World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966

American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966

American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Game Stories:

Manny Machado's two-out, two-run homer in ninth rallies Orioles to 7-6, rain-delayed

win over Yankees The Sun 9/6

Machado caps O's 4-HR rally with walk-off MLB.com 9/6

Wrapping up the O’s 7-6 walk-off victory over the Yankees MASNsports.com 9/6

Machado's 2-run HR in 9th lifts Orioles past Yankees 7-6 AP 9/6

Manny Machado's Late-Night Heroics Give Orioles Come-From-Behind Win

PressBoxOnline.com 9/6

Columns:

Don't sleep on these Orioles: Early morning walk-off win over Yankees could be one to

remember The Sun 9/6

Orioles' Kevin Gausman got his season on track by straightening out his delivery The

Sun 9/6

Orioles' Hays, first 2016 draftee to reach majors, 'couldn't have imagined being in a better

spot' The Sun 9/5

Dan Duquette: Orioles 'very vigilant' in competitive AL East amid Yankees-Red Sox

sign-stealing controversy The Sun 9/5

Orioles notes: Struggling Jimenez bumped to bullpen as O's go to five-man rotation The

Sun 9/5

Orioles on deck: What to watch Tuesday vs. Yankees The Sun 9/5

Gausman, O's out to deny Yankees at home MLB.com 9/6

O's walk-off hero offers Manny happy returns MLB.com 9/6

O's No. 2 prospect Hays joins outfield mix MLB.com 9/5

Control artist Wells named O's top Minors hurler MLB.com 9/5

What to expect from O's Hays in big leagues MLB.com 9/5

30 Clemente Award nominees revealed MLB.com 9/5

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees MASNsports.com 9/6

Orioles to open 2018 season at home vs. Twins MASNsports.com 9/6

Orioles DFA Aquino, Showalter talks about Hardy (O’s win 7-6) MASNsports.com 9/5

Orioles adding Austin Hays to expanded roster MASNsports.com 9/5

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees MASNsports.com 9/5

Orioles outright Wilson and Verrett MASNsports.com 9/5

Bowie’s Garabez Rosa named Eastern League MVP MASNsports.com 9/6

More on Machado’s heroics, plus Hays on his power MASNsports.com 9/6

O’s game blog: Notes on Austin Hays, Alex Wells and more MASNsports.com 9/5

Chris Davis on nomination for the Robert Clemente Award MASNsports.com 9/5

Delmarva’s Alex Wells named O’s minor league Pitcher of Year MASNsports.com 9/5

Orioles Bring Top Prospect Outfielder Austin Hays To The Majors PressBoxOnline.com

9/6

Myriad Orioles Thoughts: Machado delivers again; utilizing Austin Hays; honoring

Wells BaltimoreBaseball.com 9/6

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-dig-a-big-hole-for-themselves-

20170906-story.html

Manny Machado's two-out, two-run homer in ninth rallies

Orioles to 7-6, rain-delayed win over Yankees

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

September 6, 2017

Once again, Manny Machado simply would not be denied.

The Orioles third baseman hammered a two-out, walk-off home run early Wednesday morning to

complete a crucial and unlikely comeback in a 7-6 victory over the American League wild-card

rival New York Yankees before what was left of a crowd of 14,377 at Camden Yards.

The game was delayed for more than two hours by rain and for most of the night the Orioles

probably wished it had never stopped, but the fans who stayed got to see a four-homer

performance that featured two shots by Machado and the continuation of his duel with Jonathan

Schoop for the club home run lead.

With the dramatic win, the Orioles evened the series with the Yankees and avoided moving to

the brink of a three-game sweep that would have seriously damaged their wild-card prospects.

And it looked for a very long time like that was going to be the case.

Midseason acquisition Jeremy Hellickson struggled badly for the fourth time in his past five

starts and the patient Yankees hitters wasted no time taking full advantage. The Orioles would

need a little more time to get after Yankees starter CC Sabathia.

Hellickson self-destructed in the third inning and was charged with five runs after allowing two

hits, two walks and a hit batsman before there were two outs. His line would have looked a lot

better if Adam Jones had not dropped a fly ball in center field right after he left, which helped the

Yankees score three of the six runs in the inning.

“We’ve just got to fight through it, stay with it, not worry about what happened and go ahead and

come back to the plate and chip away, little by little,” Machado said. “The next inning, we came

up and got a run. Then we got another one — and little by little — you can’t win the game with

just one at-bat and nobody on.”

Manager Buck Showalter was quick to point out how tough it is to bounce back from such a

deflating meltdown.

“It is, but it’s a reminder of what these guys are made of,” he said.

The Orioles trailed 6-1 at that point, but Machado launched his 31st home run of the season to

lead off the bottom of the third. Schoop apparently didn’t appreciate being knocked out of a tie

for the club home run lead, so he launched his 31st home run of the year in the fifth.

The Orioles obviously wanted to avoid the possibility of a sweep at the hands of the team they

hope to knock out of the top AL wild-card slot, and they had their chance after Mark Trumbo

hammered a two-run homer in the sixth to make it a one-run game.

The homer was Trumbo’s 22nd of the season and it extended his hitting streak to seven games.

He’s batting .344 over that span with two homers and six RBIs.

That left the Orioles with a third of the game remaining to get one more run after New York

starter CC Sabathia exited the game, but they were headed into the heart of the Yankees bullpen

and that wasn’t going well.

“You see the arms and the people they run out there after the fourth or fifth inning,” Showalter

said. “Really, after the third or fourth inning, including Sabathia. It’s really hard to do that.

Three Yankees relievers delivered scoreless appearances, with Aroldis Chapman pitching the

eighth inning before Dellin Betances came on to finish up in the ninth. He was one out away

from his 11th save when he walked Tim Beckham to bring Machado to the plate. One minute,

the O’s were on the verge of a very painful loss and the next they were watching a ball land in

the bullpen area behind the center-field fence and rushing out to celebrate their 12th walk-off

win of the season.

Machado tried to act as if it were no big deal.

“We prepare every day out there, and we do our routines and everything before games — BP, in

the gym, try to keep it the same so we’re prepared for situations like that and prepared for big

game,” he said “I think it’s all about preparation, what we’re doing. Everyone who plays this

game, everyone knows how to play it and we just go out there and enjoy ourselves and we’re

ready to play once 7 o’clock comes around.”

The Orioles got solid relief appearances from left-hander Richard Bleier and minor league call-

up Jimmy Yacabonis while they battled back in the middle innings. Then they went with their

best to get scoreless innings from recently demoted starter Ubaldo Jiménez, Darren O’Day, Brad

Brach and Zach Britton, who would get the win.

The Orioles are one game behind the Los Angeles Angels for the second wild card. New York

dropped 3 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East but remain the top wild card.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252730708/manny-machado-caps-orioles-rally-with-walk-

off/

Machado caps O's 4-HR rally with walk-off

By Brittany Ghiroli and Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

September 6, 2017

BALTIMORE -- After having been crowned the American League's Player of the Month for

August, Manny Machado is showing no signs of slowing down.

Machado hit a two-out, two-run homer -- his second blast of the game -- off Dellin Betancesin

the bottom of the ninth inning to complete the Orioles' comeback from a five-run deficit,

allowing them to walk off with a 7-6 victory over the Yankees in the wee hours of Wednesday

morning. The long, arduous win -- which started with a two-hour, 14-minute rain delay --

finished a few minutes before 1 a.m. ET.

"We're confident with everyone we have in here," said Machado, who has 14 home runs and 38

RBIs since Aug. 1. "We're going to do everything possible, keep playing like a team and do the

things that count, and things will turn out the way they need to. We just need to control going out

there and giving it our all."

The win kept the O's a game behind the Angels for the second American League Wild Card, with

the Yankees falling 3 1/2 back of the Red Sox in the AL East race. The Yanks saw their lead for

the first AL Wild Card cut to 2 1/2 over the Angels, falling one out shy of breaking their own

hex at Camden Yards. New York has not won a series in Baltimore since the beginning of the

2014 season.

