monday, july 31, 2017mlb.mlb.com/documents/4/6/8/103262468/7_31_17_6evgubpd.pdf · 2020-04-20 ·...
TRANSCRIPT
World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966
American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969
American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996
Monday, July 31, 2017
Game Stories:
Orioles take series with 10-6 win over Texas Rangers The Sun 7/30
Kevin Gausman pitches 8 2/3 scoreless innings in Orioles' 4-0 win over Rangers The Sun
7/29
Chris Tillman gives up eight runs in Orioles' series-opening 8-2 loss to Rangers The Sun
7/28
Orioles pile on offense, hold off Rangers MLB.com 7/30
Gausman goes 8 2/3 as O's shut out Rangers MLB.com 7/30
Cashner, Rangers handle O's; Beltre at 2,998 MLB.com 7/29
In final game before trade deadline, O’s win road trip finale MASNsports.com 7/30
Kevin Gausman with a gem as the O’s blank Texas (quotes added) MASNsports.com
7/29
Chris Tillman allows eight runs as Texas rolls (quotes added) MASNsports.com 7/28
Beltre gets 3,000th hit in Rangers' 10-6 loss to Orioles AP 7/30
Beltre (1-for-4) at 2,999 hits after Rangers' loss to Orioles AP 7/29
Beltre at 2,998 hits after 2 more in 8-2 Texas win over O's AP 7/28
Kevin Gausman Pitches A Gem In Orioles' 4-0 Win PressBoxOnline.com 7/30
Columns:
Four questions left for Orioles to answer before Monday's 4 p.m. trade deadline The Sun
7/31
Orioles witness history, face uncertain future The Sun 7/30
Orioles honored to be part of history as Adrián Beltré collects career hit No. 3,000
Sunday The Sun 7/30
'Big Bopper' Lee May, member of Orioles Hall of Fame, dies at 74 The Sun 7/30
Mark Trumbo scratched from Orioles lineup Sunday after tweaking back The Sun 7/30
A different reality ahead for Orioles under long-term control should club rebuild The Sun
7/30
Questions still aplenty as Orioles welcome addition of Jeremy Hellickson ahead of
deadline The Sun 7/29
Orioles' Showalter on informing Kim of trade: 'I didn't really like the way it happened'
The Sun 7/29
Reflecting on Hyun Soo Kim's tenure with the Orioles The Sun 7/29
Analyzing the Orioles' acquisition of pitcher Jeremy Hellickson for Hyun Soo Kim The
Sun 7/29
Varying speeds leading to better results for Orioles' Kevin Gausman The Sun 7/29
Orioles acquire right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from Phillies for Hyun Soo Kim, more
The Sun 7/28
Schmuck: Jeremy Hellickson deal proves Dan Duquette is one stubborn fellow The Sun
7/28
Orioles notes: Davis' return has been 'a grind;' Showalter looking forward to seeing
Santander The Sun 7/28
Ubaldo looking to stay hot in opener with KC MLB.com 7/31
Orioles in awe of Beltre's accomplishment MLB.com 7/30
Back injury takes Trumbo out of O's lineup MLB.com 7/30
Three-time All-Star slugger Lee May dies MLB.com 7/30
Mancini pads resume with another homer MLB.com 7/30
Hellickson deal fuels O's belief they can rally MLB.com 7/29
O's bolster rotation, acquire Phils' Hellickson MLB.com 7/29
Does Britton make it past today’s deadline? MASNsports.com 7/31
Orioles bring back Gentry (plus lineups) MASNsports.com 7/30
More from Duquette on Hellickson trade MASNsports.com 7/29
Givens giving Orioles more reasons to consider bigger role MASNsports.com 7/29
Orioles acquire Hellickson from Phillies MASNsports.com 7/29
More on Schoop’s RBIs, Castillo’s bat and trade deadline talk MASNsports.com 7/31
Adrian Beltre gets hit No. 3,000 (O’s lead 10-3) MASNsports.com 7/30
Pregame notes on Mark Trumbo, Jeremy Hellickson and more MASNsports.com 7/30
Notes and quotes after the Orioles’ shutout of Texas MASNsports.com 7/30
Chris Davis on Adrian Beltre (O’s blank Rangers 4-0) MASNsports.com 7/29
Showalter on the addition of Jeremy Hellickson MASNsports.com 7/29
Chris Davis, Chris Tillman talk adding Hellickson and losing Kim MASNsports.com
7/29
A look at the Orioles trade for Jeremy Hellickson MASNsports.com 7/29
Showalter on Beltre’s upcoming milestone hit (plus a game update) MASNsports.com
7/28
Showalter with a solid report on Santander’s first rehab game MASNsports.com 7/28
O’Day on trade talk: “More speculation than I’ve ever heard before” MASNsports.com
7/28
Jeremy Hellickson involved in minor car accident on way out of Philly AP 7/30
Orioles Overcome Adrian Beltre's 3,000th Hit For 10-6 Win PressBoxOnline.com 7/30
Buck Showalter Says Orioles Aren't Unnerved By Trade Deadline PressBoxOnline.com
7/30
Orioles Say They Haven't Given Up On 2017 Season PressBoxOnline.com 7/29
Baltimore Orioles Lose In Texas, Then Trade For Jeremy Hellickson
PressBoxOnline.com 7/29
Orioles host red-hot Royals AP 7/31
O’s trade Kim and Cleavinger to Phillies for Hellickson — my take on the ‘buy’ trade
BaltimoreBaseball.com 7/29
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-rangers-recap-20170730-
story.html
Orioles take series with 10-6 win over Texas Rangers
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 30, 2017
With the heart of their lineup humming and a strong start from left-hander Wade Miley, the
Orioles jumped out to a big lead early and held on late to top the Texas Rangers, 10-6, Sunday at
Globe Life Field.
The win earned them a series win and sent the Orioles into Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline at
50-54, 5.5 games out of a Wild Card playoff spot with 58 games to play.
Rookie Trey Mancini, who hit cleanup for the first time in his career after designated hitter Mark
Trumbo was scratched after tweaking his back Sunday morning, had three hits and an RBI, while
second baseman Jonathan Schoop added his club-high 24th home run and catcher Welington
Castillo homered while tying a season-high with 4 RBIs.
Most of the Orioles' damage came in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, five straight
batters reached at one point in a four-run frame. An inning later, Schoop and Castillo homered to
chase Rangers starter Martín Perez and expand the Orioles lead beyond reach.
“You're playing a day game here and the ball's flying, you need to keep adding on,” manager
Buck Showalter said. “We knew that they were going to make a run at us. … Very
quietly,[Castillo] is hitting .280 with 10 home runs in not a whole lot of at-bats. That was a big
home run. Any run we can scratch across against them — you need margin of error in this place
against that team, against all major league teams.”
Schoop added an RBI single in the sixth inning. He, third baseman Manny Machado, and
Mancini all scored twice in the win.
Beltré belts 3,000: Play was briefly stopped in the fourth inning as both teams joined the
announced 32,437 fans on hand to congratulate Rangers third baseman Adrián Beltré on his
3,000th career hit, which came on a fourth-inning double off Miley.
Beltré achieved the milestone in his fourth attempt of the series, and was greeted on the field by
his teammates and family during a celebration that the Orioles were glad to take part in.
“As a fan of the game, what a career that guy has had,” Miley said. “I wasn't trying to let him get
a hit by any means, but at the same time, as a fan, if it had to happen, that guy is an unbelievable
player. That's who you want your kids to watch. That's the kind of respect I have for him. It's a
special moment for him, let him celebrate. However long they took, I felt like it went pretty
quick. Congrats to that guy. He's been fun to watch for the last 19 years, and hopefully he keeps
rapping out some more.”
A win for Wade: Miley pitched five innings of two-run ball, walking just one and striking out
five while allowing six hits, and improved to 5-9 on the season.
Miley didn't allow a hit until the third inning, and only really found trouble in the fourth, when a
one-out walk and Beltré's historic double put two men on for second baseman Rougned Odor to
drive home with a two-out single.
Two Rangers reached in Miley's fifth and final inning, but he stranded them. His ERA was down
to 5.60 by day's end.
“Better overall,” Miley said. “Still not great. I didn't throw a lot of strikes. Didn't get ahead of
guys like I wanted to, but at the same time, I was able to make some pitches in key situations and
we were able to score some runs. Obviously, that makes it a lot easier to pitch.”
Showalter’s assessment was rosier.
“I'll tell you, Miley was good,” he said. “To pitch five innings and hold that club to two runs, it
may not have always looked aesthetically pleasing but he never gave in and started just throwing.
We needed all of our bullets today, but fortunately we were short enough with everybody that
we'll have everybody back tomorrow.”
Six different pitchers — Darren O'Day, Brad Brach, Miguel Castro, Donnie Hart, Mychal
Givens, and Zach Britton — covered the remaining innings. O'Day, Castro, and Hart gave up
home runs as the lead shrunk from 10-2 to 10-6.
Orioles pitching combined to strike out 14 batters, their most since April 30.
Good baserunning: Having five straight men reach in their four-run third certainly helped, but
the onslaught was helped by good baserunning on every play. On Mancini's RBI single, Schoop
went first-to-third so he could score easily on the ensuing single by first baseman Chris Davis.
On that Davis single, Mancini did the same, and scored when Castillo rolled a ball into right
field.
Both runners advanced on a long fly ball out to left field by left fielder Joey Rickard, making
Tejada's forceout worth a run as well.
An inning later, Mancini again took an extra base on a Davis single before scoring on Castillo's
home run.
Machado making up ground: With a pair of doubles and a single, Machado's three-hit day raised
his batting average to .243 by the end of the game—his highest since April 8.
Machado is batting .281 since the All-Star break
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-rangers-rail-0730-story.html
Kevin Gausman pitches 8 2/3 scoreless innings in Orioles' 4-
0 win over Rangers
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 29, 2017
The Orioles used right-hander Kevin Gausman's best start of the season and the longest of his
career, plus an early offensive outburst, for a well-earned 4-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on
Saturday night before 44,658 fans at Globe Life Park.
Gausman pitched into the ninth inning for the first time in his career and was one out away from
a complete-game shutout when a two-out walk and a blooper into center field brought in closer
Zach Britton. Britton recorded the game’s final out to give Gausman the sterling line of 8 2/3
scoreless innings, eight strikeouts and three walks while allowing seven hits — all singles.
There was plenty of disappointment that the two-out pop-up fell and robbed him of a nine-inning
gem, but it quickly shifted to satisfaction that Gausman is back on track.
“He pitched so well,” catcher Caleb Joseph said. “That’s a big deal nowadays in the stat era — to
have a complete game by your name. There’s just not that many of them. I’d be interested to
know how many there were in the course of the season already. He was so close. He did a
tremendous job, locating the fastball. It all begins and ends with fastball command with Kevin.
He elevated when he needed to. He hit it down and away when he needed to. He threw a lot of
good sinkers in, took advantage of a pretty aggressive club over there, and I think that helped
kind of limit his pitch count. He was able to get up to [118] over nine innings? That’s pretty
good. That’s what you like. That’s what you want to see out of a horse you’re trying to ride.”
For the 26-year-old right-hander, who was the team's Opening Day starter but carried a 7.50
ERA into May and was still north of 6.00 in mid-June, Saturday marked his third straight quality
start and his fifth straight win, bringing him to 8-7 with a 5.37 ERA on the season.
Questions still aplenty as Orioles welcome addition of Jeremy Hellickson ahead of deadline
The only real trouble he had came early. A leadoff walk to designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo and
an infield single by shortstop Elvis Andrus elevated the stakes in the first inning, but a difficult
3-6-1 double play and a putout by shortstop Rubén Tejada from deep in the shortstop hole ended
the inning.
From there, Gausman cruised. After Choo singled with two outs in the fifth inning, Gausman
didn't allow another man to reach until he walked right fielder Nomar Mazara to open the ninth.
But third baseman Manny Machado fielded a difficult short-hop off the bat of his counterpart,
Adrián Beltré, to deny him his 3,000th hit and turn a crucial double play. Gausman issued a third
walk with two down before a bloop fell in center field to end his day.
“We've got to figure out a way to catch that ball,” manager Buck Showalter said.
Gausman said he might have wanted the complete game “a little too much” and got away from
his plans in the ninth inning, but he appreciated Showalter sticking with him past his planned
110-pitch limit.
“One thing I loved about Buck tonight was he gave me a lot of chances in that ninth inning to get
it,” Gausman said. “You walk the leadoff guy in the ninth inning, you're usually going to be out
of that game. But I think he saw something in me tonight. I was throwing the ball well, so he
stayed with the hot hand. Unfortunately, I was an out away, but it was a win and a quality start
and more importantly, we only had one guy who had to throw three pitches tonight out of the
’pen.”
Over his past three starts, Gausman has allowed one run on 16 hits with eight walks and 24
strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings. His game score of 80 tied a season and career high, most recently
done on July 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Bombs away: After a relatively quiet night Friday, the Orioles offense had a few big swings
early to ensure it wouldn't be shut down again. Center fielder Adam Jones opened the game with
a double, but was stranded at second. In the second inning, rookie left fielder Trey Mancini hit a
towering home run an estimated 459 feet, according to Statcast, a drive that cleared the Orioles
bullpen. Catcher Caleb Joseph followed it up with a home run of his own that frame to give the
Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Mancini grounded into a force to score a third run with the bases loaded in the third inning, and
right fielder Seth Smith singled home another run with two outs to make it 4-0.
Showalter said it’s just as hard to hit in the Texas elements — it was 94 degrees at first pitch —
as it is to pitch, so the early runs were important.
“Usually you'll find a lot of stuff goes on the last two or three innings, then the tank really gets
challenged as you go on in those games,” Showalter said.
Elsewhere, first baseman Chris Davis reached base four times on three walks and a hit-by-pitch,
and second baseman Jonathan Schoop hit his team-high 27th double in the third inning to give
him an even 100 on his career.
Orioles' Showalter on informing Kim of trade: 'I didn't really like the way it happened'
Jones robs Gallo on strong defensive night: Gausman wasn't always fated for a shutout outing, at
least until Jones intervened. Rangers slugger Joey Gallo opened the third inning with a towering
fly ball to center field that Jones leapt and caught snow-cone style just over the wall for a
dramatic first out of the inning.
“When he hit it, I thought it was way gone,” Gausman said. “He hit it really high. The way that
Jonesy was kind of looking at it, I thought it was going to be way gone. Before I knew it, he went
up there and reached it. Luckily, he's got a lot of pine tar in that glove. I think it stuck in there.
That helped it. But like I said, this defense, you feel really confident any time there's weak
contact or a hard-hit ball.”
Showalter heaped particular praise on the team’s three double plays, including the first- and
ninth-inning double plays, plus another in the fourth inning featuring Machado and Schoop.
“Manny and Jon, my gosh,” Showalter said. “They turned a couple tonight. That last one — they
make them look [easy]. I hope everybody appreciates how hard that is. Those are hard. That's
one thing I think Manny does that nobody else does, the amount of velocity he can create on the
ball from a lot of different angles. Like they tell kids, don't try that at home.”
Another day, Adrián: Anticipation in the stadium was palpable for the possibility that Beltré
would reach 3,000 hits Saturday — the team announced over 8,000 fans bought tickets since the
end of Friday's game, which Beltré ended with 2,998 knocks.
But he went 1-for-4 with three groundouts, including the crucial one in the ninth inning, to leave
him with 2,999 hits.
Gausman and Joseph both said Beltré’s pursuit escalated the feel of the whole game.
“Early on, I could tell it was going to be a different type of atmosphere in the ballpark tonight,”
Gausman said. “I was trying to just not give it up to Beltré. It was a lot of fun — every time he
came up, everybody in the stadium was standing. That was pretty cool.”
“Sad part is we have to face him again tomorrow,” Joseph said.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-rangers-rail-0729-
story.html#nt=oft07a-8gp2
Chris Tillman gives up eight runs in Orioles' series-opening
8-2 loss to Rangers
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 28, 2017
Too many times this year as the Orioles have fallen further in the American League standings
and deeper into long-term uncertainty have performances like Friday's 8-2 loss to the Texas
Rangers come along to crush whatever hope they had left.
Right-hander Chris Tillman labored through 4 1/3 innings and left with eight runs on his account.
The offense wilted in the Texas heat, managing a pair of runs on six hits. And the Orioles lost
their third straight game to fall to 48-54 overall and 18-33 away from Camden Yards.
All of the team's problems were on display at Globe Life Park as the nonwaiver trade deadline
approaches Monday, and with two games left against a Rangers team they swept at Camden
Yards last week and are still battling for playoff positioning, each deficiency grows more
magnified.
“Honestly, we come every day here and we try to do our best, all the time,” catcher Welington
Castillo said. “We try to compete. We try to score as many runs as we can, and the pitchers try to
do their best. Stuff happens. I think just stuff happens. Everybody here is trying to do their best,
honestly. Even though we see the results are not there, the results that we want are not there, I
guarantee you everyone here is going out there and giving it their best.”
Even with two strong starts under his belt since the All-Star break, Tillman labored early and
didn't get into a groove until it was too late. He walked designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo to open
his evening, then saw him go to second on a single by shortstop Elvis Andrus. Both scored on the
first of three doubles by right fielder Nomar Mazara to stake the Rangers to an early 2-0 lead.
“His command wasn't there from the get-go,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He survived a
little bit with the changeup and slider. That was about it. I'm sure we'll look back through it and
see how many times he missed location with a fastball. That's something he's been doing a better
job with until tonight.”
After a scoreless second, Tillman again walked Choo to open the third before Andrus hit his 14th
homer of the year to left field to double the lead. Mazara doubled again and scored on a broken-
bat single by third baseman Adrian Beltre to make it 5-0.
Three more runs scored in the fifth inning, and Tillman ended up going 4 1/3 innings, allowing
eight runs on nine hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts to bring his ERA to 7.65.
He fell to 1-6, and hasn't won since making his season debut May 7.
Tillman said it was odd to have his stuff come and go as it did Friday, and indicated there were
some physical limitations.
“My arm was good,” he said. “I had the full-body cramps going on, but other than that ... my arm
felt great. Physically, it felt good. Just cramping here and there.”
“That’s what he told me,” Castillo said. “I knew something was going on with him, he just didn’t
want to tell me. I know he was battling out there, it was really hot. I don't blame nobody. He’s
just trying to compete out there and do his best to give a chance to win to the team. I knew
there’s something going on with him but he didn’t tell me. It’s one of those days. It’s one of
those days when your whole body cramps or whatever it is. It’s like you don’t have it. You are
fighting your body to try to do your best and try to make pitches.”
Schoop still swinging
The Orioles never got much going off Rangers starter Andrew Cashner, with their first base
runner reaching second base in the fifth inning and their first run coming on a solo home run by
second baseman Jonathan Schoop in the sixth inning.
Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle's move to third base met with positive mindset at Bowie
Schoop has homered in consecutive games to bring his team-leading total to 23 on the season.
First baseman Chris Davis had a walk and a pair of base hits, with the second scoring a run in the
eighth inning. Castillo had two hits, and his third-inning single was his 500th career hit.
The chase for 3,000
Beltre's single in the third inning was the 2,997th of his career, and he moved one closer to 3,000
with a single in the fifth inning. Showalter brought in right-hander Mychal Givens to face him in
the eighth inning, and he popped up.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245358472/orioles-spoil-adrian-beltres-3000th-hit/
Orioles pile on offense, hold off Rangers
By Sam Butler and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON -- It's not often the fans on the losing end of a blowout go home happy, but it
probably happened Sunday at Globe Life Park. The Orioles' offense found its groove early and
cruised to a 10-6 win over the Rangers, but it was overshadowed by Rangers third baseman
Adrian Beltre recording his 3,000th career hit.
"When I hit the ball, luckily it got through [third baseman Manny] Machado," Beltre said. "After
that, it just felt like I was on a cloud while running. I was running, and I was thinking, 'I did it. I
did it.' I didn't believe I did it, but it's done. After that, it was just a cool moment. I saw my
teammates coming out, and obviously my family come out. It was amazing."
Beltre doubled down the left-field line with one out in the fourth off starter Wade Miley,
becoming the first Dominican-born player in Major League history -- and 31st player overall --
to reach the milestone. The game stopped as a massive banner unfurled in center field and a
facade on the outfield wall was revealed to honor his accomplishment.
"It's an honor to be here for it. You couldn't have drawn it better where we win and you get a
chance to see that," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I think everybody in the game has a
lot of respect for him, not only statistically but the way he's handled his success over the years.
Not once has this guy embarrassed his family or his team or anybody. It's a lot like I talked about
[Derek] Jeter at the time. That's one of the bigger challenges, as big a challenge sometimes as
3,000 hits. I didn't realize he was the first Dominican player. That's surprising. That's quite a feat.
I know he's got to take a lot of national pride in that, too."
The Orioles hit a pair of homers -- one from Jonathan Schoop and another off the bat of
Welington Castillo -- and a barrage of singles to tag Rangers starter Martin Perez for eight runs
in 4 1/3 innings. The Rangers were held in check until Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor
homered in the eighth, with Odor's two-run shot coming after his two-run single in the fourth and
solo homer in the sixth. Texas has dropped two straight and three of its last four games and is 5
1/2 games out of the American League Wild Card race.
"I think moments like this mark time for all of us," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "If you
saw our dugout, I think every clubhouse attendant, chef, doctor, they were all in the dugout. We
told them all you need to come out and watch every at-bat until he gets 3,000. It's important. You
need to mark this in your mind. You may never see this again."
Orioles closer Zach Britton -- pitching in back-to-back outings for the first time since April 13
and 14 -- picked up the save to extend his AL record to 57 consecutive saves.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Orioles jump in front during fourth: After Perez had handled the Orioles for three innings,
Baltimore figured him out in the fourth. Four straight batters reached base to lead off the inning -
- three hits and a walk -- and every one scored to give them a 4-0 lead for the second straight
game.
Schoop, Castillo blow it open: Similar to the fourth inning, the Orioles had five of their first six
batters in the fifth inning reach base and score. Schoop hit a two-run homer -- his 24th of the
season -- and Castillo's 10th of the year, a three-run shot, made it 9-2.
"He's become an all-around player," Machado said of Schoop, who is one homer shy of matching
last season's total. "It was always there but this year he's a little more focused, doing his tee
work, in the weight room. It's been awesome to watch and be on the same field as him."
QUOTABLE
"Just as a baseball fan, that's unbelievable. He's seen my first hit, he's seen all my firsts -- me,
personally -- in the big leagues. And to see No. 3,000 for me as a fan of his and a friend of his,
that's pretty special to be able to share that moment with him and see his family." -- Orioles
center fielder Adam Jones, on Beltre
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Beltre became the fourth player to accumulate 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 450 home runs,
joining Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Hank Aaron and Carl Yastrzemski.
AFTER FURTHER REVIEW
Machado appeared to lead off the ninth with a triple after his curling ball down the right-field
line landed underneath a ballgirl's chair. Mazara fired to Beltre at third, but Machado ducked
away from the slide. Banister challenged the call, and after a review, the call was overturned and
Machado was ruled out. Banister improved to 25 of 43 on challenges this year with the
successful overturn.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: The Orioles will return home to face the red-hot Royals, who have won nine of 10
games. Ubaldo Jimenez will take the mound first Monday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. The
inconsistent righty is coming off a quality outing against the Rays in which he went six innings
and allowed two runs on three hits. He also struck out a season-high nine batters.
Rangers: Lefty Cole Hamels starts the Rangers' final series of their nine-game homestand against
the Mariners on Monday at 7:05 p.m. CT. He'll be pitching on the two-year anniversary of the
day he was acquired by Texas from the Phillies.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245190366/kevin-gausman-leads-orioes-win-vs-rangers/
Gausman goes 8 2/3 as O's shut out Rangers
By Sam Butler and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON -- Adrian Beltre needed a pair of hits to enter the record books, but Kevin
Gausman kept him out, at least temporarily. Gausman held Beltre to one hit and the Rangers
scoreless over a career-high 8 2/3 innings to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 win on Saturday at Globe
Life Park.
Beltre finished the night 1-for-4, grounding out in all but one of his at-bats. He got career hit No.
2,999 in the fourth inning, but he'll have to wait until at least Sunday to get No. 3,000.
"Early on, I could tell it was going to be a different type of atmosphere in the ballpark tonight. I
was just trying to not give it up to Beltre," Gausman said. "It was a lot of fun. Every time he
came up, everybody in the stadium was standing. That was pretty cool."
After an up-and-down season, Gausman has turned in three consecutive quality starts, and he
took this one a step further. He held the Rangers to seven hits, walking three and striking out
eight.
"Comfortable pitching night for him, got us on the ground 11 times," Rangers manager Jeff
Banister said of Gausman. "I think he got three different double-play balls that erased any threat
that we had going, the eight strikeouts. … He seemed to be in control of what he wanted to do
tonight."
The 26-year-old right-hander is 4-0 over his last four starts, good for the second-most wins in the
American League this month.
