drop to the point that he was placed on the disabled list on May 13 with right shoulder tendinitis.

He rehabilitated for a month at Double-A Bowie, posting a 4.20 ERA and walking nine in 15

innings there while receiving continual instruction from Bowie pitching coach and former

Orioles reliever Alan Mills. As his rehab period was ending, the speculation began on whether

he'd get a promotion and stay with the Orioles.

"I was trying not to worry too much about that," Garcia said. "Working with Millsy a lot down in

Bowie and just learning that you can't worry too much about the things you can't control."

Garcia walked a batter and almost hit another in his first game back Friday, but otherwise threw

a scoreless inning. His fastball velocity rested between 95 and 97 mph.

"That feels good to have my velocity back. I think that is one thing that helps with my

confidence," he said. "It feels good that the team wants to keep me. That helps even more with

my confidence. So it's just trusting the process and learning to trust myself and not trying to be

too perfect."

Parmelee chooses Norfolk over free agency

First baseman Chris Parmelee, who was designated for assignment July 31 and cleared waivers

last week, has decided to return to Triple-A Norfolk instead of choosing free agency.

"That's good. I was hoping that would happen," Showalter said. "I think it is a real good

reflection on everybody in the organization and in Norfolk and his experiences here."

Parmelee, 27, hit .216 with four home runs in 97 at-bats in 32 games with the Orioles. Three of

his four homers were in his first two games back in the big leagues. He struggled thereafter

offensively, but played excellent defense. Parmelee hit .312 with six home runs in 61 games for

the Tides before his promotion.

"Hopefully he can pick up where he left off in Norfolk," Showalter said. "He was doing real well

there and made some contributions to us for a period of time."

Parmelee is now off the 40-man roster, but Showalter said that doesn't mean the club couldn't

make room for him when active rosters expand in September — if he is playing well.

"We always have plenty of room on our roster for good players," he said.

Tillman all set for Tuesday

Showalter said Chris Tillman (left ankle) continues to feel good, and he has no worries about the

right-handed pitcher's health heading into Tuesday's start at Safeco Field in Seattle. Tillman

hasn't pitched since July 29. The Orioles would have had to add a starter from the minors if

Tillman couldn't pitch by Tuesday.

"It's time to get him back out there," Showalter said. "We knew when this started the farthest we

could go was the 11th [without needing to add another starter]. We got to it."

Around the horn

With an eight-inning two-hitter Saturday, right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez joined Tillman as the

second Orioles pitcher to allow two or fewer hits and throw at least eight scoreless innings this

year. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the first time two Orioles have done that in one

season since 1993 when Mike Mussina, Ben McDonald and Fernando Valenzuela (twice) all

accomplished the feat. … Infielder Jonathan Schoopextended his career-best hitting streak to

eight games with a double in the first inning. … First baseman Chris Davis has 80 RBIs this

season after his solo home run in the sixth inning.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-while-you-were-sleeping-four-

takeaways-from-the-orioles-victory-saturday-20150808-story.html

While you were sleeping: Four takeaways from the Orioles'

victory Saturday

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

Ubaldo’s timing was everything: Ubaldo Jimenez could not have picked a better time to deliver

his best performance as an Oriole, throwing a season-high 118 pitches and giving up just two hits

over eight scoreless innings. The Orioles needed to take advantage of a Yankees loss and

improved their record on their long West Coast road trip to 3-2. Jimenez’s best O’s outing

previously was a 7 1/3-inning performance on May 2, 2014 in which he allowed no runs on three

hits and struck out 10.

Davis proving patience is a virtue: Chris Davis has figured out that more plate discipline

definitely translates into more home runs and a higher average. He didn’t go deep last night, but

he reached base three times on a hit and two walks, raising his batting average to .249 and his

OBP to .333. In contrast, Adam Jones, like time, waits for no one. He doubled in the first inning,

then saw a total of four pitches in his other three at-bats, none of them productive.

Manny’s first four: Manny Machado raised his batting average to .300 and his on-base

percentage to .367 with his first four-hit game of the season. He hit a bases-empty home run to

go with three singles. The Orioles hit a pair of homers, the other by Caleb Joseph, who broke

into double figures with his solo shot in the ninth.

Orioles run into some more outs: The Orioles don’t score enough to waste runners on the

bases, but they’ve done that an inordinate number of times during their first two games against

the Angels. They had two base runners thrown out in the same inning Friday night and got a run

taken off the board Saturday when Jonathan Schoop failed to get his foot down as he slid across

the plate. The Angels also caught Joseph in a rundown in the third inning after a nice pick by

first baseman Albert Pujols, but that didn’t cost the O’s anything because Joseph stayed in the

rundown long enough to advance two runners into scoring position with one out. That was the

same position they likely would have been in if he had stayed at third.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-showalter-pleased-parmelee-stays-in-

organization-tillman-update-20150809-story.html

Showalter pleased Parmelee stays in organization

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

Infielder Chris Parmelee, who was designated for assignment July 31 and cleared waivers earlier

this week, has accepted his outright to Triple-A Norfolk and will soon join the Tides.

That news pleased Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who wanted to keep the 27-year-old in the

organization.

“That’s good. I was hoping that would happen,” Showalter said. “I think it is a real good

reflection on everybody in the organization and in Norfolk and his experiences here.”

Parmelee hit .216 with four homers in 97 at-bats in 32 games with the Orioles. Three of his four

homers were in his first two games back in the big leagues. He struggled thereafter offensively,

but played excellent defense at first base. Parmelee hit .312 with six homers in 61 games for the

Tides before his promotion.

“Hopefully he can pick up where he left off in Norfolk,” Showalter said. “He was doing real well

there and made some contributions to us for a period of time.”

Parmelee is now off the 40-man roster, but Showalter said that doesn’t mean the club couldn’t

make room for him when active rosters expand in September if he is playing well.

“We always have plenty of room on our roster for good players,” he said.

Also during Showalter’s pre-game press conference Sunday, he said that Chris Tillman (left

ankle) continues to feel good, and he has no worries about the right-hander’s health heading into

Tuesday’s start at Safeco Field in Seattle. Tillman hasn’t pitched since July 29.

“It’s time to get him back out there,” Showalter said. “We knew when this started the farthest we

could go was the 11th. We got to it.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-schmuck-observations-0808-20150808-

column.html

Observation deck: Parting with Travis Snider not a shock

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 9, 2015

Travis Snider was cast in difficult role: The Orioles finally designated outfielder Travis Snider

for assignment Friday after making him a centerpiece of their offseason attempt to upgrade the

club's on-base potential and replace popular veteran Nick Markakis. The move was not a

surprise, since there was speculation a week ago that he would be clearing some room on the

roster soon.

Snider got every opportunity to establish himself as a productive everyday player and had

reasonable batting and on-base numbers during the first half, but he didn't deliver enough run

production for a corner outfielder in the American League. He was never going to hit a bunch of

home runs, but the Orioles certainly felt he would manage more than 20 RBIs in 69 games.

Dan Duquette obviously thought so and took some heat for failing to bring in a more proven

player after Markakis and Nelson Cruz took a hike. He likes cheap reclamation projects and has

caught some lightning in the past. Just not this time.

Second notice: Sign O'Day: I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but the offseason

will be here sooner than you think and it's going to be a complicated one. That's why the Orioles

need to do what they can right now to steer one of their potential free agents back to Baltimore

before it's too late.

Duquette doesn't like to negotiate with pending free agents during the season and that's just the

kind of self-imposed arbitrary rule that is going to guarantee that reliever Darren O'Day pitches

for the Washington Nationals next year.

Multi-year extensions for relief pitchers are admittedly risky, but O'Day has proved that he

dominates the eighth inning as much with his brain as his arm. He's worth that risk, especially for

a team that will have enough to rebuild without ripping up the bullpen.

Handcuffed by Rule 5? The Orioles love the Rule 5 draft. They picked up Ryan Flaherty and

T.J. McFarland in it and they are trying to hold on to pitching prospect Jason Garcia, who was

activated from the 60-day disabled list Thursday. They want to keep him badly enough that they

sent out very promising pitcher Mychal Givens, presumably to buy some time until major league

rosters expand on Sept. 1.

Talk about a gamble. Givens has pitched well since he was brought up to fill the roster spot

vacated by Bud Norris. The decision to protect Garcia at Givens' expense makes sense from the

standpoint that Garcia might be lost on waivers and Givens remains available in the minor

leagues. But it's becoming increasingly likely that the playoff hunt in the American League will

be decided by a slim margin.

Hate to see the Orioles come up a game short because they didn't go with their best possible

bullpen.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-missing-aces-20150807-

story.html

Orioles finding themselves fortunate by missing opposing

aces of late

By Ryan Baillargeon / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Sometimes you need a little luck to make the postseason. And as the Orioles battle for a playoff

spot with the final third of the season getting under way, it seems they have developed a knack

for missing opposing teams' aces.

It started July 30 when the Detroit Tigers shipped left-handed ace David Price and his then-2.53

ERA to the Toronto Blue Jays. It meant the Orioles wouldn't have to face Price that Sunday at

Camden Yards. But top prospect Daniel Norris, who came over in the deal, pitched a one-run

gem in his place.

Nonetheless, since that Detroit series and through the Orioles' four-game against the Oakland

Athletics from Aug. 14-17, they either have already missed the opposing team's ace or are

scheduled to do so.

In the 17-game stretch, the Orioles face teams that had the American League's top three in ERA,

and five of the top eight before July trades sent some of those pitchers elsewhere. With a little bit

of luck thanks to deadline deals and rotation scheduling, the Orioles aren't currently scheduled to

see any of them.

During the Orioles' most recent three-game series in Oakland, they avoided facing right-hander

Sonny Gray, whose 2.06 ERA leads the AL. Left-hander Scott Kazmir has the AL's second-best

ERA (2.08) and would've been a possibility in the series, but the Athletics sent him to the

Houston Astros on July 23.

Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney, who the Orioles faced Friday, was probably the hottest

starter they were scheduled to see during this stretch. He was 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA in seven starts

before allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings Friday against the Orioles.

Right-hander Garrett Richards went into his start Saturday with a 3.46 ERA and right-hander

Jered Weaver, a former 20-game winner, is returning from the disabled list to start Sunday, but

he has struggled to a 4.75 ERA this season.

Even with that, the Angels' most consistent pitcher this season, left-hander Hector Santiago,

whose 2.78 ERA in his first 21 starts ranks sixth in the AL, won't take the hill against the

Orioles.

After the Angels series, the Orioles head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners.

Don't expect to see the King's Court holding up "K" cards at Safeco Field, though. Right-hander

Felix Hernandez, a former Cy Young winner whose 3.13 ERA ranks eighth in the AL, will pitch

Sunday before the Orioles come to town.

The span wraps when the Orioles return home from their West Coast trip to play the Athletics for

the second time in four series. With it being a four-game series, it seems the Orioles would have

to see Gray. But he isn't scheduled to pitch that series, either.

New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom, whose 2.13 ERA is fourth-best in the majors, will

likely end the fun Aug. 18. But until then, the Orioles lineup will benefit from teams' opposing

aces staying in the dugout.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-bud-norris-officially-released-parmelee-

clears-waivers-20150808-story.html

Bud Norris officially released; Chris Tillman to start

Tuesday

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Right-hander Bud Norris, who won 15 games for the Orioles' division-winning club in 2014 but

struggled throughout this season, officially was released Saturday afternoon.

The Orioles were attempting to trade Norris, 30, before and after designating him for assignment

July 31, but were unsuccessful.

“We couldn't find a trade partner. We canvassed the market thoroughly,” executive vice

president Dan Duquette said. “We tried for weeks and couldn't identify a trade partner.”

Norris was 2-9 with a 7.06 ERA in 18 games (11 starts) for the Orioles this year after going 15-8

with a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts in 2014.

A pending free agent at season's end, Norris could not maintain any consistency from the

beginning of spring training, and ultimately lost his starting spot in the rotation. His nightmare

2015 included a stint on the disabled list because of a severe case of bronchitis that sapped him

of his strength.

When contacted by phone Saturday, Norris politely declined to comment by saying, “I'm just

going to keep quiet.”

Norris is now free to sign with any team. If he doesn't, the Orioles are on the hook for roughly

$2.85 million remaining on his $8.8 million salary. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he has

been contacted by a two teams wanting his opinion on Norris.

“He needs a fresh start and he's going to get one now,” Showalter said. “I feel good for him that

he's going to get to pick and there will be people [interested]. He's a good, healthy pitcher that's

capable of a lot better than what he did for us this year. It didn't work out.”

If he lands in the majors with another team, that club will be responsible for the prorated amount

of the league minimum, which will likely be $150,000 or less.

“It was a big disappointment for everybody. It's not the way we expected things would go,”

Duquette said. “He had a great year last year, but that didn't have a bearing on things [in 2015].”

The Orioles have cut ties with several veterans this season that were counted on to help the 2015

club, including outfielders Alejandro De Aza, Delmon Young and Travis Snider, pitchers Ryan

Webb, Wesley Wright and Norris, and infielder Everth Cabrera.

Tillman won't start until Tuesday

After watching Chris Tillman take pitcher's fielding practice Saturday at Angels Stadium,

Showalter and pitching coach Dave Wallace decided to push the right-hander's start back one

more day.

Tillman, who hasn't pitched since spraining his left ankle July 29, will start Tuesday's game in

Seattle instead of Monday against the Mariners.

Tillman has said he no longer feels any discomfort in his landing leg when he pitches, but

Showalter said Tillman was extra cautious during one of the fielding drills in which he had to

stop and start.

“You could tell that he was a little tentative on it,” Showalter said. “Not feeling it, but I think

every day we can buy [is beneficial] and we can buy until Tuesday. So we are going to buy them

all.”

Because the club had a day off Thursday, none of the scheduled starters will have to pitch on

short rest. Miguel Gonzalez will start Sunday's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels and

Wei-Yin Chen will open the series in Seattle. Kevin Gausman will pitch Wednesday's game at

Safeco Field.

Parmelee clears waivers, could play at Norfolk

Duquette said Saturday that infielder-outfielder Chris Parmelee, who was also designated for

assignment July 31, cleared waivers and his contract was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Parmelee, who hit .216 with four homers in 32 games for the Orioles, can accept the assignment

or become a free agent and sign elsewhere. Showalter said he hopes the 27-year-old, who

excelled defensively at first base, would stick in the organization.

“I know I got asked today about him by a couple of clubs,” Showalter said. “I don't know [what

he'll do]. We can present as good of an opportunity as anybody.”

Around the horn

Showalter said infielder-outfielder Steve Pearce (left oblique strain) is working out in Sarasota,

Fla., and is improving to the point that he should begin baseball activities such as hitting off a tee

early in this upcoming week. Showalter is still hoping Pearce can be back before Sept. 1. …

Right-hander Mike Wright (left calf strain) is expected to pitch from a mound this upcoming

week in Sarasota, Showalter said. … Duquette said Saturday there was nothing new on dealing

Snider, who was designated for assignment Friday. … Right-hander Jered Weaver will start for

the Angels in Sunday's series finale against the Orioles. He has been on the disabled list since

June 21 with left hip inflammation. ... Seattle ace Felix Hernandez will not face the Orioles next

week. Instead, they'll get left-hander Vidal Nuno, right-hander Taijuan Walker and right-hander

Hisashi Iwakuma.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-bullpen-plug-0809-20150808-

story.html

Managing bullpen could be challenge for Orioles until

rosters expand

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Throughout much of their successful run under manager Buck Showalter, one of the Orioles'

biggest strengths has been their effective bullpen.

A recent ESPN survey of talent evaluators, coaches and media analysts placed Showalter as the

game's second-best skipper and second-best for handling pitching staffs, behind only San

Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Showalter is known not just for putting his relievers in the right situations, but also sometimes

putting them in unconventional spots because he wants to protect against overuse, which can

lead to arm fatigue and, potentially, serious injury. And he and Orioles executive vice president

Dan Duquette are the kings of using the minor leagues to continually bring in fresh arms. It's not

a system that is for everyone, but it has worked for Showalter and company.

Although he won't admit it, these next few weeks before Sept. 1 might be the toughest challenge

of his Orioles tenure when it comes to managing the bullpen.

In the span of the past week, one of the bullpen's more dependable arms, right-hander Tommy

Hunter, was traded to the Chicago Cubs. Demoted-starter Bud Norris was released. Promising

sidearmer Mychal Givens was promoted, then sent back down to make room for Rule 5 pick

Jason Garcia, who needs to stay in the big leagues for the remainder of this season to stick with

the organization in 2016. Also, the Orioles brought up and then placed righty Mike Wright on the

disabled list, and recalled lefty T.J. McFarland, who will fill several roles as a long reliever and

jack of all trades.

The relievers are used to a revolving door in the bullpen, but this one is in the middle of a

pennant race. And with Hunter gone, someone else is going to have to pick up those innings,

whether it is Chaz Roe, Garcia, Givens or someone else from the minors.

Since becoming a full-time reliever for the Orioles in 2013, Hunter compiled a 3.05 ERA in 191

2/3 innings over 167 games. That's a lot of quality innings to lose.

"It was tough to see Tommy go. It's different. It's a little bit quieter," bullpen leader Darren

O'Day said. "But he's got a great opportunity in Chicago and this is a great opportunity for these

younger guys — Garcia, Givens — to kind of step up into that right-handed setup role."