After recording the first two outs of the ninth, Betances walked Tim Beckham on five pitches

before Machado made Betances pay for hanging a 1-0 breaking ball.

"He's a really good hitter. He's a great hitter, obviously," Betances said. "When you leave a pitch

like that to a guy like that, he's going to usually punish it. That's what he did tonight."

Machado -- who has a team-leading 32 homers -- also went deep in the third inning, trading

blasts with close friend and teammate Jonathan Schoop. Schoop went yard in the fifth off

Yankees starter CC Sabathia, with Mark Trumbo belting a two-run homer in the sixth to bring

Baltimore within a run.

"It was just one of those nights," Sabathia said. "When we made mistakes, they didn't miss

them."

Sabathia went 5 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits. He lasted much longer

than Orioles starter Jeremy Hellickson, who recorded just seven outs. Hellickson walked four

and allowed five runs (three earned). Ubaldo Jimenez tossed a scoreless sixth inning in his return

to the bullpen.

The Yankees jumped on Hellickson's early command woes, as a key third-inning error by center

fielder Adam Jones and Didi Gregorius' two-run single helped chase the right-hander. New York

tacked on after reliever Richard Bleier entered with the bases loaded, taking what appeared to be

a commanding five-run lead.

"[There were] some great innings pitched out of our bullpen tonight to hold them," Orioles

manager Buck Showalter said. "It's a tough lineup to hold down."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Manny Magic: Machado again played the part of hero, picking up his third walk-off homer in 19

days, having launched blasts on Aug. 18 against the Angels and Aug. 23 against the Athletics.

Machado has 14 homers since Aug. 1 and has been a critical component of the O's success.

"I'm just looking for something up I can do damage with," Machado said. "I'm up in the count.

Just looking for a good pitch I can hit."

Brach's escape: Orioles reliever Brad Brach got into trouble as the Yankees attempted to pad

their lead in the eighth inning. Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single and Brett Gardner legged out

a one-out infield hit, but Brach recovered to strike out Aaron Judge looking and induced Starlin

Castro to foul out, keeping the deficit at one run.

QUOTABLE

"This is a huge game for us. This is the time of the year, if you're going to make a push, we need

to do it now. It was a picture-perfect inning. You couldn't ask for anything more. The fact that

we stayed close in the game and kind of built up a little momentum is pretty cool, too." –

Trumbo

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The last player with three walk-off homers in as short of a span as Machado was Sammy Sosa,

who had three walk-off homers in 1996 (also 19 days).

WHAT'S NEXT

Yankees: Sonny Gray (8-9, 3.36 ERA) draws the starting call for the Yankees in Wednesday's

7:05 p.m. ET series finale. The right-hander will hope for better results than his last outing, in

which he tied a career high by serving up three home runs in a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Orioles: The Orioles will send Kevin Gausman to the mound Wednesday night in the series

finale against the Yankees. Gausman was an afterthought in Friday's 13-inning win against

Toronto, but the righty has been solid. Gausman owns a 2.55 ERA and has struck out 16 over his

last 17 2/3 innings.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/wrapping-up-a-7-6-walk-off-win-over-the-

yankees.html

Wrapping up the O’s 7-6 walk-off victory over the Yankees

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 6, 2017

Orioles manager Buck Showalter lamented the 10 walked batters in Monday afternoon’s loss to

the Yankees, though he noted how one was intentional. Just to be fair while frustrated.

Showalter ran out of patience with Jeremy Hellickson tonight after a fourth walk in 2 1/3

innings. Hellickson also hit a batter. Another bad game from the rotation.

Another chance for the Orioles to overcome it.

Manny Machado followed Tim Beckham’s two-out walk off Dellin Betances in the ninth inning

with a two-run homer into the home bullpen to give the Orioles a 7-6 victory over the Yankees

before an announced crowd of 14,377 that waited through a 2 hour and 14 minute rain delay at

Camden Yards.

Precipitation, puddles and poor early play, but the Orioles improved to 71-68 overall and 6-8

against the Yankees.

It began to pour again just as the grounds crew got the tarp back on the field, making for a

treacherous drive home, but nothing can dampen the Orioles’ mood after their latest comeback.

Manager Buck Showalter won his 1,500th career game. This one didn’t seem likely after the

third inning, when the Yankees scored six runs, only three of them earned.

Machado led off the bottom of the third inning with his team-leading 31st home run and

Jonathan Schoop matched him in the fifth with a solo shot off CC Sabathia into the visiting

bullpen. Mark Trumbo’s two-run shot, the 200th home run of his career, reduced the lead to 6-5

in the sixth.

Betances retired the first two batters in the ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Pedro Álvarez for

second out. Beckham reached and Machado launched the second pitch he saw, a knuckle-curve

after he took a 99 mph fastball outside of the zone.

Bedlam ensued, of course, complete with the usual water dousing at home plate.

Machado has 14 career multi-homer games and five this season. He also has three walk-off

homers.

The rotation has combined for only 10 1/3 innings in the last three games - four each for Chris

Tillman and Dylan Bundy before tonight. Hellickson was charged with five runs, three earned, in

2 1/3 to leave his ERA at 6.87 with the Orioles.

Hellickson allowed only two hits, including Didi Gregorius’ two-run single in the third that came

after the veteran right-hander walked Aaron Judge and nailed Starlin Castro with a pitch. Matt

Holliday walked to reload the bases and Showalter signaled for left-hander Richard Bleier.

Bleier let all three inherited runners score. Adam Jones dropped a fly ball from Greg Bird, who

was credited with an RBI. Todd Frazier followed with a run-scoring ground ball and Jacoby

Ellsbury delivered a two-run single.

It was every bit as ugly as it sounds, a finalist for worst inning of the season.

Hellickson got away with back-to-back walks to Gregorius and Holliday to open the second, but

they eventually become costly. They’re only called “free passes.” He’s allowed 10 earned runs

and 12 total with eight walks in his last two starts over seven innings.

Ubaldo Jiménez sat in the bullpen again tonight and replaced Jimmy Yacabonis in the sixth. He

wasn’t going to start in Cleveland this weekend, but the rotation’s issues extend beyond one

pitcher.

Jiménez got away with a two-out single to blank the Yankees in the sixth and Darren O’Day

struck out two while retiring the side in order in the seventh. The baton reached Brad Brach, who

stranded two runners in the eighth. Zach Britton struck out two while retiring the side in order in

the ninth.

One unearned run from the bullpen in 6 2/3 innings.

The Orioles worked veteran Sabathia for 26 pitches in the first inning, but he allowed only one

run on Trey Mancini’s two-out infield hit. Sabathia retired the first two batters before Schoop

walked and Jones reached on a ball that rolled up the third base line and deflected off the bag.

Power got the Orioles back in the game and power ultimately let them win it. Most of it coming

from their third baseman.

Showalter on the comeback: “You see the arms and the people they run out there after the fourth

or fifth inning. Really, after the third or fourth inning, including Sabathia. It’s really hard to do

that. A great at-bat by Tim Beckham shouldn’t be forgotten to set that up, got the at-bat to

Manny. He’s been really dialing up what we need in a time of need. Some great innings pitched

out of our bullpen tonight to hold them. It’s a tough lineup to hold them down except for that one

inning that got away from us a little bit.”

Showalter on difficulty in rallying after bad inning: “It is, but it’s a reminder of what these guys

are made of. Guys kept grinding little by little. I actually thought that Manny’s solo home runs,

goes to 6-2, and then Jon tacked one in there and Trum quick-batted one out there and next thing

you know it’s 6-5 and you know you have a chance to make a run at them. But the key is keep

putting up zeros out there. And Ubaldo had a good inning for us in a time of need. Yac came in

and his results have been good.”

Showalter on Hellickson: “Just command, as you saw. That’s just not the guy we’ve seen here

and have seen before in his career. He just never got in that sequence where he had a feel for two

pitches, let alone one. And when he’s really going good he’s got three going and adds a cutter.

Even if they have to respect the command of the fastball. Never really got into a lot of ... The

changeup, you could tell he was fighting it all the way through.”