"He's been solid for a while," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Gausman, who was the
O's best starter down the stretch last year. "I can't tell how tough it is to pitch in this heat, in this
ballpark with a full house and basically hold them to just about nothing."
Gausman was buoyed by second-inning solo homers from Trey Mancini and Caleb Joseph and
third-inning RBIs from Mancini and Seth Smith. Austin Bibens-Dirkx took the loss for Texas,
which has dropped to five games back in the AL Wild Card race, a game ahead of Baltimore.
Gausman got Beltre to ground into a double play on a nice play by third baseman Manny
Machado in the ninth, but after a walk to Mike Napoli and a bloop singe by Rougned Odor,
Showalter called for closer Zach Britton, who got Carlos Gomez on a groundout to extend his
AL-record streak to 56 straight save opportunities converted.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Beltre gets No. 2,999: Beltre grounded out in the first inning, thanks to Ruben Tejada's stellar
play deep in the hole at shortstop, but Beltre collected his 2,999th career hit when he led off the
fourth with another grounder in the same spot. This one just got past Tejada into left field,
putting Beltre within one hit of becoming the first Dominican player in Major League history --
and 31st player overall -- to join the 3,000-hits club.
"It was nice support from the fans," Beltre said. "It felt really nice. Unfortunately it didn't happen
today. It's probably better if we can do it tomorrow with a win."
Mancini, Joseph go deep: Mancini entered the game on an 0-for-7 cold spell, but he gave
Baltimore an early lead with a solo shot off Bibens-Dirkx in the second for his 17th homer of the
year. Joseph followed suit two batters later, launching his fifth homer.
"Left a couple of sliders up in the zone, home runs," Banister said of Bibens-Dirkx. "Mixed well,
I thought, and we made a little adjustment in the third inning and he was able to get through the
fifth for us."
Jones keeps the scoreboard clean: Joey Gallo led off the third inning with a towering fly ball to
center field. The ball looked like it was going to carry over the wall, but Adam Jones timed his
jump and robbed Gallo of his 26th homer of the season.
"When he hit it, I thought it was way gone. He hit it really high," Gausman said of Gallo's drive.
"The way that Jonesy was kind of looking at it, I thought it was going to be way gone. Before I
knew it, he went up there and reached it."
QUOTABLE
"He did a tremendous job locating the fastball. It all begins and ends with fastball command with
Kevin. He elevated when he needed to. He hit it down and away when he needed to. He threw a
lot of good sinkers in, took advantage of a pretty aggressive club over there." -- Joseph, on
Gausman
"I think they wanted to get over with more than me." -- Beltre, on the crowd as he went after hit
No. 3,000
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Tejada hit a slow grounder down the first-base line with one out in the second. It started foul but
spun fair, and Rangers first baseman Napoli attempted to field it. He bobbled the ball, though,
and didn't make the tag as Tejada ran past him. The Rangers challenged the call, but it was
allowed to stand after review. Banister fell to 24-for-42 in challenges on the season.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Beltre entered Saturday's game with a 62-game errorless streak, but it was snapped when he
misfired on a throw in the seventh inning. That was the longest streak without an error in his
career, and it was a record for a Rangers third baseman.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: The Orioles will send Wade Miley to the mound for Sunday's 3:05 p.m. ET series finale
at Globe Life Park. Miley was stung by a five-run second inning against the Rays in his most
recent start, a six-inning outing during which he did not otherwise allow a hit. He has given up at
least five runs in three straight starts, including July 20 against the Rangers.
Rangers: Martin Perez starts Sunday's series finale against the Orioles at 2:05 p.m. CT. The left-
hander is 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA in five career starts against Baltimore.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/245048394/rangers-back-andrew-cashner-in-rout-of-
orioles/?game_pk=491629
Cashner, Rangers handle O's; Beltre at 2,998
By Sam Butler and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON -- Near the end of Friday night's game between the Rangers and Orioles, the only
drama was whether Adrian Beltre had a shot at collecting his 3,000th career hit.
Beltre had two hits, both RBI singles, while Andrew Cashner shut Baltimore down for seven
innings to propel Texas to an 8-2 win over Baltimore at Globe Life Park. Beltre needed four hits
to reach 3,000, and he got within two after hitting singles in back-to-back at-bats in the third and
fifth. Beltre finished 2-for-4 after popping out in the seventh.
"Our offense tonight was centered around a few guys," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "If
you back and look at [Nomar Mazara], Beltre, [Elvis Andrus], [Shin-Soo Choo] with the walks
and then [Carlos Gomez] late with the big two RBIs. I just felt like that our guys, those hard-hit
balls tonight -- we got the home run, we got some balls in the gap to where before, none of those
hard-hit balls that we had in Baltimore, they fell in."
The Rangers scored early and often, taking a 5-0 lead after three. Mazara (3-for-5, two RBIs) had
three extra-base hits, all doubles, and Cashner limited the Orioles to a solo homer from Jonathan
Schoop through seven. Texas has won five of its past seven games and remained 4 1/2 games out
of the American League Wild Card race.
"Very similar to what we've seen as a trend from him lately," Banister said of Cashner. "The
four-seam and two-seam attack with the fastball, it felt like he had a solid approach with the mix.
He was able to get the four-seam up in the zone, and you saw that he induced a number of
popups tonight. Really more, probably, than he's gotten any given game."
After holding Texas to one run on two hits in six innings in his last start against the Rangers on
July 17, Tillman was rocked Friday. He gave up eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings before
being lifted, raising his ERA to 7.65.
"It was inconsistent. I could never get in any kind of rhythm," said Tillman, who said he was
dealing with cramping in his arm, but physically felt fine. "Execute one pitch then try to throw
the same pitch the next pitch and it wasn't there. I just have to be more consistent in my delivery
and in my pitches and I think we'll see the results I had the last one."
Baltimore has lost three in a row and five of its past seven.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Rangers start out hot: In the previous matchup between these two pitchers, the Rangers scored
one run against Tillman. They topped that after three batters had come to the plate, as Choo
walked, Andrus singled and Mazara doubled them both in to spot Texas a 2-0 lead.
"You've usually got to get him early," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "There's a lot of
starting pitchers like that. Chris really just hasn't gotten on the horse after the first inning too
much. Because we have a history with him, we keep looking for that. Tonight, he wasn't able to
do it."
Pitching change doesn't fix things: Tillman had been touched for six runs in 4 1/3 innings and
exited in favor of Richard Bleier. He got Rougned Odor to ground out, but Gomez ripped a two-
run single in the next at-bat, extending the Rangers' lead to 8-0 and putting the game well out of
reach.
QUOTABLE
"High energy inside that dugout. A lot of energy from Adrian. It's fun to watch. A total buzz
inside the dugout when he's at the plate. Watch everybody's on the rail. They want to watch.
They want to see it. They want to be part of it." -- Banister, on the team watching Beltre's at-bats
"I think he had it for an inning and then another one doesn't have it. Physically, I see something
like when he's trying to run or jumping, grabbing his legs, so I have a pretty good idea about the
way he moves and the way he pitches. I just asked him between innings, 'Are you OK?' He said
yes. I got to trust him because he's the one who knows how he feels." -- Orioles catcher
Welington Castillo, on Tillman
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Gallo's single in the second had an exit velocity of 117.3 mph, according to Statcast™. That's the
hardest-hit ball of his career and the 11th-hardest hit ball by any player in the Majors this year.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Kevin Gausman will take the mound Saturday at 8:05 p.m. ET for the O's, aiming to
even the three-game series. Over Gausman's past 12 innings, he has allowed nine hits and struck
out 16. Six of those innings and eight of those strikeouts came in a win against the Rangers on
July 19.
Rangers: Austin Bibens-Dirkx (3-0, 4.53 ERA) starts for the first time Saturday at 7:05 p.m. CT
since June 30. He pitched in relief against Baltimore on July 18, allowing two runs in 2 1/3
innings.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/in-final-game-before-trade-deadline-os-
win-road-trip-finale.html
In final game before trade deadline, O’s win road trip finale
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles built an eight-run lead, then saw that turn into a Zach Britton
save situation. They also watched the Texas Rangers celebrate Adrian Beltre’s 3,000th hit, but
they also won.
After losing the series opener on Friday night, they got 8 2/3 scoreless innings from Kevin
Gausman last night and a lot of offense today to beat the Rangers 10-6 and win this series.
It was their last game before Monday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline and, as of the game’s end, the only
deal the club has made was the Friday night acquisition of pitcher Jeremy Hellickson. But the
rumor mill is bound to be grinding over the next several hours.
“It’s all about the W,” third baseman Manny Machado said, after a three-hit game. “We are
trying to get on a roll and win some games. We are not really worried about who is going to get
traded or what is going to happen. That’s just something the front office can control. We just
play baseball, get outs, key at-bats, play inning by inning and do the small things to keep us
going.”
Added center fielder Adam Jones: “It’s always important to win. I, along with many other
players in here, firmly believe that we are still in this race. We have two months to go pretty
much and it’s going to be tough these next two months. But I believe if we play the game like we
played today, we should put ourselves in a good position.”
The Orioles built a 10-2 lead in the sixth, scoring four in the fourth, five in the fifth and one in
the sixth. Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run homer and Welington Castillo a three-run shot in the
fifth, when the Orioles turned a 4-2 lead into a 9-2 edge.
They had 13 hits and went 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Schoop drove in three and
has 22 RBIs his last 13 games. Schoop has 76 RBIs and has moved past New York’s Aaron
Judge for second in the American League in RBIs. Castillo drove in four - his third game of the
year with four or more RBIs.
“You play a day game here and the ball is flying, you’ve got to keep adding on. You’ve got to
keep adding on because we knew they were going to make a run,” manager Buck Showalter said.
“(Wade) Miley was good. I’ve got to tell you. Wade pitched five innings, held that club to two
runs. It may not look always aesthetically pleasing, but he never gave in and started just
throwing. We needed all our bullets today.”
That included Britton pitching on back-to-back days for the first time since April 13-14. With
two on and the Orioles leading 10-6 in the ninth, he struck out No. 3 hitter Nomar Mazara and
got Beltre to ground out to end it. Britton recorded a 10-pitch save with his velocity topping out
at 98 mph. If this turns out to be his last game with the team, as he remains the subject of trade
rumors, he would be leaving the Orioles on a high note.
“I told you all he was probably going to be better second time out. He feels good. He’ll be ready
to pitch tomorrow,” Showalter said.
The Orioles were effusive in their praise of and respect for Beltre this weekend. His double in the
fourth made him the 31st member of Major League Baseball’s 3,000-hit club. He is the first
player born in the Dominican Republic to get 3,000 hits and the first player to reach 3,000 in a
Texas uniform.
Here are some of the Orioles comments on Beltre:
Showalter: “It’s an honor to be here for it. You couldn’t have drawn it better, where we win and
you get a chance to see that. I think everybody in the game has a lot of respect for him, not only
statistically but the way he’s handled his success over the years. Not once has this guy
embarrassed his family or his team or anybody. I didn’t realize he was the first Dominican
player. That’s surprising. That’s quite a feat. I know he’s got to take a lot of national pride in
that, too.”
Machado: “It was amazing. As a baseball fan, you get to see that, it’s obviously a great
accomplishment. To get 3,000 hits, only 30 players that have done that. So to be a part of that
history was amazing. Obviously, he’s a friend and a teammate that I played with. Excited to see
him, as a Dominican player be the first to get to that milestone.”
Jones: “Just as a baseball fan, that’s unbelievable. He’s seen my first hit, he’s seen all my firsts -
me, personally - in the big leagues. And to see No. 3,000 for me as a fan of his and a friend of
his, that’s pretty special to be able to share that moment with him and see his family.”
Mark Trumbo was a late scratch today after he tweaked his back stretching in the weight room.
“I don’t know. He was stretching in the weight room, doing some squats and felt it,” Showalter
said. “I just hope it’s not an oblique. We’ll know tomorrow for sure.”
The Orioles now head home for a week-long homestand, and by 4 p.m. Monday, we’ll know if
this roster looks any different. Showalter has insisted all along his players have been focused on
winning and not too concerned over trade talk.
“I’m sure they have some private thoughts about it,” he said. “They talk among themselves. They
share each other’s ... this team shares their ups and down and what people are feeling. They feel
comfortable talking to each other about it. I haven’t had many people I needed to talk to.
Tomorrow will be a big day because we’re going to have to add Hellickson to the roster
tomorrow.”
The Orioles completed a 3-3 road trip and went 6-1 in the season series with Texas. By winning
for the eighth time in the last 13 games, they head home with a 50-54 record.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/kevin-gausman-with-a-gem-as-the-orioles-
blank-texas.html
Kevin Gausman with a gem as the O’s blank Texas (quotes
added)
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman produced a third straight strong
outing tonight. The Orioles backed him with early offense and they beat Texas 4-0 at Globe Life
Park.
Gausman came within one out of the Orioles’ first complete-game shutout since Miguel
Gonzalez against Cincinnati on Sept. 3, 2014. After Manny Machado turned a nifty double play
to deny Adrian Beltre his 3,000th hit in the ninth, Gausman issued a walk and gave up a bloop
single. With his pitch count at 118, manager Buck Showalter called on Zach Britton to get the
final out. He did against Carlos Gomez, who grounded to second to end the game.
So Gausman went a career-high 8 2/3 innings, and allowed seven hits with three walks and eight
strikeouts. He improved to 8-7 with a 5.37 ERA.
Over his last three starts, Gausman has allowed one run over 20 2/3 innings. He has thrown
back-to-back scoreless starts versus the Rays and Rangers, and has not allowed a run in four of
his past seven starts. In two starts this year against Texas he has given up one run over 14 2/3
innings.
The Rangers put the first two runners on base tonight but then he got a double play ball off the
bat of Nomar Mazara. In the third, Adam Jones robbed Joey Gallo of a leadoff homer with a leap
at the center field wall.
The Orioles had gone five games without hitting two or more homers. That changed in the
second inning tonight. Trey Mancini led off with a 459-foot blast to center field. He hit No. 17
for a 1-0 lead off Texas right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx. Two batters later, Caleb Joseph
connected to a similar spot in the ballpark. This one went 403 feet for his fifth homer and an
early 2-0 lead, which matched the club’s run total from last night.
In the next inning, the Orioles exceeded that total adding two more in the third. Jonathan Schoop
doubled to left-center with one out for his 100th career two-base hit. After walks to Chris Davis
and Mark Trumbo, Mancini’s grounder scored a third run and a Seth Smith single plated a
fourth. That gave Mancini a two-RBI night and 55 RBIs for the season and Smith drove in his
23rd run.
The game featured Texas third baseman Beltre pulling within one hit of becoming MLB’s 31st
member of the 3,000-hit club. He went 1-for-4 and his single to left in the fourth was hit No.
2,999. In his first crack at No. 3,000, he grounded to short on the first pitch he saw in the sixth.
Then Machado denied him in the ninth.
A huge crowd of 44,658 cheered him on with each pitch he saw. The Rangers announced they
sold 8,000 tickets since last night’s game ended with Beltre two hits away.
The Orioles avoided falling seven games under .500, which would have tied a season high. They
end a three-game losing streak and are 49-54. They were 1-8 their last nine games at Globe Life
Park until this victory.
In the series finale on Sunday afternoon, lefty Wade Miley (4-9, 5.69 ERA) faces Rangers left-
hander Martín Pérez (5-8, 4.67 ERA).
Postgame quotes
Gausman on wanting a complete game: “I think I wanted it a little too much, maybe I was trying
to guide the ball a little bit and one thing I loved about Buck tonight was he gave me a lot of
chances in that ninth inning to get it. I think I threw 118, maybe 119 pitches. You walk the
leadoff guy in the ninth inning, you’re usually going to be out of that game. But I think he saw
something in me tonight. I was throwing the ball well, so he stayed with the hot hand.
Unfortunately, I was an out away but it was a win and a quality start and, more importantly, we
only had one guy who had to throw three pitches tonight out of the pen.”
Gausman on what stood out to him about his pitching tonight: “Early on, I could tell it was going
to be a different type of atmosphere in the ballpark tonight. I was trying to just not give it up to
Beltre. It was a lot of fun - every time he came up, everybody in the stadium was standing. That
was pretty cool. I’ve been lucky to be part of some really cool things in baseball, but the biggest
thing was trying to be a stopper today and throw deep into the game and try to give those guys a
day off. But sometimes baseball happens like that.”
Gausman on pitching well his last three starts: “Just focusing more on every single pitch, not
trying to look at, ‘OK, I’m going to go out there and throw seven innings tonight.’ It’s kind of
more living pitch to pitch and trying to execute - execute my pitch and if I don’t forget about it,
on to the next one. I think that’s been working for me really well.”
Joseph on wanting a complete game: “Maybe more than he did. I’ve only had one. I think it was
with Miguel Gonzalez [in 2014]. As it gets closer and closer, it’s almost like a perfect game. Just
the way the games are pitched now, the way everything works, guys come out after 100 pitches
and six or seven innings. To get to the ninth, it’s almost like there’s something special building
and I thought it was that way. I would have really loved to have gotten that last one for him. He
pitched so well. That’s a big deal nowadays in the stat era to have a complete game by your
name. There’s just not that many of them.”
Manager Buck Showalter on how badly he wanted Gausman to finish: “I think everybody did.
Should have figured out a way to catch a pop up. Big double play. Manny (Machado) and Jon
(Schoop), my gosh, they turned a couple tonight. That last one. They make them look easy, I
hope everybody appreciates how hard that is. Those are hard. The one thing that Manny does that
nobody else does, is the amount of velocity he can create on the ball from a lot of different
angles. It’s like they tell the kids don’t try that at home. But he deserved to finish. Like to see
him get that last out but he was in the area. We had 110 on him tonight and you know, just trying
to create margin of error there with Zach (Britton) hadn’t pitched in a couple of days. It’s
unfortunate. We got to figure out a way to catch that ball.”
Showalter on creating early runs and playing good defense: “Just to create a margin of error.
Take the sting out of the way they jumped on us early. We go out and walk two again to start the
game. Kevin gets back with a big double play. The 3-6-1 double play is as hard as there is. What
did we have three double plays tonight and they were all textbook.”
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/chris-tillman-allows-eight-runs-as-texas-
rolls-in-series-opener.html
Chris Tillman allows eight runs as Texas rolls (quotes added)
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 28, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - When Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman faced the Texas Rangers in
Baltimore last week, he gave up two hits and one run over six innings. But it was very different
for Tillman and his team tonight.
After pitching to an ERA of 3.31 his past three starts, Tillman tonight got torched for nine hits
and eight runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Rangers hammered the Orioles 8-2 in front of 36,270 at
steamy Globe Life Park.
Tillman hasn’t won since his season debut on May 7. He falls to 1-6 with an ERA of 7.65. He
walked two and fanned six, throwing 101 pitches. The eight runs allowed is one shy of his career
high.
In losing four straight from July 17-20 in Baltimore, Texas was outscored 34-11. They almost
matched that four-game run total tonight. Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre had two RBI
singles in the win to move to within two career hits of 3,000.
Entering tonight with a first-inning ERA of 10.38, Tillman fell behind 2-0 three batters into this
game. He walked leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo on a 3-2 pitch and Elvis Andrus singled. Then
No. 3 hitter Nomar Mazara drove a 1-1 fastball into the gap in right-center to score both runners.
Mazara doubled three times tonight. Tillman threw 32 pitches in the last of the first.
Andrus hit a two-run homer to left in the third for a 4-0 lead that became 5-0 on Beltre’s first
RBI single of the night.
Texas knocked Tillman out during a three-run fifth to open an 8-0 lead. Beltre singled in another
run with career hit No. 2,998. Carlos Gomez delivered a two-run single off reliever Richard
Bleier, with both runs charged to Tillman.
Right-hander Andrew Cashner was blanking the Orioles on four singles through 5 2/3 innings
when Jonathan Schoop blasted his 23rd home run. Schoop, the team homer leader, hit a pitch
423 feet to left.
Schoop now has an RBI in 10 of the last 11 games. In that stretch, he is 16-for-44 with five
homers and 19 RBIs. He began the night third in the American League and tied for 10th in the
major leagues with 72 RBIs. Chris Davis singled in a run in the eighth to complete the scoring.
The Orioles fall to six games under the .500 mark - one shy of a season-low point of seven under
- at 48-54. They are 18-33 on the road and 1-7 in this park since 2015. The Orioles have lost
three in a row since taking the series opener Monday at Tropicana Field. The Rangers (50-52)
are 5-2 since they got swept in Baltimore.
In the second game of this series in oppressive Arlington, where tonight’s gametime temperature
was 99 degrees, right-hander Kevin Gausman (7-7, 5.79 ERA) faces right-hander Austin Bibens-
Dirkx (3-0, 4.53 ERA).
Postgame quotes
Manager Buck Showalter on Tillman’s continuing first inning issues: “It’s been the case with
him for a while. You’ve usually got to get him early. There’s a lot of starting pitchers like that.
Chris really just hasn’t gotten on the horse after the first inning too much. Because we have a
history with him, we keep looking for that. Tonight, he wasn’t able to do it.”
Showalter on another Schoop homer: “Jon has been a very consistent player and he’s finally kind
of graduated where you trust him in higher spots in the batting order. Jon hasn’t missed a beat
since the All-Star game. You always worry about young players when they get that type of
recognition, how it might affect them. Jon’s picked up right where he left off. We’re real proud
of him, he’s playing well on both sides of the ball and he’s playing like an All-Star is supposed
to.”
Tillman said he has had starts before where his command was shaky early but got locked in, but
tonight was not one: “It’s not that uncommon. For a second there I’d get it and then it would kind
of get away from me, a couple of bad pitches. Then get back on track and get away from me
again. Just inconsistent all around.”
Tillman was asked about shaking his arm during the start, was it bothering him?: “My arm was
good. I had the full-body cramps going on, but other than that, my arm felt great. Physically it
felt good, just cramping here and there.”
Catcher Welington Castillo on Tillman getting his command for a few batters and then losing it
again: “I know something was going on with him, he just didn’t want to tell me. I know he was
battling out there, it was really hot. I don’t blame nobody, he’s trying to compete out there and
do his best. I know there’s something going on with him but he didn’t tell me. It’s one of those
days, your whole body cramps or whatever it is. You are fighting your body to try to do your
best and try to make pitches.”
Castillo more on Tillman: “I think he had it for an inning and then another one doesn’t have it.
Physically, I see something like when he’s trying to run or jumping, grabbing his legs, so I have
a pretty good idea about the way he moves and the way he pitches. I just asked him between
innings, are you OK? He said yes. I got to trust him because he’s the one who knows how he
feels.”
Castillo on trade talk, has it been hard on the players?: “It’s hard but that’s part of the business. I
have stuff to do. I don’t worry about that. I just control what can I control. Honestly if you start
pay attention to the rumors and if your name is in the rumors you can’t control that. You just got
to come here everyday and prepare the best you can to win the games. If it happens, it happens.”
The trade: After tonight’s game, the Orioles announced the acquisiton of right-handed starting
pitcher Jeremy Hellickson from the Phillies. Hellickson was acquired for outfielder Hyun Soo
Kim, Double-A Bowie left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and international signing bonus slots.
Hellickson was scratched from tonight’s start. He’s 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA 1.255 WHIP in 20
starts and has struck out 65 batters in 112 1/3 innings. He is signed through the end of this year.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370730113
Beltre gets 3,000th hit in Rangers' 10-6 loss to Orioles
By Associated Press
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Adrian Beltre doubled for his 3,000th career hit Sunday, reaching the
milestone in the Texas Rangers' 10-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Rangers already were down 4-0 when the 38-year-old third baseman, who went 1 for 5 in his
2,771st game, had a hard hit down the line past third base in the fourth inning.
Beltre became the first player from the Dominican Republic, and 31st overall, to join the 3,000-
hit club in the major leagues.
Jonathan Schoop and Welington Castillo homered in a five-run fifth for a 9-2 Orioles lead.
Castillo also had the last of three consecutive RBI singles off lefty Martin Perez (5-9) in the
fourth.
Wade Miley (5-9) went five innings and one of the four hits he allowed being to Beltre, who
grounded a 3-0 pitch that went past the bag and then ricocheted off the side wall into left field.
The Orioles lefty also got one of his five strikeouts when Beltre went down swinging in the
second inning.
Rougned Odor homered twice and drove in five runs for Texas. His two-run single in the fourth
scored Beltre, who reached on a wild pitch after striking out in the eighth before Odor's second
homer. Nomar Mazara also went deep.
Orioles closer Zach Britton came on with two on in the ninth, striking out Mazara and getting
Beltre on a grounder to end the game. Britton has converted an AL-record 57 consecutive save
opportunities, eight this season.
When Beltre got his 3,000th hit, a banner was unfurled high above straightaway center field
congratulating him. His teammates, who had crowded on the rail of the first-base dugout to be as
close as possible to the historic moment, flooded onto the field to celebrate with him.
Beltre's two daughters and 10-year-old son Adrian Jr. left their front-row seats near the dugout
they had shared with other family members and ran to right-center field. The kids helped unveil a
logo commemorating the accomplishment on the wall in front of the Rangers bullpen, then went
and hugged their father on the infield dirt.