The Orioles bullpen had a 2.90 ERA in the first half of the season, and has actually lowered it in

the second half with a 2.47 ERA. So far in August, the bullpen has a 2.04 ERA, a drop from 2.99

in July and 2.11 in June.

But on Friday, in an 8-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Orioles bullpen allowed two runs on

four hits on two walks in 2 1/3 innings. Brad Brach, who has been solid all season, surrendered a

homer on his first pitch. Roe, who was unhittable early this season, allowed an inherited runner

to score and had to pitch out of a jam. He entered Saturday having allowed 13 hits and three

walks in his past 7 1/3 innings.

"He hasn't pitched lately, the last two or three outings, at the level he was so good at," Showalter

said of Roe. "Hopefully, we can get that back on track. That sixth inning there, that's the spot he's

been so good for us. That wasn't the case [Friday]."

Showalter also used Garcia for the first time since May on Friday, and the 22-year-old fireballer

who walked nine in 15 innings during his rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Bowie, walked

one and nearly hit a batter. Ultimately, he pitched a scoreless inning.

Because the Orioles want to keep Garcia for the long term — and would have to put him through

waivers and/or offer him back to the Boston Red Sox if they took him off the roster — he will be

in the Orioles bullpen for the rest of the season. And that means, until reinforcements arrive in

September when rosters expand, Garcia will get opportunities.

"He's had some command issues even there in Bowie, but he got through it and got the first

[outing] out of the way [in August], because he is going to pitch," Showalter said. "If he's here,

he's gonna have to pitch in the American League."

O'Day, who also was a Rule 5 pick at the beginning of his pro career, said it's a tough spot for

anyone.

"Yeah, it's a challenge because you know what the stakes are and you know you have to perform,

and usually you are there [in the majors] a little bit sooner than you should be," O'Day said. "It

takes away bullpen flexibility, but much of our bullpen is like that anyway."

McFarland is the only current Orioles reliever who can be sent to the minors without first passing

through waivers. That roster crunch was one of the reasons the Orioles traded away Hunter and

released Norris, so they could move more guys up and down if needed. But Garcia's inclusion

Thursday after his rehab assignment expired complicated things.

So the bullpen flexibility is again compromised. It won't be that big of a deal, O'Day said, so

long as the entire staff can do its job effectively.

"If your starters are going six and seven innings every night, bullpen flexibility doesn't matter so

long as you are pitching well," O'Day said. "But if a guy lays an egg or something and your long

guy doesn't pick up those three innings, you are going to need some help. … Buck's not going to

blow anybody's arm out. So a short start can affect a team for quite a few days if you don't have

the proper safety net in the bullpen like we do now with T.J."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-bud-norris-officially-released-parmelee-

clears-waivers-20150808-story.html

Bud Norris officially released; Chris Parmelee clears

waivers

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Right-hander Bud Norris, who won 15 games for the Orioles' division-winning club in 2014 but

struggled throughout this season, officially was released Saturday afternoon.

The Orioles were attempting to trade the 30-year-old Norris before and after designating him for

assignment on July 31, but were unsuccessful.

“We couldn’t find a trade partner. We canvassed the market thoroughly,” executive vice

president Dan Duquette said. “We tried for weeks and couldn’t identify a trade partner.”

Norris was 2-9 with a 7.06 ERA in 18 games (11 starts) for the Orioles this year after going 15-8

with a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts in 2014.

A pending free agent at season’s end, Norris could not maintain any consistency from the

beginning of spring training, and ultimately lost his starting spot in the rotation. His nightmare

2015 included a stint on the disabled list because of a severe case of bronchitis that sapped him

of his strength.

When contacted by phone Saturday, Norris politely declined comment by saying, “I’m just going

to keep quiet.”

Norris is now free to sign with any team. If he doesn’t, the Orioles are on the hook for the

roughly $2.85 million remaining of his $8.8 million salary. If he lands in the majors with another

team – which seems likely given his previous success – that team will be responsible for the

prorated amount of the league minimum, which will likely be $150,000 or less.

“It was a big disappointment for everybody. It’s not the way we expected things would go,”

Duquette said. “He had a great year last year, but that didn’t have a bearing on things [in 2015].”

The Orioles have cut ties with several veterans this season that were counted on to help the 2015

club, including outfielders Alejandro De Aza, Delmon Young and Travis Snider (who was

designated for assignment Friday), pitchers Ryan Webb and Norris, and infielder Everth Cabrera.

On Saturday, Duquette said that infielder-outfielder Chris Parmelee, who also was designated for

assignment July 31, had cleared waivers and his contract was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Parmelee, who hit .216 with four homers in 32 games for the Orioles, can accept the assignment

or become a free agent.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-lineups-story.html

Lineups for Saturday's Orioles-Angels game in Anaheim

The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Here are the lineups for tonight's game:

Orioles

Manny Machado 3B

Gerardo Parra LF

Adam Jones CF

Chris Davis RF

Matt Wieters DH

Jonathan Schoop 2B

J.J. Hardy SS

Ryan Flaherty 1B

Caleb Joseph C

Ubaldo Jimenez RHP

Angels

David DeJesus LF

Kole Calhoun RF

Mike Trout CF

Albert Pujos 1B

David Murphy DH

Erick Aybar SS

Conor Gillaspie 3B

Johnny Giavotella 2B

Carlos Perez C

Garrett Richards RHP

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-tillman-feels-no-ankle-pain-likely-to-start-

monday-20150807-story.html

Chris Tillman feels no ankle pain, likely to start Monday

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman, who hasn’t pitched since spraining his left ankle in a shutout

of the Atlanta Braves on July 29, likely will start again Monday in Seattle.

Tillman threw a bullpen session at Angel Stadium on Friday afternoon and said he felt no

discomfort in his ankle.

“I don’t feel it at all when I pitch,” Tillman said. “It’s just a matter of doing the other stuff.”

Tillman was supposed to test the ankle with some pitcher’s fielding practice off the stadium

mound Friday, but he said the field was being occupied by early batting practice.

So he’ll do fielding drills Saturday afternoon – which makes it much more likely that Tillman

will start Monday in Seattle and not Sunday in the series finale at Angel Stadium.

“That’s my impression,” he said.

That would mean Miguel Gonzalez would start Sunday against the Angels on regular rest.

The location doesn’t really matter to Tillman. He is 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two starts at Angel

Stadium and 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA in two starts at Safeco Field.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-while-you-were-sleeping-five-

takeaways-from-the-orioles-84-loss-to-the-angels-on-friday-20150807-story.html

While you were sleeping: Five takeaways from the Orioles'

8-4 loss to the Angels on Friday

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 8, 2015

Beware the struggling team: The Orioles were hoping they were getting to Anaheim at just the

right time, since the Angels entered the series in a 3-10 slump. Of course, the trouble with

slumping teams is that they have to break out at some point – especially contending teams that

have the likes of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols at the heart of their batting order. The Angels

already had started to come out of it in a series victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Orioles pitchers can’t close the door: It happened again on Friday night. Kevin Gausman was

cruising along when Jonathan Schoop lined a two-run home run into the left-field bleachers to

give the Orioles a two-run lead in the fourth. So, what happens? Gausman proceeds to walk the

first two Angels batters in the next half-inning and both walks turn into runs to tie the game. It

was an all-too-familiar scenario for the Orioles rotation, which has had trouble coming up with a

shutdown inning after the offense puts up a crooked number.

Gausman needs an out pitch: I’ll take Jim Palmer’s word for it. Gausman needs to develop a

pitch that can get batters to swing out of the strike zone. He’s got great velocity but the Angels

took advantage of his inconsistent command inside the square at all the wrong moments. He’ll

get there, but he’s not there yet.

Garcia gets an inning: Rule 5 draftee Jason Garcia made his first major league appearance since

May 10 and pitched a scoreless eighth. He walked a batter and buzzed Mike Trout up and in, but

got Albert Pujols to bounce into a force play to get out of the inning. He’s apparently going to be

the mop-up guy in the bullpen and needs to pitch well enough to hold his roster spot until rosters

expand on Sept. 1.

Another opportunity lost: The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays and again the

Orioles were unable to take advantage of an opportunity to inch closer to the division leaders.

The O’s have won nine of their past 13 games and gained only one game on New York. This

game was winnable, but the Orioles gave up too many two-out RISP hits and got too many guys

thrown out on the bases.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-lake-snider-0808-20150807-story.html

Now with Orioles, Junior Lake 'ready to go' after Travis

Snider designated for assignment

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 7, 2015

While Junior Lake was preparing for his first day as an Oriole in the Los Angeles Angels'

visiting clubhouse, a line of familiar faces greeted him.

Lake and Jimmy Paredes played with and against each other for years in their native Dominican

Republic. Lake spent three seasons rooming with infielder Ryan Flaherty in the Chicago Cubs

minor league system. Gerardo Parra and Lake became friendly during their years in the National

League Central. Third base coach Bobby Dickerson was in the Dominican with the Cubs when

they signed Lake as a teenager in 2007.

So the Orioles might be Lake's third team in a week, but he already feels at home.

"I'm ready to go. I'm excited to come here," said Lake, who was immediately inserted in the

Orioles lineup as the designated hitter and eighth batter. "I'm ready to play hard. That's all I can

control, to play hard. I don't control where I play or [when] I hit. But I play hard every day."

After just four games with Triple-A Norfolk, Lake was promoted to the Orioles on Friday when

the club designated left-handed outfielder Travis Snider for assignment.

Snider, who was acquired in January from the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor league pitchers,

hit just .237 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 211 at-bats for the Orioles. The club now has 10

days to trade, release or ask waivers on the 27-year-old Snider, who was making $2.1 million

this year. Any team that would claim him off waivers, if it gets to that point, would have to pick

up what's remaining of his 2015 salary.

“He’s a 27-year-old, left-handed hitting outfielder that has a better track record than he showed

here, and I want him to present himself like he is capable of being the rest of the way,” Orioles

manager Buck Showalter said. “He’ll get either traded for or picked up, and he’ll get more

opportunities than he’s going to have here and will present himself in the offseason well and the

game has a way of coming around.

“Junior, I’ve heard good things about him and I’m looking forward to seeing him play. ... I just

think [Snider] never got snowballing like he is capable of. But it’s there.”

Snider is the latest example of a player the Orioles were counting on this winter that has been

jettisoned during the season, joining Alejandro De Aza, Delmon Young and Bud Norris, among

others.

"It was a difficult decision to DFA Travis Snider, but given where we are and where we are

trying to go, we felt it was time to address the club need," said Orioles executive vice president

Dan Duquette. "Lake is a proven hitter and we are trying to address a need for more offensive

production from our outfielders."

The right-handed-hitting Lake, 25, was batting .315 with a .404 on-base percentage and seven

homers in 58 games with Triple-A Iowa when the Orioles obtained him July 31 in a deal that

sent right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter to the Cubs. Lake had four hits in 12 at-bats with the

Tides this week before being told Thursday evening that he'd be headed to Los Angeles to join

the Orioles.

"I'm surprised a little bit, but not too much," Lake said. "I think I can be here and help the team."

A career .241 hitter with 16 homers in 602 major league at-bats with the Cubs over parts of three

seasons, Lake has been much better against left-handed pitching. He has hit .287 with a .335 on-

base percentage and a .450 slugging versus southpaws as a big leaguer.

Showalter acknowledged he didn't really know much about Lake, and Norfolk manager Ron

Johnson only had a few games to evaluate his new player.

"We brought him up because we were facing a left-hander today, the first day in [Anaheim],"

Showalter said. "We like our lineup better. We were a right-handed hitter short, and now we are

not."

Signed as a shortstop out of the famed San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican, the 6-foot-3,

215-pound Lake was converted to the outfield in the minors and has never played a big league

game in the infield. He said he is most comfortable as a left fielder, but will play wherever the

Orioles need him.

Paredes, for one, said he thinks promoting Lake now is a great move.

"I played a lot of baseball with him and this guy is a good player. He can play all [outfield]

positions and he's got good range in the field," Paredes said. "He's got power. He is like a five-

tool player. He can do lots of things."

Flaherty, who said he hadn't seen Lake in a few years, immediately approached his former

roommate and conversed with him in Spanish. Later on, Flaherty let Lake borrow a pair of his

cleats until he gets his own Orioles equipment.

"He's a good guy and his tools are off the charts," said Flaherty, who roomed with Lake at three

different minor league levels. "He can throw with the best, run with the best, hit with power with

the best. I'm just excited to see him mature as a player from where he was before and see how it

goes."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-designate-travis-snider-for-

assignment-call-up-junior-lake-20150807-story.html

Orioles designate Travis Snider for assignment, call up

Junior Lake

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 7, 2015

The Orioles have designated Travis Snider for assignment and called up outfielder Junior Lake,

who was obtained in the Tommy Hunter trade last week with the Chicago Cubs, the team

announced Friday.

Snider, who the Orioles acquired for two minor league pitchers in the offseason, hit just .237

with three homers and 20 RBIs in 69 games.

Lake, 25, is in the Orioles’ starting lineup Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, batting eighth

and serving as the DH. The right-handed hitter batted .333 with two stolen bases in four games

with Triple-A Norfolk after joining the Orioles organization last Friday.

He is a career .241 hitter in parts of three seasons with the Cubs, including .224 in 58 at-bats this

year. He hit .315 for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate this year. Lake will wear No. 48 for the Orioles.

The Orioles have 10 days to trade, release or ask waivers on the 27-year-old Snider, who was

making $2.1 million this season.

It’s the third time the Orioles have designated a player in the past week. Right-hander Bud Norris

and infielder Chris Parmelee were designated on July 31.

In a strange twist, all three grew up near the cities that the Orioles visited this week. Norris is

from Northern California, Parmelee from Southern California and Snider from Washington state.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0808-20150807-story.html

Orioles notebook: Club plans to use, not stash Rule 5 pitcher

Jason Garcia

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 7, 2015

Manager Buck Showalter said now that Rule 5 right-hander Jason Garcia is on the 25-man roster,

he will pitch for the Orioles. It's impossible, he said, to hide a pitcher in the majors these days.

"He'll pitch. You can't play in the American League without seven pitchers pitching," Showalter

said.

In order to keep the 22-year-old Garcia for 2016 and beyond, he has to remain with the club for

the rest of the year. Although he has a big arm — he can get his fastball up to the high 90s — he

has not had much success at the major league level. He allowed 11 hits, 11 walks and nine

earned runs in 13 2/3 innings for the Orioles before going on the major league disabled list May

13 with right shoulder tendinitis.

The hard thrower made nine rehab appearances at Double-A Bowie, going 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA

while striking out 14 and walking nine in 15 innings. His rehabilitation assignment had expired

and the Orioles needed to make a call on his future, so they sent rookie Mychal Givens back to

Bowie on Thursday to make room for Garcia.

Showalter said the enormity of the decision has been lessened by the presence of lefty T.J.

McFarland, who can pitch multiple innings, giving the manager a better chance to pick his spots

for Garcia.

"That's one of the reasons why Mac's here, too," Showalter said. "Mac gives us real versatility

and coverage for everybody and he's made our bullpen better when he's here."

It's unusual for a team in a pennant race to have to carry a Rule 5 player, but the Orioles did in

2012 with Ryan Flaherty and in 2013 with McFarland. And now they'll try it again with Garcia.

"You can say the same thing about Flaherty and McFarland and they were contributors. So

maybe a year or two from now we'll be saying the same thing about Jason," Showalter said. "It's

not like you don't have people like him in your system; you just try to get as many as you can.

There's not a better way to acquire players for the investment than the Rule 5 draft, for us

especially."

Davis' impressive and familiar company

Chris Davis' torrid second half has put him into some pretty lofty company among AL sluggers.

And that includes one of his former Orioles teammates who is tearing up the league on the other

side of the country — a guy Davis will see early next week.

Although Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays, Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals and

Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees are having tremendous second halves so far, an

argument can be made that the only AL hitter that's outpacing Davis since mid-July is Nelson

Cruz, who left the Orioles in the offseason for a four-year deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Heading into Friday night's action, Davis is leading all major leaguers with 27 RBIs in 19 games

since the break. He had bashed nine homers, including two grand slams in a span of 12 days, and

was hitting .306 in the second half. All nine homers and 26 of his RBIs have come in his past 15

games. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the only other players in modern franchise history to

have similar 15-game runs are Jim Gentile (1961), Cal Ripken Jr.(1996) and Albert Belle (2000).

Cruz entered Friday with 10 homers, 14 RBIs and a .384 average since the All-Star break. He

homered in five straight games from July 31 to Aug. 4, the second time Cruz has had such a

streak this season. According to Elias, he is one of only five players in baseball history to homer

in five consecutive games twice in the same season, joining Harmon Killebrew (1970), Frank

Thomas (1994), Barry Bonds (2001) and Chase Utley (2008).

The Orioles play a three-game series in Seattle starting Monday.

Tillman's ankle improving, will pitch Sunday or Monday

Right-hander Chris Tillman tested his left ankle with a bullpen session Friday in Anaheim, and

Showalter said the initial reports were that he's fine and will start a game by Monday.

"He said he's even better today," Showalter said. "He is either [starting] Sunday or Monday."

Showalter said during his pregame press conference Friday that he knew which way he was

leaning, but first wanted to talk to pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti

before making it official.