Showalter on whether this was a special way to win No. 1,500: “My daughter, who should be

asleep right now, texted that. I don’t know why she’s still awake. She flew back to Dallas today.

It’s special because it gets us, you’ve got to beat those guys. It was a tough game last night.

That’s one of those games, you know it’s going to rain tomorrow and we’ve been sitting around

the clubhouse for two hours just like the fans are.

“And also, I was thinking about it coming up the runway, how many people are home watching

that game. First time after Labor Day and people are back at work. Will be some late arrivals at

work tomorrow. We’re fortunate to be able to sleep in today.”

Showalter on comparing Machado to other great players he’s managed: “I don’t get into ranking

players versus other people. Manny has a chance to have a great career and he’s off to a really

good start. But it’s been an honor to watch some really great players play at a very high level.

It’s something that’s very hard to do. Very few people can do. Manny has a chance to fit into that

group. Off to a pretty good start, huh?”

Machado on home run: “See ball, hit ball. Keep it simple. Keep it very simple and try to get a

pitch you can hit.

“I’m just looking for something up I can do damage with. I’m up in the count. Just looking for a

good pitch I can hit.”

Betances on home run: “Trying to go breaking ball, and that didn’t do much and obviously he’s a

good hitter. He hit that ball really well. It just stood over the plate, didn’t do much, and he got the

best of me. Maybe I threw too many there, but that one just hung. That one didn’t do much. At

the end of the day, that one bad (breaking ball) I threw, they hit the home run on. I guess it

wasn’t my night tonight.”

http://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370905101

Machado's 2-run HR in 9th lifts Orioles past Yankees 7-6

Associated Press / ESPN.com

September 6, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Down to their last out against hard-throwing Dellin Betances and the New York

Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles turned to a player who's got a knack for delivering in the clutch.

Manny Machado did not disappoint.

Again saving his best for last, Machado hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the

ninth inning for a 7-6 victory on Tuesday night.

"This is a huge game us," said Mark Trumbo, who help fuel Baltimore's comeback from a five-

run deficit. "This is the time of the year, if you're going to make a push, we need to do it now. It

was a picture-perfect inning. You couldn't ask for anything more."

Betances (3-6) retired the first two batters in the ninth before Tim Beckhamwalked. Machado

then drove a 1-0 pitch far over the center-field wall to provide the Orioles an unlikely victory

after New York scored six runs in the third.

"He's a great hitter, obviously," Betances said of Machado. "When you leave a pitch like that to a

guy like that, usually he'll punish it, and that's what he did tonight."

It was Machado's second homer of the game and team-high 32nd of the season. He has hit three

game-winning home runs this season and five in his career.

"See ball, hit ball. Keep it simple," Machado said. "Keep it very simple and try to get a pitch you

can hit."

Jonathan Schoop and Trumbo also went deep for the Orioles, who are in pursuit of a wild-card

berth.

Zach Britton (2-0), Baltimore's sixth reliever, worked the ninth.

New York dropped 3 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East but remains the top AL wild card.

The Yankees were poised to capture their first series at Camden Yards since September 2013,

but now to do that they'll have to win Wednesday night in the deciding matchup of the three-

game set.

New York starter CC Sabathia allowed five runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. He left with

the lead, but was betrayed by the bullpen in his bid to earn his first victory in seven starts against

Baltimore since May 2016.

"It was just one of those nights where when we made mistakes, they didn't miss them," Sabathia

said.

The start of the game was delayed by rain for 2 hours, 14 minutes. A good portion of the

announced crowd of 14,377 stuck around, and for the Orioles fans it proved worth the wait.

New York seemingly took control in the third inning against Jeremy Hellickson. After Didi

Gregorius singled in two runs, the Yankees loaded the bases for Greg Bird, who hit a fly to

center. The ball plopped in and out of Adam Jones' glove , allowing a run to score, and two

batters later Jacoby Ellsbury singled in two unearned runs.

"It's unfortunate we weren't able to add on," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We had some

chances and the long ball hurt us tonight. They had four of them."

Hellickson gave up five runs, three earned, and only two hits. But he walked four and hit a batter.

Schoop hit a solo homer in the fifth and Trumbo got Baltimore to 6-5 in the sixth with a two-run

drive.

"We chipped away, we chipped away," Trumbo said. "We had our chance there at the end and it

worked out."

ROSTER MOVES

Yankees: Recalled 1B Tyler Austin from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Austin is hitting .233

with two homers and seven RBI in 10 games with the Yankees this season.

Orioles: Purchased the contract of OF Austin Hayes from Double-A Bowie and designated LHP

Jayson Aquino for assignment.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: The team isn't ready to activate SS J.J. Hardy (wrist) from the 60-day DL until he

further tests his ailing elbow swinging the bat.

UP NEXT:

Yankees: RHP Sonny Gray (8-9, 3.36 ERA) faces Baltimore for the first time since 2015. Since

being traded from Oakland, he's 2-4 and has allowed five homers in six games.

Orioles: Kevin Gausman (10-9, 4.79 ERA) hasn't given up a run in his last two starts, covering

13 2/3 innings. His ERA is at its lowest since April 13.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/09/06/manny-machados-late-night-heroics-give-orioles-

come-from-behind-win

Manny Machado's Late-Night Heroics Give Orioles Come-

From-Behind Win

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

September 6, 2017

BALTIMORE -- It didn't matter that the Orioles had allowed six runs during one of the ugliest

innings of the season. Nor did it matter that it was nearly 1 a.m.

Third baseman Manny Machado was going to take charge -- as he so often has during the second

half of the season -- turning a defeat into a dramatic victory.

Machado's two-run home run in the ninth inning gave the Orioles an exciting 7-6 win against the

New York Yankees before 14,377 at Oriole Park Sept. 5.

By the time Machado hit his second home run of the game, and his 32nd of the season, it was

12:53 a.m., and fans had sat through a two-hour and 14-minute rain delay at the start of the

game.

After the six-run third, the Orioles trailed 6-1, but home runs from Machado, second baseman

Jonathan Schoop and designated hitter Mark Trumbo got them to within 6-5.

For the third consecutive game, the Orioles got a short start from their starting pitcher, as right-

hander Jeremy Hellickson was pulled after 2.1 innings.

Hellickson's third inning featured two hits, two walks and a hit batsman. He left with the Orioles

trailing, 2-1, and the bases loaded. When center fielder Adam Jones muffed Yankees first

baseman Greg Bird's fly ball, the Orioles were behind, 3-1, and the error eventually allowed

three more runs to score.

"We've just got to fight through it, stay with it, not worry about what happened that inning, go

ahead and come back to the plate, and chip away, little by little," Machado said. "You can't win a

game with one at-bat with nobody on."

Once Hellickson left the game in the third, the bullpen took over. After left-hander Richard

Bleier allowed an unearned run, right-handers Jimmy Yacabonis, Ubaldo Jimenez, Darren

O'Day, Brad Brach and left-hander Zach Britton combined to hold the Yankees down.

"You know you have a chance to make a run at them," manager Buck Showalter said. "But the

key is keep putting up zeros out there."

Shortstop Tim Beckham walked with two outs in the ninth against Yankees right-hander Dellin

Betances. Then Machado followed with his third game-ending home run since Aug. 18.

"See ball, hit ball. Keep it simple," Machado said. "Keep it very simple, and try to get a pitch you

can hit."

The win puts the Orioles at 71-68 on the season and 3.5 games behind the wild-card leading

Yankees.

"This is a huge game for us," Trumbo said. "This is the time of the year, if you're going to make

a push, we need to do it now. It was a picture-perfect inning. You couldn't ask for anything more.

The fact that we stayed close in the game and kind of built up a little momentum is pretty cool,

too."

The win was Showalter's 1,500th as Orioles manager.

"It's special because … you've got to beat those guys," Showalter said. "I was thinking about it

coming up the runway, how many people are home watching that game? First time after Labor

Day and people are back at work. [There] will be some late arrivals at work tomorrow. We're

fortunate to be able to sleep in today."