Now in his 20th big league season, he is only the third player who is primarily a third baseman in
the 3,000-hit club, joining Hall of Famers George Brett and Wade Boggs.
The only other current active player in the 3,000-hit club is Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro
Suzuki, who is tied with Hall of Fame player Craig Biggio for 22nd all-time at 3,060 hits.
Beltre is now tied for 30th place on the hits list with Roberto Clemente. Al Kaline (3,007) and
Boggs (3,010) are next up on the list.
It was Beltre's 605th career double, matching Paul Molitor for 14th all-time. That also matched
Mel Ott for 20th with 5,041 total bases; and Beltre's 454 homers are 38th on that list.
Along with his 3,000 hits, Beltre is a five-time Gold Glover. He had a career-best and franchise-
record 62-game streak without at error at third base before a throwing error Saturday night's
game.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: DH Mark Trumbo was scratched from the lineup after tweaking his back while
stretching in the weight room before the game.
Rangers: RHP A.J. Griffin (oblique strain) threw 40 pitches in two innings in his rehab start on
Saturday night at Triple-A Round Rock. He could rejoin the Rangers this week.
UP NEXT
Orioles: After finishing their season series 6-1 against Texas, the Orioles play their next seven
games at home. They play Kansas City on Monday.
Rangers: Two years to the day after being acquired by Texas in a trade, lefty Cole Hamels (5-1,
3.97) pitches in the series opener against Seattle and Felix Hernandez.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370729113
Beltre (1-for-4) at 2,999 hits after Rangers' loss to Orioles
By Associated Press
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Adrian Beltre knows he will make history with his next hit. So do all the
Texas Rangers fans.
Beltre went 1-for-4 to get within one hit of 3,000 for his career in a 4-0 loss to the Baltimore
Orioles on Saturday night, with two groundouts after his single in the fourth. He was retired in
the ninth when third baseman Manny Machado made a slick snag on his short-hopper before a
sidearm sling to second base to start a double play.
"I was just trying to get a pitch to hit. It felt really cool the way the fans were getting into it,"
Beltre said. "Trying to get it over with? Yes. But I wasn't anxious at all. Or maybe I was. I don't
know."
EDITOR'S PICKS
After being traded from the Phillies to the Orioles, pitcher Jeremy Hellickson was involved in a
car accident on his way to the airport to join his new team.
Beltre got loud cheers all night from the crowd of 44,658, including about 8,000 who bought
tickets after he got two hits in Friday night's series opener. Another big crowd is expected for a
hot Sunday afternoon as the Rangers' 38-year-old third baseman gets his next chance to become
the 31st major leaguer -- and the first Dominican Republic native -- in the 3,000-hit club.
The only other active player in the 3,000-hit club is Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who
is tied with Hall of Fame player Craig Biggio for 22nd all time, at 3,060.
All four of Beltre's at-bats came against Kevin Gausman (8-7), who went 8⅔ innings to win his
fifth consecutive decision in seven starts. The right-hander has allowed only one run over 33-
plus innings in those wins. He struck out eight and threw 118 pitches.
"I've been part of some real cool things in baseball," Gausman said. "From the first, I could tell
this was going to be a special night."
Zach Britton converted his AL-record 56th straight save chance and seventh this season. He
relieved with two on and got Carlos Gomez to ground out, ending the Orioles' sixth shutout this
season.
The Rangers, who had scored 28 runs in the previous three games, were held scoreless for the
fourth time.
Trey Mancini and Caleb Joseph both hit solo homers in the second off Austin Bibens-Dirkx (3-
1).
The closest Texas came to scoring was when young slugger Joey Gallo led off the third with a
towering shot to straightway center field. Adam Jones got back to the 8-foot wall, leaped and
extended his glove to catch the ball that looked like it would be Gallo's 26th homer.
After Orioles shortstop Ruben Tejada made an impressive backhanded stab deep in the hole and
then threw him out to end the first, Beltre hit another grounder to the left side to start the fourth.
That one got beyond the reach of Tejada and into the outfield. Beltre grounded out to short again
in the sixth.
"I don't think that he was necessarily over-anxious or anything like that," Banister said. "He's
typically an aggressive hitter, and I thought he had some good swings tonight."
Beltre, a five-time Gold Glove winner, had his career-best and franchise-record errorless streak
of 62 games at third base end with a throwing error in the seventh. The error came when Beltre
fielded a grounder by Machado and short-hopped the throw to first base. When Machado came
back up in the ninth, he hit a foul pop on which Beltre ran a long way to make a highlight catch
with his glove extended over his head.
"A tough play ... very close to being a terrific play. But he comes back with a good, solid
defense. That's who he is," Banister said. "He has a way of just moving on, a professional player,
big league player, future Hall of Famer."
IN HIS PLACE
Bibens-Dirkx, the 32-year-old rookie right-hander, started in place of righty Tyson Ross, who
went on the 10-day disabled list with a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand after his
start last Saturday. Bibens-Dirkx allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.
TOUCHED BUT NOT TAGGED
Tejada hit a dribbler down the first-base line in the second that somehow stayed in fair territory.
After bobbling the ball with his mitt, Mike Napoli grabbed the ball with his right hand and
reached back to try to tag the runner. Napoli's forearm appeared to hit Tejada in the rear but the
ball was away from the body. The out stood on replay review after Banister's challenge.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Jeremy Hellickson's vehicle got rear-ended when he was on the way to the airport
to join the Orioles after being traded from Philadelphia late Friday night. Manager Buck
Showalter said the pitcher was OK, but his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room.
Hellickson will now go to Baltimore instead of joining the team in Texas.
UP NEXT
Orioles: LHP Wade Miley (4-9) starts as Baltimore tries to close the season series 6-1 against
Texas.
Rangers: Lefty Martin Perez is scheduled to make his 20th start of the season. The Rangers have
scored one run total for Perez (5-8, 4.67) in his past two starts.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370728113
Beltre at 2,998 hits after 2 more in 8-2 Texas win over O's
By Associated Press
July 28, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Adrian Beltre wants to get to 3,000 hits as soon as possible. The Texas
Rangers third baseman could reach that rare milestone in his next game.
Beltre had two more hits Friday night, pushing his career total to 2,998 with two RBI singles in
the Rangers' 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
"I got closer, and I want to get it over with," Beltre said. "Hopefully I can get it done sooner than
later."
The 38-year-old third baseman, in his 20th major league season, will soon become only the 31st
player in the 3,000-hit club -- maybe Saturday night. He is 9 of 14 in the four games since the
Rangers returned home this week.
"High energy inside that dugout. A lot of energy from Adrian. It's fun to watch," manager Jeff
Banister said. "A total buzz inside the dugout when he's at the plate. Watch, everybody's on the
rail. They want to watch. They want to see it. They want to be part of it."
After grounding out in the first, Beltre shattered his bat on a bloop single to center in the third,
grounded a ball up the middle for a hit in the fifth, and had an infield popout in the seventh.
"You pull for him, but you'd rather it be against somebody else," Orioles manager Buck
Showalter said. "I think everybody in baseball is proud of the way he's handled himself through
the years."
Beltre, who won his fifth Gold Glove last season, has also played 62 consecutive games at third
base without an error -- a career best and the club record.
Ichiro Suzuki is the only current active player in the 3,000-hit club after reaching that milestone
last season.
Elvis Andrus homered and Nomar Mazara had three doubles. Mazara put the Rangers ahead to
stay when he drove in two runs in the first, then doubled again in the third and fifth innings --
scoring both times on singles by Beltre.
Andrew Cashner (6-8) allowed only a solo homer by Jonathan Schoop in his seven innings. The
Rangers right-hander struck out four and walked two.
Chris Tillman (1-6) allowed eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six, but
trailed 2-0 before recording his first out of the game -- Shin-Soo Choo drew a leadoff walk
before Andrus singled and Mazara hit his first double. Tillman has allowed 17 runs in the first
inning of his 14 starts.
"A couple bad pitches get away from me, and then I get back on track, and then get away from
me again," Tillman said. "Just inconsistent all around."
ADDING A PITCHER
The Baltimore Orioles acquired RHP Jeremy Hellickson from the Philadelphia Phillies for OF
Hyun Soo Kim and a Double-A left-hander. The deal was announced after the game. Hellickson
is 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 20 starts for the Phillies this season.
BREAKING OUT
Mazara was mired in an 0-for-26 slump before going 7 for 12 the last three games. Banister said
Mazara was stubborn and stayed consistent with his process and approach. Mazara said he
watched a lot of video and everything was fine. "I just wasn't lucky enough to get a hit," he said.
SHORT HOPS
Schoop's 23rd homer of the season was his eighth in July ... Chris Davis had an RBI single in the
eighth for the other Orioles run.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: OF Anthony Santander (elbow/shoulder), a Rule 5 draft pick, had two doubles in his
first rehabilitation game for Double-A Bowie on Thursday night. Bowie's scheduled game Friday
night was rained out.
Rangers: C Robinson Chirinos was back in the lineup for the first time since spraining his left
ankle in a home-plate collision last Sunday at Tampa Bay. ... RHP Jake Diekman (colon) plans to
throw another bullpen session Saturday, two days after throwing 35 pitches. He hopes to make
his season debut by mid-August.
UP NEXT
Baltimore RHP Kevin Gausman is 4-0 in his last six starts, and the only run he allowed over 24
1/3 innings in the wins was scored by the Rangers on July 19.
RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (3-0, 4.53 ERA), the 32-year-old Rangers rookie, makes his first start
since June 30. He pitches in the spot of RHP Tyson Ross, who went on the 10-day disabled list
with a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand after his start Sunday in Tampa Bay.
https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/07/30/kevin-gausman-pitches-a-gem-in-orioles-4-0-win
Kevin Gausman Pitches A Gem In Orioles' 4-0 Win
By: Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Kevin Gausman had never gotten an out in the ninth inning of a major
league game, much less finished the ninth. He badly wanted to do that.
Only a bloop base hit with two outs in the ninth stood in the way of the right-hander, whose re-
emergence over the past several weeks has been one of the most pleasing developments for the
Orioles, earning a rare complete game.
Gausman threw 118 pitches and limited the Texas Rangers to seven singles in the Orioles' 4-0
win before 44,638 at Globe Life Park on July 29.
With a chance for that first career nine-inning complete game, Gausman walked Texas first
baseman Mike Napoli with two outs in the ninth and allowed the bloop single to second baseman
Rougned Odor. Manager Buck Showalter called on Zach Britton to get the last out.
Showalter badly wanted Gausman to finish the game.
"I think everybody did. Should have figured out a way to catch a pop up," Showalter said. "But
he deserved to finish. Like to see him get that last out but he was in the area."
Gausman walked three and struck out eight.
Britton threw two pitches and on the second, center fielder Carlos Gomez grounded out to
second, and Britton had his seventh save.
"I think I wanted it a little too much, maybe I was trying to guide the ball a little bit, and one
thing I loved about Buck tonight was he gave me a lot of chances in that ninth inning to get it,"
Gausman said. "You walk the leadoff guy in the ninth inning, you're usually going to be out of
that game. But I think he saw something in me tonight. I was throwing the ball well, so he stayed
with the hot hand. Unfortunately, I was an out away but it was a win and a quality start."
Gausman had to face the hype of Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre, who began the game with
2,998 hits.
"Early on, I could tell it was going to be a different type of atmosphere in the ballpark tonight,"
Gausman said. "I was trying to just not give it up to Beltre. It was a lot of fun -- every time he
came up, everybody in the stadium was standing. That was pretty cool."
After Beltre grounded out to Orioles shortstop Ruben Tejeda in the first inning, he grounded past
Tejada in the fourth inning for his 2,999th hit.
Beltre grounded to Tejada in the sixth, and committed his first error the season when he threw
wildly to first base on a grounder by Orioles third baseman Manny Machado.
He hit into a double play in the ninth. Beltre, whose error ended a career-long 62-game errorless
streak, will try for hit No. 3,000 on July 30.
Gausman has won five of his last seven starts, and in his last three, he’s allowed just one run on
16 hits in 20 2/3 innings.
Texas never got a runner past second base.
The Orioles gave Gausman an early lead on home runs by left fielder Trey Mancini and catcher
Caleb Joseph in the second.
Joseph wanted the complete game.
"Maybe more than he did," Joseph said. "As it gets closer and closer, it’s almost like a perfect
game. Just the way the games are pitched now, the way everything works, guys come out after
100 pitches and six or seven innings. To get to the ninth, it’s almost like there’s something
special building, and I thought it was that way. I would have really loved to have gotten that last
one for him. He pitched so well. That’s a big deal nowadays in the stat era -- to have a complete
game by your name. There’s just not that many of them."
Adam Jones made a spectacular leaping catch on left fielder Joey Gallo’s fly ball to center
leading off the third. Positioned in front of the wall, Jones leaped, snared the ball as it was going
over the wall, and posed after he caught it.
"When he hit it, I thought it was way gone. He hit it really high," Gausman said. "The way that
Jonesy was kind of looking at it, I thought it was going to be way gone. Before I knew it, he went
up there and reached it. Luckily, he's got a lot of pine tar in that glove. I think it stuck in there."
The Orioles are 49-54 and broke a three-game losing streak.
COMING UP: Left-handers Wade Miley (4-9, 5.69) and Martin Perez (5-8, 4.67) are the
scheduled starters for July 30.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-trade-deadline-questions-
20170731-story.html
Four questions left for Orioles to answer before Monday's 4
p.m. trade deadline
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 31, 2017
By 4 p.m. Monday, all the questions that have loomed over the most blasé of recent Orioles
seasons will hopefully be answered.
The nonwaiver trade deadline will come and go, the Orioles will go on taking batting practice
and stretching, and they'll face one of the league's hottest teams — the Kansas City Royals — to
continue to maintain relevance in a crowded American League.
But what they'll look like when they get there is hardly simple.
Here are the four major questions the Orioles will have answered by 4 p.m., all the culmination
of weeks of trade speculation and up-and-down baseball that leaves them as the game's most
uncertain team at the deadline.
Is the market where they want it for their relievers?
Sunday's appearance for Orioles closer Zach Britton answered the last question on his return —
whether he can pitch back-to-back days — and buying teams will have all the information they're
going to get on the condition of the league's top closer from a season ago and how he can impact
their club.
When rumblings of trading Britton or even Brad Brach began, the precedent of the returns New
York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman got for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller in
2016 were almost an aspirational standard. Any return seemed to have to be at that level.
But as the deadline neared, it has proved to almost be detrimental. With the Chicago Cubs
reportedly dealing for Detroit Tigers left-hander Justin Wilson, their business is presumably
finished in terms of adding relievers. That only leaves a handful of suitors for Britton. The most
widely speculated of which, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and
Washington Nationals, have plenty of prospects to give.
The question is motivation. The Dodgers are pretty comfortable atop the National League and
probably have the biggest need. The Astros are clutching their top prospects tightly and would
view Britton as an expensive luxury, given he could make over $15 million next season. The
Nationals and Orioles have never made a trade and are still in a legal battle worth millions of
dollars a year.
If that doesn't create a market where the Orioles get a blue-chip prospect and a few other
promising young players, they might be keeping hold of their prized relief assets.
Did Mark Trumbo's Sunday injury change the equation on trading a bat?
Others mooted to be moved were the natural candidates in the last year of their contracts, most
notably outfielder Seth Smith and catcher Welington Castillo. Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim was
already victim to this, moving to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
But then outfielder-designated hitter Mark Trumbo tweaked his back while stretching before the
game Sunday, manager Buck Showalter said. After the game, he brought up the possibility that
he hopes it's not an oblique strain, which put that notion into the universe.
If Trumbo is out for any significant period of time, how expendable are either of them? Smith
has bounced back from a brutal June to bring his batting line up to .264/.344/.460. His weighted
runs created plus (wRC+), which calculates how many runs above or below the league average
of 100 a batter produces, is 112. Castillo homered for the 10th time Sunday and is up to a
.280/.318/.448 line.
Castillo's $7 million player option creates an uneasy situation for the team come October, but
both players might now be required for a stretch run. With Trumbo out, Smith could see more
time in the outfield, and Castillo could serve as designated hitter more often on days when Caleb
Joseph does the catching. Depriving the Orioles lineup of either in a situation without Trumbo
would undo a lot of the progress their bats have made of late.
Could they add another starter?
Hellickson's addition was the type of move a team that's looking to add, not subtract, would
make. And it was one that was necessary for a team that all too often has seen games out of reach
in the early innings because of deficient starting pitching.
Whom Hellickson replaces in the starting rotation isn't clear yet, but if one person is candidate to
cede a spot because of performance, what of the other strugglers? Could Hellickson not be the
only addition to the rotation?
If the Orioles pry away another starter to bolster their rotation, it would signal 2017 is in play in
the front office's mind. If they don't, Hellickson's deal will stand alone as an odd addition. And if
they subtract other assets, it might not be the worst idea to use some of the payroll relief to eat
some owed money to one of their struggling starters and cycle in some new arms to prepare them
for 2017.
However it happens, the rotation will look different come August.
What's the endgame for 2017?
This, of course, is the answer that all the rest of the answers will beget. By Monday afternoon,
the Orioles players will know if management believes a Kevin Gausman resurgence, a new
starting pitcher, an intact bullpen and a steadier, more productive offense can be a playoff team
in 2017.
That's obviously the players' preference. But there's also plenty of reasons for fans and analysts
to say it’s time to address the franchise’s future after seeing a farm system whose legitimate
improvement doesn't mask its real limitations, a team that doesn't spend money on foreign
amateur talent and an organization that simply doesn't have the starting pitching in the present
rotation or the high minors to contend soon.
Not much in the Orioles' Duquette-Showalter era has been done that doesn't fit under the "win
now" mantra, and the second wild-card spot has made everyone a believer, even a team four
games under .500. By Monday afternoon, how strongly the Orioles believe — and what exactly
they believe in — will be clearer.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-rangers-trade-deadline-main-
20170730-story.html
Orioles witness history, face uncertain future
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 30, 2017
At the end of a marathon game that was delayed by Adrian Beltre's 3,000th hit, Orioles players
were left with nothing to do but confront the team's future after Sunday's 10-6 win over the
Rangers at Globe Life Park.
For all the joy that came with Beltré making history in becoming the 31st player to reach the
milestone, the final image of the game was perhaps the most appropriate for where the Orioles
stand on July 30 — closer Zach Britton getting the last out.
Britton pitched back-to-back games for the first time since his two-month absence with a forearm
strain. It was a final showcase to the scouts for the World Series contenders considering paying
the ransom the Orioles hope to receive for a player who could be part of a revival in 2017 or
2018, or net them top prospects for beyond that.
That Britton earned two straight saves meant the Orioles won again, improving to 50-54 and
bringing them to Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline 5.5 games out of a playoff spot with three
teams between them and the second wild card.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding the team approaching the 4 p.m. deadline, that's where the
focus was on a sweltering Sunday in Texas.
"I along with many other players in here, firmly believe that we're still in this race," center
fielder Adam Jones. "We have two months to go — [58] games left. It's going to be tough, these
next two months, but I believe if we put our heads down and do what we need to do and play like
we did today, we should put ourselves in a good position."
Manager Buck Showalter took a plain view of where the team stood entering the trade deadline,
which he often calls a false one.
"It leaves us spending three hours and 40 minutes on the field winning a tough series, having a
.500 road trip, getting on the plane and getting back getting ready to play Kansas City," he said.
"Really. That's where everybody's focus is. I'm sure they have some private thoughts about it,
and they talk among themselves because they share. ... This team shares their ups and downs,
and what people are feeling. They feel comfortable talking to each other about it. I haven't had
many people I've needed to talk to."
Still, Showalter knew what he was doing inserting Britton into a four-run game with two outs in
the ninth inning, a night after a one-out save.
He never doubted Britton could pitch consecutive days. In fact, he reminded everyone after the
game that he believed Britton would be better on the second day, which he was. Such a look,
shown to the outside world, had value Sunday.
So fluid is the Orioles' situation with the likes of Britton and Brad Brach — who had a dominant
inning of work himself on Sunday — that even with known commodities, teams' perceptions and
valuations can change on a dime.
The players themselves are focused on the idea that a playoff race can, too. A miserable 24-hour
stretch earlier this week in Tampa Bay spoiled what could have been a good road trip, had they
not lost Tuesday night and Wednesday morning before getting Thursday off. But even so, the
muddled American League race, combined with Friday's acquisition of right-hander Jeremy
Hellickson to potentially stabilize their rotation, has them thinking about next month, not next
year or beyond.
"Keep winning," said Sunday’s winning starting pitcher, Wade Miley. "I haven't thought about it
one time. I know there's guys in there whose names are being tossed around, but you've got to go
out and play. That's what we get paid to do."
"It's all about the Ws," third baseman Manny Machado said. "We're trying to get on a roll. We're
trying to win some games. We're not really worried about who's going to get traded or what's
going to happen. Those are things only the front office can control. We can go out there and play
baseball, get outs, have key at-bats, play inning-by-inning and do the small things to keep us
going."
With that mindset, there's sure to be plenty of relief among the players. The idea of a teardown,
even a partial one, in an effort to gain future assets doesn't carry much weight inside the
clubhouse, though it has plenty merit outside it.
The ever-changing nature of the trade market and the Orioles' place in both it and the playoff
race means there could be a sense of a reprieve given by 4 p.m. Monday if the club stays intact
by then.
"It's not a bad thing,” Showalter said. It's just an unknown."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-rangers-adrian-beltre-20170730-
story.html#nt=oft03a-2gp3
Orioles honored to be part of history as Adrián Beltré
collects career hit No. 3,000 Sunday
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 30, 2017
Ahead of this weekend’s series with the Texas Rangers, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he
and his players have so much respect for third baseman Adrián Beltré that he posited if Beltré
didn't collect the four hits required to get him to 3,000 while they were in town, they'd all be
trying to watch it on TV when he ended up reaching that milestone.
It turns out they got a pretty good view.
With two hits Friday, one on Saturday, and a fourth-inning double off Wade Miley Sunday,
Beltré became the 31st player in major league history with 3,000 hits and the first ever
Dominican-born player to reach that mark.
“It's an honor to be here for it,” Showalter said. “You couldn't have drawn it up better where we
win and you get a chance to see that. I think everybody in the game has a lot of respect for him,
not only statistically, but the way he's handled his success over the years. Not once has this guy
embarrassed his family or his team or anything like that. It's a lot like how I talked about Jeter,
you know? That's as big a challenge sometimes as 3,000 hits. But take a good look at it. I didn't
realize he was the first Dominican player. That's surprising. That's a pretty big feat. I know he's
got to take a lot of national pride in that, too.”
The game was briefly delayed to fete him, with Beltré's Rangers teammates flooding out of the
dugout to congratulate him. His three children ran out to center field to unveil a placard on the
wall celebrating his 3,000 hits, and once the field cleared, Beltré hugged each of the Orioles'
position players, including former Texas teammates Chris Davis and Craig Gentry, on the field
as Miley took a few warmup tosses.
Center fielder Adam Jones, who began his career in Seattle with Beltre, even took a playful jab
to the gut after trying to touch his former teammate’s head, something the Hall of Fame-bound
third baseman is famously averse to.
“Just as a baseball fan, that's unbelievable,” Jones said. “He's seen my first hit. He's seen all my
firsts in the big leagues, as a player, and for me to see a lot of his hits and No. 3,000, for me as a
fan of his and a friend of his, that's pretty special to get to share that moment with him and see
his family.”
“Oh man, it was amazing,” added third baseman Manny Machado, who was Beltré’s teammate
for the Dominican Republic in this spring’s World Baseball Classic. “As a baseball fan, we get to
see that. It's obviously a great accomplishment. To get 3,000 hits, only 30 players had done that.
To be a part of that history was amazing, and obviously, he's a friend and a teammate that I
played with. I was excited to see him as a Dominican player to be the first to get to that
milestone.”
Miley said he wasn’t surprised that Beltré ended up swinging away at a 3-0 pitch, when hitters
typically take a walk.
“He got me the other day in Baltimore, swung 3-0,” he sadi. “I thought he was going to dive out
over, that's why I tried to go in. but he was ready for it. There's a reason why he's got 3,000 hits.”
Beltre, in turn, said he appreciated Miley challenging him with the three-ball count instead of
conceding a walk.
Showalter said at the beginning of the series that save for whoever the responsible pitcher was,
the Orioles would be happy to congratulate one of the game's statesmen for his achievement.
"You don't see too many players so universally respected," Showalter said. "Everything he does
on the field is sincere. He smiles easily, he cares what his teammates think, he's always got time
for everybody—and I haven't had it. I don't think there's anybody in the game who has more
universal respect from the opposition. He's been an entertainer in a lot of ways. I love watching
him play. And he was that way the first time I saw him in LA. Nothing has changed. You
probably want to take a good look, because there's not going to be too many 3,000 [hit] people.
... He always seems like he's playing his first game in Little League.”