If Tillman pitches Monday in Seattle, then Miguel Gonzalez will start on regular rest Sunday in

the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-minor-league-capsules-0809-

20150808-story.html

Orioles minor league report: Oliver Drake hasn't allowed a

run in minors since April

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

August 7, 2015

Triple-A Norfolk

Since reliever Oliver Drake (Navy) returned from the disabled list on July 29, he had six

strikeouts and three hits allowed in five scoreless outings entering Friday. Drake missed about

three weeks because of injury, and has spent time in the majors this season, but went into the

weekend with 26 straight scoreless appearances at Triple-A, last allowing a run on April 26.

Double-A Bowie

Left-hander Chris Lee made his Double-A debut with 5 1/3 innings Thursday, allowing two hits

through five innings before two men reached and scored in the sixth. He was charged with three

runs, walked four and struck out two. Lee, acquired from the Houston Astros for international-

bonus slots, was promoted after four straight quality starts lowered his ERA in Frederick to 3.07.

High-A Frederick

Mitch Horacek, a left-hander selected in the ninth round of the 2013 draft, struck out seven in six

innings Thursday while allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. He fell to 6-13, though,

and his ERA sits at 4.38. Horacek entered Friday leading the Carolina League with 120

strikeouts. The next-closest pitcher was Keys right-hander David Hess, who had 97.

Low-A Delmarva

After throwing a seven-inning no-hitter on July 31, right-hander John Means returned to the

mound to toss five innings of six-hit, two-run ball with three strikeouts in a no-decision

Wednesday against Hickory. Means, an 11th-round draft pick in 2014, is 8-7 with a 3.49 ERA in

21 starts this year.

Short-A Aberdeen/rookie-level GCL Orioles

The IronBirds were no-hit by Tri-City on Thursday. … Shortstop Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles'

second first-round draft pick in 2015, entered the weekend batting .298/.326/.395 with a pair of

home runs, six doubles and 11 RBIs in 32 games in the Gulf Coast League. He's also tied for the

team lead with outfielder Jaylen Ferguson with nine steals.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baltimore-sports-blog/bal-orioles-to-sign-2016-pet-

calendar-at-barcs-20150807-story.html

Orioles pet calendar will be available this month

The Baltimore Sun

August 7, 2015

The Orioles pet calendar will be available Aug. 22; players will sign them at BARCS

Forget Buck Showalter’s gnome. Forget the Orioles player-designed shirts. Forget the Maryland-

themed Oriole bird bobblehead. The Orioles Pet Calendar takes the cake and you can get yours

soon.

Back for the seventh time, the 16-month calendar features Orioles players posing with their pets

or animals from the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), a nonprofit that cares

for animals in need and benefits from the proceeds.

The $15 calendar will go on sale Saturday, Aug. 22, and will be available at Oriole Park, the

Orioles Team Store in York, Pa., and online at www.orioles.com/petcalendar.

The 2016 edition features: Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy,

Caleb Joseph, David Lough, Steve Pearce, Chris Tillman, Wei-Yen Chen, Kevin Gausman,

Miguel Gonzalez, Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach and manager Buck

Showalter.

Brach, Gonzalez, Hardy, Lough, Tillman and Wieters will all be at BARCS at 301 Stockholm St.

in Baltimore to sign autographs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 22. At the Orioles game Aug. 23,

the first 20,000 fans 15 and over will receive an Orioles pet leash.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142226994/miguel-gonzalez-followed-by-solid-os-bullpen

Effective 'pen follows Gonzalez's short outing Five relievers combine for six innings before O's fall on walk-off in 11th

By Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM -- Because right-hander Miguel Gonzalez had such an uncharacteristic start Sunday

afternoon, the Orioles' bullpen had to work long and hard.

It was just a little too long, and didn't end with a positive result, as the Angels' David

Murphy drove a bases-loaded walk-off single over the head of O's left fielder David Lough in the

11th inning to hand Baltimore a 5-4 loss at Angel Stadium in the rubber game of the three-game

series.

"We got some really important innings from the bullpen," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter,

who used five relievers after Gonzalez needed 102 pitches to get 14 outs.

Left-hander T.J. McFarland gave the O's some bullpen length, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings

and setting the stage for the Orioles to tie the score with a pair of sixth-inning homers

from Gerardo Parra (his first with Baltimore) and Chris Davis(his 29th of the season).

"I feel great [about the homer], I'm just not really happy that we lost," Parra said.

McFarland yielded to Darren O'Day and Brad Brach, who combined for five strikeouts over

three scoreless frames. Brach struck out Murphy to send the game to extra innings.

"We got back in it, we just couldn't put another one of them on the board," Showalter said. "Mac

did what he was supposed to do. I was really proud of our bullpen. Their bullpen did a nice job.

Their bullpen was a tad better."

The fifth Orioles reliever, left-hander Brian Matusz, came on in the 11th to retire Kole

Calhoun with the winning run on second for the second out. Then Showalter had Matusz

intentionally walk Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to load the bases, bringing up the left-handed-

hitting Murphy, who connected on a 3-2 pitch.

"You pretty much pick your poison there," Showalter said of his strategy to load the bases for

Murphy. "All three of those guys have been having success."

Gonzalez had previously been effective against the Angels, going 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in four

career starts, including three in Anaheim. He was staked to a 2-0 first-inning lead on Matt

Wieters' RBI single and Jonathan Schoop's RBI double, which extended his hitting streak to a

career-high eight games.

Those hits came with two outs against Jered Weaver. But Gonzalez couldn't hold the lead, giving

up a three-run homer to Murphy in the third inning and a solo shot by Calhoun in the first.

"He kept us in the game, but I've never seen him work with that tempo," Showalter said of

Gonzalez, normally a quick worker.

"I just hung one out there [to Murphy]," Gonzalez said. "There were a lot of foul balls [that drove

up the pitch count]. Physically, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with my shoulder or elbow. I've

got to keep grinding. You can't look back."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142125640/chris-parmelee-outrighted-by-os-to-triple-a

Parmelee outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk

By Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM -- First baseman/outfielder Chris Parmelee, designated on July 31 by the Orioles,

accepted an outright assignment Sunday to Triple-A Norfolk.

"I'm happy that happened," manager Buck Showalter said. "Everybody's happy that could

happen."

Parmelee, 27, batted .216 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 32 games for the Orioles this

season after signing as a Minor League free agent in January. He played parts of three seasons

with the Twins, and he is a .245 career hitter in the Majors.

"That's good news for [Norfolk manager Ron Johnson] and them," Showalter said."He's a good

player."

• On Friday night, Angels center fielder Mike Trout threw out Adam Jones, his Orioles

counterpart, at second base. On Saturday night, Jones threw Trout out at the plate -- with the help

of a replay review -- to preserve a shutout.

"There's a healthy competition there," Showalter said.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142107140/chen-orioles-head-to-seattle-to-open-series

Chen, Orioles head to Seattle to open series

By Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 9, 2015

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen and Mariners lefty Vidal Nuno open a three-game series

Monday night at Safeco Field.

Though Chen is just 5-6, he has an impressive 3.32 ERA, and the Orioles have won 13 of his 21

starts this season. He lost, 4-2, to the Mariners at Camden Yards on May 20. Chen is 2-3 with a

3.33 ERA in seven career starts vs. Seattle, and he has held the club to a .222 batting average.

Nuno (0-0, 2.88 ERA) will be making just his second start for the Mariners after 18 relief

appearances. He was acquired from the D-backs in a five-player deal along with Mark Trumbo

on June 3.

In his first Mariners start on Aug. 4 at Colorado, Nuno allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings in a

10-4 Seattle victory. Against the Orioles in his career, he's 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA in three games

(one start).

Three things to know about this game

• The Orioles took two of three games from the Mariners at Camden Yards from May 19-21.

Seattle leads the all-time series, 536-462, although Baltimore has won the past three season

series.

• Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager has only one hit in 20 career at-bats vs. Chen.

• The Orioles' Chris Davis and Adam Jones are each 2-for-4 vs. Nuno, including a home run for

Jones.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142025578/ubaldo-jimenez-turns-in-best-start-of-year

Ubaldo slays road demons with gem at Big A

By Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM -- Pitching on the road this season hasn't been a very rewarding experience

for Ubaldo Jimenez, but the Orioles right-hander made Saturday night an exception.

In what Jimenez called his "best start of the year," he no-hit the Angels for 5 2/3 innings, allowed

just two hits in eight innings and combined with Darren O'Day for a5-0 shutout of the Angels at

Angel Stadium.

Coming in, Jimenez was 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA over his past four road starts, and was 2-5 with a

5.25 ERA in 12 starts away from Camden Yards for the season.

"I really needed it," Jimenez said. "It's not easy coming to the stadium every day, and know

you're not doing what you're supposed to do -- especially with the situation we're in, fighting for

a playoff spot.

"I felt really good today. I think I was able to execute most of the pitches down in the zone, and I

think [catcher] Caleb Joseph was calling a great game."

Against the Angels in his career, Jimenez had been 0-5 with a 5.34 ERA in five starts.

"It's good to get the first one," he said. "They do have a great lineup. It's not easy to get them out.

I just think I had a good game tonight, and it was just not their night. That happens in baseball."

Jimenez (9-7) threw a season-high 118 pitches, struck out six, walked one and hit two batters --

including Angels leadoff hitter David DeJesus with his second pitch of the game. Jimenez

lowered his ERA to 3.79. It was 2.81 on July 8, but he allowed 22 earned runs in the 18 2/3

innings that followed.

"Unbelievable," said Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. "It's good to see him back where

he needs to be. He had a couple rough starts in a row.

"He was in command of his pitches, getting strikes early, then not giving them many pitches to

hit."

Machado backed him with four hits, including his 24th home run, and Joseph hit his 10th.

Asked if it was Jimenez's best start since joining the Orioles on a four-year $50 million free-

agent deal in February 2014, manager Buck Showalter said: "He's had some good ones ... but in

that situation, against a really good club, it was big."

The Orioles have no complete games this season, and Jimenez hasn't completed a shutout since

throwing one for the Rockies against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on June 1, 2011. But this was

his fifth scoreless start (in 22) this season.

"His delivery is part of his deception," Showalter said, addressing the complex form that

sometimes leads to up-and-down performances by Jimenez. "When it all comes together like

that, it's pretty good."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/142018198/chris-tillman-to-return-to-orioles-on-tuesday

Tillman's return moved to Tuesday

By Earl Bloom / MLB.com

August 8, 2015

ANAHEIM -- Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman will make his next start Tuesday night against

the Mariners in Seattle, manager Buck Showalter said on Saturday.

Tillman last started July 29, when he injured an ankle while covering first base against the

Braves at Camden Yards. There was a possibility he would start Sunday at Angel Stadium, near

where he grew up in Fountain Valley, but that was changed, first to Monday and now Tuesday.

"He's a lot better," Showalter said, but added Tillman "still was a little tentative" on one drill.

"We're taking every day we can take," Showalter said. "Every day we can buy will benefit."

Tillman has a 0.38 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break.

Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez will start Sunday afternoon against the Angels, with left-

hander Wei-Yin Chen opening the Mariners series Monday night.

Worth noting

• Showalter said outfielder Steve Pearce (left oblique strain) will likely resume baseball activities

early next week, and that the Orioles are hopeful of getting him back on the active roster before

Sept. 1. Pearce last played July 18.

• Right-hander Mike Wright, who went on the disabled list Aug. 1 because of a left calf strain,

will get back on a mound next week.

• Right-hander Bud Norris, designated for assignment on July 31, was given his release Saturday.

"He'll go somewhere, land on his feet, and have a good career," Showalter said of the veteran,

who won 15 games for the Orioles in 2014, but was 2-9 with a 7.06 ERA this season.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/141872152/kevin-gausmans-mistake-costly-against-angels

Gausman burnt by final pitch

By David Adler / MLB.com

August 8, 2015

ANAHEIM -- The Orioles came into their series opener against the Angels, an 8-4 loss Friday

night, with their rotation averaging 5.7 innings per start -- tied for third-fewest in the American

League. That's almost exactly what the O's got from Kevin Gausman, who lasted 5 2/3 innings.

They needed six.

With two runners on, two outs and Baltimore holding onto a 4-3 lead, Gausman had Angels

catcher Chris Iannetta in a 1-2 hole, a strike away from getting out of the inning. The young

flamethrowing right-hander tried to throw a fastball by him, and he hit 99 mph. The pitch was

also right over the plate, and Iannetta cranked a go-ahead two-run double over Nolan Reimold's

head in deep left field, knocking Gausman out of the game. Baltimore never made up the deficit.

"The worst pitch I threw all day was the last one," Gausman said. "And that's definitely what's

frustrating. I get out of that right there and it's a pretty solid outing.

"That was the worst one by far. It was pretty center-cut. I think I tried to overpower him a little

bit too much."

Catcher Matt Wieters, who called for the fastball that Iannetta drove, said he was kicking himself

over it after the game.

"Hindsight's always 20/20, but he'd seen quite a few fastballs," Wieters said. "You just know

how great of a fastball Kevin has, so I didn't want to get beat on something less than his fastball.

But breaking ball was something that ran through my mind first, and I just talked myself out of

it."

The execution of the pitch, of course, probably had a bigger impact than the call. In that respect,

manager Buck Showalter said he saw Gausman's youth showing through, the situation maybe

getting the best of the 24-year-old who's made only 32 career starts.

"He really reached back -- he knew that was his last hitter, and he deserved a chance there,"

Showalter said. "He'll get out of those chances as his career goes forward, but it's a process."

Still, Baltimore would have liked to have executed better in an August series between two

playoff contenders. Even though Friday's loss wasn't all on Gausman -- the Orioles' usually

reliable bullpen gave up three runs in relief -- the game hinged on the last out of that sixth inning,

the one Gausman couldn't get.

"After we took the lead, I went out there and didn't put up a scoreless inning," Gausman said.

"Any time you do that and you struggle against the bottom half of the lineup like I did,

eventually it's gonna hurt your team."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/141806576/rule-5-draft-pick-jason-garcia-rejoins-orioles

Garcia's activation complicates O's bullpen

By David Adler / MLB.com

August 8, 2015

ANAHEIM -- The Orioles activated Rule 5 Draft pick Jason Garcia from the 60-day disabled list

on Friday, as the right-hander's 30-day rehab assignment expired and he needs to accumulate 90

days on Baltimore's 25-man roster in 2015 to lose his Rule 5 status.

The 22-year-old, who had a 5.93 ERA and walked 11 batters in 13 2/3 innings before going on

the DL with right shoulder tendinitis in May, could make the Orioles' bullpen management more

difficult until rosters expand in September if he continues to struggle.

Those control issues quickly manifested themselves when Garcia pitched the eighth inning

of Friday night's 8-4 loss to the Angels. Garcia walked the first man he faced, Kole Calhoun,

then missed his target badly on a fastball that ran up-and-in on Mike Trout, eliciting boos from

the Angel Stadium crowd. Garcia got through a clean inning, but only five of the 14 pitches he

threw were strikes.

"You're taking a guy whose command's been an issue for him, but you could see why we'd like

to have him in the system," manager Buck Showalter said. "He got through it against some good

hitters; I'm sure he had some anxiety, but it looks like he's healthy now and the arm strength's

back."

For a team in the middle of a playoff chase, those three or so weeks in the interim before

September callups could be something of a concern. Showalter said Baltimore wouldn't shy

away from using Garcia, though.

"He'll pitch. You can't play in the American League without seven pitchers pitching," Showalter

said. "He's healthy now, and if there's an adjustment to be made, we'll make it."

Mychal Givens, who was optioned to Double-A Bowie in a corresponding move, hadn't allowed

a run in his three appearances spanning four innings.

"Nobody wanted to send Mychal back, but there's some things he can still work on," Showalter

said. "There's still some unknown there with Mychal."

Showalter stressed the value of the Rule 5 Draft in acquiring talent, even if it necessitates moves

like sending down someone who's played well, like Givens.

"You could say the same thing the last two years about [second baseman Ryan Flaherty and left-

hander T.J. McFarland]. And they were contributors," Showalter said. "Maybe a year or two

from now we'll be saying the same thing about Jason.

"There's not a better way to acquire players for the investment than the Rule 5 Draft, for us

especially. I'm sure most managers wouldn't be sitting here saying that; I am."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/141842050/chris-tillman-to-return-to-orioles-from-injury

Tillman to return Sunday or Monday

By David Adler / MLB.com

August 8, 2015

ANAHEIM -- After doing some long toss, working out and throwing a bullpen session at Angel

Stadium before the Orioles' 8-4 loss on Friday night, right-hander Chris Tillman is on track to

start either Sunday's series finale against the Angels or Monday's series opener against the

Mariners in Seattle.

Tillman -- who has a 0.38 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break, having allowed just one

run over 23 2/3 innings -- has been dealing with a sore left ankle, which he rolled covering first

base in his last start.

"It was good. Didn't feel it pitching," Tillman said. "I think I'm capable to go either [Sunday or

Monday]. It's up to the trainers -- I'm kind of relying on them on this one."

Tillman said he didn't do any fielding practice Friday, but the plan is for him to go through his

fielding drills on Saturday, working off the Angel Stadium mound. If he responds well, he could

start Sunday.

Manager Buck Showalter said he'd have a better idea of which day Tillman will go once he

talked to pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.

"I got a feeling where it's going, but I want to hear from them first," Showalter said.

The other option to start on Sunday would be right-hander Miguel Gonzalez.