NOTES: The Orioles have decided to wait on SS J.J. Hardy's activation. … Total rain delays at

home have been 15 hours, 20 minutes. … RHPs Kevin Gausman (10-9, 4.79) and Sonny Gray

(8-9, 3.36) are the scheduled pitchers for Sept. 6. … 1B Chris Davis is the Orioles' nominee for

the Roberto Clemente Award for his off-field community involvement. … Trumbo's home run

was the 200th of his career. … Hellickson's start was his shortest since Sept. 14, 2015 when he

worked just one inning.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-morning-blog-20170906-

story.html

Don't sleep on these Orioles: Early morning walk-off win

over Yankees could be one to remember

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

September 6, 2017

After Manny Machado’s third walk-off homer of the season gave the Orioles a dramatic 7-6 win

over the New York Yankees early Wednesday morning, rookie Trey Mancini looked at the clock

in the home clubhouse at Camden Yards with surprise.

“It’s 1:13?” he said.

The win was one of the Orioles’ most invigorating of the season. They sat through a two-hour,

14-minute delay that postponed the game’s first pitch, pecked away at an early 6-1 deficit on the

backs of four home runs, received 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball from six relievers and grabbed

victory in their final at-bat.

“It’s part of the game,” Machado said of the Orioles’ methodical comeback. “It’s part of

baseball. We’ve just got to fight through it, stay with it, not worry about what happened that

inning, go ahead and come back to the plate, and chip away, little by little. The next inning we

came back and got a run; the next inning we came back and got another one. Little by little, you

can’t win a game with one at-bat with nobody on.”

And after the game, several Orioles players were in no hurry to leave Oriole Park.

Machado and second baseman Jonathan Schoop — who seemed to be competing on the field by

each hitting almost-identical homers into the bullpens beyond the left-center-field fence before

Machado’s second homer of the night won it — were battling in a postgame chess match.

Shortstop Tim Beckham — whose five-pitch walk with two outs in the ninth brought Machado

to bat in an important plate appearance that could easily go overlooked — sat at the same table

and watched silently.

Outside the Orioles clubhouse, Mark Trumbo — whose 200th career home run, a two-run blast

in the sixth inning, made it a one-run game — had just greeted two young fans, up well past their

bedtime, who returned his milestone home-run ball to him. Trumbo returned the favor with a pair

of autographed baseballs and a smile.

Tuesday’s — or rather Wednesday’s — win marked the Orioles’ 12th walk-off victory of the

season, and Machado has been the maestro of the team’s late-inning dramatics. The win was his

third walk-off hit of the season — all of them home runs and all within the past month.

Machado beat the Oakland Athletics two Wednesdays ago with a walk-off homer in the 12th

inning and five days before that erased a two-run deficit on one swing with a game-winning

grand slam in the bottom of the ninth in a win over the Los Angeles Angels. That was his third

grand slam in an 11-game stretch, which began with another game-winning slam against the

Angels on Aug. 7 to kick-start the team’s West Coast road trip.

But this win seemed to be the most important, because it came against a Yankees team the

Orioles are chasing in the American League wild-card race and in the AL East standings. Three

teams from the division made the postseason last year, and the Yankees currently sit in the first

AL wild-card spot.

Also, with just 24 games left entering the night, and the Orioles could see from the out-of-town

scoreboard in right field that there was an opportunity to gain ground on the Minnesota Twins,

who sat in the second wild-card position.

With the win, the Orioles are a game behind the Angels, who now hold the second wild card, and

a half-game behind the Twins.

“’It couldn’t be a bigger situation,” Trumbo said. “This is the time we need stuff like that to

happen if it’s going to and I think that giving him the chance, we can’t pick a better guy to be out

there for that.

“It’s my favorite [win] of the season, that’s no doubt. That’s a really good ballclub over there, a

ballclub that played us really tough. [Yankees starter] CC [Sabathia] was doing a nice job. …

But we stayed with it and the momentum came our way.”

The Orioles haven’t had much success against New York, losing eight of the first 13 games

against the Yankees at home, and they’ll be tested again next week at Yankee Stadium, where

they’ve been outscored 44-9 and were swept in four games during their last visit to the Bronx

back in June.

Machado has had his struggles against New York this season as well. Even though his most

mammoth homer — a 470-foot blast that in April that was the first ball hit over the center-field

restaurant at Yankee Stadium — was against New York, he entered Tuesday hitting just .184

against the Yankees.

The Orioles have struggled to build on the momentum created by potentially galvanizing wins

like Tuesday’s, and now is the time to do so. A win Wednesday will give the Orioles a series win

over the Yankees and set the tone for an upcoming road trip to Cleveland, Toronto and New

York that could make or break their season.

“We still have 20-something games left. We don't know what's going to happen,” Machado said.

“The only thing we can control is that we've got Sonny Gray [Wednesday] and we know we've

got a tough pitcher we've got to go ahead and try to beat to take the series. That's the only thing

that matters, to be honest.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-kevin-gausman-20170906-

story.html

Orioles' Kevin Gausman got his season on track by

straightening out his delivery

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

September 6, 2017

As his second-half resurgence rolls on, Orioles starter Kevin Gausman credits a rather

comprehensive midseason delivery change that has kept his body in line and gotten his season

back on track.

Gausman said sometime before the All-Star break — data on his release point suggests it was

after he walked six and allowed eight runs on seven hits against the New York Yankees on June

11 — he decided to square his shoulders more through his delivery as opposed to keeping it

facing third base throughout.

"I think when I was kind of geared more towards third, looking at third base, I had a tendency to

go towards the third base dugout," Gausman said. "Anytime you go that way and try to throw the

ball that way, it's going to be difficult to do and tough to repeat.

"Now, I'm more towards home. I think that that allows me to stay more through the plate, and I

think that's why my fastball is doing what it did last year, which is really staying true through the

zone, where early on in the year, my ball was kind of moving all over the place. It wasn't

consistent."

The change seems to coincide tidily with Gausman's turnaround this season. Through that

Yankees start, he had a 6.49 ERA and a 2.05 WHIP in 14 starts. Since then, he has a 3.46 ERA

and a 1.30 WHIP in 15 starts, making for a season ERA of 4.79 and a 1.63 WHIP.

"It's really felt good with every pitch," Gausman said. "It's been kind of an easy transition, to be

more than halfway through the year, and kind of decide not to go back to ground zero but to

change some things, you always have some question marks in your head. But it's been an easy

transition."

In that same span, most of Gausman's rate stats have improved drastically. His walk rate before

the change was 4.4 per nine innings, and it's been 3.1 since. After striking out 6.1 batters per nine

before that, he's fanned 10.3 per nine since. And his swinging strike percentage went from .08

before the switch to .13 since then.

Part of that, Gausman said, is an improved belief in his splitter, his best off-speed pitch.

"I think the biggest thing is now I'm throwing it for strikes when I want to and throwing it for

balls when I want to," Gausman said. "I think a lot of teams, I think their scouting report is to

just kind of not swing at my split until I show I can throw it for strikes. Throwing those first

couple innings, throwing a couple for strikes definitely helps later on in the game."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-austin-hays-print-20170905-

story.html

Orioles' Hays, first 2016 draftee to reach majors, 'couldn't

have imagined being in a better spot'

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

September 5, 2017

Throughout his five-month conquest of two minor league levels, Orioles breakout prospect

Austin Hays found that the only way to keep a good feeling going was to show up at the ballpark

each day and build on it.

Fortunately for him, there's nothing he'd rather do. And on Tuesday, that ballpark turned out to

be Camden Yards, as the Orioles finally gave in to their urge to call up one of the hottest hitters

in all the minors.

Hays, a third-round draft pick from last year who skipped the Low-A South Atlantic League and

posted two dominant half-seasons with High-A Frederick and then Double-A Bowie, has been

rewarded for being one of the most impressive players to pass through the Orioles' system in

years with a chance to help the major league team chase another playoff spot.

His regular playing time at each school set him on quite a baseball development path, one that

executive vice president of baseball operations Dan credits the Orioles scouting staff for sniffing

out early.