His former teammate in Texas, first baseman Chris Davis, said ahead of Saturday's game that he
hoped he'd get it in the next few days.
“I think his relentlessness [stands out]," Davis said. "You've seen him hobbling down the first
base line, pulling up and clearly injured or hurt and continue to stay in the game the produce.
That’s is the kind of guy he is. He comes in every day ready to play. He’s a fun guy to be around.
He makes other people better and I’m happy for him. I’m excited and I hope he does get it while
we are here. That is a part of history. It will be something special."
Beltré became the second player to collect his 3,000th hit against the Orioles, with the first being
Baltimore native Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers in 1972.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-lee-may-obit-0731-story.html
'Big Bopper' Lee May, member of Orioles Hall of Fame, dies
at 74
By Mike Klingaman / The Baltimore Sun
July 30, 2017
Lee May's first at-bat with the Orioles still sticks with Jim Palmer. On Opening Day, 1975,
Palmer warmed up in near-freezing weather in Detroit as May stepped to the plate in the first
inning.
Bang. The Orioles' new first baseman hit a three-run home run at Tiger Stadium. Palmer watched
the rocket go and settled in to pitch a 10-0 victory.
"It got a lot warmer when 'Mo' hit that ball into the upper deck," he said. “I wouldn’t be in the
Hall of Fame if we hadn’t had players like that.”
May, who played six years in Baltimore and helped the Orioles reach the 1979 World Series,
died Saturday of heart disease in a hospital near his home in Cincinnati. Nicknamed “The Big
Bopper,” he was 74.
The Orioles announced Sunday that they would hold a moment of silence before Monday’s game
at Camden Yards to honor May.
May was 31 and a three-time All-Star when acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros in
December, 1974. He replaced Boog Powell, a one-time American League Most Valuable Player,
and preceded Eddie Murray, who would reach the Hall of Fame.
But May proved just as valuable to the Orioles, hitting 123 home runs and quickly becoming a
clubhouse favorite.
"He was truly the leader of our team," catcher Rick Dempsey said. "You never worried about his
consistency; Lee was never too high, or too low. He didn't say much but when he did speak, he
didn't sugar-coat it.
“He wasn't afraid to say things to players who’d slacked off a bit. He could get on you in a way
that was funny, while also making a point. He did, for us, what Frank Robinson did in his day for
the Orioles."
Robinson had led the team to two World Series, including 1970 when Baltimore defeated
Cincinnati, four games to one. Then a slugger for the Reds, May kept the Orioles from sweeping
the Series with a three-run, game-winning home run for a 6-5 win in Game Four.
May's best year here was in 1976, when he hit 25 home runs, led the AL with 109 RBIs and was
named the Orioles' Most Valuable Player. May — who played 18 years in the majors — hit .267
with 354 home runs and 340 doubles in his career. The right-handed hitter drove in 1,244 runs.
For 11 straight seasons, the Birmingham, Alabama, native hit at least 20 home runs and drove in
80 runs.
“He had a tremendously quick bat, though a bit unorthodox in the way he waved it,” Palmer said.
“But a lot of great hitters have distinctive styles, and Mo could flat-out hit.
“He was a great influence off the field, too. He set a veteran tone and was a good role model for
(a young) Eddie Murray, teaching him how to be a professional.”
A designated hitter in his later years, May stayed with the Orioles through 1980. Once during
that season, manager Earl Weaver replaced his slumping DH with a pinch-hitter. May shrugged
off the snub and, without fanfare, grabbed a catcher’s glove and trotted out to the bullpen to
warm up a pitcher.
His actions spoke volumes, teammates said.
“I can’t think of a guy who has done what Lee May has done and received so little publicity,”
Brooks Robinson said upon May’s departure from the team.
May took his exit in stride.
“I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it in Baltimore,” he said, even later returning as hitting coach for the
1995 season. “We were in the World Series last year (1979) and, even though we didn’t win, we
were always close.”
He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1998. May is survived by his wife, Terrye; two
daughters, Yelandra Daniels and Lisa Evans, both of Cincinnati; a son, Lee May, Jr., of Phoenix,
Ariz.; nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service is planned for September, in Cincinnati.
“Lee loved his time with the Orioles,” Terrye May, his wife of 55 years, said Sunday. “I
remember him telling (pitcher) Mike Flanagan how he had hit balls so far, (live) bats flew out of
the stands.”
The Orioles presented her husband with a parting gift in 1980, she said: a toilet seat autographed
by his teammates.
“On the cover, they engraved a plaque that read: For stirring up all of that s— in the clubhouse,”
she said. “It’s hanging on the wall of our family room. “Of everything Lee got out of baseball, he
missed the camaraderie the most.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-trumbo-scratched-20170730-
story.html
Mark Trumbo scratched from Orioles lineup Sunday after
tweaking back
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 30, 2017
Orioles outfielder/designated hitter Mark Trumbo was scratched from the lineup for today's
matinee with the Texas Rangers after he "tweaked his back stretching in the weight room" this
morning, manager Buck Showalter said.
"Hopefully it's not a DL-able thing and he'll be around and ready to go," Showalter said. "That
was about an hour ago. [Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells] came in and said we should
probably scratch Trumbo today, so I did."
After the game, Showalter said Monday would be a pivotal day for Trumbo, especially
considering the Orioles will need a roster spot for new pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
“I'm hoping that we can stay away from a DL with him,” Showalter said. “I just hope it's not an
oblique. We'll know tomorrow for sure.”
Trumbo, who was originally batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter, was replaced in
the lineup by outfielder Craig Gentry, who was added to the roster Sunday morning in the empty
roster spot left by the recently traded Hyun Soo Kim.
"We tried to get him here yesterday," Showalter said before the game. "We could have had him
yesterday, but we didn't. I'm glad I got him here. He wasn't going to play initially, but he is. You
always know that guy who wasn't in the lineup originally, he's good for two hits. Isn't that how it
works? I hope it does."
Gentry ended up fulfilling that prophecy, collecting two hits.
Trumbo had started every game this season for the Orioles, but has been in a funk since the All-
Star break. He has nine hits in 61 at-bats for a .148/.212/.311 with three home runs, and was
hitless in four straight games entering Friday.
On the season, Trumbo is batting .238 with a .706 OPS, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 50
runs.
Gentry, who was previously with Triple-A Norfolk, is batting .175 over two spells with the
Orioles this year.
Hellickson was scheduled to play catch at Camden Yards on Sunday and will probably have a
bullpen throwing session on Monday once the team returns to Baltimore, Showalter said.
Hellickson, who was scheduled to start Friday but was scratched ahead of the trade, didn't join
the team in Texas on Saturday as planned because he was rear-ended on the way to the airport.
The Orioles announced that Ubaldo Jiménez and Dylan Bundy were scheduled to start Monday
and Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals, but don't have a starter announced for Wednesday.
That would be right-hander Chris Tillman's spot in the rotation.
Showalter said Saturday he had not decided how the fit Hellickson into the rotation, and wouldn't
commit to either a five- or six-man rotation.
Showalter said infielder Ryan Flaherty, who is rehabbing a shoulder strain at Double-A Bowie,
has a ways to go before he's activated.
"He's going to have to get around the diamond, play short and third and a little outfield,"
Showalter said. "He's been out a long time. He's going to have to mix in a couple hits, too. He
will. He already has one, and just play defense around the diamond. We're starting out at first
and second."
Flaherty homered in his first at-bat for Bowie on today, and fellow rehab player Anthony
Santander homered as well.
Around the horn: The Orioles will hold a moment of silence before Monday’s game at Camden
Yards in honor of former first baseman Lee May, who passed away Saturday at age 74 in
Cincinnati. … Showalter said Tillman's full-body cramping on Friday in the Texas heat caused
the other two starting pitchers subjected to the conditions, Kevin Gausman and Wade Miley, to
hydrate better. ... Shortstop J.J. Hardy (fractured wrist) is "closer," Showalter said, with internal
plans being made for his rehab and eventual return.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-sunday-post-window-20170728-
story.html
A different reality ahead for Orioles under long-term control
should club rebuild
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 30, 2017
Amid a months-long groundswell for the Orioles to close their contending window ahead of its
natural conclusion at the end of the 2018 season, a considerable core of the club has been left to
wonder what it all means for the rest of the team.
From their highest-priced free agents such as sluggers Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo to backup
catcher Caleb Joseph and long-term foundation pieces Kevin Gausman and Jonathan Schoop, the
team's frustrating 2017 season has put players who will be around for years to come in a position
to ponder the team's future without forsaking the present.
Part of the idea of trading off players such as relievers Zach Britton and Brad Brach, or third
baseman Manny Machado ahead of their walk years next season would be to build toward a
future that still includes a decent part of the core. Same goes for this year’s expiring contracts of
catcher Welington Castillo and outfielder Seth Smith.
But that still leaves the players who would remain to confront an uncomfortable idea — a team
that's going in the wrong direction and sacrificing a chance, however remote, of maintaining its
run of contention for one down the road that isn’t guaranteed.
"It's tough, especially for guys like Darren [O’Day] and myself,” Davis said, “who are going to
be here for a few more years and who have been here for a long time and who have been around
the game long enough to kind of see the waves of players come and go, and even coming back
here [to Texas], looking over at the other side and only seeing a few faces that I played with over
there — it's a reminder that there has to be a sense of urgency to win."
The Orioles have more than just a few players' futures to consider ahead of the July 31
nonwaiver trade deadline, which they approach losing touch with both the American League East
and wild-card playoff races.
Their season has been disappointing on all levels, with their young building blocks, well-paid
veterans and pitchers trying to prove something in a walk year all underwhelming. The bright
spots have come mostly courtesy of All-Star Jonathan Schoop and rookie Trey Mancini.
But even with the likes of Machado and center fielder Adam Jones, plus Brach and Britton, and
starters Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jiménez and Wade Miley all set to be free agents within the next
two seasons, there's plenty who won't be going anywhere and have to digest the potential change
in direction.
Davis has been on both sides of the equation in his career — the upstart rebuilding team and the
perennial contender. And he acknowledges just how tough of a season it has been for the Orioles,
whose attempt to play winning baseball since their league-leading 22-10 start has been
Sisyphean.
But having signed through 2022 thanks to a seven-year, $161 million contract signed ahead of
the 2016 season, Davis has to weigh both the short-term desire for the season to turn around with
the organization's long-term health. His preference seems clear.
"I think when you have the opportunity to put a winning product out on the field, year in and
year out, especially in this division, you want to do everything you can to keep that going,”
Davis said. "I've been very fortunate the entire time that I've been here to be a part of a winning
team, a playoff team, a successful team. And I don't think that this is the time to start talking
about rebuilding. Especially when you look at the process, and what it entails to really rebuild
and entire organization.
“It's a long process, and I think that the 14 years of losing and all the heartache and everything
that the fans endured, I think it's still fresh, somewhat. You don't forget that that easily. So yeah,
I think we need to continue to move in the right direction. It was refreshing to hear Dan
[Duquette] say that that's kind of their thought process right now, and I hope that thought process
stays the same."
For someone like Gausman, the whole experience is unique. The 2012 first-round draft pick is
under club control through 2020, and all he has known are playoff pushes and buying at the July
31 deadline; not selling. He understands other teams' interest in the team's most valuable pieces,
and said in time they can probably be replaced and the Orioles can contend again. But he's
prepared for anything.
"I feel confident that even if we lose some guys, we'll still be able to be a competitive team and a
playoff team," Gausman said. "It's tough to think about, and it's one of those things where you're
always surprised, no matter what. You can never try to figure out what they're thinking, so you
try not to think about it honestly."
No matter how far ahead some can look, though, there's still the very real prospect of the core
that grew into a contender together breaking apart. Joseph, who was drafted in 2008 and has
played with Britton for eight years of that, said those who will be around long beyond the
proverbial window for contention are beginning to brace for the finality of a possible trade.
"The 25-man roster is sometimes a revolving door, so you do lose players here and there. It does
happen,” Joseph said. “You have injuries and you have new players come in. You get kind of
used to it, but the permanency of a player possibly being gone is what kind of hits me for the
reality part of it. If you trade a player, they're not just going to spend 10 days on the DL and
come back, or they're not going to make an injury rehab and come back, or you're not going to
see them in September when the rosters expand. It could be a more permanent move, and that's
not something I'm particularly used to."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-hellickson-reaction-20170729-
story.html
Questions still aplenty as Orioles welcome addition of
Jeremy Hellickson ahead of deadline
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 29, 2017
With two days left before the nonwaiver trade deadline and plenty of questions hanging about
the the Orioles’ path forward, the acquisition of right-hander Jeremy Hellickson late Friday night
has already been shrouded in that same uncertainty before he even reported to the club.
Manager Buck Showalter said Hellickson, who came to the Orioles on Friday for left fielder
Hyun Soo Kim and minor league pitcher Garrett Cleavinger, was en route to the airport to join
the Orioles in Texas when his car was rear-ended. Hellickson was in contact with pitching coach
Roger McDowell for most of the day and said he felt fine, but had to accompany his girlfriend to
the emergency room. The team hopes he can make it to Baltimore on Sunday to throw a bullpen
session and prepare for his pending Orioles debut, whenever it may be. The team hasn't added a
player to replace Kim.
As for how he’ll impact the club’s attempt to erase a large deficit in the wild-card standings, or
how he’ll fit into a rotation that ranks as the worst in the American League seems up in the air to
Showalter. So much hinges on the rest of the club’s potential deadline activity, including
possible trades of top relievers Zach Britton and Brad Brach or further efforts to bolster the
rotation.
“Well, we'll see,” Showalter said. “I know where he is statistically over there and where he was
last year. I know what he was like when he was with Tampa. We'll see. He's fastball-changeup,
added a cutter, curveball. Athletic. Holds runners. He's going to face a couple more hitters over
here. We'll see. We'll see.”
Executive vice president Dan Duquette did not respond to requests for comment about the trade
outside of a statement Friday night saying Hellickson was a “solid, dependable veteran major
league starter.”
Hellickson, a onetime AL Rookie of the Year with the Tampa Bay Rays who many of the
Orioles’ batters are familiar with, has a 4.73 ERA this year and will be an addition to a rotation
that entered Saturday with a 5.98 ERA. Whether he’ll take someone’s place or be inserted into a
six-man rotation wasn’t something Showalter was prepared to disclose before Saturday’s game.
“I'm not going to [commit] until Jeremy gets here and we see how the trading deadline and
everything works out,” Showalter said. “It makes no sense to talk about it and try to project this.
… I've got an idea of which way we're going to go, but if there's some whiplash issue or
something he feels, I just don't want to get ahead of ourselves and start moving a lot of other
people around and not knowing what Dan and the organization are going to do between now and
Monday and have to flip it again. I'm trying not to create a lot of discord within the pitchers.”
While the trade for Hellickson was met with some skepticism outside the organization, those
inside the clubhouse feel the move, even if it's temporary, aligns with the players’ idea that they
still have a shot to make a playoff run this season.
Showalter liked that outlook, though he stressed that plenty could happen before Monday and
didn’t indicate he knew whether it would be adding to the team or subtracting from it to
maximize the value of some of their top players on the trade market.
“I think regardless of what happens with player acquisition or whatever, that should always be
the case,” Showalter said. “But I appreciate the fact that they feel that way. That's another
positive that could come out of it. We'll see what the next couple of days bring. … From my
standpoint, we're all trying to compete and win. I'm sure so is Dan. I know our owner is.”
Veterans Chris Davis and Chris Tillman echoed that, and said the addition of a sturdy arm like
Hellickson's will be a welcome one.
"It's encouraging when you see a move like that, to know that we're not throwing in the towel,"
Davis said. "I don't think anybody expects us to do that, but to know that we're still committed to
this year, I think is encouraging."
Said Tillman: "I've seen him pitch quite a bit. A pretty good pitcher. The last I remember was
when he was with the Rays, and I feel like every time he went out, he ate up innings and did his
job. I like it. ... Any team could use someone like that. He's good. He's been good for a long time,
and I think not just us, but anybody. We're fortunate to have him, and I look forward to having
him."
Tillman said he hadn't thought much about how Hellickson would fit into the rotation, with
everyone but Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy approaching August struggling.
But despite the rotation woes, Tillman said there's still belief among the Orioles players that this
season isn't beyond them.
"As far as the clubhouse goes, we don't feel like we're out of it,” he said. “We feel like we've
been in this position before, and we've gotten it before. That's the way the guys in the clubhouse
feel. I don't know how everyone else feels.”
Davis agreed, citing how quickly things can change in a playoff race.
"I don't remember what the exact lead was that Boston lost in 2011, but there's history that shows
you that you can come back," Davis said. "We still have two months left. I think it's too easy to
sit back and say, 'Oh, we'll start planning for next year.' But for me, there's too much baseball left
to be played."
Outside of the clubhouse, those expectations for a playoff spot aren't as strong. FanGraphs'
playoff odds for the Orioles were 2.8 percent going into Saturday’s game, fourth lowest in the
American League. On Baseball Prospectus, those odds were 1.7 percent.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-notes-0730-story.html
Orioles' Showalter on informing Kim of trade: 'I didn't
really like the way it happened'
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 29, 2017
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it was a difficult goodbye late Friday night when he
informed outfielder Hyun Soo Kim of his trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. News came from
back in Baltimore when Kim had already made his way to the team bus back to the hotel, and the
hectic nature of a postgame trade made for a fractured process unlike how Showalter typically
informs a player who is on the move.
"It was, and I didn't really like the way it happened," Showalter said. "I'd have liked to spend a
lot of time with him, but by the time I got word of it, I had to pull him off the bus, which I didn't
like. I spent some time with him. He's going to a place where he'll get a chance to play and re-
establish himself a little bit at the level he's capable of.
"It's tough. You go through, you remember where we were last spring when he first came into
this country and I think he had some really nice things to say, and I to him. He's a good
teammate. I wish we could have presented it in a way for him to say goodbye to his teammates. I
think he would have liked to. I know they would have liked to."
Kim was batting .232 with a .593 OPS in a limited role this year, a season after batting .302 with
an .801 OPS after a slow start in his first year with the club in 2016.
He was a popular figure in the Orioles clubhouse, as his teammates admired how he handled his
transition from South Korea and the difficulties of professional baseball.
"Hate to see Kimmy go, but I think he will fit in nicely over there," first baseman Chris Davis
said. "I hope he gets a chance to play every day. It's got to be tough coming from another country
and not speaking much English, to try to overcome all the adjustments that you have to make at
the big league level anyway. He really impressed me with just the way that he was able to put
together a professional at-bat. The other day, he came in the game and didn't have an at-bat in a
few weeks and I was just floored when he hit he ball down the left-field line — not at the result,
but the way the at-bat was going and the way he just hung in there. I hope he gets a chance to
play over there."
Even without much improvement from the starting rotation, the Orioles bullpen has been intact
with the same seven pitchers since Zach Britton's return on July 5. Showalter said that's a
testament to the versatility of those who are there, with Richard Bleier, Donnie Hart and Miguel
Castro able to give the team length, removing the need for roster moves.
"I told you about a month or so ago that we finally got the bullpen in order, the thing we've been
trying to do all year,” Showalter said. “We can withstand two or even three bad starts. You don't
want to — you want to fix that — but with Richard and Castro down there, and getting Zach
back, we can withstand things because we've got people who are capable of pitching multiple
innings, and more importantly, multiple hitters.
"Not just right-left, right-left. Donnie has shown he can get right-handed hitters out, too. Richard
has done that, and Castro's starting to show he can do that. We've got a lot more versatility down
there — something we've been trying to do for a while, and we've finally been able to do that."
Around the horn: Neither Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) nor Anthony Santander (elbow/shoulder) had
hits in the continuation of Thursday's game for Double-A Bowie, which was each player's first
rehabilitation appearance. Santander had two doubles before the game was suspended Thursday,
while Flaherty had one. Bowie had a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday. ... Bowie left-hander
Tanner Scott was placed on the seven-day disabled list Saturday. … Showalter weighed in on the
Orioles parting with 2015 third-round draft pick Garrett Cleavinger in the Jeremy Hellickson
trade. “Cleavinger is a good pitcher. It's tough to see him go, but that's the price you pay,”
Showalter said.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-hyun-soo-kim-orioles-reflection-
20170729-story.html#nt=oft13a-6gp1
Reflecting on Hyun Soo Kim's tenure with the Orioles
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 29, 2017
Hyun Soo Kim's departure from the Orioles as what proved to be a salary makeweight in the
team's deal with the Philadelphia Phillies to bring in right-hander Jeremy Hellickson marks an
ignominious end to a spell with the team that saw him idealized as the cure for the club's most
glaring offensive ills.
As a contact hitter with a keen eye for the strike zone, Kim's $7 million arrival from the Korean
Baseball Organization ahead of the 2016 season was what a particular subset of fans craved — a
steady presence in a lineup full of swing-and-miss sluggers who would take a walk and keep
things relatively stable.
His fulfillment of that prophecy last season was quixotic; that his ultimate downfall came
because of the emergence of another quintessential Orioles product — the overlooked pure hitter
Trey Mancini — is cruelly fitting. Kim was a misfit who would have fit perfectly, only his place
was never really his own.
Analyzing the Orioles' acquisition of pitcher Jeremy Hellickson for Hyun Soo Kim
My first dive into what he could contribute to the 2016 Orioles came before his first spring
training, when a combination of quotes from Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter plus his KBO-
adjusted Steamer projection via FanGraphs had him hitting 16 home runs while batting .273 with
a .758 OPS in his first season with the Orioles, created plenty of optimism.
It proved ambitious on the power side — his first home run came in late May. But that was at the
beginning of his time as a regular in the Orioles lineup. It was deserved and necessary, given
how the league caught up to Rule 5 draft pick Joey Rickard and how every ball Kim slapped
seemed to be finding grass. His batting average never dipped below .300 and was over .380
when Showalter put him in the lineup for good.
But it wasn't always looking that way. The initial plan for our 2016 preview section was a story
on the local Korean community's palpable excitement at the KBO hero joining the hometown
Orioles. But halfway through spring, it didn't look like there was much to be excited about. He
was put in a batting practice group with a bunch of natural sluggers and quickly lost his swing.
Guest coach Hee Seop Choi, the first South Korean hitter to make it big in America, knew Kim
wasn't being true to himself. That story morphed into one on the unknown when bringing Korean
players over and some of the challenges they faced, and Choi's perspective in there proved
prescient. Kim wasn't a power hitter. He was a "shoot hitter," as he called it.
By midseason, Kim proved to be the light-hearted man off the field that the Orioles heard about
when he was training in California two winters ago with vice president Brady Anderson, and
worked himself into the steady hitter they expected, too.
That Kim was vilified by a portion of the fan base after that spring was unfortunate. He was
fortunate to get the choice not to go to the minor leagues. His friend and peer from a talent
perspective, infielder Jae-gyun Hwang, spent three months in the minors this year before the San
Francisco Giants finally called him up and hasn't caught on in the majors.
The animus ultimately didn't last long. An overwhelming guilt over the Opening Day treatment
turned him into a fan favorite, and he carried that all through 2016. The team even made a
Korean-script jersey that has been ubiquitous both in Baltimore and at visiting parks.
Such was his success in his rookie year, batting .302 with an .801 OPS and a 119 wrC+, that
Showalter said at the winter meetings in December that Kim was probably capable of hitting
both left-handers and right-handers and playing right field, too.
A month later, Duquette traded for Seth Smith, who ultimately proved better at Kim's role. Two
months later, Mancini started playing the outfield so the team had a way to get his bat on the
roster. Kim started on Opening Day, getting the ovation down the orange carpet that many felt he
was owed after last year. But within weeks, Mancini started taking the at-bats against right-
handed pitching earmarked for Kim all winter.
Orioles acquire right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from Phillies for Hyun Soo Kim, more
Even when Mancini moved to first base for a month when Chris Davis strained his oblique, Kim
never seized a significant role. Kim never complained, but a few weeks ago, Showalter
acknowledged it was probably creating a crisis of confidence. Kim was still in the dugout after
every home run, throwing sunflower seeds and keeping things fun, but the problem was he was
always in the dugout.
It was almost an inevitability that his time was running short, but it was still a shock. The entire
Orioles clubhouse respected how Kim handled his situation, and now he'll go to the National
League, where he might find everyday at-bats in one form or another with the Phillies.
When his contract is up this fall, he could sign back in South Korea and return a hero. Or he
could sign with another major league club and capture the imagination of a city the way he did
here. Even if this year wasn't what he hoped, Kim did all he could have been expected to under
the unique circumstances laid out in Baltimore.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-hellickson-analysis-20170729-
story.html
Analyzing the Orioles' acquisition of pitcher Jeremy
Hellickson for Hyun Soo Kim
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 29, 2017
Taken on its own merits, the Orioles' Friday night deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that sent
outfielder Hyun Soo Kim away and brought back right-hander Jeremy Hellickson simply doesn't
feel like a piece of business to be considered outside of a larger picture — albeit one that's not
clear yet.