Worth noting

• The Orioles recalled outfielder Junior Lake, who was acquired from the Cubs on July 31

for Tommy Hunter, from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. Lake was in the starting lineup for Friday's

series opener against the Angels at designated hitter, batting eighth.

Lake went 1-for-4 with a double.

"We were a right-handed hitter short, and now we're not," Showalter said.

In a corresponding move, Baltimore designated outfielder Travis Snider for assignment. Snider

hit just .237 with three home runs in 69 games for the O's this season.

"He'll get traded for or picked up, and he'll get more opportunities than he's gonna have here,"

Showalter said.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/141805898/ubaldo-leads-orioles-vs-halos-richards

Ubaldo leads Orioles vs. Halos' Richards

By David Adler / MLB.com

August 8, 2015

Angels right-hander Garrett Richards and Orioles righty Ubaldo Jimenez will take the mound on

Saturday at Angel Stadium as their clubs continue to fight for position in the American League

playoff race.

Richards is coming off a start against the Indians in which he tied a career high with 11

strikeouts, helping the Angels end a six-game losing streak. After the game, Michael Bourn said

he'd be surprised if Richards doesn't win a Cy Young in his career.

Jimenez, on the other hand, was shelled by the Tigers for six runs in 4 2/3 innings in his most

recent outing -- the third start in his last four in which Jimenez has allowed at least six runs.

However, in his four other starts since June 28, Jimenez has allowed only three runs in 27

innings.

Things to know:

• Jered Weaver, on the disabled list since June 21 with a sore left hip, is now in line to start

Sunday's series finale for the Angels.

• When the Angels and Orioles played in Baltimore in mid-May, Richards and Jimenez lost their

respective starts, despite Richards allowing two runs in 7 2/3 innings and Jimenez allowing two

runs in seven innings.

• Outfielder Junior Lake made his Orioles debut on Friday after being called up from Triple-A,

but with Baltimore facing a right-hander on Saturday he'll likely come off the bench.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/can-the-orioles-cool-down-cruz.html

Can the Orioles cool down Cruz?

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 10, 2015

A rotation that is seriously lacking in consistency must deal with Nelson Cruz for the next three

games.

Life isn't always fair.

The former Oriole is riding a 19-game hitting streak with the Mariners. He's homered in seven of

his last nine games and is tied with Mike Trout for the major league lead with 33. His .998 OPS

ranks fourth and his .325 average ranks seventh.

Cruz is batting .314/.396/.483 with eight doubles, nine home runs and 28 RBIs in 56 games at

Safeco Field. He returned to Camden Yards for a three-game series on May 19-21 and went 5-

for-10 with a double, home run, three RBIs and three runs scored.

Cruz is 2-for-9 with a double lifetime against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who starts tonight for

the Orioles. The current Mariners are 16-for-104 (.154). Kyle Seager is 1-for-20.

The Orioles desperately need Chen to regain his first-half form. His ERA has climbed from 2.78

on July 12 to 3.32 heading into tonight. He's allowed 14 runs and 30 hits in 20 innings over his

last four starts.

Chen is 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA in seven career starts against the Mariners and 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA

in four starts at Safeco Field.

The Orioles are 15-10 against left-handed starters this season and they're facing Vidal Nuno

tonight in the series opener.

Nuno hasn't produced a win in his last 16 starts dating back to June 27, 2014, when he shut out

the Red Sox over 5 2/3 innings. He's made one start this season, allowing three runs and five hits

in 3 2/3

innings against the Rockies on Aug. 4.

Nuno was 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA in three relief appearances for the Diamondbacks before being

included in the Mark Trumbo trade on June 3. He's registered a 2.88 ERA in 19 games over 25

innings with the Mariners.

The former 48th-round draft pick is 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA in three career games against the

Orioles, including one start. He's allowed 12 earned runs (13 total) and 15 hits in 9 2/3 innings.

He's surrendered six home runs.

The current Orioles are 9-for-27 against Nuno. Adam Jones is 2-for-4 with a double and home

run. Chris Davis is 2-for-4 with a double. Matt Wieters homered in his only at-bat.

The Orioles are 24-34 on the road and 17-21 in the first game of a series. They're 14-18 in one-

run games and 8-14 in two-run games.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/playing-the-numbers-game-after-

yesterdays-loss.html

Playing the numbers game after yesterday's loss

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 10, 2015

With yesterday's 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Angels, the Orioles fell three games back for the

second wild card spot and failed to gain ground on the Yankees, who remain five games ahead of

them in the division.

An opportunity also was lost, and the second-guessing carried through the night.

Manager Buck Showalter took a huge risk by ordering intentional walks to Mike Trout and

Albert Pujols to load the bases with two outs. Brian Matusz fell behind in the count and

eventually ran it full before David Murphy's fly ball to left field sailed over David Lough's head

to end the game.

There were so many numbers to sift through. Matusz had allowed only three earned runs in his

last 17 appearances, with 23 strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings. He hadn't issued a walk in his last

eight appearances - a key statistic for fans objecting to the strategy by claiming that Matusz

"always walks guys."

Left-handers were batting .129 against Matusz, compared to the .304 average compiled by right-

handers. However, Murphy was 5-for-12 with a home run against him.

Matusz won't find many favorable matchups against the Angels. The current group was 20-for-

54 (.370) against him. Pujols is 3-for-6 with two doubles and a home run. Trout is 2-for-5 with

two doubles. Erick Aybar is 7-for-16.

During his postgame interview on MASN, Showalter talked about having to pick your poison in

this situation. It's reasonable to ask why he didn't pick Zach Britton, who's pitched once since

July 31. Britton worked 2 1/3 innings on Wednesday in Oakland.

Matusz is the lefty specialist and Showalter went with him. He got a fly ball that didn't reach the

warning track, but Lough was playing shallow and couldn't catch up to it.

Chaz Roe took the loss after giving up a leadoff double to Carlos Perez. Matusz has allowed

eight of 16 inherited runners to score this season.

Like I said, so many numbers to sift through.

Roe hasn't enjoyed a clean outing in 13 of his last 14 appearances. Granted, he allowed one hit

over two scoreless innings on July 5 and 11, with a combined five strikeouts, but his

effectiveness is waning.

Roe has been charged with runs in three of his last four outings. In May, he registered 7 1/3

scoreless innings in five games. In June, he allowed four runs and 10 hits in 13 2/3 innings in 11

games. In July, he allowed five runs and 16 hits in 12 1/3 innings in nine games. In August, he's

allowed three runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings in three games.

Roe stranded the first 14 runners that he inherited, but he's let the last three score.

The Orioles need him right, especially with Tommy Hunter pitching for the Cubs and Mychal

Givens at Double-A Bowie. Roe is out of options and can't be sent to the minors without clearing

waivers.

The killer pitch to me yesterday was the 0-2 fastball from Miguel Gonzalez in the third inning

that Murphy launched for a three-run homer. How many times have Orioles pitchers been burned

by two-out, two-strike offerings this season? It happens way too frequently.

The Angels had runners on the corners with no outs. Gonzalez struck out Mike Trout and Albert

Pujols, but Murphy made him pay for a poorly located heater. That just can't happen.

Jimmy Paredes went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, and his average is down to .279. He's 3-for-24

with no walks and 12 strikeouts this month. That's an issue when he's your left-handed

designated hitter.

The day also included news that Tyler Wilson was scratched from his start at Triple-A Norfolk

due to a sore oblique muscle. I'm told that he felt it while warming up and was removed as a

precaution.

Wilson will undergo an MRI.

Today has got to be better. Right?

The West Coast trip moves to Seattle, where the Orioles won three of four games last season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/chris-parmelee-accepts-outright-

assignment.html

Chris Parmelee accepts outright assignment

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

Chris Parmelee is staying in the Orioles' organization.

Parmelee has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He could have declined it

and become a free agent.

The Orioles designated Parmelee for assignment on July 31 to create a roster spot for outfielder

Gerardo Parra. He cleared waivers yesterday and had his contract assigned to Norfolk.

Parmelee batted .216/.255/.433 with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs and nine RBIs in

32 games with the Orioles. He got off to a hot start after they purchased his contract, hitting three

home runs in the first two days, but he was 7-for-50 with three RBIs and 13 strikeouts in July.

Ubaldo Jimenez shut out the Angels last night on two hits over eight innings. On July 18, Chris

Tillman held the Tigers to one hit over eight scoreless innings.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Orioles had two different pitchers go at

least eight innings while allowing no runs and two hits or fewer in the same season was 1993 -

Fernando Valenzuela (twice), Mike Mussina and Ben McDonald.

On this day in 2012, Manny Machado made his major league debut at age 20.

Down on the farm, Double-A Bowie shortstop Ozzie Martinez was placed on the seven-man

disabled list with a hand injury. The Orioles signed left-hander Nick Additon and assigned him

to the Baysox.

Additon pitched in Bowie and Norfolk last season. He was 5-3 with a 5.33 ERA this year in 21

games (11 starts) at Triple-A Colorado Springs in the Brewers organization.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/orioles-going-for-series-win-today-in-

anaheim.html

Orioles going for series win today in Anaheim

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

A rotation that posted a 7.07 ERA in the previous eight games got exactly what it needed last

night.

Good Ubaldo Jimenez.

Jimenez blanked the Angels on two hits over eight innings in the Orioles' 5-0 victory - the club's

ninth shutout of the season. He had registered a 10.61 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break.

The Orioles moved to within five games of the first-place Yankees in the American League East.

They're two behind the Blue Jays for the second wild card.

Adam Jones registered the Orioles' 33rd outfield assist, tops in the majors. He leads the team

with 10.

Manny Machado went 4-for-5 with his 24th home run to raise his average to .300. He's 7-for-10

in the last two games and 18-for-48 in his last 11.

The Orioles are 36-5 when Caleb Joseph records at least one RBI. He homered in the ninth

inning last night, raising his season total to 10. He's hit four home runs in his last eight games.

The Orioles are 1-0 when both teams lose a run because of a poorly executed slide at the plate.

Let's get the front foot down, fellas.

Miguel Gonzalez will try to push through the sixth inning today after a series of abbreviated

starts. He hasn't worked more than 5 1/3 innings in seven of his last nine outings.

Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in four career starts against the Angels and 2-1 with a 2.61 in

three starts in Anaheim.

David Murphy is 4-for-8 against Gonzalez, Mike Trout is 3-for-13 with three home runs, and

Erick Aybar and Albert Pujols are 1-for-11.

Jered Weaver is coming off the disabled list to make today's start for the Angels. He hasn't

pitched since June 20 due to inflammation in his left hip.

Weaver is 4-8 with a 4.75 ERA in 15 starts. He began the season 0-4 with a 6.29 ERA, went 4-0

with a 1.98 ERA in his last five starts and was 0-4 with a 6.58 ERA in four June starts.

In a May start at Camden Yards, Weaver held the Orioles to one run and three hits over 7 1/3

innings in a 3-1 victory. He's 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 13 career starts against them.

The current Orioles are batting .207 (29-for-140) against Weaver. Jones is 8-for-26 with a

double, triple and two home runs, Chris Davis is 7-for-37 with a double, J.J. Hardy is 5-for-26

with a home run, Matt Wieters is 3-for-15 with a home run, and Ryan Flaherty is 1-for-10.

Flaherty is hitless in his last 30 at-bats.

The Orioles are 21-15 in the final game of a series. They're 44-20 when they score first and 48-

28 when they homer.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/notes-on-the-rotation-schoop-and-

more.html

Notes on the rotation, Schoop and more

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

The Orioles have tweaked their rotation for the Mariners series at Safeco Field.

The club announced that Wei-Yin Chen will start Monday night, followed by Chris Tillman on

Tuesday and Kevin Gausman on Wednesday. Tillman was supposed to start the opener, but he's

being pushed back one more day.

The Mariners are starting left-hander Vidal Nuno, Taijuan Walker and Hisashi Iwakuma.

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop is rising up the order as his average continues to

climb.

Schoop is batting sixth tonight for only the second time this season. It's also his third career start

in that slot.

Schoop went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts while batting sixth earlier this year. He's 1-for-10 with

an RBI lifetime.

Manager Buck Showalter is raising the hot hand. Schoop is batting .524 during his six-game

hitting streak, going 11-for-21 with three doubles a home run, two RBIs and four runs scored.

Schoop also has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games when he's received an at-bat. His season

average has jumped from .254 on July 24 to a season-high .306 heading into tonight.

There's more. Schoop also is sporting a .342 on-base percentage and .577 slugging percentage.

His average and slugging percentage rank first on the team, though he's been limited to 35 games

due to a knee injury suffered in Boston. His on-base percentage ranks second to Manny

Machado's .362.

Machado and Chris Davis are second in slugging percentage at .514.

Schoop is batting .333/.368/.653 with six home runs against right-handers this season, and he's

facing one tonight in the Angels' Garrett Richards.

In Schoop's career, the Orioles are 23-3 when he hits a home run. It didn't work last night.

Matt Wieters is serving as the designated hitter tonight. He's 3-for-24 in that role this season and

31-for-155 (.200) in his career.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Norfolk's Steve Johnson threw two scoreless innings last night. He's

allowed two earned runs in 19 1/3 innings over his last 11 appearances, with four walks and 19

strikeouts. Opponents are batting .180.

Oliver Drake hasn't allowed a run in 26 consecutive appearances since April 26, and opponents

are batting .115 with 39 strikeouts in 26 innings. He's walked 14 and struck out 54 in 34 innings

this season.

Michael Bowden set the club record for consecutive scoreless innings with 28 earlier this season.

First baseman Christian Walker has seven doubles, seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 22 games

since the break.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/orioles-and-angels-lineups-5.html

Orioles and Angels lineups

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

Ryan Flaherty, trying to snap an 0-for-26 slump, is starting at first base tonight for the Orioles.

Flaherty is 4-for-7 with a home run and four RBIs lifetime against Angels starter Garrett

Richards.

Chris Davis moves to right field and Gerardo Parra shifts over to left.

Matt Wieters is serving as the designated hitter. He's 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs

against Richards.

For the Orioles Manny Machado 3B

Gerardo Parra LF

Adam Jones CF

Chris Davis RF

Matt Wieters DH

Jonathan Schoop 2B

J.J. Hardy SS

Ryan Flaherty 1B

Caleb Joseph C

Ubaldo Jimenez RHP

For the Angels David DeJesus LF

Kole Calhoun RF

Mike Trout CF

Albert Pujols 1B

David Murphy DH

Erick Aybar SS

Conor Gillaspie 3B

Johnny Giavotella 2B

Carlos Perez C

Garrett Richards RHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/orioles-release-bud-norris.html

Orioles release Bud Norris (Chris Parmelee clears waivers)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

Unable to work out a trade, the Orioles have released pitcher Bud Norris. He's now free to sign

with any club.

Norris was designated for assignment on July 31 leading to the non-waiver trade deadline.

Norris lost his spot in the rotation and didn't get on track as a reliever, finishing with a 2-9

record, 7.06 ERA and 1.643 WHIP in 18 games, including 11 starts. It was a disappointing

transition from the 2014 season, when Norris set a career high with 15 wins and posted a career-

low 3.65 ERA over 28 starts. He also won Game 3 of the American League Division Series in

Detroit to send the Orioles to the ALCS.

The Orioles are paying Norris $8.8 million this season in the final year of his contract.

During a recent interview with MASNsports.com, Norris said that he looked "way too much into

distractions this year and they were eating at me." He had bronchitis earlier in the season, which

forced him onto the disabled list, and his pending free agency brought additional stress as he

continued to struggle.

"I was looking too much on the business side and I never got back to being me," he said after

being designated for assignment. "It's a hard pill to swallow. It's something in my career that I'll

learn from, but I wish my teammates the best of luck in the months coming forward."

Meanwhile, outfielder/first baseman Chris Parmelee has cleared waivers and been outrighted to

Triple-A Norfolk, according to a team official. Parmelee, designated for assignment on July 31

to make room for outfielder Gerardo Parra, can refuse the assignment and become a free agent.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/chris-tillman-makes-his-next-start-on-

monday.html

Chris Tillman makes his next start on Monday

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

The Orioles are pushing back Chris Tillman one more day in the rotation, holding him until

Monday night in Seattle.

Miguel Gonzalez will start Sunday's series finale in Anaheim. The Angels are sending Jered

Weaver to the mound.

Tillman is listed as Monday's starter vs. Mariners left-hander Vidal Nuno. Left-hander Wei-Yin

Chen opposes Taijuan Walker on Tuesday night and Kevin Gausman opposes Hisashi Iwakuma

on Wednesday afternoon.

Tillman hasn't pitched since spraining his left ankle on July 29, when he held the Braves

scoreless for 8 2/3 innings. He threw bullpen sessions Wednesday and yesterday, and just needs

to show manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Dave Wallace that he's fine performing

fielding drills.

The Orioles like Tillman's chances in either series on this road trip. He's 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA in

seven career starts against the Mariners, his former organization before the lopsided Erik Bedard

trade, and has allowed only one run in 14 2/3 innings in two starts at Safeco Field. He's 2-0 with

a 2.45 ERA in four starts against the Angels and has allowed one run in 14 innings in Anaheim.

Gonzalez closes the Angels series, and he's 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in four career starts against

them. He's 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in three starts in Anaheim.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/more-on-the-roster-and-tonights-game.html

More on the roster and tonight's game

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

Unless the unexpected happens, the Orioles figure to keep the same 25-man roster as they head

into the second game of their series in Anaheim. They will go a full day without designating

anyone for assignment.