"I'm sure it's going to hit me here sooner or later, just realizing it's my first full season and I've

played 120 games now and I couldn't have imagined being in a better spot than where I am right

now," Hays said last week in Bowie, when his focus was still on making the Eastern League

playoffs, not the American League postseason. "It's worked out perfectly."

And that was before the Orioles put him in a position to be the first member of the 2016 draft

class to make the majors. It's a just reward for a year during which he batted .329/.365/.593 with

32 home runs and 32 doubles between Frederick and Bowie, the culmination of years of steady

development for the former Jacksonville Dolphin, who arrived at the Atlantic Sun school after a

year at Seminole State, a junior college.

"He had the skill set, he had the tools — the thing that separated Austin was he never took a day

off," Tim Montez, the former coach at Jacksonville, said. "The most impressive thing I saw, the

very first time he was with me in our first official practice, I just watched him take fly balls off

the bat in during BP. He never took a fly ball off during batting practice.

"It was amazing. He was relentless at it, working on his jumps, working on his angles. And for

two years, he was like that. It didn't surprise me at all. When we told him he needed to shorten up

his swing a little bit, he worked on it. But he was as close to a five-tool player that I've been

around, and I've been real fortunate to have been around some pretty good players over my

coaching career."

Hays brought that to the Orioles after he was drafted last summer. He missed nearly a month

with a wrist problem last year at Short-A Aberdeen, but was still out power-shagging during

batting practice with a wrist brace on, eliciting equal parts bewilderment and awe from those

around him.

That same habit that made him a capable fielder at all three spots has carried over to the plate in

what's been a standout season. He started the season hot and stayed that way, using the schedule

allotted to a professional baseball player to build on the success that became a norm for him.

"I would say for sure, the experience just comes into play," Hays said. "You get more at-bats,

and you can kind of work on things every single day. If you feel something that is giving you

problems, it's easier to work yourself out of it when you're playing every single day. That's what

I've loved about pro ball so far. If something doesn't feel right, a week later, you've fixed it and

made it a strength of yourself."

For Baysox manager Gary Kendall, there's a precedent for the kind of season Hays had tearing

through Bowie, though there's the unique aspect of him starting his first full season in the

Carolina League and ending it in the majors. He compared it to the season Trey Mancini had in

2015, a year before he eventual big league call-up and two seasons before he broke out as one of

the majors’ top rookies. Duquette looks at Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who

similarly began his first full season in High-A and ended it in the majors.

"He doesn't let one part of his game slack," Kendall said. "A lot of guys can hit and they're not

too worried about their defense, but he takes a lot of pride in every tool that he has. I think that's

one of the reasons why he's been able to be successful, and he's got talent. He's a talented guy.

He's strong. He's physical. He's got good foot speed. ... I think that's why he gets good results—

because he puts everything he has into every part of the game."

That Hays was added after over a week of both manager Buck Showalter and Duquette saying

they didn't have room on the 40-man roster and they wanted the players at Double-A Bowie to

see out their playoff run, which begins Wednesday, is odd. But without much right-handed-

hitting outfield depth to draw from, his addition was always inevitable.

"You listen to the other clubs talk about him, and hear our scouts and player development

people, he has such a professional approach," Duquette said. "He can hit. He can run. He can

throw. He's just a great baseball player.

Kendall believes Hays' defense is such that he can make up for any offensive deficiencies, and

vice versa. No one who has overseen his fast ascent believes a major league debut in a pennant

race will be too much for him to handle, though.

"Some guys ... they can get so consumed by the atmosphere that they aren't freed up to play, but

Austin, he's a loosey-goosey," Montez said. "Always has a smile on his face. He's going to treat

it like any other game even though it's not, and we all know that. He's going to have fun, no

matter what.”

To make room for Hays on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated left-hander Jayson Aquino

for assignment.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-redsox-yankees-cheating-

20170905-story.html

Dan Duquette: Orioles 'very vigilant' in competitive AL East

amid Yankees-Red Sox sign-stealing controversy

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

September 5, 2017

A meaningful series of September baseball between the American League wild-card-

leading New York Yankees and an Orioles club that's chasing them took on a much more

sensational feeling Tuesday.

The New York Times reported that the Boston Red Sox were being investigated for using

technology to steal signs from the Yankees last month.

According to the report, the Yankees submitted evidence to Major League Baseball that a

member of the Red Sox training staff was using an Apple Watch to relay information to players

both on the bench and on the field. The Red Sox filed a counter complaint that the Yankees use

their YES Network cameras to relay catcher signs as well.

Baseball investigators corroborated the Yankees’ claims based on video the commissioner’s

office uses for instant replay and broadcasts, the Times reported. The commissioner’s office then

confronted the Red Sox, who admitted that their trainers had received signals from video replay

personnel and then relayed that information to Red Sox players — an operation that had been in

place for at least several weeks.

While sign-stealing gamesmanship has been part of the game for decades, and the use of

electronic tablets in the dugout is permitted, electronics cannot be connected to the internet and

relay real-time information.

With the Orioles in pursuit of both teams and having played both recently, including a three-

game sweep in Boston on Aug. 25-27, executive vice president Dan Duquette said when asked

about the specific allegations that "it's a very competitive division, and among the most

competitive in professional sports.

"So, the Orioles are very vigilant in all aspects of our baseball operations," Duquette said. "I

mean, we have to be to compete against these wealthy clubs in the American League East.

He noted that the Yankees have outspent the Orioles 2-to-1 on major league payroll since 2012,

and Boston 1.7-to-1 in that period. On the amateur side, Duquette said the Yankees have

outspent the Orioles 2-to-1, and the Red Sox 3-to-1 since 2012.

“It's a wonder we can even compete with them," Duquette said.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking on a previously scheduled visit to Boston on

Tuesday, said the two teams' rivalry has made it a "charged situation from a competitive

perspective.”

"I guess it’s not shocking you could have charges and countercharges like this," Manfred said in

Boston. "We will conduct a thorough investigation of the charges on both sides. I want to do that

quickly. I think that’s important — that we get it resolved. The only thing that I can tell you

about repercussions is that to the extent that there was a violation on either side — and I’m not

saying that there was — to the extent that there was a violation on either side, we are 100 percent

comfortable that it is not an ongoing issue — that if it happened, it is no longer happening. I

think that’s important from an integrity perspective going forward.”

Yankees manager Joe Girardi wouldn't get into specifics in his pregame media session Tuesday

at Camden Yards, though he said there was "no chance" they used the camera for a competitive

advantage, as the Red Sox alleged.

He did, however, say they assume everyone is trying to do something like decipher signs to get a

competitive advantage.

"Again, it’s something you have to protect from all teams," Girardi told reporters. "The way they

do it is one thing. Again, it’s something you really have to do everything you can to protect it.

Whether it’s just word of mouth or people coming down the stairs, you have to protect it. My

idea is let’s make it easier so we don’t have to go through things like this."

In Boston, Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters neither he nor general manager Dave

Dombrowski knew about the use of the watch, and would have stopped it if they did.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-notes-20170906-story.html

Orioles notes: Struggling Jimenez bumped to bullpen as O's

go to five-man rotation

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

September 5, 2017

The Orioles intend to proceed through the regular season’s final four weeks with a five-man

rotation — the odd man out being struggling right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez — while still using

days off to give right-hander Dylan Bundy additional rest.

So while attempting to ensure the health of Bundy, the Orioles’ most coveted young arm for the

immediate and long-term future, the club might have given Jiménez — who is in the final weeks

of a four-year, $50 million deal signed before the 2014 season that still stands as the more

lucrative deal the club has given a free-agent starting pitcher — his final start in an Orioles

uniform.

Jiménez will remain in the bullpen for the time being. He’s been available in relief the previous

two games heading into Tuesday night’s matchup against the New York Yankees, but didn’t

pitch either day.

Hardy initially went on the disabled list with a broken bone in his right wrist but is also dealing

with arm soreness that prompted a cortisone injection in his elbow last week.