At 48-54, the Orioles are 6½ games out of a playoff spot with seven teams above them in the
wild-card standings. Most indications have been they're trying to maximize the value of their top
relievers in hopes of netting a haul like the New York Yankees got last season for Andrew Miller
or Aroldis Chapman, something that can help remake the team for 2018 on the fly.
But adding Hellickson, a pending free agent, to a rotation with an ERA that has a 5.99 ERA in
102 games, seems to be a move directed solely at this year. With a 4.73 ERA this season,
Hellickson ranks only behind Dylan Bundy's 4.53 among Orioles starters, and his eight quality
starts trail only Bundy as well.
However, his fielding-independent pitching (FIP), which calculates ERA based on walks,
strikeouts, and home runs, all of which a pitcher can control, is 5.50. He has allowed a career-
high 1.8 home runs per nine innings and struck out a career low 5.2 per nine. All that's coming
with the lowest velocity of his career at age 30.
Yet the fact that he is averaging 5 2/3 innings per start is an asset to a rotation that's averaging
just over five innings per start means a bit more reliability for a group that's been short on it
lately.
Even so, it seems a marginal upgrade that doesn't fit with the idea of improving the team long
term while keeping it in contention today. The money exchanged balanced out the remaining
salary owed between him and Hyun Soo Kim and made it a wash. The roster flexibility gained,
considering Kim simply couldn't get on the field, could be a bonus. But otherwise, there's a
feeling that there's something else to be done here.
Absent it, the move seems similar to the Gerardo Parra trade in 2015 or the Scott Feldman deal
in 2013, where a clear area of need was addressed with something short of a major upgrade. It
signals that Duquette hasn't punted on 2017, even with the deficit building. But in truth, all the
move does is beg a question that by Monday afternoon there should be a clearer answer to: what,
exactly, are the Orioles getting after?
Trading a reliever like Zach Britton or Brad Brach wouldn't serve the same purpose as adding a
starter for the stretch run would. Even if Hellickson takes another starting pitcher's spot and they
use the opportunity to jettison a struggling member of their rotation and use Kim's roster spot on
a young player, no candidates exactly jump out inside the system.
The best guess at this point is that the Orioles are going to replay the Bud Norris decision of
2015, when the struggling right-hander in his walk year was designated for assignment with a
7.06 ERA come the end of July.
Swapping out a pitcher who has performed badly with one whose peripherals warn could do the
same would leave the Orioles in the same intriguing place they were before the deal: with a bevy
of assets, the skeleton of a playoff aspirant intact for 2018, and only a few days left to figure out
what to do with it all.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-gausman-mainbar-20170728-
story.html
Varying speeds leading to better results for Orioles' Kevin
Gausman
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 29, 2017
As Kevin Gausman tries to turn around his season and build on a handful of strong starts this
month, he's looking to a pitcher who has been an idol of his since before he was a professional.
Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, Gausman said, has the uncanny ability to build up his
fastball over the course of a game, all the while keeping hitters off balance with a variety of
speeds that they never quite time out.
"He's one of those guys who the first couple innings is 92, 93 [mph], and by the seventh, eighth
inning is 98-99,” Gausman said. “That's one thing I've always thought would be great to be able
to do. Some days, it's a little easier to do than others. ... But obviously, changing speeds is what
you're trying to do as a pitcher. If you have one pitch and you can change it to three different
speeds — we'll just say 91, 95 and 99 [mph] — I think it definitely makes things a little harder
on these guys."
Manager Buck Showalter said a fastball could be four different pitches, or six if you mix in a
two-seam fastball at times. Caleb Joseph, who has caught Gausman's past two starts, said a range
as wide as Gausman has can be like 10 different pitches.
All agree that Gausman has found his stride of late by focusing more on commanding his fastball
rather than blowing it past people, and that has provided a blueprint for the final two months of
the season, beginning Saturday at the Texas Rangers.
"I look at my good starts that I've had, and that's one thing I've been able to do is throw a pitch
92 where I want to rather than 98 and not necessarily know exactly where it's going to go,"
Gausman said. "That's one thing I've been trying to do a lot more lately."
"It's still the best pitch in baseball, a well-located fastball," Showalter said. "It starts and stops
with that."
Especially when he pitched six innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts against these same
Rangers on July 19, and again Monday when he spun six scoreless innings against the Tampa
Bay Rays, Gausman's concerted effort to mix speeds has produced results.
According to Statcast data from BaseballSavant.com, Gausman's fastball averaged 94.5 mph
Monday, his lowest of the month. His hardest was 97.8 mph, his softest 89.8 mph, which was his
second-biggest gap of the month. His fastball averaged 95 mph the start before. And by
subtracting, he has coaxed more swinging strikes on it and induced weaker contact.
Joseph said it has been a "considerable" part of his turnaround.
"I think he's focused on doing that, taking some off the speed of the pitch," Joseph said. "I don't
think it's necessarily two-seam. It's just adding and subtracting with the four-seam. But to me, the
biggest reason for his success is the number of pitches that he locates. He's done a really nice job
of locating pitches, then you add in the fact that you have potentially a 10 mph difference on the
fastball and you locate it — that's like 10 different pitches. So I think some of it has to do with
taking some off the heater and focusing on locating the pitch, but mostly, it's just actual
execution of fastball location."
Combined with a better feel for his changeup-splitter combination, and with a slider to work off
the fastball, Gausman's July rate stats have been much better than previous months.
It's all skewed by the eight-run, three-inning outing against the Chicago Cubs where Gausman
allowed four home runs. But even with that, he's striking out 12.8 batters per nine innings and
walking 2.8 per nine innings this month, both the best of any month in the season. His FIP
(fielding-independent pitching), which calculates ERA based on home runs, strikeouts and
walks, is 3.85, a full run better than his actual ERA of 4.85 this month.
It all leaves his ERA at 5.79 in 22 starts, a far cry from where the Orioles expected their Opening
Day starter to be four months into the season.
Joseph, like Showalter, has seen all of the Orioles starters find such success by locating better at
one point or another. The hope for Gausman as he and the Orioles look to salvage their season is
that he sticks with it.
"I don't know if it's necessarily like trying to fool them by the speed difference versus just the
sold-out focus on locating a pitch," Joseph said. And if it means backing off a tick. ... I think
that's what a lot of pitchers these days are forgetting, is you can have multiple pitches with the
fastball, especially the way radar gun readings are now. Guys tend to look up there and it's more
of a max-effort type of game now. So when you have the ability to run the ball up there 100 mph
like Kevin does, you can back off, too."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-hellickson-trade-phillies-
20170728-story.html
Orioles acquire right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from
Phillies for Hyun Soo Kim, more
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 28, 2017
The Orioles on Friday acquired right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from the Philadelphia Phillies in
an effort to bolster a rotation that has a 5.99 ERA.
In exchange, the Orioles sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, minor league reliever Garrett Cleavinger
and international signing bonus money to the Phillies. The Orioles also received cash back from
the Phillies.
Even as an 8-2 loss to the Texas Rangers dropped the Orioles to 48-54 and 6½ games out of a
wild-card spot, executive vice president Dan Duquette is adding to the club instead of tearing it
down, in hopes of reviving its slim playoff chances.
Hellickson, who had a 4.73 ERA in 112 1/3 innings with the Phillies, was scratched from his
scheduled start Friday night because of both the possibility of a trade and wet field conditions in
Philadelphia.
"Jeremy Hellickson is a solid, dependable, veteran major league starter who knows how to win in
the American League,” Duquette said in a statement. “He should provide some quality innings
for the Orioles."
A former top prospect of the Tampa Bay Rays, the 30-year-old Hellickson was named American
League Rookie of the Year in 2011. He was strong again in 2012, but two down years and an
escalating salary caused the Rays to move him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014. Hellickson
had a 4.62 ERA there before he was dealt to the Phillies ahead of the 2016 season.
He experienced a resurgence in Philadelphia, posting a 3.71 ERA with the cellar-dwelling
Phillies last season, and accepted the club's one-year qualifying offer worth $17.2 million to stay
for 2017.
To fix biggest weakness, Orioles might have to deal from greatest strength — their bullpen
He'll join an Orioles rotation that has failed to get firing in any meaningful way this year. Dylan
Bundy's 4.53 ERA leads the bunch, though he's being moved around in the rotation to keep his
innings down and his arm fresh in his first full year as a starter.
Wade Miley is 4-9 with a 5.69 ERA, while Opening Day starter Kevin Gausman takes the
mound Saturday looking to bring down his own 5.79 ERA. Behind them are Ubaldo Jiménez
(6.93 ERA) and Chris Tillman, whose ERA rose to 7.65 after allowing eight runs on nine hits in
Friday's loss.
Kim’s trade ends a tumultuous two years that saw the South Korean star transform from misfit to
mainstay with the Orioles in 2016 before he fell out of favor this year.
After signing a two-year, $7 million contract to join the Orioles from the Korean Baseball
Organization ahead of the 2016 season, the 29-year-old Kim badly struggled when he arrived at
his first spring training.
It took him weeks to get his first hit, and the club ultimately tried to have him start the season in
the minors. But Kim exercised his right of refusal and made the Opening Day roster, only to be
booed by some fans at Camden Yards.
Before long, he became a popular figure on the team, with his selective approach endearing him
to fans who thought the Orioles needed more on-base capability. Manager Buck Showalter eased
him into major league life and ultimately put him in the lineup as a regular against right-handed
pitching by the end of May.
He ended the year hitting .302 with an .801 OPS and was primed for a full year of that platoon
role in 2017, even opting not to play in the World Baseball Classic in order to better prepare for
the season.
But the late-spring transition of rookie Trey Mancini to the outfield, first as a right-handed
platoon bat and eventually as an everyday player, led to Kim being phased out. He went back to
playing sparingly, but unlike last season, didn't produce when he got in the lineup. He batted
.232/.305/.288 in 56 games.
Kim’s inclusion likely offsets some of the money owed to Hellickson, and both of the major
league components come off the books after this season.
Cleavinger, a third-round draft pick in 2015, had a 6.28 ERA this year at Double-A Bowie.
FoxSports.com first reported the Orioles' interest. FanRag Sports first reported the deal's
completion.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-schmuck-hellickson-deal-proves-that-
dan-duquette-is-one-stubborn-fellow-20170728-story.html
Schmuck: Jeremy Hellickson deal proves Dan Duquette is
one stubborn fellow
By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun
July 28, 2017
Orioles baseball operations chief Dan Duquette was true to his word. He has been saying all
along that he intended to upgrade the Orioles pitching staff, and he did that late Friday night with
the acquisition of veteran starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
Give Duquette credit for not giving up on the 2017 season, but this deal — which sent South
Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, minor league pitcher Garrett Cleavinger and international
signing bonus money to the Philadelphia Phillies — probably is too little too late.
The Orioles slipped to 6 1/2 games back in the crowded American League wild-card race with
Friday night’s unsightly loss to the Texas Rangers. They have lost three games in a row at a
point when they could have crept up on the AL East lead but instead have fallen back to 7½
behind the surging New York Yankees.
The starting rotation remains in crisis and Hellickson should help, but the Orioles have so many
struggling starters that it might be hard to decide which one of them to replace.
Two days still remain before the nonwaiver trade deadline, so there is time for Duquette to do
more. Trade speculation has largely centered on closer Zach Britton, who could deliver them
another major league player and/or some minor league talent.
If that were to happen, Duquette would be able to make the case that he succeeded in helping the
team for both the present and future.
Despite plenty of debate about the wisdom of either trading off veteran pieces or staying the
course to avoid the club’s first losing season since 2011, Duquette never really figured to cash in
his chips and focus on the long term.
He has said from the day he arrived in Baltimore that his goal is to have a winning team every
year and he never said anything publicly this season to indicate he was ready to alter that
approach.
Both Duquette and manager Buck Showalter are under contract through next season, so it was
illogical to think that they would embark on a long-range rebuilding program without some
commitment from ownership beyond the 2018 season.
It’s certainly not impossible for the Orioles to rebound over the final two months of the season.
They still have a talented — but inconsistent — offensive team and a deep bullpen, so
overcoming a 7 1/2-game deficit with 60 regular-season games left is not totally out of the
question.
To get to the playoffs, however, probably will require them to win the AL East, since there are
five teams ahead of them in the wild-card race. They have plenty of head-to-head games left
against the three teams above them in their division, but a comeback of that magnitude will
require the rotation to right itself at a time when three veteran starters continue to struggle
mightily.
Hellickson can only replace one of them.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-notes-davis-santander-britton-
20170728-story.html
Orioles notes: Davis' return has been 'a grind;' Showalter
looking forward to seeing Santander
By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun
July 28, 2017
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, now healthy after dealing with a virus earlier this week during
the series at the Tampa Bay Rays, said "it's still kind of a grind right now" as he looks to find his
swing after a month out with an oblique strain.
"Obviously, the illness was ill-timed, but that's part of it," Davis said. "Guys battle injuries. Guys
battle sickness. You battle a number of different things throughout the season and you just try to
go out there and do what you can to make adjustments and just trust the process."
In his first 11 games after returning from the disabled list on July 14 at the outset of the second
half of the season, Davis batted .175 (7-for-40), albeit with three home runs. He struck out in 17
of his 45 plate appearances with four walks in that span, and said he's trying to scratch at-bats
together to try to get out of it.
"That's where I'm at right now," Davis said. "Whether it's working a walk, maybe just seeing a
bunch of pitches to try and get a guy out of the game or whatever, I want to do everything I can
to contribute and hopefully help us get a win."
Manager Buck Showalter indicated he's excited to finally see outfielder Anthony Santander
(elbow/shoulder), the club’s Rule 5 draft pick, when he arrives in Baltimore. Santander, 22, had
two doubles in his first rehabilitation game of the season in Double-A Bowie's suspended contest
Thursday night.
"Anytime you invest that much time and effort, the scouting, the selection, the rehab — we knew
we were going to have to rehab the surgery — and see the potential that you could get a payoff
there, that's always kind of uplifting," Showalter said.
Santander's rehab assignment began Thursday, and he's allowed 20 days on assignment before he
must be activated, unless there's another injury. Showalter said what the Orioles saw in spring
training and so far since he returned to health is "encouraging."
"We've said all along, he's an interesting guy," Showalter said. "He's one of those guys when you
watch the game, your eyes are kind of drawn to him. As an old scout said a long time ago, 'He
fills up the batter's box.' I like that statement."
Britton needs save opportunities
Even if the results haven’t been there for closer Zach Britton of late, Showalter said the team
needs to get him into save situations for the stuff the left-hander has flashed since returning from
a forearm strain earlier this month to resurface.
"That level, stuff-wise, he's the same," Showalter said. "We just haven't presented him with
enough opportunities. When he's pitching in these games — we've seen him in what, one save
situation? Really good. So, we've got to do a better job of simulating that for him."
Around the horn
Bowie was rained out again Friday, leaving Santander and infielder Ryan Flaherty (shoulder)
without a rehab game there again. Flaherty also had a double Thursday night before the game
was suspended. … Left-hander Chris Lee pitched four innings of relief without allowing an
earned run behind Mike Wright on Thursday for Triple-A Norfolk, and Showalter said the two
might stay paired together as Wright builds his innings back from a shoulder strain. Wright is
"supposed to go four [innings] next time, five the next time. But it also gives you a little glimpse
about something I've thought anyway, about Chris as a reliever, too. Some people think that's
where he might settle in. But we'll see." Lee has a 5.93 ERA this season. ... Showalter said it's a
matter of when, not if, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre gets his 3,000th hit. Beltre entered
Friday's game with 2,996, and Showalter said the respect he commands around the game will
make it an occasion for even his opponents to relish once it happens.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245337652/duffy-royals-aim-to-reverse-trends-vs-ubaldo-
os/?topicId=26688732
Ubaldo looking to stay hot in opener with KC
By Jeffrey Flanagan / MLB.com
July 31, 2017
As the Royals prepare to open a three-game set against the Orioles on Monday at Camden Yards,
they will seek to end two trends: First, the Royals have lost four straight there, and second, left-
hander Danny Duffy has never won there.
Duffy (7-6, 3.56 ERA) is 0-2 in four career outings at Camden Yards, but he has posted a 3.24
ERA in that park.
Duffy, however, is coming off a strong start against the Tigers on Tuesday, going 6 1/3 innings
and giving up one run in a 3-1 win. He will be opposed by right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (4-7,
6.93), who is coming off his best start in almost a month. Jimenez gave up three hits and two
runs while striking out nine against the Rays on Wednesday.
It could be a big start for Jimenez as the Orioles have some rotation decisions to make with
Jeremy Hellickson -- who was acquired in Friday night's trade with the Phillies -- expected to be
added to the roster Monday. Hellickson could start as early as Wednesday, though the team
hasn't decided yet on who goes from the rotation.
Things to know about this game
• Orioles designated hitter Mark Trumbo was a late scratch from Sunday's lineup at Texas after
tweaking his back. The O's are hoping he's available Monday.
• Jimenez has stymied Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, who is 5-for-31 (.161) against
him with 11 strikeouts.
• The Royals were reunited with veteran outfielder Melky Cabrera in Sunday's deal with the
White Sox ahead of Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. The Royals parted with Minor
League pitchers A.J. Puckett and Andre Davis.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245469260/orioles-glad-to-see-adrian-beltres-3000th-hit/
Orioles in awe of Beltre's accomplishment
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON -- The Orioles weren't shy in admitting it: They were hoping to see history this
weekend at Globe Life Park. And they finally did in Sunday's series finale, as Adrian Beltre
became the 31st player in Major League history to reach the 3,000-hit mark with a fourth-inning
double.
Beltre's historic hit, which came off Orioles starter Wade Miley, stole the show, though the O's
did win the game, 10-6, and headed back to Baltimore with a series win and a neat part in
baseball lore.
"As a fan of the game, what a career that guy has had. I wasn't trying to let him get a hit, by any
means," Miley said. "But at the same time, as a fan, if it had to happen, that guy is an
unbelievable player, someone you want your kids to watch. That is the kind of respect I have for
him and just one of those things that is a special moment for him. Let him celebrate."
Miley and the rest of the Orioles took in the scene that followed, which included the Rangers
hanging a banner and Beltre's family running out to congratulate him.
"It was amazing," said Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who used to watch YouTube
videos of Beltre when he was transitioning to third base. "As a baseball fan, you get to see that,
it's obviously a great accomplishment. To get 3,000 hits, only 30 players have done that. So to be
a part of that history was amazing. Obviously he's a friend and a teammate that I played with [in
the World Baseball Classic]. Excited to see him as a Dominican player be the first to get to that
milestone."
As soon as Beltre connected for the double, the crowd -- already on its feet -- exploded and the
Rangers dugout emptied. The Orioles who were on the field lined up by second base to give
Beltre congratulatory hugs while the rest of the team -- huddled in anticipation over the dugout
railing -- clapped from their spots.
"Just as a baseball fan, that's unbelievable," added Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who was
one of the players who got to hug and congratulate Beltre on the field. "He's seen my first hit,
he's seen all my firsts -- me, personally -- in the big leagues. And to see No. 3,000 for me as a
fan of his and a friend of his, that's pretty special to be able to share that moment with him and
see his family."
So what stands out to opposing teams the most about Beltre?
"I think his relentlessness," said Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who played with Beltre while
in Texas. "You've seen him hobbling down the first-base line, pulling up and clearly injured or
hurt, and continue to stay in the game and produce. That is the kind of guy he is. He comes in
every day ready to play. He's a fun guy to be around. He makes other people better and I'm
happy for him."
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245356962/orioles-mark-trumbo-out-with-back-injury/
Back injury takes Trumbo out of O's lineup
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON -- Mark Trumbo was a late scratch from Sunday's series finale against the
Rangers as the Orioles designated hitter tweaked his back Sunday morning in the team weight
room.
"He's not playing today and hopefully it is not a DL thing," Orioles manager Buck Showalter
said before Sunday's game. "So I can put that one [trade rumor] to bed. That happened about an
hour ago. Richie [Bancells, head athletic trainer] came in and said we should scratch Trumbo
today, so I did. I understand people might jump to that [trade] conclusion."
Without Trumbo, the Orioles inserted Trey Mancini at DH and put Craig Gentry in right field.
Gentry was added to the roster in place of Hyun Soo Kim, who was traded to the Phillies as part
of the Jeremy Hellickson deal Friday night. The O's don't have to add Hellickson to the roster
until Monday.
On the rehab front, Showalter said Ryan Flaherty (right shoulder) needs more rehab at-bats and
they're encouraged with the progress of shortstop J.J. Hardy (right wrist), who is waiting to get
the last little bit of soreness out before he can begin baseball activities.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245355650/all-star-slugger-lee-may-dies/
Three-time All-Star slugger Lee May dies
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 30, 2017
The baseball family lost a valued member on Saturday when former Major League slugger Lee
May died at the age of 74 in Cincinnati.
A cause of death has not been revealed.
May, a first baseman and designated hitter known as "Big Bopper," launched 354 home runs in
18 seasons for the Reds (1965-71), Astros (1972-74), Orioles (1975-80) and Royals (1981-82).
He was an early member of the Big Red Machine and stepped up big time during the 1970 World
Series against the Orioles, batting .389 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs in the
five-game series, won by Baltimore.
One of those homers was a go-ahead shot off reliever Eddie Watt in the eighth inning of Game 4
that denied the Orioles a four-game sweep. May also helped give Orioles future Hall of Fame
third baseman Brooks Robinson the nickname "Hoover" for his legendary defensive performance
in that Series.
May was a three-time All-Star, once in 1969 when he had 38 homers and 110 RBIs, again in
1971 when he hit 39 homers, and once again in 1972 when he drove in 98 runs for the Astros,
who had acquired him the previous offseason in a blockbuster eight-player trade that sent future
Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan from Houston to Cincinnati. The Reds also acquired
pitcher Jack Billingham, outfielders Cesar Geronimo and Ed Armbrister and third baseman
Denis Menke in that deal.
"We are deeply saddened to lose the Big Bopper," said Rick Walls, executive director of the
Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. "Lee May was a friend of the Hall and of everyone with whom
he came in contact. Our condolences go out to Lee's family during this difficult time. We will
always remember him for his contributions to the Reds, but also for his humor and genuine
kindness."
Traded by Houston to Baltimore after the 1974 season in a four-player swap that sent Enos
Cabell to the Astros, May led the American League with 109 RBIs in 1976. He batted .254 with
123 homers in six seasons with Baltimore and retired after the 1982 season with a career .267
batting average and 1,244 RBIs.
May was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Reds Hall of Fame in 2006. He
is survived by his wife, Terrye, and three children, including Lee May Jr., a coach in the Red Sox
organization, according to the Orioles.
The Orioles said they will honor May in a ceremony prior to Monday's game against the Royals.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245193012/trey-mancini-homers-as-orioles-beat-rangers/
Mancini pads resume with another homer
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON -- A night removed from trading outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, Orioles rookie Trey
Mancini continued to rake. Mancini, whose ascent relegated Kim to a bench role, homered and
drove in two runs in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Rangers.
Mancini's second-inning solo blast, followed two batters later by Caleb Joseph's solo shot, helped
move the O's move to six games behind the Kansas City Royals for the second American League
Wild Card spot.
Mancini also drove in a run in the third on a groundout and was the only Orioles player with a
multi-RBI effort off Rangers starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx.
"Big," Joseph said of how important the team's early runs were. "They came out and gave it to us
last night, and we just couldn't claw back. I'm not going to say we took the crowd out of it
because they are excited about their third baseman [Adrian Beltre] as they should be. But to get
[starter] Kevin [Gausman] some run support early has been good."
Mancini has been a feel-good story for the Orioles since this spring, though perhaps no one but
Mancini himself expected him to have this much success this soon. After a terrific Grapefruit
League campaign prompted the O's to put him on the Opening Day roster, Mancini had five
homers and 12 RBIs in his first 16 games. With chants of "Boom, Boom" when he came to the
plate, Mancini played his way into a more regular role over Kim, even earning starts against
some lefties.
The 25-year-old entered Saturday's game batting .324/374/.575 in 207 at-bats against righties
and .243/.278/.398 in 103 at-bats against lefties.
Mancini -- who is batting .296 overall -- now has 17 homers on the year, which is as many as
sluggers Mark Trumbo and Chris Davis.
Mancini ranks third among AL rookies in homers and RBIs (55) and should get consideration on
the AL Rookie of the Year Award ballot, though Yankees phenom Aaron Judge appears to be a
lock to win.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245190254/jeremy-hellickson-adds-to-orioles-confidence/
Hellickson deal fuels O's belief they can rally
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON -- As the Orioles wait for newly acquired pitcher Jeremy Hellickson -- who is
expected to report on Monday -- to join them, Baltimore's clubhouse on Saturday afternoon
remained upbeat about the addition and not ready to concede the 2017 season just yet.
Hellickson, who was acquired in Friday night's trade with the Phillies, should give the Orioles a
more dependable option to eat some innings. While it's not exactly an all-in approach, the O's are
hoping the veteran righty takes some pressure off the bullpen and helps to stabilize an under-
performing rotation down the stretch.