Was there any doubt that they would make a move yesterday while I was in studio for "The Mid-

Atlantic Sports Report?" Sort of like when I'm driving, except I didn't have to pull off the road. I

just had to tweet when the camera wasn't on me.

We're now waiting to find out what happens to Bud Norris, Chris Parmelee and Travis Snider.

Can they be traded or will the Orioles release them?

Eight players from the opening day roster are no longer with the Orioles - Norris, Snider,

Alejandro De Aza, Everth Cabrera, Wesley Wright, Ryan Lavarnway, Delmon Young and

Tommy Hunter. You also could include Ryan Webb, since he was part of the roster that the

Orioles announced on the day before the first game. They designated the right-hander for

assignment the next morning and purchased Lavarnway's contract after failing to trade him or

convince him to go on the disabled list.

Nolan Reimold collected the Orioles' 32nd outfield assist last night, tops in the majors. Young

had eight before the Orioles designated him. Snider had five.

Matt Wieters hit five home runs in 26 games last season. He hit his fifth last night in his 42nd

game, and it broke a 3-3 tie.

Ubaldo Jimenez needs to make his second half more closely resemble his first. He's 1-3 with a

10.61 ERA in four starts since the break.

In his only start against the Angels this season, Jimenez allowed two runs and eight hits over

seven innings, with no walks and six strikeouts, in a 6-1 loss on May 16. He's 0-5 with a 5.34

ERA in five career starts against the Angels and 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in two starts in Anaheim,

with 12 runs and 15 hits allowed in 11 innings.

The current Angels are batting .298 (36-for-121) against Jimenez. Shane Victorino is 6-for-17

with two home runs, Conor Gillaspie is 5-for-16 with a double, Erick Aybar is 6-for-14 with a

home run and Albert Pujols is 6-for-22 with a double, home run and eight RBIs.

Angels starter Garrett Richards is winless against the Orioles in his career, going 0-3 with a 5.70

ERA in seven games, including three starts. He allowed two runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings in

a 3-0 loss on May 17.

Richards struck out 11 batters over 7 1/3 innings in his most recent start against the Indians. He's

7-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 10 starts at home and 4-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 10 starts on the road.

Adam Jones is 4-for-11 vs. Richards, Ryan Flaherty is 4-for-7 with a home run and four RBIs

and Wieters is 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.

J.J. Hardy is 1-for-11 with three strikeouts.

Caleb Joseph most likely will move behind the plate tonight after Wieters caught last night. Does

Wieters serve as the designated hitter or play first base tonight to keep his bat in the lineup?

Shameless plug alert: I'm appearing on "Wall to Wall Baseball" from noon-2 p.m. on MASN.

Perhaps the Orioles can squeeze in a roster move during that two-hour window.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/junior-lake-batting-eighth-for-orioles.html

Junior Lake batting eighth for Orioles (updated)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 7, 2015

Junior Lake will bat eighth for the Orioles tonight and serve as the designated hitter for the series

opener against the Angels. He will wear No. 48.

Lake will be player No. 1,002 to play for the Orioles since the franchise moved to Baltimore.

For the Orioles: Manny Machado 3B

Gerardo Parra RF

Adam Jones CF

Chris Davis 1B

Matt Wieters C

J.J. Hardy SS

Jonathan Schoop 2B

Junior Lake DH

Nolan Reimold LF

Kevin Gausman RHP

For the Angels DeJesus LF

Calhoun RF

Trout CF

Pujols 1B

Murphy DH

Aybar SS

Gillaspie 3B

Giavotella 2B

Iannetta C

Heaney LHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/orioles-recall-junior-lake-from-triple-a-

norfolk-designate-snider-for-assignment.html

Orioles recall Junior Lake from Triple-A Norfolk, designate

Travis Snider for assignment

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 7, 2015

The Orioles have recalled outfielder Junior Lake from Triple-A Norfolk, who will join the club

tonight in Anaheim. To make room for Lake, they designated outfielder Travis Snider for

assignment.

Lake came to the Orioles from the Cubs in a trade for reliever Tommy Hunter just hours before

the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31. He reported to Triple-A Norfolk, where he appeared in

four games, batting .333 with four hits and a pair of stolen bases. In parts of three seasons with

the Cubs, the 25-year-old is a career .241 hitter with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs in 193 games at

the major league level.

When the team acquired Lake, executive vice president Dan Duquette said the young right-

handed hitter showed promise and having him join the Orioles before the end of the season was a

possibility. Duquette was in Norfolk over the past few days and had the opportunity to see Lake

in person.

Apparently, he liked what he saw.

Snider, meanwhile, appeared in 69 games for the Orioles this season. He batted .237 with three

home runs in his first season with the club.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/more-on-chris-davis-hot-streak.html

More on Chris Davis' hot streak

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 7, 2015

Chris Davis will find out tonight whether his hot streak extends into another city as the Orioles

begin a three-game series in Anaheim.

Davis has homered in three of the last four games, four of seven, five of nine and eight of 15. His

79 RBIs rank third in the majors and trail leader Josh Donaldson by only two.

Davis has collected nine home runs and 26 RBIs in his last 15 games. According to the Elias

Sports Bureau, the only other Orioles to match Davis' totals in the same span are Jim Gentile in

1961, Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1996 and Albert Belle in 2000.

Davis is a career .240/.305/.453 hitter in 59 games against the Angels, with nine home runs and

28 RBIs in 192 at-bats. He's a .268/.373/.521 hitter in 23 games in Anaheim, with four home

runs and 11 RBIs in 71 at-bats.

The Angels are starting left-hander Andrew Heaney tonight. Davis is batting .287/.339/.509 with

six home runs and 19 RBIs in 108 at-bats against southpaws this season.

Kevin Gausman has worked at least seven innings in back-to-back starts, one short of tying his

career-longest streak on Sept. 1-12, 2014.

Gausman has posted three consecutive quality starts against the American League West since

July 25, 2014, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings. Opponents have batted .206 against

him.

Both teams are still listing Sunday's starter as TBD. Chris Tillman or Miguel Gonzalez will pitch

for the Orioles.

On this date in 1969, Orioles left-hander Dave McNally improved his record to 16-1 and went 1-

for-4 with a two-run homer in a 10-2 victory over the Royals.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/latest-loss-brings-more-concern-that-

orioles-will-be-on-the-outside-looking-in-come-october.html

Latest loss brings more concern that Orioles will be on the

outside looking in come October

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 10, 2015

Hopefully, yesterday's loss will not turn out to be a microcosm for an entire season for the

Orioles. They rallied, they came close, they were right there until the last pitch. But they just

didn't do enough to win.

It was frustrating for Birdland in a season where there have been a few frustrations.

The one-run loss on Sunday by a 5-4 score in 11 innings to the Los Angeles Angels meant the

difference between being one game or three games out for the second wild card in the American

League. They trail the Angels for that spot. This was a team the Orioles needed to beat head to

head. But they came up a run short.

When they got swept by the Yankees, there were two one-run losses. When they split four games

with Detroit, there was a one-run loss. They might have dropped the series finale in Oakland -

where the third and deciding game was tied in the 10th - but a Chris Davis grand slam bailed

them out.

A Davis homer in the sixth inning Sunday tied this game at 4-4. But after that hit, the Orioles

went 3-for-19 at bat the rest of the game, putting just one runner in scoring position. Not quite

good enough.

In the last of the third, Miguel Gonzalez struck out both Mike Trout and Albert Pujols with

runners on first and third and the Orioles leading 2-1. But then he threw on 0-2 pitch down the

middle, and David Murphy hit a three-run homer. Not quite good enough.

Brian Matusz was a pitch away from getting out of a jam in the 11th and battled back from a 3-1

count to throw back-to-back strikes to Murphy. The first went for a called strike, the second was

fouled off. Then he threw another pitch, and Murphy blasted it to left to end the game. Not quite

good enough.

So the Orioles are 56-54, and a small segment of fans have resumed the chorus that "the season

is over." Well the Orioles have 52 games to play. Being three games out in one race and five in

another is doable. There is plenty of time to overcome all that.

But after Sunday's loss to the Angels, the Orioles have now played 43 games this season against

teams that are currently playing over .500 ball. They are just 16-27 in those games and 5-10 in

those 15 series.

You guessed it, not quite good enough.

Manager Buck Showalter made a few decisions yesterday that can be debated. One was walking

both Trout and Pujols in the 11th, so Matusz could go lefty on lefty against Murphy. But the

bases were loaded by the walks and there was no room for error.

Another was not using his best reliever, Zach Britton, in that game. Britton warmed up at one

point and he had three days off. He has pitched just once in August and that was Wednesday at

Oakland, when he pitched in a tie game. But not yesterday.

Right now every Orioles loss brings frustration, both for the team and for its fans. They are close

enough to still make this season something special. But with each missed chance, the concern is

that they will come up short in 2015.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/os-game-blog-its-gonzalez-against-weaver-

in-series-finale.html

O's game blog: It's Gonzalez against Weaver in series finale

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

The Orioles will look to make it two series wins in two series on their West Coast road trip if

they can beat Los Angeles this afternoon at Angels Stadium.

The Orioles got blanked on the second night of this trip at Oakland, but their offense has picked

up lately. They've scored nine, zero, seven, four and five runs in going 3-2 on the trip. They are

batting .301 on the trip, with seven homers and 25 runs scored.

A look at some hitters recently:

* Caleb Joseph is 8-for-15 over his last four starts, with three doubles, three homers and seven

RBIs. Over his past 14 games, Joseph is batting .341 (15-for-44) with five homers and 17 RBIs.

* During a seven-game hitting streak, Jonathan Schoop is batting .522 (12-for-23) with three

doubles, a homer and four RBIs.

* Over his last 17 games, Chris Davis is batting .311 (19-for-61) with nine homers and 26 RBIs.

* In 60 games since June 1, Manny Machado is batting .324 with 16 homers and 35 RBIs.

Machado has hit 10 homers over his last 36 games. In two games this weekend against the

Angels, Machado is 7-for-10, raising his average from .291 to .300.

On the mound today, Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32 ERA) pitches against Los Angeles right-hander

Jered Weaver (4-8, 4.75 ERA). Both pitchers have struggled in their most recent outings.

Since coming off the disabled list in late June, Gonzalez is 4-4 with a 6.05 ERA in eight starts.

He has thrown 5 1/3 or fewer innings in seven of his last nine starts, with just two quality starts

in that time. Before he went on the DL, he was 5-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 12 starts.

Gonzalez has not faced the Angels this year. In four career starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA,

allowing just 16 hits and seven runs in 28 2/3 innings. He had made three of those starts on the

road, going 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA.

Weaver, who comes off the DL today to make this start, had allowed four runs or more in four

straight starts before the DL trip, going 0-4 with a 6.58 ERA. Over 26 innings, he gave up 31

hits, including six home runs. For the year, he has just seven quality starts in 15 outings.

Weaver has pitched well in his career versus the Orioles. He is 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA over 13

starts. He faced the Orioles on May 15 at Camden Yards and got a win. He went 7 1/3 innings,

giving up just three hits and one run and throwing 83 pitches.

Ubaldo Jimenez allowed two hits over eight innings while holding the Angels scoreless on

Saturday night. Right-hander Chris Tillman pitched a similar game at Detroit on July 18 (eight

innings, one hit, no runs). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Orioles had two

different pitchers have a game in which they pitched at least eight innings while allowing no

more than two hits and no runs in the same season was in 1993 when Mike Mussina, Fernando

Valenzuela (twice) and Ben McDonald all did so.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/comparing-some-triple-a-numbers-for-

alvarez-and-lake-aberdeens-all-stars-and-more.html

Comparing some Triple-A numbers for Alvarez and Lake,

Aberdeen's All-Stars and more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 9, 2015

Some fans have asked why the Orioles added outfielder Junior Lake on Friday and not Dariel

Alvarez instead from Triple-A Norfolk. I am not certain exactly what the O's thinking was on

this, but Lake has had a better year overall on the stat sheet than Alvarez. However, Lake has had

just 197 at-bats this year at Triple-A to 443 for Alvarez.

Here is a comparison of the players this year in the minors:

Lake: .315/.404/.472 with seven homers, 31 RBIs and .876 OPS

Alvarez: .269/.297/.418 with 14 homers, 64 RBIs and .715 OPS.

Lake this year hit .303 with an OPS of .842 versus lefty pitchers and .321/.894 against right-

handers. Alvarez has hit .288/.781 versus lefties and is at .261/.688 against right-handers.

Alvarez had a huge month of June, when his slash line was .340/.360/.594. In July, those

numbers were .291/.310/.400. Alvarez is 4-for-30 in August. It was of course going to be hard

for him to keep up that torrid June pace.

I would expect we see Alvarez this year in the majors, perhaps as a September call-up, maybe

earlier, but I can also see why the team promoted Lake on Friday.

In the minors last night: Indianapolis beat Triple-A Norfolk 6-5 for the second night in a row.

And for the second straight night Norfolk scored three in the ninth, but came up a run short.

Terry Doyle gave up four runs in 5 1/3 to take the loss. Julio Borbon and Rey Navarro had three

hits each, and Henry Urrutia hit a solo homer. With the loss, Norfolk (65-47) now trails

Indianapolis (67-48) by one game for the best record in the International League. The setback

also clinched a series loss for the Tides - their first series defeat since the All-Star break.

Double-A Bowie blanked New Hampshire 2-0 to go to 63-49. Winning pitcher Joe Gunkel gave

up three hits over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. He is 8-3 with an ERA of

2.89 and the Baysox are 9-3 in his starts. Mychal Givens, in his first outing since returning from

Baltimore, pitched two perfect innings on 29 pitches with two strikeouts. He lowered his Bowie

ERA to 1.73 and picked up his 15th save. Trey Mancini had two more hits, going 2-for-4, and is

batting .362 with an eight-game hitting streak.

Single-A Frederick won 2-1 at Myrtle Beach as right-hander David Hess won again. The Orioles'

fifth-round draft pick in 2014, Hess allowed five hits and one run over six innings to improve to

7-4 with a 3.86 ERA. Garrett Cortright pitched two scoreless and Donnie Hart pitched the ninth

to record his first save with Frederick.

Hess has been on a nine-start roll for the Keys. In that span, he is 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA, and the

Keys have won eight of those nine Hess starts.

Single-A Delmarva was held to two hits in a 5-0 loss at Hagerstown. Brian Gonzalez allowed

four runs in five innings to fall to 4-8 with an ERA of 5.47.

Short season Single-A Aberdeen lost 5-1 to Tri-City. DJ Stewart and Alejandro Juvier went 2-

for-4 each for the IronBirds. The rookie level Gulf Coast League Orioles beat the Rays 6-3.

Outfielder Jaylen Ferguson went 2-for-4 with a triple, a homer and four RBIs.

Aberdeen shortstop Ricardo Andujar and right-handed reliever Ryan Meisinger have been

selected to play in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. Aberdeen will host the contest on

Aug. 18 at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium.

Andujar is batting .283 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 36 games. Meisinger, the Orioles' 11th-

round pick this year out of Radford, is 0-0 with six saves and a 1.50 ERA. Meisinger is from

Dunkirk, Md. and played at Northern High School. He led the college ranks with 17 saves this

season while pitching for Radford.

O's are 3-2 on the trip: Ubaldo Jimenez provided the Orioles with a big effort last night, throwing

eight scoreless innings in the 5-0 win over the Angels. The win, the Orioles' 10th in 14 games,

moved them to within five games of the American League East lead and two games of the

second wild card spot, currently held by the Angels.

The Orioles are 3-2 on this west coast trip, outscoring their opponents 25-18 with a .301 batting

average and seven home runs. Today, they look for another series win on this trip as Miguel

Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32 ERA) pitches against Los Angeles right-hander Jered Weaver (4-8, 4.75

ERA).

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/os-game-blog-orioles-have-struggled-this-

year-against-clubs-with-winning-records.html

O's game blog: Orioles have struggled this year against clubs

with winning records

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

As the Orioles push for a playoff spot in the remaining 54 games of their season, they are going

to need to do a better job against good teams. The Orioles have played seven teams that started

today with an over .500 record, and they are 15-29 in those games after their loss last night to the

Angels.

The Orioles are 5-9 in 14 series against the seven teams.

It breaks down this way: 5-8 against the New York Yankees, 5-7 against Toronto, 0-3 versus

Minnesota, 3-4 against Houston, 1-3 against the Angels, 0-2 versus the New York Mets and 1-2

against the Washington Nationals. The Orioles are also 1-3 versus Texas, who began today at 54-

54.

The Orioles next chance against an over .500 team comes tonight against the 58-50 Angels, who

are 35-22 at home and beat the Orioles 8-4 last night.

Ubaldo Jimenez (8-7, 4.04 ERA) will make his 22nd start tonight and try to reverse his second-

half slide. He is 1-3 with a 10.61 ERA in four starts since the All-Star Game, allowing first-

inning runs in all four contests. He has allowed 22 runs in 18 2/3 in those four outings after

finishing the first-half giving up just one run in 20 innings in three starts.

Jimenez allowed just two runs in the first inning of his first 17 starts. But now he has given up 11

runs in the first of the last four games.