The Orioles have had six starting rotation options since acquiring right-hander Jeremy

Hellickson before the nonwaiver trade deadline but have still posted a collective 4.82 ERA since

Aug. 1, which ranks 20th in the major leagues.

Despite that number, three Orioles starters have ERAs under 4.00 since Aug. 1: Bundy (2.00),

left-hander Wade Miley (2.60) and Kevin Gausman (3.48). But Hellickson has struggled since

his arrival, posting a 6.55 ERA. Jiménez’s ERA over that span is 8.22, while right-hander Chris

Tillman has a 9.92 ERA in four starts since Aug. 1, not counting a pair of scoreless relief outings

in early August.

Jiménez lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his most recent outing, last Wednesday against the Seattle

Mariners, allowing six runs on six hits. He hasn’t been able to get an out in the sixth inning in

any of his past three starts, compiling a 12.75 ERA over that stretch, allowing five or more

earned runs in each outing.

Jiménez has a 7.20 ERA in nine starts in the second half of the season, even though he had a 2.63

ERA over four games from July 26 to Aug. 11. That success came while Jiménez pitched mostly

on regular rest, a routine he’s said he’s more comfortable with. His most recent start came on

seven days’ rest.

Jiménez has been in the bullpen the previous two games, and before rosters expanded Sept. 1,

two starters — Miley and Tillman — skipped their between-starts workday before the game and

were available as potential relievers, but Jiménez figures to remain in the bullpen.

Jiménez, 33, has been sent to the bullpen before — including earlier this year — and in the past

he’s used the opportunity to regain his spot in the rotation. But given the fact that expanded

rosters have allowed the Orioles to stock an 11-man bullpen and that Jiménez wasn’t among the

10 relievers used in the past two games, it seems he won’t get many opportunities to prove

himself.

The Orioles have yet to announce their rotation beyond Wednesday’s series finale against the

Yankees, but the plan is to move Bundy’s next start to Tuesday in Toronto, five days after

Thursday’s day off. That would give Bundy seven days off between starts.

Bundy, 24, lasted just two batters into the fifth inning — tied for his shortest start of the season

— in his most recent start in Monday’s 7-4 loss to the Yankees, allowing five runs on five hits —

including two homers — and four walks. That outing was six days after Bundy threw a career-

high 116 pitches in one-hitting the Mariners on Aug. 29. After Monday’s game, manager Buck

Showalter and Bundy scoffed at the notion that fatigue played a role in Bundy’s struggles.

Bundy has benefited from the Orioles giving him extra rest. He’s pitched 159 1/3 innings in his

first full season as a major league starter, which is 50 1/3 more than his total last year as he spent

the season’s first half as a reliever. In three second-half starts with six or more days’ rest, Bundy

has a 1.71 ERA, compared with a 5.04 mark with four or five days off.

Wells earns organizational honors:

Alex Wells, who had exemplary command this season at Low-A Delmarva, was named the

organization’s Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday.

Wells had a 2.38 ERA this season pitching for the Shorebirds, striking out 113 batters and

walking just 10 over 140 innings, including none in his final 68 innings. His 0.91 WHIP (walks

and hits per innings pitched) was the lowest of any minor league pitcher with 20 or more starts.

“I try to have as much control as I can, commanding both parts of the plate,” said Wells, who

was in Baltimore on Tuesday to accept his award. “I feel like that's the way I'm going to be

known as a pitcher, commanding the ball. I'm not going to be able to blow guys away unless I

get a jump in [velocity], so having that command is going to help me succeed.”

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said that command for Wells — who was signed

in 2015 out of Australia — is a result of other intangibles.

“If pitching is about throwing strikes, Alex knows about throwing strikes, because he threw more

strikes than anyone else in our organization this year,” Duquette said. “He put it all together. He's

got a good curveball to go along with that, good intelligence, excellent instincts.”

Orioles still waiting on Hardy:

The Orioles did not activate shortstop J.J. Hardy from the disabled list Tuesday.

Showalter, who had expected the activation to come Tuesday, now expects it no later than

Friday.

“Getting a little better,” Showalter said. “Looks like we’re going to wait for the elbow to get a

little better with swinging the bat for the time being. Anxious to get him back. One, just getting

J.J. Hardy back is big for our club, just having that option on the bench because we really don’t

have a whole lot right now, [versatility] speaking.”

Around the horn:

Right-handers Tyler Wilson and Logan Verrett both cleared waivers and received outright

assignments to Triple-A Norfolk. … First baseman Chris Davis was named the Orioles’ nominee

for the this year’s Roberto Clemente award, which annually recognizes “the player who best

represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement,

philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” The winner of the award will

be announced on Wednesday on the annual Roberto Clemente Day.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-on-deck-yankees-0905-

story.html

Orioles on deck: What to watch Tuesday vs. Yankees

By Josh Land / The Baltimore Sun

September 5, 2017

Orioles (70-68) vs. Yankees (74-63)

Where: Camden Yards

First pitch: 7:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MASN/105.7 The Fan

Starting pitchers: Orioles RHP Jeremy Hellickson (8-8, 5.15 ERA) vs. Yankees LHP CC

Sabathia (11-5, 3.71)

What to watch:

1. Alternators. Since their seven-game winning streak, the Orioles have reverted to their prior

inconsistent form, alternating wins and losses. That means the Orioles would be due for a win

tonight if they continue that trend. While they’ve stayed within 1½ games of the second wild-

card spot, it’s on them to start going back in the right direction if they want to return to the

postseason.

2. Manny-CC. Manny Machado has had Yankees lefty CC Sabathia’s number throughout his

career. Having faced him more than any other pitcher, Machado is batting .354/.392/.604 with

six doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs against him in 52 plate appearances.

3. Waiting for Hellickson. Upon joining the Orioles, Jeremy Hellickson made a great first

impression, allowing three runs in 13 innings over his first two starts. But he has a 9.28 ERA in

four starts since. Can he get back on track tonight versus the Yankees, against whom he has a

3.21 career ERA?

Orioles lineup:

SS Tim Beckham

3B Manny Machado

2B Jonathan Schoop

CF Adam Jones

LF Trey Mancini

DH Mark Trumbo

1B Chris Davis

C Welington Castillo

RF Joey Rickard

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252699806/gausman-os-out-to-deny-yankees-at-

home/?topicId=26688732

Gausman, O's out to deny Yankees at home

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

September 6, 2017

Kevin Gausman will attempt to keep his second-half surge intact against the Yankees' lineup on

Wednesday night as the American League East rivals are scheduled to complete their three-game

series at Camden Yards.

The Baltimore right-hander has been excellent in his last two starts, firing 13 2/3 scoreless

innings against the Red Sox and Blue Jays. Gausman has permitted just nine hits and four walks

over that span, striking out 13. He'll try to keep it going and extend New York's struggles in

Baltimore. The Yanks have not won a series at the O's home since the start of the 2014 season.

Sonny Gray draws the starting call for the Yankees and will hope for better results than his last

outing, in which he tied a career high by serving up three home runs in a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox.

"Any time you go out there and you give up three homers, it's tough on the whole team," Gray

said. "It kind of takes all the momentum or anything you might be trying to put together and

completely flips it to the other team. It's hard to win games when your pitcher gives up three

homers."

That outing aside, the long ball has not been an issue for Gray, who had served up just seven in

his previous 121 innings going into that start.

The Yankees have struggled to provide Gray, a prized acquisition in advance of the July 31 non-

waiver Trade Deadline, with run support, part of the reason that the right-hander is 2-4 with a

3.16 ERA through his first six starts for the Yankees.

Three things to know about this game:

• All three home runs Gray allowed in his last start came off fastballs, marking only the second

time in his career that he has given up multiple homers via four-seamers or two-seamers in the

same game.

• Aaron Judge has hit just two homers since Aug. 16, but he seems to see the ball well off

Gausman. The slugging rookie is 5-for-11 (.455) against Gausman, having hit a pair of homers

against him on April 28 in New York.