"Six and a half [out of the American League Wild Card] is, I mean it can change quickly," said
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis. "I don't remember what the exact lead was Boston lost in
2011, but there is history that shows you that you can come back. We still have two months left.
I don't know, I think it is too easy to sit back and say, 'We'll start planning for next year.' But, to
me, there is too much baseball left to be played."
Added Friday night's starter Chris Tillman, "I know, as far as the clubhouse goes, we definitely
don't think we are out of it. We feel like we've been in this position before, we've gotten there
before."
Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette didn't answer a call to discuss the
trade on Saturday, though Duquette did say in a text message Friday that Hellickson is "a solid,
dependable veteran Major League starter" -- and one the O's believe can give them some quality
innings.
"I think any team can use something like that," said Tillman. "He's good, he's been good for a
long time. And not just us but anybody, we are fortunate to have him and looking forward to
having him."
Hellickson was scratched from Friday's slated start while the Phillies worked out the deal. He got
into a minor car accident on his way to the airport on Saturday, causing his travel plans to be
pushed back to Sunday. Hellickson was OK, but his girlfriend was admitted to the emergency
room. The plan is for Hellickson to throw in Baltimore later on Sunday, and he is expected to be
in uniform for Monday's game against the Royals at Camden Yards.
Where he slots in is less clear.
"We're going to let everything clear a little bit, especially with as hectic as these next two days
will be [leading up to the Trade Deadline]," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Until we get
our arms around him physically. I know he was working on one extra day's rest, hadn't pitched
since the 22nd. I'd like to get a light work day. …We've got a tentative idea, but until we know
how he's feeling, how everything else is. We talked to him a couple of times today, but we
haven't talked to him since they got out of the emergency room."
Showalter did say the Orioles plan on keeping Dylan Bundy starting on Tuesday, though there
could be some shuffling after that.
http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/245066430/orioles-trade-for-righty-jeremy-hellickson/
O's bolster rotation, acquire Phils' Hellickson
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON -- Are the Orioles buyers or sellers? That's been one of the biggest questions
surrounding this Baltimore club the past few weeks as rumors have swirled that numerous
players are available to be traded, and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan
Duquette saying last week that the O's are still trying to win this season.
On Friday, Duquette showed his hand, trading for Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson in an effort
to boost an underperforming rotation. Hellickson -- who was scratched Friday due to inclement
weather and trade speculation -- gives a thin Orioles pitching staff another arm without
sacrificing any top prospects. The Orioles, who also received cash considerations in the deal,
sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and international amateur signing
bonus pool space to the Phillies.
Hellickson is expected to be inserted immediately into the rotation upon his arrival, though who
he replaces is an interesting case. While Chris Tillman has the rotation's highest ERA, Ubaldo
Jimenez has been inconsistent in the final year of a four-year, $50 million deal.
"Hellickson is a solid, dependable veteran Major League starter who knows how to win in the
American League," Duquette wrote in a text to MLB.com. "[He] should provide some quality
innings for the O's."
The last-place Phillies had been trying to trade Hellickson, who will be a free agent following the
season, for quite some time. He is 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 20 starts. He's also owed more than $6
million for this season, though Philadelphia has been rumored to be willing to cover some of his
remaining salary to move him.
Friday's trade was more of a necessity for the healthy of the pitching staff, giving the O's some
much-needed rotational depth.The rotation, which saw Tillman give up eight runs in Friday's 8-2
loss to the Rangers, ranks at or near the bottom in nearly every statistical category. The only
starter with an ERA under 5.00 is Dylan Bundy (4.53) as Baltimore finds itself 6 1/2 games out
of the AL Wild Card race.
It's possible the O's also trade players, with their bullpen -- particularly closer Zach Britton and
setup man Brad Brach -- capable of returning a nice haul and bolstering the team's core talent
group sooner rather than later.
In Hellickson, the O's are hoping to gain some consistent innings without giving up anything
significant. Hellickson has averaged 30 starts per season every year but 2014, when he had an
elbow injury, and he's on pace to hit that mark again in '17.
The 30-year-old Hellickson is familiar with the AL East, having come up through the Rays'
system. In five seasons with Tampa Bay, Hellickson posted a 3.78 ERA.
Kim was a rarely-used bench player whose playing time was further diminished with the ascent
of rookie Trey Mancini. Like Hellickson, he will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Cleavinger -- ranked as the organization's 27th best prospect by MLBPipeline.com -- is a lefty
who was pitching for the club's Double-A affiliate.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/07/does-britton-make-it-past-todays-
deadline.html
Does Britton make it past today’s deadline?
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com
July 31, 2017
The non-waiver trade deadline is 4 p.m. today, the last chance for teams to deal players without
first passing them through waivers.
Nothing has really changed with Zach Britton’s situation. There are numerous teams checking on
him and the Orioles want a hefty return. No one is certain whether he’s going to be traded. It
could go either way, depending on the offers.
Does any of this sound familiar?
How much more can be written about Britton?
The Dodgers, Astros and Cubs have been serious suitors. The Cubs, however, are getting left-
hander Justin Wilson from the Tigers. The Nationals want Britton, but it would be a hard sell to
ownership. There’s some bad blood.
Scouts shouldn’t question whether Britton is healthy. He hasn’t experienced any discomfort in
his left forearm/elbow since before coming off the disabled list. His fastball touched 98 mph
yesterday while he recorded the save in a 10-6 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Park.
Britton also worked back-to-back days for the first time since April. 13-14. It’s true that he didn’t
go a full inning, facing only one batter Saturday night and two on Sunday, but manager Buck
Showalter was trying to get Kevin Gausman a complete-game shutout.
You could argue that showcasing Britton is more important, but the rotation has been a disaster
and Gausman finally has gotten on a roll with three consecutive quality starts. He crafted a gem
on Saturday and deserved the chance to finish up, falling an out short when the Orioles failed to
catch a popup behind shortstop while in the shift.
Gausman appreciated the gesture, especially after walking the leadoff hitter. Showalter stuck
with him.
The three outs recorded by Britton over the weekend came on a strikeout and two ground balls.
Anyone who watched him should have come away impressed.
Suggestions that Britton may not be fully recovered have got to irritate him. He feels back to
normal and is ready to take the ball whenever the phone rings. He doesn’t need to be protected
any more than usual, with Showalter always careful not to abuse his bullpen.
Showalter made it a point to tell reporters yesterday that Britton would be available Monday
night in the series opener against the Royals at Camden Yards.
Taking two of three games from the Rangers has left the Orioles four below .500, 5 1/2 games
back for the second wild card and 6 1/2 behind the first-place Yankees. Trading Britton or Brad
Brach obviously weakens a bullpen that’s trying to get Darren O’Day back on track.
O’Day surrendered another home run yesterday, the fourth in his last six appearances. The six
home runs this season are one short of matching his career high.
O’Day’s ERA increased to 4.91 in 36 2/3 innings.
Still no word on Jeremy Hellickson’s first start with the Orioles, with Wednesday’s spot in the
rotation listed as TBD. He should be available to the media this afternoon because he never made
it to Arlington.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/07/orioles-bring-back-gentry-plus-lineups.html
Orioles bring back Gentry (plus lineups)
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com
July 30, 2017
The Orioles have selected the contract of Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Craig Gentry to fill out
their 25-man roster.
They were down to 24 players with outfielder Hyun Soo Kim traded to the Phillies. New pitcher
Jeremy Hellickson won’t report to the team until Monday.
The 40-man roster had a couple of openings before today’s transaction.
The Orioles are listing Ubaldo Jiménez, Dylan Bundy and TBD as starters for their series against
the Royals that begins on Monday at Camden Yards. Hellickson could take the last spot if he
isn’t flipped to another team.
May as well contribute to the rumors and speculation.
The Royals are listing Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy and Jason Vargas.
Orioles Hall of Famer Lee May, passed away yesterday at age 74 in Cincinnati. May, nicknamed
“The Big Bopper,” played for the Orioles from 1975-1980 and hit 123 home runs. He led the
American League with 109 RBIs in 1975.
May gave Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson the nickname “Hoover” during the 1970 World
Series.
For the Orioles
Adam Jones CF
Manny Machado 3B
Jonathan Schoop 2B
Mark Trumbo DH
Chris Davis 1B
Trey Mancini LF
Welington Castillo C
Rubén Tejada SS
Joey Rickard RF
Wade Miley LHP
For the Rangers
Delino DeShields Jr. LF
Elvis Andrus SS
Nomar Mazara RF
Adrian Beltre 3B
Mike Napoli DH
Rougned Odor 2B
Carlos Gomez CF
Robinson Chirinos C
Joey Gallo 1B
Martin Perez LHP
Update: Trumbo has been scratched from today’s lineup, reportedly because of a back issue.
Here’s the new Orioles lineup:
For the Orioles
Adam Jones CF
Manny Machado 3B
Jonathan Schoop 2B
Trey Mancini DH
Chris Davis 1B
Welington Castillo C
Joey Rickard LF
Rubén Tejada SS
Craig Gentry RF
Wade Miley LHP
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/07/more-from-duquette-on-hellickson-
trade.html
More from Duquette on Hellickson trade
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
Last night’s trade with the Phillies that brought Jeremy Hellickson to the Orioles was born out of
need and frustration.
The Orioles need someone to give them a chance to win every five days and they’re frustrated
with a rotation that keeps providing early deficits and is lugging a 5.98 ERA.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, Double-A Bowie left-
hander Garret Cleavinger and international signing bonus slots to the Phillies for a veteran starter
who can become a free agent following the season. A potential rental for a team struggling to
stay in fourth place.
Hellickson may not be a long-term solution, but the Orioles needed to address the present mess,
which thickened last night after Chris Tillman was charged with eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.
The loss left the Orioles six games below .500 again, 6 ½ out of the second wild card and 7 ½
out of first place. They’re only a half-game ahead of the last-place Blue Jays.
“We’d like to be competitive,” Duquette said this morning. “Nobody’s running away with the
American League. We’ve got our bullpen back. If we can get some stability to our starting
pitching, the rest of our team is intact.
“Hellickson has been a consistent performer and very competitive. He’s competed in the
American League East, so he’s already proven that he can do that. He’s been an effective,
reliable pitcher.”
The Orioles have been in scramble mode all season to find a guy who fits the description.
Tillman threw 101 pitches last night, only 56 for strikes, in 4 1/3 innings and was down 2-0 only
three batters into the game.
Hellickson is a fly ball pitcher with a 5.01 ERA and 1.543 WHIP in nine career games (eight
starts) at Camden Yards. However, he owns a career 3.98 ERA in eight major league seasons and
his current 4.73 ERA is the second-lowest on the Orioles staff.
Dylan Bundy is first with a 4.53 ERA, followed by Wade Miley (5.69), Kevin Gausman (5.79),
Ubaldo Jiménez (7.46) and Tillman (7.65). Can’t win that way.
The Orioles still could move one of their top relievers, with closer Zach Britton and Brad Brach
generating interest.
“We’re still talking to a number of clubs,” Duquette said. “There’s a lot of interest in our bullpen
pitchers.
“We’re always trying to tweak our roster, upgrade our roster. There are different times to do that.
But we want to be as competitive as we can all the time.”
The Orioles will reveal later today how Hellickson fits into the rotation. They have an extra
pitcher and are short a bench player.
“There are plenty of opportunities to stabilize our rotation,” Duquette said. “Hellickson’s proven
to be a real stable force. There’s plenty of opportunities to pitch well in our rotation.
“We’ve got a lot of guys in the rotation who can pitch better than they’re pitching, and
Hellickson’s shown that he can be a dependable pitcher.”
Asked whether someone could go on the disabled list to open a spot for Hellickson, Duquette
replied, “I don’t know that anybody is hurt.”
Kim barely got off the bench this season, appearing in 56 games and batting .232/.305/.288 in
141 plate appearances. He led the team last summer with a .302 average and .382 on-base
percentage.
“With the emergence of Trey Mancini as a reliable everyday left fielder, that cost Kim some at-
bats,” Duquette said. “The on-base capability that he showed last year and the ability to hit
velocity, he probably didn’t have enough at-bats to sustain that with the way Mancini played as
an everyday player.”
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/07/givens-giving-orioles-more-reasons-to-
consider-bigger-role.html
Givens giving Orioles more reasons to consider bigger role
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
If you’ve paid close attention to the rundown of available Orioles at the non-waiver trade
deadline, you’ve noticed how reliever Mychal Givens is nowhere to be found. He doesn’t enter
the conversation. The door to that room seems to be locked and bolted.
It would take a special offer to pry away Givens, who may be the closer-in-waiting as the Orioles
remain open to moving Zach Britton, Brad Brach and Darren O’Day. Britton and Brach can
become free agents following the 2018 season.
Someone would have to grossly overpay in prospects to acquire Givens, and that’s not
happening.
Givens has allowed only two earned runs in 27 2/3 innings over his last 23 appearances since
May 26, including two-thirds of a scoreless inning last night in an 8-2 loss to the Rangers. His
.067 ERA in that span before last night ranked as the third-lowest among major league relievers
with a minimum of 10 games.
Givens leads all Orioles relievers with 54 strikeouts. He’s also a good luck charm of sorts with a
17-2 record in the majors. Put him in a game and wait for good things to happen.
There’s no defined role for Givens, who’s worked the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th
and 11th innings this season. But that may change in the coming years.
While the Orioles traded last night for Jeremy Hellickson, they continue to rely heavily on their
own pitchers. They won’t budge in the playoff race without the holdovers in the rotation
improving their performances. It’s a roll of the dice, but they don’t have any other choice.
They can’t trade for three starters.
Kevin Gausman is offering encouragement, and reminders of his second half last season, by
allowing one run and striking out 16 batters in 12 innings in his last two starts. The Rangers were
his first victim, held to one run and four hits in six innings.
The only run came on Joey Gallo’s solo shot in the fifth.
Gausman is 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.347 WHIP in six career games (five starts) against the
Rangers, and 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA and 1.714 WHIP in two starts in Arlington. He’s allowed
eight runs and 18 hits in 11 2/3 innings at Globe Life Park.
Elvis Andrus is 5-for-15 against Gausman. Rougned Odor is 4-for-11 with three doubles.
Mike Napoli is 1-for-10 with a double and six strikeouts.
The question now is how do the Orioles create a rotation spot for Hellickson? And which
position player replaces outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, who was sent to the Phillies?
Make that two questions.
I’m actually happy for Kim, who barely got off the bench here and never pouted, complained or
became a disruption. His work ethic was impressive. He just didn’t fit any longer, and I’m glad
that he’s got a chance to go someplace where he may find more at-bats.
Kim handled the booing on opening day 2016 and the reduction in playing time with class and
dignity. And no one can doubt his loyalty to the Orioles after he declined an invitation to play in
the World Baseball Classic so he’d have a full spring training.
Because we can’t function without at least one Hunter Harvey update per week, he’s tossed three
scoreless innings in two starts with the Gulf Coast League Orioles. He’s allowed three hits,
walked none and struck out two.
Harvey will make another start in the GCL before moving up to short-season Single-A
Aberdeen.
The Orioles aren’t banking on Harvey to enter their rotation in 2018, but they’ll keep an open
mind. He’s only 22, has been limited to 30 starts - not counting two this summer in the GCL -
and hasn’t pitched above the low Single-A level.
The plan calls for Harvey to make it through the summer without any setbacks, enjoy a “normal”
off-season, which includes placement on the 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule 5 draft, and
report to spring training ready to pitch for a full-season affiliate.
What happens from there is largely up to Harvey.
http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/07/orioles-acquire-hellickson-from-
phillies.html
Orioles acquire Hellickson from Phillies
By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
The Orioles lost another game tonight, but they gained a veteran starter for their rotation.
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson was acquired from the Phillies along with cash for outfielder
Hyun Soo Kim, Double-A Bowie left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and international signing bonus
slots.
Hellickson was scratched from tonight’s start. He’s 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA 1.255 WHIP in 20
starts and has struck out only 65 batters in 112 1/3 innings.
In eight major league seasons, Hellickson has gone 67-63 with a 3.98 ERA 1.251 WHIP in 194
games. He spent the first five seasons with the Rays, one with the Diamondbacks and the last
two with the Phillies.
Hellickson, 30, can become a free agent following the season. He’s making $17.2 million this
season after accepting the qualifying offer.
“Jeremy Hellickson is a solid, dependable, veteran major league starter who knows how to win
in the American League,” said executive vice president Dan Duquette. “He should provide some
quality innings for the Orioles.”
Kim left South Korea to sign a two-year, $7 million deal with the Orioles in December 2015. He
led the team with a .302 average and 382 on-base percentage in 95 games last season, but his
playing time has been severely reduced this summer - mainly due to the emergence of rookie
Trey Mancini - and he’s batting .232/.305/.288 in 56 games.
Cleavinger, 23, is 2-4 with a 6.28 ERA in 27 appearances with Bowie. A third-round pick in
2015 out of the University of Oregon, Cleavinger has gone 15-8 with a 3.79 ERA in 83 games.
The Orioles almost included Cleavinger in a package with Ubaldo Jiménez last summer that
would have netted outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the Padres, but the deal fell apart due to
financial reasons.
This is the second deal with Phillies general manager Matt Klentak, a former Orioles executive,
since March. The club also acquired pitcher Alec Asher toward the end of spring training for a
player to be named later or cash.
How Hellickson is slotted into the rotation remains to be seen, but there are multiple starters who
are struggling.
The Orioles lost to the Rangers tonight 8-2, with all eight runs charged to Chris Tillman in 4 1/3
innings. They’re 48-54 after a third consecutive defeat and 6 ½ games back for the second wild
card, but they remain in fourth place after the Blue Jays lost tonight.
Tillman’s ERA jumped to 7.65 tonight in 64 2/3 innings.
Hellickson made a pretty good impression on the Orioles by going 9-4 with a 3.38 ERA and
1.163 WHIP against them in 19 career appearances.
The Orioles are getting a starter who’s accustomed to pitching in the American League East. He
was 40-36 with a 3.78 ERA with the Rays.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/more-on-schoops-rbis-castillos-bat-and-
trade-deadline-talk.html
More on Schoop’s RBIs, Castillo’s bat and trade deadline
talk
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 31, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who has been getting a lot of
notice for his bat, and catcher Welington Castillo, who has gotten much less, both had big games
Sunday in the Orioles’ 10-6 win at Texas.
Schoop’s RBI surge continued. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth and singled in a run an inning
later for a 2-for-4 three-RBI day. Over his last 13 games, Schoop has at least one RBI 11 times
and six times has produced multi-RBI games. Four times in the last 13 games, he has driven in
three or more runs.
In that 13-game span, Schoop is batting .365 (19-for-52) with six homers and 22 RBIs. Schoop
has now moved into second place in the American League with 76 RBIs, ahead of New York’s
Aaron Judge with 74. Only Seattle’s Nelson Cruz, with 79, has more RBIs than Schoop in the
AL.
Schoop’s close friend, third baseman Manny Machado has watched the kid progress with the bat
and turn into an All-Star this year.
“He works,” Machado said. “He works every day. He doesn’t stop every day. He’s working with
(hitting coach, Scott) Coolbaugh, he’s working with Bobby (Dickerson, third base coach). He’s
become an all-around player. It was always there but this year he’s a little more focused, doing
his tee work, in the weight room. It’s been awesome to watch and be on the same field as him.”
Meanwhile, Castillo singled in a run in the fourth and hit a three-run homer in the fifth. He is
batting .280/.318/.440 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs in 245 plate appearances.
“Very quietly, the guy’s hitting .280 with 10 home runs and not a whole lot of at-bats,” manager
Buck Showalter noted. “That was a big home run. Every run we could scratch across against
them - you need margin of error in this place against that team. We had to use all our bullets to
get there, to get 27 outs before they scored 10 runs.”
Trade deadline talk: Showalter was asked where a series win in Texas and a 3-3 road trip leaves
the Orioles in what was their final game before today’s trade deadline. That deadline hits at 4
p.m. Eastern time.
“It leaves us spending three hours and forty minutes on the field winning a tough series, having a
.500 road trip, getting on the plane and getting back to play Kansas City,” he said. “Really, that’s
where everybody’s focus is. I’m sure they have some private thoughts about it. They talk among
themselves. They share each other’s ... this team shares their ups and down and what people are
feeling. They feel comfortable talking to each other about it. I haven’t had many people I needed
to talk to. I know Trum (Mark Trumbo), with all the stuff that went on today when he came [out]
of the lineup. I’m hoping we can stay away from the DL with him. (Today) will be a big day
because we’re going to have to add (Jeremy) Hellickson to the roster.”
Machado agreed with his manager’s take that the Orioles players have been more focused on
winning in recent days than concerned about trade speculation.
“We are trying to get on a roll and win some games,” he said. “We are not really worried about
who is going to get traded or what is going to happen. That’s just something the front office can
control. We just play baseball, get outs, key at-bats, play inning by inning and do the small
things to keep us going.”
Said Sunday’s winning pitcher, Wade Miley: “Keep winning. I haven’t thought about it one
time. So there are guys in there, their names are being tossed around. But you just have to go out
play. That is what we get paid to do for whatever team it’s on.”
Beltre’s milestone hit: The Orioles spent the weekend in the midst of a lovefest for Texas third
baseman Adrian Beltre - and they happily took part. They seem to love him, too, amid much
admiration and respect for him. Beltre got career hit No. 3,000 yesterday with a fourth-inning
double on a 3-0 pitch. Miley joined Dave McNally as the only two O’s pitchers to give up a
3,000th hit while wearing the orange and black. Baltimorean Al Kaline got his 3,000th off
McNally in 1974 for the Tigers.
“As a fan of the game, what a career that guy has had,” Miley said. “I wasn’t trying to let him get
a hit by any means. But at the same time, as a fan, if it had to happen, that guy is an unbelievable
player. Someone you want your kids to watch. That is the kind of respect I have for him and just
one of those things that is a special moment for him. Let him celebrate. Congrats to that guy, and
like I said, he’s been fun to watch for the last 19 years, and hopefully he keeps rapping out some
more.”
Beltre became the 31st player to get 3,000 and 16th right-handed batter. He is the first
Dominican-born player to do so. He is the fourth player to record at least 3,000 hits, 600 doubles
and 450 homers, joining Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Hank Aaron and Carl Yastrzemski. He is
the first player to reach 3,000 in a Texas uniform.
So as I get ready to board a early morning flight home, the Orioles have made just the Hellickson
trade and the clock is ticking. Will they be active today before they play the Kansas City Royals
at home tonight?
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/adrian-beltre-still-waiting-on-3000-plus-a-
game-update.html
Adrian Beltre gets hit No. 3,000 (O’s lead 10-3)
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - On his fourth attempt to achieve history, Texas Rangers third baseman
Adrian Beltre got it done. He doubled to left in the fourth inning this afternoon off the Orioles
Wade Miley to become the 31st member of Major League Baseball’s 3,000 hits club.
Beltre, who had struck out on a 3-2 pitch in the second, fell behind 3-0 in the count and then
lined a two-bagger down the third-base line. He hit a 91 mph fastball and advanced Nomar
Mazara to third with one out. Both runners would later score on Rougned Odor’s single to cut the
Orioles lead to 4-2.
Beltre was mobbed by his teammates and his family greeted him on the field as he got a loud and
long standing ovation at Globe Life Park. Orioles players hugged and congratulated him as well.
He become the first Dominican-born player with 3,000 hits and the fifth born outside the United
States. He was the first player to get No. 3,000 on a double since the Orioles Rafael Palmeiro at
Seattle on July 15, 2005.
Until today, the Orioles had been the opponent just once in club history when a batter reached
the 3,000-hit milestone. Left-hander Dave McNally was the only O’s pitcher to ever give up a
3,000th hit while pitching for the club. It was McNally on the mound at Memorial Stadium on
Sept. 24, 1974 when he gave up No. 3,000 to Detroit’s Al Kaline, a Baltimore native. He
doubled off McNally for his milestone hit.
During the month of July, O’s second baseman Jonathan Schoop is hitting .330 (32-for-97) with
four doubles, eight home runs and 24 RBIs. His 24 RBIs during the month rank second in the
American League, while his 32 hits are sixth in the AL. Schoop’s eight home runs during July
are tied for second-most in the league.
Schoop ranks third in the AL and is tied for ninth in the majors with 73 RBIs. He trails only
Nelson Cruz (76) and Aaron Judge (74) for the AL lead. His 19 RBIs since the All-Star break
lead the league and are tied for first in the majors.
Closer Zach Britton converted his 56th consecutive save opportunity in Saturday’s win,
extending his AL consecutive saves converted record. He converted his 55th consecutive save
opportunity (Oct. 1, 2015-current) on July 23 against the Astros to establish a new American
League consecutive record, passing Tom Gordon (54 from April 19, 1998-May 31, 1999).
Britton ranks second on the all-time consecutive saves converted list, trailing only Eric Gagne
(84 from Aug. 28, 2002-July 3, 2004).
We have the starting pitchers for the first two games of the series that between the Orioles and
Kansas City begins Monday night at Camden Yards.