Right-hander Garrett Richards (11-8, 3.46 ERA) makes his 21st start tonight for Los Angeles. He

has 14 quality starts for the year allowing an average against of just .228.

Richards is 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 10 home starts and has given up just 44 hits in 72 1/3 home

innings for an average against of just .174. In seven career games, with three starts, versus the

Orioles, he is 0-3 with a 5.70 ERA.

For the second day in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the first-place Yankees. Today it was a

6-0 final as Justin Smoak hit a grand slam and David Price pitched seven scoreless innings.

Toronto has won seven in a row and moved to within 2 1/2 games of first place. The O's could

move to within five games of New York with a win tonight.

Norris released: By now you know that Bud Norris was released today by the Orioles. He was

designated for assignment on July 31, and the Orioles could not find a trade partner for a pitcher

that was 2-9 with a 7.06 ERA.

It was quite a fall for Norris this year from the pitcher that went 15-8 with a 3.65 ERA last

season and beat Detroit's David Price in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. Last

season, the Orioles went 19-9 in his starts, but they were just 4-7 in his 11 starts this year before

he lost his rotation spot.

The Orioles gave him every chance and he simply underperformed, and it began in spring

training. His strong 2014 season earned him a raise through arbitration this winter from $5.3

million last year to a contract for $8.8 million this season. But obviously, he just never

consistently pitched anywhere near to the level expected of a player at that salary level. Maybe

he'll get a fresh start somewhere else now.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/the-orioles-starting-pitching-takes-a-turn-

for-the-worse.html

The Orioles starting pitching takes a turn for the worse

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 8, 2015

With a record of 55-53 now two-thirds into the 2015 season, the Orioles are on a low 80s win

pace.

That is probably not going to be enough for this team to return to the playoffs. Whatever

momentum the Orioles carried out of Oakland didn't show up when they arrived in Anaheim.

They lost the series opener 8-4 last night to the Angels.

The Orioles have been nothing if not inconsistent this year. From individual players to the team,

there always seems to be some area of the team that is very inconsistent.

Most recently it has been the starting pitchers yet again. On the night of Wednesday July 29 at

Camden Yards, Chris Tillman pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over Atlanta. At that

point, over the previous six games, O's starting pitchers were 4-0 with a 1.25 ERA, five quality

starts and the team went 5-1.

But in the eight games since then, O's starting pitchers have pitched to an ERA of 7.07, allowing

five or more runs four times. O's starters have pitched fewer than six innings six times in that

stretch with just two quality starts. The team is 4-4 in those eight games. Yep, inconsistent.

Kevin Gausman allowed six runs over 5 2/3 innings Friday night in what was a very

disappointing outing for the right-hander. He had given up just two runs in 14 2/3 in his previous

two starts. But last night, he lost leads twice.

After he threw some solid changeups early in that game, he seemed to be heavily reliant on his

fastball as the game went on and the pitch simply found the middle of the plate too often. It was

not a good start for him or a good start for the team in a series against another AL playoff

contender.

Tonight the Orioles need a big effort and bounce-back outing from Ubaldo Jimenez (8-7, 4.04

ERA). He is 1-3 with a 10.61 ERA in four second-half starts. He has allowed first inning runs in

each of those four games. Tonight would be a great time for him to begin to return to his form

before the All-Star game when he pitched to an ERA of 2.81.

More notes on the Orioles:

* The Orioles season-long struggles in the first game of a series continued last night. They are

now 17-21 on the year in series openers. They are 2-5 in such games in the second-half and 3-8

in the last 11 series-opening games.

* Orioles starting pitchers have gone less than six innings in 29 of 54 games since June 6.

* Jonathan Schoop is 11-for-21 (.524) during a six-game hitting streak with three doubles, a

homer and two RBIs. He is slugging .810 in that stretch with an OPS of 1.355. He has raised his

average from .256 to .306 during this span.

* Over his last nine games, Matt Wieters is batting .364 (12-for-33) with three doubles, two

homers and four RBIs. He has raised his average from .234 to .264 in that stretch.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/os-game-blog-kevin-gausman-on-mound-

in-series-opener-at-anaheim.html

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman on mound in series opener

at Anaheim (O's lose 8-4)

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 7, 2015

Coming off back-to-back solid outings, right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-2, 3.97 ERA) makes his

15th major league appearance and seventh start of the season tonight when the Orioles begin a

series in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels.

In his past two starts against Atlanta and Detroit, Gausman has pitched 14 2/3 innings allowing

10 hits and two runs with one walk and 11 strikeouts. He has allowed two runs or less in four of

his starts. In those six starts, Gausman has gone 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA. In 35 2/3 innings, he has

walked seven, fanned 27 and allowed a .230 batting average.

While Gausman has pitched to an ERA of 1.50 in 24 innings at Camden Yards this year, he is 1-

2 with a 6.46 ERA in eight road games, making three starts.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney (5-1, 1.97 ERA) gets the start for the Angels. He has been very

strong for that team, allowing two earned runs or less in all seven of his 2015 major league starts

with a .205 average against. Heaney was the American League rookie of the month for July,

when he was 4-0 with an ERA of 1.98.

He is pitching much better in the majors than he did this year at Triple-A Salt Lake. In 14 starts

there, he was 6-2 with a 4.71 ERA and .298 batting average against. This will be his first career

start versus the Orioles.

Chris Davis slugged a grand slam in the 10th inning on Wednesday at Oakland to give the

Orioles a win. Davis has homered nine times with 26 RBIs his last 15 games. According to the

Elias Sports Bureau, only three other Orioles have matched Davis' totals in those categories over

a 15-game span since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954: Jim Gentile (1961), Cal Ripken Jr.

(1996) and Albert Belle (2000).

The Angels are 57-50 and 2 1/2 games back of first-place Houston in the AL West. The Angels

hold the first AL wild card spot heading into today's games by a 1/2-game over Toronto and two

games over the Orioles.

Los Angeles had lost seven of eight games until scoring three runs in the last of the ninth

Wednesday to stun Cleveland and win 4-3. The Angels had been 0-44 when trailing after eight

innings. Since going through a torrid stretch with 17 wins in 20 games, the Angels are just 3-10

their last 13 games.

But they are very good at home, going 34-22 overall with 16 wins in their last 23 home games.

Mike Trout (32) and Albert Pujols (30) rank first and third in the AL in homers with the

Mariners' Nelson Cruz (31) second. They are looking to become the first pair of teammates to hit

40 homers since 2006. Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome of the Chicago White Sox did it then.

The Orioles are 1-2 against Los Angeles this year, but 10-6 since 2013. Over a longer stretch,

they are 38-55 against the Angels since 2004.

Winners of nine of their last 12 games, the Orioles are 55-52 heading into this series. Since they

had a record of 23-29 June 3, the Orioles have gone 18-5 and then 5-15 and now 9-3. That is 32-

23 (.582) over the last 55 games.

Update: The Orioles fell to the Angels 8-4 to open the series in Anaheim. Kevin Gausman (2-3)

took the loss after pithching 5 2/3 innings, while giving up six runs on nine hits with two walks

and four strikeouts. He gave up a solo home run to Mike Trout in the first inning. Gausman

threw 98 pitches, 64 for strikes.

Jonathan Schoop hit his eighth home run of the season in top of the fourth inning, a two-run shot

that gave the O's a 3-1 lead. After the Angels added two runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the

game back up at 3-3, Matt Wieters hit a solo home run, his fifth on the year, in the sixth for a 4-3

lead.

But the Angels responded again in the bottom of the frame with three runs and C.J. Cron added a

two-run homer off Brad Brach in the seventh to complete the 8-4 victory over Baltimore.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/09/ap-bba-orioles-angels-1st-ld-writethru-0

Murphy drives in 4 runs in Angels' 5-4 win over O's in 11

Associated Press / SI.com

August 9, 2015

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Angels weren't surprised when Baltimore manager Buck

Showalter ordered intentional walks to sluggers Mike Trout and Albert Pujols with a

runner at second and two out in the bottom of the 11th.

After all, this was the same Showalter who, as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks,

once intentionally passed Barry Bonds with the bases loaded.

David Murphy was next. He singled home the winner in the Angels' 5 -4 victory over the

Orioles on Sunday.

Murphy saw the situation unfold and figured the Orioles would walk two of the majors'

best hitters.

''Sure enough, they did it, and that added a little fuel to my competitive fire right there,''

Murphy said. ''So you really want to come through in that situation, and fortunately I was

able to.''

Carlos Perez led off the inning with a double against Chaz Roe (2-2) and Johnny

Giavotella bunted a third strike foul while trying to advance him.

Brian Matusz came in to face Calhoun and slipped a called third strike past him, then

walked Trout and Pujols. But Murphy drove a 3-2 pitch over the head of left fielder

David Lough to end it.

''I got a pitch in the middle of the zone, and that's a hot zone for me,'' said Murphy, who

also had a three-run homer in the third inning.

Showalter, who last season won his third manager of the year award, defended his

decision to walk the bases loaded and no room for error.

''I was just trying to give us the best chance to win,'' Showalter said.

Rookie Trevor Gott (3-0) pitched two innings for the victory.

Jered Weaver allowed two runs and four hits over five innings in his first start after seven

weeks on the disabled list, striking out seven and walking none. The three-time All-Star

hadn't pitched for the Angels since June 20 because of inflammation in his left h ip.

''I was anxious, nervous and just itching to get back out there,'' Weaver said. ''The first

inning I think I let the emotions and the adrenaline get the best of me. I was kind of

erratic, but I was able to stay within myself after that and settled in.

''Those last four innings were money. It was just nice to be able to contribute again.''

Staked to a 4-2 lead, Weaver was one out away from qualifying for a win when he

experienced some discomfort on the top of his right thumb in the fifth.

Trainer Rick Smith worked on Weaver while manager Mike Scioscia intently looked on.

The 10-year veteran right-hander made it through the inning with help from third

baseman Conor Gillaspie, who robbed Manny Machado of a hit with a diving stop in the

hole.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings

and struck out five.

Both of the Angels' home runs had to be sorted out by video review.

Giavotella led off the third with a double to right field that Parra just missed on a di ving

attempt. Gonzalez struck out Trout and Pujols with runners at the corners, but Murphy

drove an 0-2 pitch just over the yellow line above the 18-foot wall in right field.

The Orioles contended that the ball was interfered with by a fan, but second bas e umpire

Phil Cuzzi's call stood after the crew got the word from the replay officials in New York.

It was Murphy's first homer for the Angels following the July 28 trade with Cleveland,

and the 100th of his big league career.

Calhoun's drive with one out in the first also just made it over the wall in right-center.

Cuzzi initially ruled the ball in play, and Calhoun stopped at second. The Angels

challenged and it was overturned. Calhoun finished circling with bases with his 16th

homer.

GREAT GRABS

Four-time Gold Glove center fielder Adam Jones temporarily helped maintain the Orioles'

one-run lead in the second with a sprinting over-the-shoulder grab of Chris Iannetta's

drive to the warning track with two on and two out. In the 10th, he robbed Taylor

Featherston of extra bases with a similar play at full speed.

UP NEXT

Orioles: LHP Wei-Yin Chen (5-6) gets the assignment for the opener of a three-game

series at Seattle. The four-year veteran already has matched his loss total of last season,

which ended with a 16-6 record.

Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker (5-7) opposes Chris Sale Monday night in the opener of a

three-game set against the White Sox at Chicago.

---

This story has been corrected to show pitcher who gave up intentional walks to Trout and

Pujols was Brian Matusz, not Chaz Roe.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/minor-league-notes-on-cleavinger-davis-

first-place-teams-and-more.html

Minor league notes on Cleavinger, Davis, first-place teams

and more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 7, 2015

A relief pitcher in college with big strikeout numbers, left-hander Garrett Cleavinger has gotten

his pro career with the Orioles off to a strong start, pitching for short season Single-A Aberdeen.

Taken by the Orioles in the third round of the draft in June with the 102nd selection out of the

University or Oregon, Cleavinger has not been scored on in his first eight pro games. Over 10

innings, he has allowed three hits with seven walks, nine strikeouts and a .100 average against.

"It's been a good experience," he said this week at Ripken Stadium. "Just getting used to the pro

ball way of life. Meeting all the guys here and it's been real fun. I'm blessed with a great

opportunity here."

The 21-year-old Cleavinger has a fastball that touched the mid 90s in college, although he has

been a tick below that with Aberdeen. Last summer in the Cape Cod League, he fanned 29 in just

13 innings. He actually didn't figure that it would be the Orioles drafting him.

"Honestly, no. I talked to them, but they were not a team that was sticking out in my mind I

guess. It was a bit of a surprise and it turned out to be a good surprise. It has worked out well,"

he said.

Cleavinger was first team all Pac 12 this season, going 6-2 with a 1.58 ERA and nine saves out

of the Ducks bullpen. He fanned 66 in 40 innings. He pitched in the backend of the Oregon

bullpen with 172 strikeouts over 116 innings in three seasons there. What has made him such a

strikeout pitcher?

"I think a lot of the credit goes to the coaching staff at Oregon. I came in a little raw as a

freshman, and they coached me up and helped me get to where I am today," Cleavinger said.

Earlier today, The New York-Penn League announced that the Aberdeen IronBirds and Lowell

Spinners coaching staffs will manage the two All-Star teams on August 18 at Leidos Field at

Ripken Stadium. Luis Pujols and the IronBirds staff will be at the helm of the South and Joe

Oliver and the Spinners staff will lead the North.

Pujols is in his third season in the Orioles organization and his cousin Albert will play against the

Orioles tonight. He'll be joined for the 7:35 p.m. game that night by IronBirds pitching coach

Justin Lord, hitting coach Calvin Pickering and assistant coach Sammie Starr. Aberdeen's Marty

Brinker will serve as trainer.

Outfielder Glynn Davis should be activated off the disabled list soon by Double-A Bowie,

possibly as early as tonight. He has not played for the Baysox since June 25 after he suffered a

sprained knee and bruised back when he fell hard running toward first base. Davis has played

seven rehab games with Aberdeen, batting .241. Davis has been ranked on the Orioles top 30

prospects list three times by Baseball America, with a high ranking of No. 14 after the 2012

season.

Single-A Delmarva catcher Jonah Heim has been out since late May. He suffered a lisfranc, or

mid-foot injury, sliding into second base. Heim will likely not return to play in games before the

minor league season ends, but is expected to join the Orioles for instructional league in

September.

In 36 games for Delmarva, he was batting .258 with a homer and 16 RBIs. A switch-hitter with

solid defensive skills, Heim was ranked as the Orioles' No. 26 prospect after the 2013 season and

No. 28 after 2014. He's been rehabbing in Florida.

Minor league pitcher Derrick Bleeker is shut down for the rest of the season. He is expected to

make a full recovery from a UCL sprain and begin a throwing program this winter. In 10 games

in April and May with Delmarva, the outfielder converted to pitcher went 1-2 with a 6.53 ERA.

Triple-A right-hander Zach Davies, traded by the Orioles to Milwaukee for outfielder Gerardo

Parra, got a win in his first game for his new team. Wednesday night, Davies pitched Triple-A

Colorado Springs to victory over Oklahoma City. Over six innings, he gave up six hits and one.

He has allowed two runs or less in seven of his past eight starts.

With about a month to play in the minor league regular season, the Orioles' two highest-level

affiliates continue to hold down first place and two other clubs are within 2 1/2 games of first

place.

Triple-A Norfolk is 65-46 and leading its division by six games. Bowie at 62-48 is leading its

division by four games. Single-A Frederick is 53-58, but just two games out of first place with a

second-half record of 21-20. Delmarva is 55-53 overall, 22-18 in the second-half and five games

out. Aberdeen is 21-24 and 2 1/2 out while the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles are 22-17

and four back. The O's two Dominican Summer League teams have records of 30-28 and 21-37.

So that is two O's teams charging toward the postseason and several others with a chance to

make it.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/07/24/ap-bba-orioles-mariners-preview

Orioles-Mariners Preview

SI.com

August 10, 2015

The seesaw of wins and losses has to end at some point for the Baltimore Orioles.

Eyeing a postseason push, the Orioles have traded victories and defeats through the first eight

games of August.

Baltimore looks to shake off its most recent downswing from a walkoff loss to the team its

chasing for the second wild-card spot with Monday night's series opener against the Seattle

Mariners at Safeco Field.

The Orioles (56-54) won six of their final seven games of July but have been unable to carry that

success over to this month. They dropped two of three in Anaheim over the weekend and fell

three games back of the Angels for a playoff spot with Sunday's 5-4, 11-inning defeat.

Baltimore took two of three from Seattle (52-60) in mid-May and this matchup pits southpaws

Wei-Yin Chen and Vidal Nuno against each other.

Chen (5-6, 3.32 ERA) was Baltimore's top pitcher through the first half of the season, bringing a

2.78 ERA into the All-Star break. He has struggled since with a 6.30 ERA in four starts,

allowing 30 hits - five of them home runs - in 20 innings.

Opponents are batting .353 against Chen since the break, and he has allowed 10 hits twice, a

number reached only once in 17 previous appearances.

"Ever since the second half started, I've felt not as good as the first half so I tried to do a couple

different (mechanical) things that didn't work out," Chen told MLB's official website through an

interpreter. "So now, I don't want to keep doing that."