• Gausman is likely to face Yankees first baseman Greg Bird, who was his catcher at Grandview

High School in Aurora, Colo. Gausman has had Bird's number thus far in their previous two big

league meetings, as Bird is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk against the righty.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252747640/walk-off-hero-manny-machado-carrying-

orioles/

O's walk-off hero offers Manny happy returns

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

September 6, 2017

BALTIMORE -- As Manny Machado goes, so go the Orioles.

It seems to be that way anyway, as the red-hot O's third baseman has put his team on his back

over the past three weeks. So it was no surprise in Baltimore's 7-6 series-evening, walk-off

win over the Yankees on Tuesday night that Machado was -- once again -- the hero. His two-run

homer marked his third walk-off shot in the past 19 days, making him the first player since

Sammy Sosa in 1996 with that many game-winning homers in that short of a span.

"He's at another level. He's a premier talent," Mark Trumbo, who went deep himself in the sixth,

said of Machado's run. "This season is going to be one he can use in the future to build off of.

He's proven that even if he has a little bit of a struggle, that talent is in there. It's going to come

out. It's a character builder, and he's played exceptionally."

Machado now has a team-leading 32 RBIs in the seventh inning or later. The reigning American

League Player of the Month started Baltimore's comeback with a 425-foot blast off Yankees

starter CC Sabathia in the bottom of the third inning that landed in the O's bullpen. The homer,

which had an exit velocity of 106 mph according to Statcast™, made it 6-2 and was Machado's

31st homer of the year.

But it was the two-run ninth-inning blast -- off of Yankees closer Dellin Betances -- that sealed

the deal, giving Machado his sixth walk-off hit this season, five of which have been home runs.

"Manny's been swinging as well as anyone in the league, you look at his August numbers and

how good they've been," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's unfortunate. I thought the 3-1

pitch was a good pitch to [Tim] Beckham. We didn't get the call and then Manny makes us pay."

Machado isn't just picking on the Yankees. Since Aug. 1, he has 14 home runs and 38 RBIs.

"You know what? You prepare every day out there," Machado said. "You do all your routines

before games, BP, in the gym, try to keep it the same, so we prepare for situations like that,

prepare for big rooms.

"It's all about preparation what we're doing, and everyone plays this game. Everyone knows how

to play it, and we go out there and enjoy ourselves, and we're ready to play once [7 p.m.] rolls

around."

While Machado prefers to defer to the team, it's fair to wonder just how good he can be.

"I don't get into ranking players versus other people. Manny has a chance to have a great career

and he's off to a really good start," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "But it's been an honor

to watch some really great players play at a very high level. It's something that's very hard to do.

Very few people can do it. Manny has a chance to fit into that group. Off to a pretty good start,

huh?"

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252640748/orioles-call-up-outfield-prospect-austin-hays/

O's No. 2 prospect Hays joins outfield mix

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

September 5, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles added one of their most exciting young prospects on Tuesday,

selecting the contract of Austin Hays from Double-A Bowie. The outfielder is the club's No. 2

prospect according to MLBPipeline.com.

Hays, 22, was the Orioles' third-round pick last year and is having a fantastic season. He hit 32

homers with 95 RBIs in 128 games split between Class A Advanced Frederick and Double-A

Bowie. The move saw lefty Jayson Aquino designated for assignment.

It will be interesting to see how the O's use Hays -- one of five finalists for Baseball America's

Minor League Player of the Year Award -- with expanded rosters. Hays has spent a lot of time in

center field this season after primarily playing right field last year.

Hays starred as a freshman at Seminole State (Fla.) before transferring to Jacksonville, where he

had a average campaign in 2015. He got back on track the following year as he paced the

Atlantic Sun Conference in home runs (16), and the Orioles made him their third-round pick that

June.

Hays continued to hit well in his pro debut, hitting .336 with a team-high four homers in the

Class A Short Season New York-Penn League, and he emerged as one of the Minors' top

breakout prospects this year while reaching Double-A.

According to MLBPipeline.com's scouting report: "Hays makes the ball jump off his bat with

above-average bat speed and a short, handsy swing from the right side of the plate. Hays doesn't

waste a lot of motion and has shown the ability to drive the ball across the whole field. Scouts

believe he'll develop into an above-average hitter with similar power, and he's shown plenty of

over-the-fence thump across two levels in his first full season."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252648474/orioles-name-alex-wells-top-minors-pitcher/

Control artist Wells named O's top Minors hurler

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

September 5, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have named left-hander Alex Wells the Jim Palmer Minor League

Pitcher of the Year for the 2017 season, the club announced on Tuesday.

Wells, on hand at Camden Yards for the O's game against the Yankees, went 11-5 with a 2.38

ERA, allowing 37 earned runs over 140 innings with a career-high 113 strikeouts. He had 17

quality starts in 25 outings for Class A Delmarva.

Wells led the South Atlantic League in ERA and WHIP (0.91), and he was tied for second in

wins. In 11 starts at home, he went 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA (13 earned runs in 67 innings), 52

strikeouts and just three walks. He finished the season with 68 straight innings without walking a

batter, including not issuing a free pass in his final 11 starts of the season.

Wells walked just 10 batters all season, the fewest in all of Minor League Baseball (minimum

110 innings). The 20-year-old is the O's No. 16 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com.

His twin brother, Lachlan, signed with the Twins in 2014 and is also a left-handed pitcher.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252636878/orioles-austin-hays-called-up-to-

majors/?topicId=27118142

What to expect from O's Hays in big leagues

By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com

September 5, 2017

Michael Conforto, Kyle Schwarber, Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Andrew

Benintendi comprise a very short list of recent hitting prospects to reach the Major Leagues in

their first full professional seasons.

That list grew deeper Tuesday, as the Orioles announced they were purchasing the contract of

outfielder and No. 2 prospect Austin Hays from Double-A Bowie. He joined the team at Camden

Yards before the second of Baltimore's three-game set against the Yankees.

Ranked No. 97 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, Hays gets the call after a breakout

season in the Minors that saw him post a .329/.365/.593 slash line between Bowie and Class A

Advanced Frederick. In 128 games between the two levels, the 22-year-old produced 69 extra-

base hits, including 32 home runs, second most in the Minors, and 95 RBIs while scoring 81

runs.

Hays has been a model of consistency this season, posting strikingly similar numbers at the plate

while playing in exactly 64 games at each level. He began the season by slashing .328/.364/.592

with 16 home runs in the Florida State League, and then built on that performance with a

.330/.367/.594 clip and 16 more homers at Bowie.

The Orioles selected Hays in the third round of the 2016 Draft after he had erupted to hit an

Atlantic Sun Conference-best 16 home runs as a junior at Jacksonville. That success followed

Hays into his professional debut, as he quickly opened eyes by hitting .329/.365/.593 with a

team-leading four home runs over 38 games with Class A Short Season Aberdeen in the New

York-Penn League.

Hays has shown few weaknesses at the plate early in his career despite being challenged by the

Orioles with several aggressive assignments.

A 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-handed hitter, Hays generates consistent hard contact with his

above-average bat speed and a short but highly impactful swing that, from a mechanical

standpoint, features very little wasted movement or energy. It enables Hays to turn around

premium velocity while still retaining the needed strength to drive secondary pitches with

authority.

Hays also does a good job recognizing pitches, controls his zone well and misses very few

mistakes, all while showing a feel for using the entire field despite an approach that borders on

being pull-oriented.

What's more, Hays has been successful against left-handed (.411/.455/.715) and right-handed

pitching (.296/.329/.544) alike this season, and both his strikeout and walk rates went virtually

unchanged with the midseason move up to Double-A.

All of those factors led scouts to peg the Florida native as a future above-average hitter in the big

leagues capable of hitting 20-plus homers.

Defensively, Hays has the requisite above-average speed, instincts and range needed for center

field as well as the plus arm strength for right -- a position he had played increasingly in recent

weeks with Bowie.