Tomorrow night, right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez (4-7, 6.93 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles
versus the Royals lefty Danny Duffy (7-6, 3.56 ERA). On Tuesday, right-hander Dylan Bundy
(9-8, 4.53 ERA) faces right-hander Ian Kennedy (4-6, 4.43 ERA).
The Orioles have not listed yet when Jeremy Hellickson will make his debut. Barring a change, it
obviously will not be before Wednesday at earliest.
Orioles lead in the fifth: The Orioles scored four runs in the fourth to break the scoreless tie. The
first four runners reached and scored for the 4-0 lead. Manny Machado lined a ball 108 mph to
left for a leadoff double. Schoop walked and then Trey Mancini’s single to right scored
Machado. Then RBI singles followed from Chris Davis and Welington Castillo that made it 3-0.
With one out and runners on second and third, Rubén Tejada reached on a 6-5 fielder’s choice to
score Davis for the fourth run. Castillo was cut down between second and third. The Orioles
came up with four runs on four hits in the inning.
Schoop, Castillo homer: The O’s added to what was a 4-2 lead when Schoop hit a two-run homer
in the fifth to make it 6-2. Schoop hit No. 24 and it was his third homer in four games and sixth
in the last 10. Later in the inning, Castillo hit his 10th, a three-run shot, to make it 9-2.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/pregame-notes-on-mark-trumbo-jeremy-
hellickson-and-more.html
Pregame notes on Mark Trumbo, Jeremy Hellickson and
more
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - Mark Trumbo was scratched from the original Orioles lineup today. He
was batting fourth as the designated hitter.
But manager Buck Showalter said during his pregame media session that it was injury related
and, no, Trumbo has not been traded.
“He tweaked his back stretching in the weight room,” Showalter said. “He’s not playing today
and hopefully it is not a DL thing. So I can put that one (rumor) to bed. That happened about an
hour ago. Richie (Bancells, head athletic trainer) came in and said we should scratch Trumbo
today, so I did. I understand people might jump to that conclusion.”
The Orioles earlier today added outfielder Craig Gentry to the roster again when they selected
his contract from Triple-A Norfolk. He was inserted into the lineup in right field and Trey
Mancini is now the DH. The Orioles roster was at 24 players with Hyun Soo Kim gone and
pitcher Jeremy Hellickson not activated yet.
“We tried to get him (Gentry) here yesterday,” Showalter said. “Glad we got him here. He
wasn’t going to play initially. You always know the guy that wasn’t in the lineup originally is
good for two hits, right?”
The Orioles have 72 hours from the time of the trade to activate Hellickson and that means they
could make a move as late as shortly after 11 p.m. Monday night. But essentially that means
Hellickson will have to get activated before Monday’s game begins.
Showalter said Hellickson is expected to play long toss today in Baltimore and throw a bullpen
session at Camden Yards tomorrow. Still no date listed for his Orioles debut. The O’s have Wade
Miley starting today, with Ubaldo Jiménez at home Monday against Kansas City and Dylan
Bundy on Tuesday.
Showalter said he did not expect Ryan Flaherty to get activated off the disabled list tomorrow.
Flaherty went 1-for-9 in his first two rehab games at Double-A Bowie and will play in their
home doubleheader today. In fact, he hit a two-run homer in Game 1 for the Baysox today. He
still needs to play games at several postions, Showalter said.
“He’s been out a long time. He’s going to have mix in a couple of hits too. He will.”
Showalter was asked if he feels his players have done a good job of dealing with all the
speculation over the trade deadline. He does.
“It doesn’t really surprise,” he said. “A couple of them, maybe at one point it did concern them,
but not anymore. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just an unknown.”
Showalter said Chris Tillman is fine after suffering body cramping during his start here on
Friday.
Orioles Hall of Famer Lee May passed away on Saturday at 74 in Cincinnati. May played for the
O’s from 1975-80 during an 18-year major league career that included time with Cincinnati
(1965-71), Houston (1972-74) and Kansas City (1981-82).
He batted .254 with 123 home runs in six seasons with the Birds as a DH and first baseman,
leading the American League with 109 RBIs in 1975. A three-time All-Star, May helped give
Orioles legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson his “Hoover” nickname
during the 1970 World Series. May was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1998. He is
survived by his wife, Terrye; three children - including Lee May Jr., a coach in the Red Sox
organization; and several grandchildren.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/notes-and-quotes-after-the-orioles-shutout-
of-texas.html
Notes and quotes after the Orioles’ shutout of Texas
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles have played two very different games at Globe Life Park this
weekend: one where their starting pitcher Chris Tillman allowed eight runs and one where starter
Kevin Gausman allowed no runs in 8 2/3 innings.
A team that is the worst in the league in starting pitcher ERA seemed to much more enjoy
Gausman’s latest strong outing. It seems a long time ago now, but it wasn’t that far back. It was
the first game of the second half and the Cubs smoked four homers off Gausman, who gave up
eight runs over three innings that night. He looked terrible and it was a very disappointing to start
to the second half for him and the team.
Since that game, he has made three starts, going 3-0 with an ERA of 0.44. He has allowed one
run over 20 2/3 innings, throwing back-to-back scoreless starts versus the Rays and Rangers.
The Orioles have six shutouts this year and two have come on this road trip in the two games
started by Gausman. He had an ERA of 6.39 after that Cubs start and now it is down to 5.37.
With three scoreless starts over his past six games, Gausman is now the leader on this team in
scoreless starts of at least five innings:
4 - Gausman
2 - Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jiménez
1 - Tillman, Wade Miley
Gausman passed around some praise last night to his tight defense, which included Adam Jones
robbing a homer and Manny Machado starting momentum-stopping double plays.
“Then you’ve got Jonesy robbing (Joey Gallo),” Gausman said. “When he hit it, I thought it was
way gone. He hit it really high. The way that Jonesy was kind of looking at it, I thought it was
going to be way gone. Before I knew it, he went up there and reached it. Luckily, he’s got a lot
of pine tar in that glove. I think it stuck in there. That helped it. But like I said, this defense, you
feel really confident any time there’s weak contact or a hard-hit ball. Just all-around great
defense. But Manny and those guys, they make amazing plays every night. You feel really
confident every time you get a ground ball.”
Gausman was very pitch efficient, with a stretch of five straight innings using fewer pitches each
inning. He threw 17 in the fourth, 15 in the fifth, 10 in the sixth, nine in the seventh and eight
pitches in the eighth inning. He missed by an out of becoming the first O’s starter with a
complete-game shutout since Miguel Gonzalez versus Cincinnati on Sept. 3, 2014.
“He was so close,” catcher Caleb Joseph said. “He did a tremendous job locating the fastball. It
all begins and ends with fastball command with Kevin. He elevated when he needed to. He hit it
down and away when he needed to. He threw a lot of good sinkers in, took advantage of a pretty
aggressive club over there, and I think that helped kind of limit his pitch count. He was able to
get up to (118) over nine innings? That’s pretty good. That’s what you like. That’s what you
want to see out of a horse you’re trying to ride.”
Beltre closes in: Right now, former Orioles lefty Dave McNally stands alone. He is the only O’s
pitcher to ever give up a batter’s 3,000th hit while pitching for the club. It was McNally on the
mound at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 24, 1974 when he gave up No. 3,000th to Detroit’s Al
Kaline, a Baltimore native. He doubled off McNally for his milestone hit.
With three hits in this series, Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre is at 2.999 hits entering today’s
game. Beltre pulled within one hit with a fourth-inning single last night. With the crowd standing
and roaring, he had two more chances to get the milestone. But he grounded to short in the sixth
and bounced into a double play in the ninth. Beltre hit a one-hopper that Machado deftly turned
into a 5-4-3 double play.
Beltre has 126 career hits versus the Orioles. He has 1,110 hits with Texas, 949 with the Los
Angeles Dodgers, 751 with Seattle and 189 with Boston. The last player to collect 3,000 hits was
Ichiro Suzuki, then with Miami at Colorado on Aug. 7, 2016.
Per Elias Sports Bureau, most career hits while playing third base:
2,886 - Adrian Beltre
2.838 - Brooks Robinson
2,788 - Wade Boggs
Hot bats: A few O’s batters continue to swing pretty hot bats, even though the team has scored
just six runs in this series and 16 runs the last five games.
Joseph homered last night, hitting No. 5. Over his last 16 games, Joseph is batting .408 (20-for-
49) with three doubles, three homers and eight RBIs.
Jones led off the game with a double last night and is batting .392 (20-for-51) over his past 11
games with four homers and 11 RBIs.
Jonathan Schoop’s two-bagger in the third inning was his 100th career double. While Schoop
didn’t have an RBI last night, he has driven at least one run in 10 of his past 12 games. In that
span, Schoop is batting .354 (17-for-48) with five homers and 19 RBIs.
Trey Mancini bashed a 459-foot home run when he produced an exit velocity of 109 mph off an
Austin Bibens-Dirkx fastball in the second inning. Mancini has 10 RBIs his past 11 games.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/chris-davis-on-adrian-beltre-plus-os-get-
early-lead.html
Chris Davis on Adrian Beltre (O’s blank Rangers 4-0)
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - It has become very apparent in two days during this series at Globe Life
Park that Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre has a room full of admirers in the visiting
clubhouse. Beltre enters tonight’s game two hits shy of becoming the 31st player in the Major
League history to reach 3,000 hits.
He had two hits last night and is at 2998 to start this game. Beltre has gone 9-for-14 with a
homers, two doubles, 5 RBIs and 2 walks during this Rangers homestand to raise his season
average from .283 to .311. Beltre is batting .368 (7-for-19) in five games versus Baltimore in
2017.
In 20 career games against the O’s at Globe Life Park, he is batting .395/.410/.803/1.212 (30-for-
76) with four doubles, nine homers, 19 runs and 24 RBIs.
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was Beltre’s teammate here in Texas briefly in 2011. He said
there is a lot to admire about the four-time All Star and five-time Gold Glove winner.
“I think his relentlessness,” Davis said. “You’ve seen him hobbling down the first base line,
pulling up and clearly injured or hurt and continue to stay in the game and then produce. That’s
the kind of guy he is. He comes in every day ready to play. He’s a fun guy to be around. He
makes other people better and I’m happy for him. I’m excited and I hope he does get it while we
are here. That is a part of history. It will be something special.”
O’s get early lead: The Orioles used the longball to take a 2-0 lead tonight. Trey Mancini led off
the second inning with a 459-foot homer to center field. He hit No. 17 for a 1-0 lead. Two batters
later, Caleb Joseph connected to a similar spot in the ballpark. This one went 403 feet for his
fifth homer and an early 2-0 lead. That matches the club’s run total from last night.
They then exceeded that total, adding two more in the third. Jonathan Schoop doubled to left-
center with one out for his 100th career two-base hit. After walks to Chris Davis and Mark
Trumbo, Mancini’s grounder scored a third run and a Seth Smith single plated a fourth. The
Orioles took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third.
Beltre’s night: He is 1-for-2 so far and came up with career hit No. 2,999 with a single to left in
the bottom of the fourth. But he was erased on a double play, and the Orioles lead 4-0 through
four. Gausman has allowed five singles on 62 pitches.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/showalter-on-the-addition-of-jeremy-
hellickson.html
Showalter on the addition of Jeremy Hellickson
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson’s entry into the clubhouse with his new team
will have to wait a couple of days. On his way to the airport to fly to Texas, Hellickson and his
girlfriend were in a car accident that briefly sent her to the hospital.
“I think Jeremy is OK, but his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room,” manager Buck
Showalter said before tonight’s game. “I know Roger (McDowell) has talked to him a couple of
times. If everything stays...if she gets cleared, they’ll be in Baltimore tomorrow. No reason to
come here (to Texas) now. We’ve got a catcher set up tomorrow in Baltimore.”
Showalter expects Hellickson to have a bullpen session at Camden Yards on Sunday. He was
scheduled to pitch on an extra day’s rest Friday night but was scratched from that start, and then
his trade to the Orioles was announced after the game.
Showalter is not ready to announce when he expects Hellickson to make his Orioles debut and
also if a current member of the rotation is getting yanked from the starting five. He did say the
team will stay with the plan to start Dylan Bundy on Tuesday against Kansas City.
“We’re going to let everything clear a little bit, especially with as hectic as these next two days
will be, until we get our arms around him physically. I know he was working on one extra day’s
rest, hadn’t pitched since the 22nd. We’ve got a tentative idea but until we know how he’s
feeling, how everything else is (we’ll wait).”
When asked if the Orioles could use a six-man rotation, Showalter said, “All things are on the
table until we find out where he is physically. In talking to Chris (Tillman) some today, Chris
had some pretty good all-body cramping going on last night. He went through periods where he
was OK, but I think it bothered him most of his outing. Probably had something to do with the
command of his pitches,” he said of Tillman, who allowed eight runs over 4 1/3 innings last
night.
Later during his pregame media session a reporter asked Showalter if his preference is to remain
with a five-man rotation when Hellickson is added.
“You are trying to figure out the right way to ask these questions to get me to commit to
something, but I’m not going to,” he said. “Until Jeremy gets here and we kind of see how the
trade deadline and everything works out, it makes no sense to talk about it and try to project this.
I’ll let you guys speculate. Everybody has to do that this time of year because that’s what the
fans want. But I can’t speculate about something I don’t know about until the smoke clears
tomorrow, actually Monday. I’ll have a better idea, especially when we know where Jeremy is
from the car accident today.”
Showalter said it was hard to say goodbye to Hyun Soo Kim, and that with the news coming
after the game it came under somewhat awkward circumstances.
“Yeah, it was. And I didn’t really like the way it happened. I’d like to spend a lot of time with
him, but by the time I got word of it I had to pull him off the bus (heading back to the hotel).
Which I didn’t like. But spent some time with him. He’s going to a place where he is going to get
a chance to play. And re-establish himself a little bit about the level that he’s capable of.
“It’s tough. You remember where we were last spring when he first came into this country. He
had some really nice things to say. And I to him. He’s a good teammate. I wish we could have
presented it in a way for him to say goodbye to his teammates. I know they would have liked to
(have that chance).”
Showalter provided his reaction when told Orioles players Chris Davis and Tillman said today
they liked the additon of Hellickson and that the team was not punting yet on this season.
“I think regardless of what happens with player acquisitons, that should always be the case. I
appreciate the fact they feel that way. That’s another positive that could come out of it. See what
the next few days bring.”
So are the Orioles going to make more trades?
“I didn’t really know this deal was done until after the game,” Showalter said. I heard they were
talking about it. I hope, from my standpoint, we are all wanting to compete and win and I’m sure
so is Dan. And I know our owner is.”
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/chris-davis-chris-tillman-talk-adding-
hellickson-and-losing-kim.html
Chris Davis, Chris Tillman talk adding Hellickson and losing
Kim
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis feels the club’s acquisition of pitcher
Jeremy Hellickson is a good move for the team. But what if the Orioles also began to look
toward the future and dealt one of its key relievers? What if a team 6 ½ games out of the wild
card race started to look more toward the future than the present?
“For me, it is hard to look that far down the road,” Davis said. “Six and half is, I mean, it can
change quickly. I don’t remember what the exact lead was Boston lost in 2011, but there is
history that shows you that you can come back. We still have two months left. I don’t know, I
think it is too easy to sit back and say, ‘We’ll start planning for next year.’ But to me there is too
much baseball left to be played.”
Now the Orioles will add a pitcher they faced often when Hellickson was with Tampa Bay, while
they lose a teammate and friend as Hyun Soo Kim heads to Philadelphia.
“It’s a good move for us,” Davis said. “Hate to see Kimmie go, but I think he will fit in nicely
over there. I hope he gets a chance to play every day. It has to be tough coming from another
country and not speaking much English to try and overcome all the adjustments you have to
make at the big league level. He really impressed me with just the way he was able to put
together a professional at-bat.
“We know Jeremy, we’ve seen him. He’s got a track record for having success in this division.
He’s a solid, veteran pitcher and that is what we need right now.”
Davis was asked if he has any thought about how the Hellickson addition fits into the bigger
picture?
“I don’t think guys are really thinking about that,” he said. “I hope they’re not thinking about
that. I hope they are thinking about the task at hand tonight. It’s encouraging when you see a
move like that. We are not throwing in the towel. I don’t think anybody expects us to do that. To
know that we are still committed to this year, it’s encouraging,” Davis said.
Pitcher Chris Tillman, who took the loss last night, talked about the additon of Hellickson. But
he also indicated he is not sure if the club is more in buy or sell mode right now.
“I don’t know, to be honest with you,” Tillman said. “I know as far as the clubhouse goes we
definitely don’t think we are out of it. Feel like we’ve been in this position before, we’ve gotten
there before. I feel like, the guys in the clubhouse still feel [like that]. I don’t know how
everyone else feels.
“I’ve seen him pitch quite a bit, pretty good pitcher the last I remember when he was with the
Rays. I feel like every time he went out he ate up innings and did his job. He’s good, he’s been
good for a long time. We are fortunate to have him, so I like it,” he said
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/a-look-at-the-orioles-trade-for-jeremy-
hellickson.html
A look at the Orioles trade for Jeremy Hellickson
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - On a night when starter Chris Tillman gave up eight runs and his ERA
increased to 7.65, the Orioles added veteran right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson in a trade
with Philadelphia.
Hellickson should provide some level of upgrade to the Orioles rotation, but the bar has not been
set high by a rotation with a combined ERA of 5.98 after last night.
Some fans became very nervous at news of the trade last night. The Orioles did not add a top
starter here, and they didn’t give up a lot to get him, in my opinion. Hyun Soo Kim was batting
.232 with a .305 OBP and could not get off the bench here. Lefty Garrett Cleavinger is a reliever
with a 6.28 ERA at the Double-A level. And while fans get frustrated that the club trades
international bonus slots, the Orioles at least didn’t give up something they planned to use.
Chance Sisco is still here, so are Tanner Scott, Hunter Harvey, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays
and all the other top prospects. They didn’t mortgage their future to get Hellickson. If you
believe that they did, you are just reading this wrong.
We could still see a trade of a reliever, with Zach Britton and Brad Brach still being sought after
by contenders. The Orioles are not “buyers” because they traded Kim and Cleavinger.
Hellickson is not likely to be here beyond this season, but I guess there is always the chance he
likes it here and the Orioles offer him a deal to keep him beyond 2017. But they likely could
have just signed him as a free agent in a few months anyway. He is 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 20
starts this year. He went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA last year, and that got him a salary of $17.2
million for this season when he accepted the Phillies’ qualifying offer.
He is not likely to make the difference for an Orioles team that is now 6 1/2 games out in the
wild card race. The Orioles are going the wrong way in this race. They won the opener of this
road trip Monday to provide some hope and promise. And then, as with most times this year
when something looked good, it didn’t last and it turned the wrong direction.
Maybe today we begin to find out some answers to questions like, “Who will Hellickson replace
on the roster and in the rotation?” and “Who will take Kim’s spot?” The answers to those
questions and what happens now through Monday at 4 p.m. probably is going to tell us a lot
more than anything that happened with that trade last night.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/showalter-on-beltres-upcoming-milestone-
hit-plus-a-game-update.html
Showalter on Beltre’s upcoming milestone hit (plus a game
update)
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 28, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - An Orioles pitcher could throw the pitch that leads to a milestone hit this
weekend. Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre has 2,996 hits and needs four to become the 31st
member of Major League Baseball’s 3,000-hit club.
Beltre is coming off a series against Miami where he went 7-for-10 with two walks in the three-
game series. The seven hits matched the second-most by a Ranger in a three-game series this
season. Beltre went 5-for-15 in the four-game series at Camden Yards last week and has been a
.340/.380/.618 (89-for-262) hitter against the Orioles with 18 homers, 19 doubles, 51 RBIs and
46 runs in 67 games since the start of 2009.
Among batters with 200 or more plate appearances versus Baltimore in that span, his .999 OPS
ranks fourth (Miguel Cabrera, 1.204; Kevin Youkilis, 1.080; Robinson Cano, 1.008) and the .340
average is fourth.
It is pretty clear that Orioles manager Buck Showalter holds Beltre in high regard.
“I’d be OK with him getting four tonight and us winning,” Showalter said this afternoon. “You
don’t see many players so universally respected and liked. And everything he does on the field is
sincere. He smiles easily, he cares what his teammates think and he’s always got time for
everybody. I haven’t managed him, but is there anyone in the game that has more universal
respect from the opposition?
“He’s been an entertainer in a lot of ways. I love watching him play. He was that way the first
time I saw him play in L.A. Nothing has changed. You might want to take a good look because
there are not going to be many 3,000 (-hit) people. He always seems like he’s playing his first
game in Little League. He’s fun to watch. He’s a great example for those that want to take on
that (type of leadership). That’s a pretty good blueprint right there.”
Beltre has a current 61-game errorless streak at third base, dating to Aug. 29, 2016, a club record
at the position and the longest such span of his career.
O’s behind quick: Chris Tillman had another shaky first inning tonight as the Orioles quickly fell
behind Texas 2-0. He walked leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo on a 3-2 pitch and Elvis Andrus
singled. Then No. 3 hitter Nomar Mazara drove a 1-1 fastball into the gap in right-center to score
both runners. Texas led 2-0 just three batters into the game.
It took Tillman 32 pitches to get out of the first down by two. He has now allowed 17 runs in the
first inning of his 14 starts, counting tonight. His first inning ERA was 10.38 to start this game.
Texas doubled the lead in the third on Andrus’ two-run homer to left off Tillman. He hit No. 14
off a 90 mph fastball.
Beltre got career hit No. 2,997 later in the inning and it scored a run to make it 5-0. He blooped a
single to center to score Mazara, who doubled for the second time in the game. Richard Bleier
was warming as the third inning ended with the Orioles behind 5-0.
Rangers KO Tillman: Texas knocked Tillman out during a three-run fifth to open an 8-0 lead.
Beltre singled in another run with career hit No. 2,998. Carlos Gomez delivered a two-run single
off Richard Bleier, with both runs charged to Tillman.
Tillman went 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and eight runs with two walks and six strikeouts
on 101 pitches. The eight runs allowed is one off his career high.
No shutout: Jonathan Schoop got the Orioles on the board with a solo homer in the sixth. It was
No. 23 for Schoop and made it 8-1.
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/buck-showalter-with-a-solid-report-on-
santanders-first-rehab-game.html
Showalter with a solid report on Santander’s first rehab
game
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 28, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - The rehab assignments at Double-A Bowie for utilityman Ryan Flaherty
and outfielder Anthony Santander got off to strong starts last night - at least for three innings.
Bowie took an early 9-0 lead over Akron before the game was suspended by rain. Due to be
completed today and then followed by another game, that got rained out, too.
But Orioles manager Buck Showalter got a positive report on Santander, a player the Orioles
took in the December Rule 5 draft who has been on the disabled list all year. He went 2-for-2
with a pair of doubles, scored twice and knocked in two runs.
“The guy they were facing last night was 87, 88 (mph). But that is encouraging about
Santander,” Showalter said. “We’ve said all along, he’s an interesting guy. He’s one of those
guys you watch in the game and your eyes are kind of drawn to him. An old scout said a long
time ago, ‘He fills up a batter’s box.’ I like that statement.”
Santander is expected to join the Orioles when his rehab assignment is up. That could last a full
20 days.
“He has to (join the Orioles),” Showalter said of a Rule 5 pick that cannot be optioned to the
minors. “He has, what, 20 days on the rehab? Sometime in the next 18 days. It’s exciting.
Anytime you invest that much time and effort - the scouting, the selection, the rehab. We knew
we would have to rehab the surgery and to see the potential where you can get a payback for it.
That is always uplifting.”
Santander has been on the DL since late March with a right forearm strain. Showalter seems
excited to get a look at him on the big league level a few weeks down the road.
Orioles closer Zach Britton has been scored on in two of his last three games, giving up two runs
in an inning last week against Texas and also allowing two runs over an inning Wednesday at
Tampa Bay.
Does Britton still have another level to go to with his stuff since his return early this month from
his second DL stint?
“He’s the same stuff-wise,” Showalter said. “We just haven’t presented him with enough
opportunities. We’ve seen him in one save situation. I think he has had about 18 outings now
since he was hurt. He’s ready to go. I think we’ll see it if we can get him into situations like that.
He feels good. You can tell he feels good.”
Right-hander Chris Tillman pitches the series opener for the Orioles here tonight. It seems his
stuff is trending up, bringing his ERA down. Tillman has an ERA of 3.31 over his past three
games, allowing six runs over 16 1/3 innings.
“I think he has kind of gotten over spring training and physically he’s not thinking about
anything other than competing,” Showalter said. “I just think he is in a good place physically.
His work days are going good. He’s taken some of the unknown out, ‘Is that going to hurt?’ “
Meanwhile, the skipper provided the latest positive report on right-hander Hunter Harvey, who is
now more than one year removed from his Tommy John surgery from last July 26. He has now
pitched twice in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, throwing a combined three scoreless
innings with no walks and two strikeouts.