He has failed to complete six innings in his last three outings, snapping a streak of six-straight

quality starts. Chen - who has matched his loss total from a year ago when he went 16-6 -

surrendered three runs and four hits while walking four in five innings of Wednesday's 7-3, 12-

inning win at Oakland.

He went seven innings against Seattle on May 20, yielding four runs in a 4-2 loss.

Chen will face a red-hot Nelson Cruz, who extended his league-leading hit streak to 19 games

with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-2 win over Texas. The hitting streak ties a career long for

Cruz and his homer pulled him even with Mike Trout for the major league lead at 33.

Cruz is hitting .422 during his streak with 12 home runs and 16 RBIs. He has an extra-base hit in

nine straight, one short of the team record set by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1993. Cruz has seven home

runs in that span. He is 2 for 9 with a double lifetime against Chen.

"I don't even know where we would be without him," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said

of Cruz. "He's been tremendous on and off the field. It's unbelievable what he's accomplished

this year. You look up at the board and it's almost jaw-dropping. You see the numbers. The

slugging percentage, the OPS, it's off the charts."

Nuno (0-0, 2.88) will make his second straight start after 19 relief appearances with the Mariners

this year.

Starting, however, hasn't been kind to Nuno. He made 28 starts last season - 14 with the New

York Yankees and 14 with Arizona - posting a 2-12 record and 4.29 ERA. In his lone start

against the Orioles last June, he permitted five runs in 6 1-3 innings.

He lasted just 3 2-3 innings on Tuesday as Colorado knocked him around for three runs and five

hits.

Chris Davis extended his hitting streak to seven games with his 29th home run Sunday. Davis

has 10 homers since July 22 and is 2 for 4 against Nuno.

Adam Jones is also 2 for 4 against Nuno with a home run.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/07/baltimore-orioles-travis-snider-junior-lake

Orioles DFA Travis Snider, call up new acquisition Junior

Lake

By Dan Gartland / SI.com

August 7, 2015

The Baltimore Orioles have designated outfielder Travis Snider for assignment and called up

newly acquired outfielder Junior Lake to replace him, the team announced Friday.

Snider, 27, is batting .233 with a .326 slugging percentage in 69 games this season. He is mired

in a 3 for 36 slump dating to July 1 and has seen his playing time decrease since Baltimore

acquired outfielder Gerardo Parra in a deadline trade.

Lake, 25, was also acquired at the deadline. In 21 games for the Chicago Cubs this season, Lake

batted .224 with a .345 slugging percentage. He had a .316 batting average and slugged .464 in

62 Triple A games with the Cubs’ and Orioles’ affiliates. The Orioles sent pitcher Tommy

Hunter to Chicago in exchange for Lake.

The Orioles sit six games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East, and 1.5

games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the second Wild Card spot. Baseball Prospectus puts

their odds of winning the division at 3.3% and their Wild Card odds at 23.1%, while

Fangraphs has their division odds at 3.5% and their Wild Card odds at 22%.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/wilson-injury-could-complicate-things-orioles

Wilson injury could complicate things for Orioles

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 10, 2015

Perhaps the worst news of Sunday came, not from Anaheim, where the Orioles lost in 11

innings, but from Norfolk.

That’s where Tyler Wilson felt pain in his side warming up and was pulled. He’ll have an MRI

on his oblique, and if he has an oblique strain, that could remove him from the Orioles’

September equation.

Suddenly, the Orioles don’t have nearly as many options in Norfolk as they did two weeks ago.

Before the trading deadline, the Tides had Wilson, Mike Wright and Zach Davies as their top

three starters. Wilson is now hurt. Wright, who was called up to replace the traded Tommy

Hunter, immediately strained his left calf, and Davies was sent to Milwaukee for Gerardo Parra.

If the Orioles wanted to replace the struggling Miguel Gonzalez in the rotation, they don’t have

many appetizing alternatives.

Perhaps the best is Steve Johnson, who was great in the stretch run in 2012, but has had a

number of injuries since. Johnson has only started twice for Norfolk, but is 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA.

He’s allowed just two home runs in 45 2/3 innings.

The Tides other starters include Eddie Gamboa, the knuckleballer who remains on the 40-man

roster, Chris Jones and Terry Doyle.

Jones is a left-hander who has been in spring training with the Orioles, but never lasted long, and

Doyle was a free agent signee last winter. Doyle dominated the Eastern League for Bowie (12-1,

1.97), but he’s 29 and hasn’t been in the big leagues.

Dan Duquette may be forced to acquire a fringe starter from outside the organization for depth.

On Sunday, Chaz Roe was charged with the loss. He gave up a double to Carlos Perez, who

eventually scored.

Roe was brought up from Norfolk on May 24, and the journeyman pitched brilliantly for five

weeks. He was scored upon just twice in his first 15 appearances, and seven of them were hitless.

On June 28, he had an ERA of 0.90.

Since then, Roe has allowed runs in six of his 13 appearances, and he’s given up hits in 12 of

them.

Perhaps the magic has worn off.

If the Orioles are getting short in the bullpen, they might want to consider flipping Roe for

Johnson or Oliver Drake. That’s assuming they’re determined to keep Jason Garcia on the roster.

Mychal Givens, who was optioned when Garcia returned, has to spend another six days in the

minor leagues.

Cesar Cabral and Jorge Rondon are also both on the 40-man, and Rondon can return on

Wednesday.

Roe is out of options and would have to be designated for assignment. It’s likely another team

would claim him on waivers, but if the Orioles are convinced they’ve already seen the best of

him, that may be the way to go.

When Roe arrived in May, no one thought he was more than a stopgap, and getting this much

time out of him has been amazing.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-must-stop-hot-nelson-cruz-first-three-

seattle

Orioles must stop hot Nelson Cruz in first of three at Seattle

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 10, 2015

Tonight's Game:

Baltimore Orioles (56-54) vs. Seattle Mariners (52-60), Safeco Field, Seattle, 10:10 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Wei-Yin Chen (5-6, 3.32) vs. Vidal Nuno (0-1, 2.52)

Keys to the Game:

Can Chen do what Miguel Gonzalez couldn't? Gonzalez gave up four runs in the first three

innings in a game the Orioles eventually lost in 11.

Can the Orioles stop the great Nelson Cruz? He has a 19-game hitting streak and has an extra-

base hit in nine straight games.

News and Notes:

Nuno hasn't won in his last 16 starts, dating back to June 27, 2014.

Current Seattle hitters are batting just .154 against Chen.

Cruz is batting .325 with a league-leading 33 home runs and 69 RBIs.

Since July 6, David Lough is just 2-for-23.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-first-six-games-out-west-split-decision

Orioles' first six games out west a split decision

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 9, 2015

After winning two of three in Oakland and splitting the first two games in Anaheim, the Orioles

hoped for another win against the Angels.

But, Miguel Gonzalez had another rocky start, and the Orioles eventually lost in 11 innings to

Los Angeles, 5-4.

Gonzalez’s starts have been concerning lately, and on Sunday, he allowed four runs on seven hits

in 4 2/3 innings. That put the Orioles (56-54) in a hole they could never climb out of.

Trailing 4-2, Gerardo Parra hit his first home run as an Oriole and Chris Davis his 29th in the

sixth to tie the score at 4.

Five innings later, the Angels (59-51) scored the winning run. Carlos Perez doubled off Chaz

Roe (2-2). With two outs, manager Buck Showalter, who had ordered just 14 intentional walks

this season, directed that Mike Trout and Albert Pujols be passed to load the bases.

David Murphy’s single off Brian Matusz ended the game.

The Orioles are in third place in the AL East, trailing the New York Yankees by five games, and

three games behind Los Angeles for the final wild card spot.

Toronto had the biggest week, capping it with a three-game sweep of New York. The Blue Jays

trail the Yankees by 1 ½ games and lead the wild card race.

NOTES: The Orioles begin a three-game series in Seattle on Monday night at 10:10 p.m. Wei-

Yin Chen faces Vidal Nuno (0-0, 2.88). … Tyler Wilson was supposed to start for Norfolk on

Sunday night, but he reported his oblique hurt during warmups. He’ll be evaluated on Monday.

... The Orioles are 3-3 in extra innings.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/could-chris-davis-wind-boston

Could Chris Davis wind up in Boston?

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 9, 2015

One of the best things about the Orioles being in the postseason conversation is that there’s less

chatter about free agency.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe surveyed people in the game, and one of their suggestions to

improve the Red Sox is to add Chris Davis.

Cafardo’s experts envision a batting order that includes David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez and Davis

as its heart.

Orioles fans would be repulsed.

Davis is in the midst of a wonderful stretch, and his 28 home runs and 79 RBIs would be

difficult, if not impossible for the Orioles to replace.

But, the Red Sox?

It was bad enough that the Orioles lost Nick Markakis, but he went off to the Atlanta Braves,

who may not play in Baltimore again during the lifetime of his four-year contract. Markakis had

five hits during three games here late last month.

Sure, Andrew Miller signed with the Yankees, but as good as he was, he was only with the

Orioles for less than three months, and he doesn’t pitch in every game.

Watching Davis play for the Red Sox 19 times a season would be hard, very hard for

Baltimoreans to watch.

Realistically, it’s difficult to imagine the Orioles paying Davis $100 million or more for five

years, which seems to be what he might draw on the market. The Red Sox aren’t likely to blanch

at those numbers.

Two years ago, Davis said that he was eager to negotiate a long-term extension with the Orioles,

but that went nowhere. Then came the 2014 nightmare with an oblique injury, a 25-game

suspension for using Adderall without a prescription and a .196 average.

Through it all, hardly a negative word was heard from Orioles fans.

Davis wouldn’t have it so easy in Boston.

Uber-agent Scott Boras who represents Davis and another likely free agent winner, Matt Wieters,

doesn’t do hometown discounts.

When you think about Davis and Fenway Park, you don’t think about his numbers there, a .218

in 49 games, you remember him winning that memorable 17-inning May 2012 game as a pitcher.

There will be plenty of time to worry about Davis and his future later on, but for now, Orioles

fans should be concerned about the Yankees and Blue Jays. The Red Sox can wait.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/make-postseason-orioles-must-keep-winning

To make postseason, Orioles must keep winning

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 9, 2015

The Orioles begin Sunday with a 56-53 record. A year ago, the Kansas City Royals were 56-53

after 109 games. Kansas City finished with 33 wins in their last 53 games to barely qualify for

the postseason.

We know what happened.

After Toronto won its first two games at New York, they closed to within 2 ½ games of the

Yankees and passed the Angels for the first wild card spot. If the Orioles win on Sunday, they’ll

be just a game behind Los Angeles for the second wild card position.

All week, fans have been postulating that this is “a make or break road trip” for the Orioles. It’s

not.

Of course, if they lost eight of nine on the trip, their postseason chances were likely sunk, but

with three wins in their first five games, their playoff odds aren’t measurably improved from a

week ago.

If they win five or six of the nine games, they’ll come home in a good spot. Their roughest road

trip of the season will be over.

A 10-game homestand, their longest of the season will await, four each with Oakland and

Minnesota and two with the Mets. That will be challenging, too.

The final six weeks of the season will be hard. Seven games with Kansas City, seven more with

the Blue Jays and six against the Yankees.

Each year, a team plays excellent ball in the final two months and grabs a playoff spot. It was the

Orioles in 2012, Cleveland in 2013 and the Royals a year ago.

Toronto entered Sunday with 10 wins in its last 11 games. They could be that team this year. The

Orioles are hoping they’re not, but they need to start winning in bunches.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-outright-parmelee-norfolk

Orioles outright Parmelee to Norfolk

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 9, 2015

Nine days after he was designated for assignment, the Orioles outrighted Chris Parmelee to

Triple-A Norfolk. As in the case of Bud Norris, who was released on Saturday, the Orioles tried

to trade Parmelee without success.

But, after weighing his options, Parmelee declined free agency and accepted his assignment to

the Tides.

Parmelee signed a minor league contract with the Orioles in January, and spent the first two-plus

months of the season with Norfolk, batting .312 with six home runs and 32 RBIs.

As he was about to invoke his mid-June opt-out, Parmelee’s contract was purchased by the

Orioles. He had an awesome start, with four hits in his first game and three homers in his first

two games.

But, July was unkind to him, and Parmelee batted just .140, and as Gerardo Parra arrived, he

departed.

The Orioles loved his defense at first and right field. His ability to play first allowed Buck

Showalter to play Chris Davis in right, giving the slugger a mental break from the everyday

grind at first.

Norfolk has Christian Walker and Sean Halton playing first. Walker is on the 40-man roster, and

Halton, who was selected in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft last year, is not.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-try-get-within-game-wild-card

Orioles try to get within game of wild card

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 9, 2015

Today's Game:

Baltimore Orioles (56-53) vs. Los Angeles Angels (58-51), Angels Stadium, Anaheim, Calif.,

3:37 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 4.32) vs. Jered Weaver (4-8, 4.75)

Keys to the Game:

Can the Orioles win two of three against the Angels? If they do, they'll close to within a

game of the second wild card spot.

Can Gonzalez follow Ubaldo Jimenez's strong performance with one of his own?

News and Notes:

Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA when facing the Angles. He's never allowed more than three

runs agianst them.

Mike Trout is 3-for-13 (.231) against Gonzalez. All three hits have been home runs. Erick

Aybar and Albert Pujolis are both 1-for-11 (.091).

Weaver, who has been on the disabled list with an inflamed left hip, has a four-game losing

streak.

Weaver is 8-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 13 starts against the Orioles.

Current Orioles are hitting .207 against Weaver.

Ryan Flaherty is in an 0-for-30 slump. It's the longest single-season hitless streak since

Omar Quintanilla went 0-for-31 in 2012.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/tillmans-start-moved-back-tuesday-seattle

Tillman's start moved back to Tuesday in Seattle

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 8, 2015

Chris Tillman will start for the next time on Tuesday in Seattle, eight days after he was originally

supposed to pitch.

Tillman, who turned his left ankle on July 29, was first pushed back to Friday night, and then to

either Sunday or Monday. Earlier today, the Orioles announced Tillman would start Monday, but

then later moved it to Tuesday.

Manager Buck Showalter told reporters in Anaheim, Calif. that Tillman appeared tentative in one

of his drills and the decision was made to pitch him Tuesday.

Wei-Yin Chen starts in his place on Monday while Kevin Gausman finishes the road trip on

Wednesday.

Tillman is 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA in seven starts against Seattle, and is 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA in two

starts at Safeco Field.

The Orioles are scheduled to avoid Felix Hernandez, who also did not pitch against them when

the Mariners played in Baltimore in May. Hernandez, who hasn’t pitched in Baltimore since

2011, hasn’t beaten the Orioles since 2010.

NOTE: The Orioles are starting their 99th different lineup in Saturday night’s game.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/onetime-orioles-pitcher-turned-outfielder-back

Onetime Orioles pitcher turned outfielder is back

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 8, 2015

A decade ago, Adam Loewen was one of the brightest prospects in the Orioles system. He was

the team’s first round pick in 2002, the fourth pick overall.

Loewen was wild, and the Canadian never came close to reaching stardom.

Injuries derailed his career, and after parts of three seasons when he went 8-8 with a 5.35 ERA,

decided after consultation with the Orioles and physicians, that he should no longer pitch.

The 6-foot-6 left-hander decided to try to return to the majors an outfielder, and then manager

Dave Trembley and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail supported his decision in

2008.

That winter, he shocked and disappointed the team by signing with Toronto, and by 2011 he was

back in the big leagues as an outfielder, batting .188 in 14 games for the Blue Jays.

Three years and three organizations later, Loewen, resumed his pitching career with the

Philadelphia Phillies, and this week returned to the majors as a pitcher.

MacPhail is the Phillies’ president in waiting.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/norris-now-free-agent-after-orioles-release

Norris now a free agent after Orioles release

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 8, 2015

Eight days after he was designated for assignment, the Orioles released Bud Norris on Saturday.

Norris is now free to sign with any team.

The Orioles tried without success to trade Norris, who struggled to a 2-9 record with a 7.06 ERA.

Last year, he was 15-8 with a 3.65 ERA.

Norris signed a one-year contract for $8.8 million, and the Orioles are responsible for the

remaining third. If Norris signs with another team, as he is expected to, that team would pay him

the major league minimum, and the Orioles would be responsible for the rest.

"Unfortunately, the club didn't find a trade partner for Bud Norris and obviously everyone was

disappointed with 2015 after Bud won 15 games in 2014 and the clinching game of the division

series," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette wrote in a text

message.

Chris Parmelee was also designated for assignment on July 31, and the team has tried to trade

him, too. Travis Snider was designated on Friday, and it’s possible the Orioles will find a taker

for him.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/which-ubaldo-jimenez-pitches-against-angels

Which Ubaldo Jimenez pitches against the Angels?

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 8, 2015

Tonight's Game:

Baltimore Orioles (55-53) vs. Los Angeles Angels (58-50), Angels Stadium, Anaheim, Calif.,

9:05 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Ubaldo Jimenez (8-7, 4.04) vs. Garrett Richards (11-8, 3.46)

Keys to the Game:

Will we see the first half Jimenez--or the second half Jimenez? In the first half of the

season, Jimenez was 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA. In the second half, he's 1-3 with a 10.61,

Richards has never beaten the Orioles in three starts. Can they get to him?

News and Notes:

Neither pitcher has beaten the opponent. Jimenez is 0-5 witn a 5.34 ERA in five starts against

the Angels.