“Encouraging,” Showalter said. “His arm strength (is there) and he doesn’t have any caution with
his breaking ball or changeup. I agree that when he gets done (for this season), he just goes home
and has a regular offseason. Talking to Dylan (Bundy, who came back from the same type
surgery), that was big for him to go home and start a normal offseason program. I’m excited
about Hunter.”
http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/07/oday-on-trade-talk-more-speculation-than-
ive-ever-heard-before.html
O’Day on trade talk: “More speculation than I’ve ever heard
before”
By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com
July 28, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas - As the non-waiver trade deadline approaches at 4 p.m. on Monday, we
could soon have a clearer indication of the thinking of Orioles management.
Are they looking to make trades to acquire prospects and build for the future? Are they looking
to add to the current team, despite its 48-53 record? Are they looking to do some of both or
maybe none of the above?
Orioles reliever Darren O’Day is one of the longest-tenured team members. He’s been an Oriole
since 2012. He said the trade deadline has a different feel this year with speculation that the club
could be sellers. He hasn’t seen that before in Baltimore
“I don’t think I’ve been here with the Orioles where the plans were not known,” O’Day said in
the visiting clubhouse this afternoon at Globe Life Park. “We’ve always been adders. I can’t
speak to what the front office’s plan is. But there is a lot of speculation. More speculation than
I’ve ever heard before. I mean, we can’t control that. It is people’s livelihood to speculate and try
to get scoops on other people. It is a little different this year for sure.”
O’Day said we should not forget there is a person with a family on the other end of each mention
of trade speculation.
“It is easy to forget that players are just paid people, too,” he said. “Families and important life
decisions can be affected. People forget when you get released you are getting fired and fired in
front of everybody. Traded is a little bit different. But it’s a public business and that is part of it.
But there is a human element here and it is human nature to want to know your future and where
you may spend the next few months or years.”
I asked O’Day if players reach out to team management to see if there is truth to any rumors or
speculation that they hear and read.
“No, I never have,” he said. “I can’t speak for other guys. But I’ve never spoken with
management on possible trades. But if front offices aren’t at least looking to see what they can
get for their players, they’re being negligent. I think is is part of the game and they are trying to
run a business. Part of that business is trading players and looking toward the future. Looking
three, four or five years down the road to have a sustainable model. So we understand that, but
you have to balance that with the human element and it is a big life change if you do get traded.”
With the Orioles seven games out in the American League East and 5 1/2 out for the second wild
card, the team’s chances to contend this year could be slipping away. O’Day said he would
understand if the team started looking more to the future now.
“That is their job. I don’t know what they are thinking. I have my opinions but I’m not
necessarily going to share them right now,” he said.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20195255/new-baltimore-orioles-pitcher-jeremy-hellickson-
rear-ended-way-airport
Jeremy Hellickson involved in minor car accident on way
out of Philly
By Associated Press
July 30, 2017
Jeremy Hellickson got a trip from the NL East cellar to an AL East team still clinging to playoff
hopes, but the right-hander hit a bump in the road on his way out of Philadelphia.
The veteran pitcher, who was traded by the Phillies to the Orioles on Friday, has not yet arrived
in Baltimore, as he was rear-ended on his way to the airport.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that Hellickson is doing fine and has been in contact with
Baltimore's staff but had to go with his girlfriend to the emergency room following the car
accident.
EDITOR'S PICKS
Baltimore will need a miracle two-month surge to make the postseason, and the righty with an
ERA near 5.00 might not offer much help in the playoff chase.
Showalter said Hellickson will now go to Baltimore, instead of joining the team for the finale in
Texas on Sunday. The Orioles will start a seven-game homestand on Monday.
The 30-year-old is 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA and joins an Orioles pitching staff that has the second-
worst ERA in all of baseball, at 5.15.
https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/07/30/orioles-overcome-adrian-beltres-3-000th-hit-for-
10-6-win
Orioles Overcome Adrian Beltre's 3,000th Hit For 10-6 Win
By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Tex. -- For one day, for a few minutes, the Orioles turned their attention from
their desperate position and the uncertainty around the trade deadline to a truly great player’s
achievement.
In the fourth inning of the Orioles’ 10-6 win against the Texas Rangers before 32,437 at Globe
Life Park, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre lined a double down the left field line for the
3,000th hit of his stellar career.
Beltre became the 31st player in major league history with 3,000 hits, and the first born in the
Dominican Republic.
After Beltre's milestone hit, his teammates mobbed him, and the Orioles applauded.
"It’s an honor to be here for it. You couldn’t have drawn it better where we win and you get a
chance to see that," manager Buck Showalter said. "I think everybody in the game has a lot of
respect for him, not only statistically but the way he’s handled his success over the years."
After a fourth-inning single for his 2,999th hit July 29, Beltre grounded out twice. He struck out
in the first inning July 30 against Orioles lefty starter Wade Miley.
Miley got plenty of run support in a four-run fourth and five-run fifth. Second baseman Jonathan
Schoop had a two-run home run, his 24th, and catcher Welington Castillo added a three-run shot,
his 10th.
The left-hander was excused after allowing two runs on four hits in five innings and throwing
105 pitches. The one that will be remembered was the one for Beltre's 3000th.
"As a fan of the game, what a career that guy has had," Miley said. "I wasn’t trying to let him get
a hit by any means. But at the same time as a fan, if it had to happen, that guy is an unbelievable
player. Someone you want your kids to watch."
While the Orioles wait out the 4 p.m. July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, they can fly home with
a modest two-game winning streak and a split of their six-game road trip to Tampa Bay and
Texas. They’re currently 50-54. Since the All-Star break, they’re 8-8.
With all sorts of rumors surrounding left-handed closer Zach Britton, Showalter used him as his
sixth reliever. He came in when Texas got two on with one out in the ninth.
It was the first time the left-hander got into back-to-back games since April 13 -14. Britton got
Beltre to hit into a fielder’s choice for the final out, and his eighth save.
"I told you all he was probably going to be better the second time out," Showalter said. "He feels
good. He’ll be ready to pitch tomorrow."
The uncertainty about Britton and some others will soon be over.
"It leaves us spending three hours and forty minutes on the field winning a tough series, having a
.500 road trip, getting on the plane and getting back to play Kansas City," Showalter said.
"Really, that’s where everybody’s focus is. I’m sure they have some private thoughts about it.
They talk among themselves...This team shares their ups and down and what people are feeling.
They feel comfortable talking to each other about it. I haven’t had many people I needed to talk
to."
Showalter is concerned about DH Mark Trumbo, who was scratched from the lineup with a back
injury. The Orioles hope Trumbo can avoid the 10-day disabled list.
"He was stretching in the weight room, doing some squats and felt it," Showalter said. "I just
hope it’s not an oblique. We’ll know tomorrow for sure."
Third baseman Manny Machado, who had three hits, said his mind isn’t on the chatter.
"We’re not really worried about who is going to get traded or what is going to happen," Machado
said. "That’s just something the front office can control."
Center fielder Adam Jones, the team’s senior player, believes that even though the team is still
under .500, they’re not out of contention.
"It’s always important to win. I, along with many other players in here, firmly believe that we are
still in this race," Jones said. "We have two months to go pretty much and it’s going to be tough
these next two months. But I believe if we play the game like we played today, we should put
ourselves in a good position."
COMING UP: The Orioles open a three-game series with Kansas City July 31. Right-hander
Ubaldo Jiménez (4-7, 6.93) will face left-hander Danny Duffy (7-6, 3.56).
https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/07/30/buck-showalter-says-orioles-arent-unnerved-by-
trade-deadline
Buck Showalter Says Orioles Aren't Unnerved By Trade
Deadline
By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com
July 30, 2017
ARLINGTON, Tex. -- In a day, the non-waiver trade deadline arrives. Orioles manager Buck
Showalter said that he won’t necessarily be relieved at 4 p.m. on July 31.
"It’s a false deadline. There’s going to be a trade made two days after it’s over," Showalter said.
"The only relief will come from the players taking a little sigh, probably. As much as we try to
act like that it’s not it…if it’s important to the players, it should be important to you."
Showalter predicts "there are going to be some really significant names change teams after the
trade deadline."
Left-hander Zach Britton and right-hander Brad Brach are the names most frequently mentioned
as trade possibilities. Outfielder Seth Smith and catcher Welington Castillo are also considered
attractive commodities.
Showalter said that he likes how his team is handling the chatter surrounding it.
"You continue to be proud of it. It doesn’t really surprise me," Showalter said. "It’s not a bad
thing. It’s just an unknown."
TRUMBO OUT: Mark Trumbo was in the original lineup, but he tweaked his back stretching in
the weight room and was scratched. Trumbo, who had been listed as the designated hitter, was
the only Oriole to play in each of the team’s first 103 games.
"Hopefully, it’s not a DL-able thing, and he’ll be around and ready to go," Showalter said.
GENTRY BACK: The Orioles selected the contract of outfielder Craig Gentry from Triple-A
Norfolk. He’ll replace Hyun Soo Kim, who was traded on July 28 to Philadelphia in the deal for
Jeremy Hellickson.
Gentry was not in the original lineup, but when Trumbo was hurt, he was inserted as the right
fielder.
Hellickson is expected to be added to the roster on July 31. The right-hander could start on
Aug. 2.
FLAHERTY CONTINUES TO REHAB: Infielder Ryan Flaherty, who is rehabbing at Double-A
Bowie, will continue the rehab from his right shoulder strain this week.
Flaherty, who was 1-for-9 in his first two games with the Baysox, was scheduled to play a
doubleheader at Bowie. He hit a two-run home run in the first game on July 30.
Showalter said that Flaherty needs to play all four infield positions and in the outfield before he’s
activated.
"He’s going have to get around the diamond," Showalter said. "He’s been out a long time."
Flaherty last played in a major league game on May 18.
Bowie is on the road this week. Flaherty could play for Single-A Frederick. The Keys are home
from July 31-Aug. 2.
LEE MAY DIES: Lee May, who played for the Orioles from 1975-80, died on July 29 at 73 in
Cincinnati.
May, who played first base and was the primary DH on the 1979 World Series team, led the
American League in RBIs with 109 in 1976.
He hit 123 home runs and drove in 487 runs in six seasons with the Orioles.
May, who was the team’s hitting coach in 1995, also played with Cincinnati, Kansas City in
Houston in an 18-year major league career.
He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1998.
https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/07/29/orioles-say-they-havent-given-up-on-2017-season
Orioles Say They Haven't Given Up On 2017 Season
By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Jeremy Hellickson won’t report to the Orioles until July 31 because on
his way to the Philadelphia airport, he was involved in an automobile accident. The right-hander,
who was acquired from the Phillies in a July 28 trade is fine, but his girlfriend is in the
emergency room.
Manager Buck Showalter said the 30-year-old Hellickson would meet the team in Baltimore
after it returns from Texas. He’ll have a bullpen session July 30 at Oriole Park. Until the Orioles
get home, Showalter won’t reveal his plans for Hellickson.
"All things are on the table until we find out where he is physically," Showalter said. "I know
where he was statistically over there, and where he was last year. I know what he was like when
he was with Tampa. We’ll see. Fastball, changeup, added a cutter, curveball, athletic, holds
runners."
Showalter didn’t commit to using a six-man rotation, but pointed out that right-hander Chris
Tillman, who started on July 29 and allowed eight runs on nine hits, was suffering from body
cramps during his start.
The Orioles sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim to Philadelphia along with Bowie left-hander Garrett
Cleavinger and international bonus signing slots.
Showalter was sorry to see Kim go. He didn’t learn of the trade’s completion until after the
Orioles’ 8-2 loss to Texas.
"I didn’t really like the way it happened. I’d like to spend a lot of time with him, but by the time
I got word of it I had to pull him off the bus," Showalter said. "Which I didn’t like."
Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette knew that Kim, who had a far
better 2016 than 2017 with the Orioles, was outplayed by a newcomer.
"The emergence of Trey Mancini as a highly capable everyday left fielder cost Kim the playing
time he enjoyed in 2016 when he was one [of] our most proficient on-base men," Duquette wrote
in a text message.
Showalter had nice things to say about Kim, who had a rocky start to his Orioles career.
"You remember where we were last spring when he first came into this country," Showalter said.
"He had some really nice things to say. And I to him. He’s a good teammate. I wish we could
have presented it in a way for him to say goodbye to his teammates. I know they would have
liked to."
First baseman Chris Davis was sorry to see Kim go, but is quite familiar with Hellickson against
whom he is 11-for-30 (.367) with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs.
"We know Jeremy, we’ve seen him. He’s got a track record for having success in this division,"
Davis said. "He’s a solid, veteran pitcher and that is what we need right now."
Davis believes the move showed faith in the team, which entered play on July 29 6 1/2 games
out of the wild-card.
"I mean, it can change quickly," Davis said. "There is history that shows you that you can come
back. We still have two months left. I don’t know, I think it is too easy to sit back and say 'We’ll
start planning for next year.' But to me there is too much baseball left to be played."
Tillman said the players were supportive of the Orioles being in buy-mode.
"I know as far as the clubhouse goes we definitely don’t think we are out of it," Tillman said.
"Feel like we’ve been in this position before, we’ve gotten there before. I feel like, the guys in
the clubhouse still feel [like that]. I don't know how everyone else feels."
With two days until the non-waiver trading deadline at 4 p.m. July 31, Showalter believes the
Orioles haven’t given up on contending in 2017.
"From my standpoint, we’re all wanting to compete and win. I'm sure so is Dan, and I know our
owner is," Showalter said.
https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/07/29/baltimore-orioles-lose-in-texas-then-trade-for-
jeremy-hellickson
Baltimore Orioles Lose In Texas, Then Trade For Jeremy
Hellickson
By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com
July 29, 2017
ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Nearly three days ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline, the Orioles
made a surprising move, acquiring right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson from the Philadelphia
Phillies in exchange for outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, minor league left-hander Garrett Cleavinger
and international signing bonus slots.
The Phillies are also sending money to the Orioles. Hellickson is owed a little more than a third
of his $17.2 million salary for 2017.
“Jeremy Hellickson is a solid, dependable, veteran Major League starter who knows how to win
in the American League. He should provide some quality innings for the Orioles,” executive vice
president of baseball operations Dan Duquette wrote in a text message.
The Orioles need another starting pitcher, and though he’s not signed beyond this year,
Hellickson is a proven innings-eater. He was scratched from his scheduled July 28 start in
Philadelphia.
Hellickson is 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA this season, and in eight major league seasons with the
Phillies, Tampa Bay and Arizona, he’s 67-63 with a 3.98 ERA.
Kim, who had a fine first year in the U.S. in 2016, batting .302 with a .382 on-base percentage,
slumped badly this season. The South Korean hit just .232 with a home run and 10 RBIs.
Cleavinger, who was invited to the Orioles’ Sarasota, Fla. minicamp in January, was 2-4 with a
6.28 ERA with Double-A Bowie this season. He was the Orioles’ third round draft pick in 2015.
Meanwhile, the Orioles continue to try and make additional deals before 4 p.m. deadline on July
31.
It’s not known when Hellickson will pitch for the Orioles, who are certainly in need of improved
starting pitching.
Chris Tillman allowed eight runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings in the Orioles’ 8-2 loss to the Texas
Rangers before 36,270 at Globe Life Park July 28.
Most of the fans were presumably on hand to see Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre, who had
two hits and now has 2,998 in his glorious major league career.
Beltre is now 10-for-21 against the right-handed Tillman.
"It was inconsistent. I could never get in any kind of rhythm," Tillman said. "Execute one pitch
then try to throw the same pitch the next pitch and it wasn't there. I just have to be more
consistent in my delivery and in my pitches and I think we'll see the results I had the last one."
The Orioles, who at 48-54 have lost three straight, were behind quickly. Texas center fielder
Nomar Mazara, who had three doubles, drove in two runs with a double in the first inning.
Beltre, who followed him, grounded out to second for the first out. But Beltre was involved in
subsequent scoring. After shortstop Elvis Andrus hit a two-run home run in the third, Mazara
doubled, and after a Tillman wild pitch, scored on Beltre’s broken-bat flare to center.
In the fifth, Beltre singled up the middle, again scoring Mazara, who doubled and advanced to
third on Tillman’s second wild pitch.
"He wasn’t very good. His command wasn’t there from the get-go," manager Buck Showalter
said of Tillman. "He survived a little bit with a changeup and a slider, but that’s about it. I’m
sure we’ll look back through it and see how many times he missed location with a fastball.
That’s something he’s been doing a better job with -- until tonight."
Beltre popped to first in the seventh.
The Orioles were held in check by Texas right-hander Andrew Cashner, who allowed only
second baseman Jonathan Schoop’s 23rd home run of the season in the sixth, and five hits in
seven innings.
Orioles catcher Welington Castillo, whose name has been mentioned in trade chatter, had a
difficult night catching Tillman.
"It’s hard but that’s part of the business. I have stuff to do," Castillo said of the trade talks. "I
don’t worry about that. I just control what I can control. Honestly if you start to pay attention to
the rumors and if your name is in the rumors you can’t control that. You just got to come here
every day and prepare the best you can to win the games. If it happens, it happens."
NOTES: Infielder Ryan Flaherty and outfielder Anthony Santander have yet to play a full rehab
game for Double-A Bowie. Their first one was suspended in the fourth inning on July 27 by rain,
and the resumption of that one and the scheduled game of July 28, were rained out. The Baysox
will try and play two July 29. … RHPs Kevin Gausman (7-7, 5.79) and Austin Bibens-Dirkx (3-
0, 4.53).
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/orioles-host-red-hot-royals-073117
Orioles host red-hot Royals
By Associated Press
July 31, 2017
BALTIMORE — The Kansas City Royals arrive at Camden Yards as one of the hottest teams in
baseball.
The Royals, who had a nine-game winning streak ended Saturday, are 9-1 in their last 10 games
as they start a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
Kansas City (55-48) bounced back Sunday, scoring four runs in the eighth inning for a 5-3
victory at Boston. Alcides Escobar’s two-run single tied the game, and Alex Gordon’s two-run
triple proved to be the difference.
“Just kind of typical of our success, you know, the big guys are getting on base and then Esky
and Gordy … come up with huge hits,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
The Orioles are returning home after splitting six games on a road trip to Tampa Bay and Texas.
Baltimore (50-54) won the final two games of the trip, the last victory a 10-6 decision over the
Rangers on Sunday.
“We won a tough series,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter told MASN after the series finale in
Texas.
Even bigger for the Orioles might have been the fact that closer Zach Britton pitched in
consecutive games for the first time since mid-April.
The left-hander looked sharp Sunday after the bullpen struggled at times, recording the game’s
final two outs for his eighth save of the season.
“He’s fine (now),” Showalter said of Britton, who spent several weeks on the disabled list with a
strained forearm. “It’s exciting to see him throw the ball like that.”
For Kansas City on Monday, Danny Duffy (7-6, 3.56 ERA) will try to win a third consecutive
start. He allowed one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 3-1 victory at Detroit last Tuesday.
The left-hander has a 2-2 career mark with a 2.41 ERA against the Orioles.
Baltimore will counter with Ubaldo Jimenez (4-7, 6.93). The right-hander turned in one of his
best performances of the season in his last start. He allowed two runs on just three hits in six
innings but took the loss as the Rays beat the Orioles 5-1 last Wednesday.
Jimenez has a 5-5 career record with a 4.58 ERA versus the Royals.
The Orioles are expected to activate pitcher Jeremy Hellickson on Monday. They acquired him
in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, and he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session
Monday,
Baltimore called up outfielder Craig Gentry on Sunday as Hellickson was not yet on the roster,
so the team needs to make another move Monday. Gentry replaced Hyun Soo Kim, who was
traded to the Phillies in the Hellickson deal.
Another question for the Orioles on Monday could involve Mark Trumbo, a late scratch Sunday
in Texas after tweaking his back while lifting weights. The Orioles hope he is day-to-day.
Kansas City made its own deal on Sunday, bringing back outfielder Melky Cabrera — he played
there before — in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitchers Andre Davis and
A.J. Puckett.
Cabrera will play in the outfield or be used as a designated hitter as the Royals fight for a playoff
berth.
“He’s going to help our team a lot,” Gordon said. “He’s having a great year. We all know his
personality — smiling, happy-go-lucky guy. Brings a lot of energy to the clubhouse.
“He’s going to be comfortable in this situation. We know what he can do.”
http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/07/29/os-trade-kim-cleavinger-phillies-hellickson-
instant-take-buy-trade/
O’s trade Kim and Cleavinger to Phillies for Hellickson —
my take on the ‘buy’ trade
By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com
July 29, 2017
In their first deal before Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, the Orioles decided to be buyers,
acquiring 30-year-old right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson from the Philadelphia Phillies for
outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, Double-A reliever Garrett Cleavinger and international bonus money.
A pending free agent, Hellickson is 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 20 starts. He was scratched from
Friday’s start in anticipation of the trade. Hellickson was a free agent last year, when he was 12-
10 with a 3.71 ERA in 32 starts for the Phillies, but he decided to accept Philadelphia’s $17.2
million qualifying offer.
“Hellickson is a solid, dependable, veteran major league starter who knows how to win in the
AL, whose skill should provide some quality innings for the O’s,” Dan Duquette, Orioles
executive vice president, said.
The former Tampa Bay Ray – he was 40-36 with a 3.78 ERA from 2010 to 2014 there– hasn’t
been nearly as effective for the Phillies this season, allowing 111 hits (and 22 homers) in 112 1/3
innings while walking 30 and striking out 65.
Kim, who batted .302 for the Orioles last year but became a seldom-used bench option this
season – hitting just .232 with one homer in 125 at-bats – is also a free agent at season’s end.
Cleavinger, 23, was the Orioles’ third rounder in 2015 out of the University of Oregon. The lefty
appeared in 27 games for the Bowie Baysox, pitching to a 6.28 ERA and allowing 38 hits and 23
walks in 38 2/3 innings this year.
No word on how much the Orioles gave up in international bonus money – which they never
spend anyway — but since Kim was owed a couple million for the rest of this season and
Hellickson will still receive roughly $8 million on his 2017 deal, the money had to be bridged, at
least somewhat, for the trade to work.
My take:
On getting Hellickson: Well, Duquette said he wanted to improve the rotation, and he did.
Hellickson will take the ball every fifth day and doesn’t give in. He also throws strikes, which
will be a welcomed treat. The problem is he is a flyball pitcher and he’s not fared particularly
well in Camden Yards: a 5.01 ERA in 46 2/3 innings through nine career outings (eight starts) in
Baltimore. He has yielded nine home runs total in those games. So, he doesn’t look like a good
fit, at least for the ballpark. However, it doesn’t appear the Orioles gave up a lot for him – a
Double-A reliever and Kim, who wasn’t playing anyway. And it’d be almost impossible for
Hellickson to be a rotation downgrade.
On trading Kim: This is only a surprise in that I didn’t think there’d be a market for him. And
there may not have been. But he was part of a deal, and probably thrown in mainly to balance out
some of the money owed to Hellickson. Kim was a great story last year, but the Orioles buried
him this year after Trey Mancini emerged as an everyday player. So, the narrative is
disappointing – Kim was a great guy who fit in well and worked his tail off – but he wasn’t
gonna get much action for this team unless there was an injury.
On dealing Cleavinger: The Orioles had high hopes for the lefty, but it didn’t really materialize
and he’s been victimized by the big inning this year. His fastball topped at 93 mph, usually
sitting in the low 90s, and, besides a solid curveball, he didn’t have much else to baffle hitters.
Sure, he could be another one of those guys that got away, but with the emergence of Donnie
Hart and Richard Bleier and the presence of Tanner Scott at Double-A, Cleavinger sure looks
expendable at this moment.
On sending away international bonus money: There once was a time I railed on this. But I’m sort
of sick of that soapbox right now. The O’s aren’t spending money internationally – which I think
is a huge mistake – so they might as well try to gain some value from it. Again, I think the
Orioles’ lack of spending for at least mid-level amateurs in foreign countries is a mistake. But
that’s for another day – almost every day, really.
On being buyers: I’m not sure this precludes the team from selling off a coveted piece – such as
a top reliever — by Monday at 4 p.m. And Duquette did what he said he was going to do, try to
get a better starter. I, for one, think this season has sailed on the Orioles and adding pieces
doesn’t make a ton of sense. But adding a veteran via trade always makes the players within the
clubhouse feel like they still have a chance, so we’ll see.
Bottom line: It doesn’t look like a particularly important move to me, no matter what happens.
Hellickson, though he really doesn’t seem to be a Camden Yards kind of guy, appears to be a
better option than what the Orioles have been rolling out there a couple times a week. Kim was
expendable, simply because he didn’t play, and didn’t flourish in such limited opportunities.
Cleavinger seems like a flier, whose upside is Bleier. So, I don’t give this one thumbs up or
thumbs down. It’s more of a shrug-your-shoulders ‘huh?’ than a ‘meh’ to me. In fact, it’s
primary purpose, at least for now, is to tell us the Orioles are still playing for 2017, which I
haven’t exactly endorsed at 48-54 with 60 to play. I shake my head at that sentiment. Think it’s a
mistake. But I guess you have to appreciate the spunk. And wait for Monday.