The Orioles are in third place in the AL East, six games out, and trail Toronto for the second

wild card by 2 1/2 games.

Matt Wieters is batting .348 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 20 games at Angels Stadium.

Ryan Flaherty, who is in an 0-for-26 slump, hasn't played on this road trip, but is 4-for-7

(.571) against Richards.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/opening-day-roster-its-now-eight-men-out

From Opening Day roster, it's now eight men out

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 7, 2015

Eight men out. On Friday, Travis Snider became the eighth player from the Opening Day roster

to leave the organization. Snider was designated for assignment.

He was the third player from the team that lined up at Tropicana Field on Apr. 6 to depart in the

past week. Seven days ago, the Orioles traded Tommy Hunter to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder

Junior Lake, who was called up to take Snider’s place on the roster, and designated Bud Norris

for assignment.

July brought the departures of Delmon Young and reliever Wesley Wright, who pitched only two

games for the Orioles in the season’s first week before he went on the disabled list.

Earlier in the season, backup catcher Ryan Lavarnway, infielder Everth Cabrera and outfielder

Alejandro De Aza also left. De Aza was designated for assignment in June, and was eventually

traded to Boston for minor league pitcher Joe Gunkel. The Orioles are reportedly paying $2

million of the $3 million remaining on De Aza’s contract.

Why so many departures?

One of the problems is that the team hasn’t produced many position players from the

organization, and the players available on the free agent market are veterans and don’t have

options.

If Snider had options, perhaps the team would have sent him to Norfolk before now to try and

find his stroke.

Some have wondered about Dariel Alvarez, who is not yet on the 40-man roster. If Alvarez were

added now, and the Orioles decided he wasn’t ready, he could be optioned when Steve Pearce

returns from the disabled list. They don’t want to use up an option on Alvarez now.

If they wait until Sept. 1 to add him, Alvarez will have three options beginning in 2016.

The Orioles have been trying to trade both Norris and Chris Parmelee, who they also designated

for assignment last Friday, without success. Snider, who showed power last year and has a

relatively affordable contract (approx $700k left on a $2.1 million deal), could be traded or

claimed on waivers.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-designate-travis-snider-assignment

Orioles designate Travis Snider for assignment

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 7, 2015

The Orioles designated outfielder Travis Snider for assignment on Friday and recalled outfielder

Junior Lake from Triple-A Norfolk.

Snider was a huge disappointment this season after the Orioles traded two minor league pitchers,

Steven Brault and Stephen Tarpley to Pittsburgh for him in January.

The Orioles had hoped Snider would be an adequate replacement for Nick Markakis, but that

didn’t work out. Snider batted .237 with three home runs and 20 RBIs, but hasn’t had an RBI

since June 30.

Snider was in a 3-for-36 slump.

The left-handed hitting outfielder showed power last season for the Pirates when he hit 13 home

runs and 38 RBIs with a .263 average. The Orioles hoped he could duplicate or even improve on

those numbers, but Snider didn’t come close.

Lake was acquired a week ago from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Tommy Hunter. In parts

of three major league seasons, Lake has a .241 lifetime average.

The right-handed hitter played 210 games for the Cubs this season, hitting .224 with a home run

and five RBIs.

Lake, who will wear No. 48, has played all three outfield positions, but more in left field than

anywhere else.

In 58 games for Chicago’s Triple-A Iowa, Lake batted .315 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs,

and batted .333 in four games with the Tides.

Lake, who is in Friday’s lineup as the designated hitter, will be the 44th player used by the

Orioles this season, equaling the number used in 2014.

The Orioles currently have three players who were designated for assignment. Besides Snider,

Bud Norris and Chris Parmelee were designated last week.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-think-jason-garcia-worth-risk

Orioles think Jason Garcia is worth this risk

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore

August 7, 2015

Since there was no game on Thursday, Orioles fans had nothing to worry about. That was until

late in the afternoon when the team announced they had reinstated Rule 5 draft pick Jason Garcia

from the 60-day disabled list.

That was expected. What fans didn’t expect was that Mychal Givens would be returned to Bowie

after allowing just a single hit in his four major league appearances.

Givens was impressive, and manager Buck Showalter likes him. He’ll be back, but there weren’t

many choices if the Orioles wanted to keep the Rule 5 draft choice.

In order for the Orioles to keep Garcia next year and have the three options that go along with

him, they have to nurse him through the rest of the month. Rule 5 players need 90 days on the

active roster, and Garcia is about three weeks short if you count the days beyond Sept. 1 when

the rosters expand.

The Orioles had Garcia on the active roster for a little over five weeks before he came down with

shoulder tendinitis, and it was clear that in his limited appearances that he wasn’t ready for the

majors.

But, the Orioles think that Garcia will be a legitimate big league pitcher, perhaps in 2016 or

2017.

Counting spring training, they’ve already invested nearly six months in him. Clearly they see

something.

And for those who think that he’s costing them a spot in the bullpen, well maybe he is. But,

having him in the bullpen for the first five weeks of the season didn’t seem to cost them

anything.

In seven of the eight appearances he made, the Orioles were already trailing, and in three of

them, he didn’t give up a run. In the other four, he allowed one or two runs in games they lost by

four, six or seven.

He seemed most out of sorts on Apr. 26 when he allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings—in a game

the Orioles won 18-7.

For nearly a month, Showalter managed to keep Bud Norris out of crucial situations, and that

was with the team short a position player for much of that time.

He’ll try to do the same with Garcia for the next 24 days.

If Orioles starters go deep in games, there probably won’t be much call for Garcia, and if they

don’t, and they need a seventh man in the bullpen regularly, the season is probably lost anyway.

That’s not to minimize the role of the 12th pitcher. Givens or T.J. McFarland, who’ll probably

return to Norfolk sometime this month because of this experiment, is a more comfortable

alternative than what amounts to a rank amateur.

The Orioles are just betting that a year or two from now, this move will pay off for them—

hugely.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/08/09/is-it-time-to-remove-miguel-gonzalez-from-the-

orioles-rotation

Is It Time To Remove Miguel Gonzalez From The Orioles'

Rotation?

By Paul Folkemer / PressBoxOnline.com

August 9, 2015

The Orioles' 5-4 rubber game loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Aug. 9 brought plenty

of frustrating moments for O's fans, as the Birds were held to four runs in 11 innings.

Manager Buck Showalter's bullpen use was questionable, as the Angels won the game during the

11th against unreliable righty Chaz Roe and lefty Brian Matusz. The Birds' best reliever, lefty

Zach Britton, never made an appearance.

But perhaps the event of greatest concern was right-hander Miguel Gonzalez's continued

struggles on the mound. The Orioles' starter was knocked out in the fifth after throwing 102

pitches in 4.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. It was the latest in a string of rough

outings for Gonzalez.

The simplest explanation may be that Gonzalez isn't 100 percent healthy. His struggles coincide

with his return from the disabled list due to a strained right groin in June. During his 12 starts

before the injury, Gonzalez was his usual effective self, posting a 3.33 ERA and hurling seven

outings of six innings or more.

But after coming off the DL June 25, Gonzalez has a 6.22 ERA during nine starts, working six or

more innings just twice. It stands to reason Gonzalez might be feeling slight effects of the groin

injury, leading to his decreased effectiveness.

Whatever the reason, Gonzalez hasn't fooled many batters since his return, allowing 12 hits per

nine innings during that span, an increase over his 7.2 mark prior to his DL stint, and well above

his career average of 8.5.

Gonzalez has allowed a .358 batting average on balls in play since coming back from the DL, in

contrast to .236 beforehand. That high BABIP can't simply be chalked up to bad luck, because

hitters are squaring up the ball more solidly than ever against Gonzalez. Of balls put in play

against him in 2015, 25.8 percent have been line drives, the highest rate of his career.

Gonzalez's track record of success with the Orioles -- a career 39-29 record and 3.63 ERA since

2012 -- will likely afford him more time to work out his troubles. But at the moment, he appears

to be the weakest link of an O's rotation that has struggled to a 4.56 ERA since the All-Star

break.

If the O's were to have Gonzalez shift roles, he could slot in nicely as a long reliever. That's the

role in which he first broke into the majors in 2012, and he has made at least one relief

appearance every season except 2015. Pitching out of the bullpen in low-pressure situations

could allow Gonzalez to hone his command and work on missing bats more often.

The problem is, who would replace Gonzalez in the rotation? The Orioles' pitching depth has

become significantly thinner during the past two weeks. They released struggling veteran Bud

Norris Aug. 8, and they dealt one of their top pitching prospects -- righty Zach Davies -- to the

Milwaukee Brewers in the Gerardo Parra trade July 31.

Righty Tyler Wilson -- coming off a 7.2-inning, two-run outing in Oakland Aug. 3 -- would

figure to get the next crack at a rotation spot, but was scratched from his scheduled start for

Triple-A Norfolk Aug. 9 with a sore oblique muscle. It's not clear how long Wilson will be

sidelined. Right-hander Mike Wright is also injured, as he went on the 15-day DL Aug. 1 with a

left calf strain.

Norfolk has no solutions, either. The Tides are currently cobbling together a rotation that features

more organizational players than prospects, including lefty Chris Jones and righties Eddie

Gamboa and Terry Doyle. None is ticketed for a major league promotion anytime soon.

The O's could seek a starting pitcher on the trade market, but now that the July 31 non-waiver

trade deadline has passed, there aren't many bona fide pitchers available. Perhaps they could

pursue a reunion with veteran righty Scott Feldman, who pitched for the Orioles in 2013 and

now might be expendable amidst the Houston Astros' rebuilt rotation. But does Feldman, or a

pitcher of his ilk, represent a clear upgrade over Gonzalez?

For now, it appears the O's have little choice but to stick with Gonzalez for a while longer. The

Orioles' pitching depth, which was considered to be a strength at the start of the season, hasn't

materialized as the Birds had hoped.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/08/06/hannah-storm-talks-about-her-face-to-face-with-adam-

jones/

Hannah Storm Talks About Her “Face To Face” With

Adam Jones

CBS Baltimore

August 6, 2015

Hannah Storm is a sportscaster, producer and director for ESPN and ABC. Hannah interviewed

Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones for ESPN’s Documentary series Face to Face.

On the Vinny and Rob show, Hannah Storm spoke about how Adam is an authentic person

saying, “He’s not afraid to speak his mind and isn’t shy about how it makes others feel.” She also

raved about the role that Adam plays, not only for the Birds but in the community as well saying,

“the Boys and Girls knew him; He doesn’t just take pictures and shake hands. He’s involved in

the community…”

The guys and Hannah also talk about Notre Dame for a bit.

Listen in to find out what Hannah would say to fans who call Adam “arrogant” and what single

word she would use to describe him. A MUST listen for O’s fans. Check it out and don’t forget

to watch the special which premieres tonight at 7 pm EST.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/08/06/orioles-announce-7th-annual-pet-calendar-for-barcs-2/

Orioles Announce 7th Annual Pet Calendar For BARCS

CBS Baltimore

August 6, 2015

The 7th annual Orioles Pet Calendar will go on sale later this month on August 22, with proceeds

benefiting the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), a non-profit shelter that

accepts and cares for all animals in need.

The 16-month calendar features photos of Orioles players with their pets and various BARCS

animals at locations around Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Players who will be featured in this year’s calendar include: Brad Brach, Zach Britton, Wei-Yin

Chen,Chris Davis, Kevin Gausman, Miguel Gonzalez, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Caleb

Joesph, David Lough,Manny Machado, Brain Matusz, Darren O’Day,Steve

Pearce, Chris Tillman, Matt Wieters, as well as manager Buck Showalter.

The 2016 calendar will be available for $15 at Oriole Park, the Orioles Team Store in the York

Galleria in York, PA, and HERE!

In further support of BARCS, a few Orioles players will appear at BARCS for an autograph

signing from on August 22. Fans who purchase a calendar can receive autographs, and fans

attending the event may park for free in Lot J. Additionally, on Sunday, August 23, the first

20,000 fans 15 and over who attend that day’s 1:35 p.m. game against the Minnesota Twins will

receive an Orioles pet leash.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/08/orioles-release-bud-norris/

Orioles release Bud Norris

By Bill Baer / NBCSports.com

August 8, 2015

The Orioles have released pitcher Bud Norris, MASN’s Roch Kubatko reports. The club tried in

July to trade the right-hander before the trade deadline, then designated him for assignment on

July 31.

Norris, 30, struggled in 11 starts, posting a 6.79 ERA with a 39/19 K/BB ratio in 55 2/3 innings.

He missed nearly a month of the season after a battle with bronchitis. After his final start in June,

the Orioles moved him to the bullpen, but Norris didn’t have any more success, allowing 10 runs

in 10 2/3 innings.

Norris was a big contributor out of the rotation last year, when he finished with a 3.65 ERA.

He’ll find work elsewhere.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/07/orioles-designate-travis-snider-for-assignment-

recall-junior-lake/

Orioles designate Travis Snider for assignment, recall

Junior Lake

By Bill Baer / NBCSports.com

August 7, 2015

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have designated outfielder Travis

Sniderfor assignment and recalled Junior Lake from Triple-A Norfolk.

Snider, 27, wasn’t finding much success at the plate, batting .237/.318/.341 with three home runs

and 20 RBI. The once top prospect is now a veteran of eight seasons but has struggled to

consistently hit at the major league level.

Lake, 25, was acquired from the Cubs in the Tommy Hunter trade at the deadline. He hit .333 in

16 plate appearances at Norfolk. He has a career .663 OPS across 642 career major league plate

appearances.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25264840/orioles-pitch-around-mike-trout-and-

albert-pujols-and-lose-anyway

Orioles pitch around Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and lose

anyway

By David Brown / CBSSports.com

August 9, 2015

Playing it safe in baseball can still get you beat, and it's only more excruciating when it happens

that way. Take the misfortune with manager Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles at Angel

Stadium on Sunday.

Angels newcomer David Murphy hit a bases-loaded single in the 11th inning to push across the

tiebreaking run in a 5-4 victory against the Orioles, but only after Baltimore issued intentional

walks to Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. Carlos Perez had led off with a double and, after Johnny

Giavotella struck out trying to bunt, left-hander Brian Matusz struck out Kole Calhoun with

Trout and Pujols up next. There was no way Showalter was going to let the best hitter in the

American League, or the approximately 26th-best hitter in the majors beat the Orioles.

So, instead, Murphy did it himself after working the count full:

Murphy, who also hit a three-run home run earlier -- the 100th of his career -- finished with three

hits and four RBIs on the day. Trout and Pujols combined to go 0 for 9 with three walks and

three strikeouts. Murphy said he figured the Orioles would play it the way they did, yet it still

motivated him. Via the Associated Press:

He saw the situation unfold and figured the Orioles would walk two of the majors' best hitters.

''Sure enough, they did it, and that added a little fuel to my competitive fire right there,'' Murphy

said. ''So you really want to come through in that situation, and fortunately I was able to.''

Avoiding the apparently more dangerous Trout and Pujols is probably how most (if not all)

major league managers would have handled it. The other 29 certainly would have walked Trout.

And pitching around Pujols, another right-handed monster, made sense with Matusz, a lefty, on

the mound.

Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun noted that Showalter once issued an intentional walk to

Barry Bonds with the bases loaded -- so it shouldn't have been much a surprise that Trout and

Pujols got free passes. The issue Schmuck has was pushing the tying run to third base by walking

Pujols too, which loaded the bases and gave Matusz no margin for error.

"All three of those guys have had good success against Brian, so you're picking your poison,''

Showalter said on the MASN postgame show.

That's true, but even the best hitters in baseball are statistically twice as likely to make an out

than not, and there was no guarantee that Angels catcher Carlos Perez would have scored from

second base on a base hit by Pujols.

Factor in that Murphy was the man on Sunday. He already had hit a two-out, three-run homer off

starter Miguel Gonzalez after Gonzalez had struck out both Trout and Pujols with runners at

second and third.

The game-winner was a fly ball that landed short of the warning track, but the Orioles were

playing Murphy shallow because he can morph into a slap hitter against left-handed pitchers and

they apparently were more concerned about him getting a dink hit than hitting a long fly ball.

Showalter discussed his decision to walk Trout and Pujols with MASN's Gary Thorne.

Murphy came in 5 for 12 with an 1.128 on-base plus slugging against Matusz, so it's reasonable

to question the walk to Pujols, who isn't the hitter he used to be -- either 10 years ago when he

dominated, or two years ago, when injuries muted his effectiveness. He's rebounded to All-Star

level. If first base had been open, it would have been even less obvious to criticize Showalter for

loading the bases. He might not have done the right thing, but it's not obvious he did the wrong

one, either.

http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasybaseball/update/25264761/orioles-struggling-sp-miguel-

gonzalez-pounded-again-sunday

Orioles struggling SP Miguel Gonzalez pounded again

Sunday

By Marty Gitlin / CBSSports.com

August 9, 2015

Concerns that Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez is not long for the rotation were heightened

Sunday after another terrible performance.

Gonzalez gave up four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings against the host Angels. He walked

two and struck out six and was spared defeat when his team rebounded from the 4-2 deficit he

provided.

Homers 19 and 20 on the year against Gonzalez proved damaging. He allowed a first inning solo

blast to Kole Calhoun and three-run job in the third to David Murphy.

Gonzalez remains 9-8, but has surrendered 12 runs in his last 13 innings and has managed just

one quality start in his last six outings.