While it's yet to be seen how much playing time Hays receives in September, the Orioles, who

began Tuesday 1 1/2 games back in the American League Wild Card race, clearly believe that

their roster is better off with his potent bat and defensive versatility.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/252517892/2017-roberto-clemente-award-nominees/

30 Clemente Award nominees revealed

By Mark Newman / MLB.com

September 5, 2017

It was 45 years ago this month when Roberto Clemente doubled to the wall for his 3,000th and

final career hit -- three months before the plane crash that took his life as he tried to deliver relief

supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

"I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give," Clemente once said.

Today the legend of Puerto Rico's favorite son is stronger than ever, and the annual Roberto

Clemente Award has become "baseball's most prestigious award," according to Commissioner

Rob Manfred.

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball revealed the 30 club nominees for the 2017 honor, which

goes to a player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary

character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the

field.

American League nominees are Chris Davis of Baltimore, Rick Porcello of Boston, Jose

Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, Carlos Carrasco of Cleveland, Miguel Cabrera of Detroit, Jose

Altuve of Houston, Drew Butera of Kansas City, Cameron Maybin of the Los Angeles Angels

(since acquired by Houston), Joe Mauer of Minnesota, Brett Gardner of the New York Yankees,

Liam Hendriks of Oakland, Robinson Cano of Seattle, Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay, Cole

Hamels of Texas, and Marcus Stroman of Toronto.

National League nominees are Paul Goldschmidt of Arizona, Jason Motte of Atlanta, Anthony

Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs, Scooter Gennett of Cincinnati, Ian Desmond of Colorado, Justin

Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dee Gordon of Miami, Matt Garza of Milwaukee, T.J.

Rivera of the New York Mets, Cameron Rupp of Philadelphia, Josh Harrison of Pittsburgh,

Adam Wainwright of St. Louis, Hunter Renfroe of San Diego, Buster Posey of San Francisco

and Ryan Zimmerman of Washington.

The list of nominees features Major Leaguers whose work in the community focuses on

important issues ranging from awareness and fundraising of childhood cancer and other illnesses,

education, outreach to underserved children and communities in the U.S. and abroad, care for

veterans and more.

"This award represents everything Roberto stood for as a 'good Samaritan,'" said MLB goodwill

ambassador Vera Clemente, Roberto's wife. "Through the Roberto Clemente Award, today's

players are recognized for these same qualities."

Each club nominates one current player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award in

tribute to Clemente's achievements and character. Wednesday marks the 16th annual Roberto

Clemente Day, which was established by MLB to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially

acknowledge local club nominees of the award in his honor.

Clubs playing at home on Wednesday will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto

Clemente Day ceremonies. Visiting clubs will honor their nominees on a subsequent homestand.

As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases

and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.

There are seven 2017 All-Stars among the nominees: Goldschmidt, Altuve, Turner, Harrison,

Posey, Cano and Zimmerman.

The Roberto Clemente Award winner will be selected among the group of nominees via a blue-

ribbon panel that includes individuals connected to the game, including Manfred, representatives

from MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS) and MLB

Advanced Media, as well as Vera Clemente.

Fans will be able to vote from Oct. 2-6 for the overall Roberto Clemente Award winner. The

voting page will feature bios of each of the nominees and will allow fans to easily vote by

clicking on the respective nominee's name. The winner of the fan balloting will count as one vote

among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel. Additional information about fan voting will be

shared via MLB.com and MLB social media channels.

Maybin remains the Angels' nominee despite changing teams via waivers on Aug. 31. The

Angels notified MLB after the transaction that they wanted him to retain the honor. In fact,

Maybin will be returning as an Astro to Anaheim in mid-September, when the Angels were

already planning to honor him.

Last year's recipient was Dodgers outfielder Curtis Granderson. He was like other recipients who

say at each presentation that it is the most important honor of their careers, on or off the field.

"This is all part of just trying to do the legacy, like Ms. Clemente said, trying to do better each

day, making it better for the next group to come up behind you," Granderson said.

Willie Mays won the first of these honors in 1971 when it was known as the Commissioner's

Award, to recognize players for their philanthropic work, and he is among 16 Hall of Famers

who have been recipients of the honor. After 1972, the award was dedicated in Clemente's name.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/orioles-lineup-vs-yankees-38.html

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 6, 2017

Seth Smith is in right field tonight and Caleb Joseph is behind the plate as the Orioles and

Yankees attempt to conclude their series at rainy Camden Yards.

Manny Machado leads the majors with three walk-off home runs, all of them since Aug. 18.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he’s tied the franchise single-season record shared by

Eddie Murray in 1978, Fred Lynn in 1985 and Rafael Palmeiro in 1998.

Also from Elias, Machado hit the Orioles’ first walk-off home run against the Yankees since

Nate McLouth off Vidal Nuno on May 21, 2013.

Jonathan Schoop has tied his career high with 64 extra-base hits.

Mark Trumbo is batting .344 (11-for-32) during a seven-game hitting streak.

Trey Mancini leads all rookies with 40 multi-hit games.

The Orioles trail the Angels by one game for the second wild card.

Double-A Bowie’s Garabez Rosa, 27, has been named the Eastern League’s Most Valuable

Player.

Rosa led the league in average (.310), hits (162) and RBIs (91). He was second in total bases

(232) and tied for second in runs scored (75). He played six different positions, including all

three outfield spots.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Rosa is the franchise’s all-time leader in games (590), hits

(650), RBIs (306), runs scored (273) and doubles (107).

Rosa is the third player in Baysox history to be named Eastern League MVP, following Calvin

Pickering (1998) and Lou Montanez (2008).

On this date in 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game to break Lou

Gehrig’s record. Exactly one year later, Eddie Murray hit his 500th career home run.

For the Orioles:

Tim Beckham SS

Manny Machado 3B

Jonathan Schoop 2B

Adam Jones CF

Trey Mancini LF

Chris Davis 1B

Mark Trumbo DH

Seth Smith RF

Caleb Joseph C

Kevin Gausman RHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/orioles-to-open-2018-season-at-home-vs-

twins.html

Orioles to open 2018 season at home vs. Twins

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 6, 2017

The 2018 schedule will be released later this month, as usual. It’s never too early to glance ahead

in the middle of a playoff push. Also as usual.

The particulars are scarce, but the Orioles will open at home against the Twins. That much has

been confirmed.

The Orioles are paired up with the National League East in interleague play.

The schedule includes home series against the Phillies, Mets and Marlins. There’s also the usual

home-and-home series against the Nationals.

The road portion of the interleague schedule also sends the Orioles to Philadelphia, New York

and Atlanta.

The entire 2018 slate could be announced as early as next week.

The Orioles also opened the 2012 and 2016 seasons against the Twins at Camden Yards. They

hosted the Twins in 2013 after opening against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

* A scout from outside the Orioles organization tracked Austin Haysat Single-A Frederick and

Double-A Bowie and said the young outfielder might be the best player he saw this summer.

Hays vaulted up the prospect rankings. Every indication is that the kid is legit, though we’re

talking about a 2016 draft pick who was in short-season Single-A Aberdeen last summer. Let’s

not pile too much pressure and too many expectations on him.

OK, too late.

Hays has a real shot at breaking camp with the team next spring, which would have required his

move to the 40-man roster. The Orioles just started his service clock a little earlier.

It must not have been an easy decision. They seemed to be leaning toward keeping him with

Bowie, but that was before Craig Gentry sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right middle

finger.

Hays hit .432/.488/.730 against left-handers this summer with the Baysox. He hit .390/.422/.701

against them with Frederick.

“Gentry’s injury created a need that we weren’t anticipating,” said executive vice president Dan

Duquette. “But Austin Hays, to his credit, made a lot of progress. He progressed very quickly.

He was a kid who was in the draft last year and he’s hit .330 since he got into pro ball. His on-

base is close to .400, slugging’s over .500 and he’s done very, very well against left-handed

pitching.

“He can help.”

I’m sure the Orioles are sympathetic toward the Baysox, who are losing Hays before the Eastern

League playoffs. But the major league club’s needs always come first.

“Austin Hays has had a great year and he’s got all the tools,” Duquette said. “He distinguished

himself in the Carolina League and made the All-Star team and then we moved him to Double-A

and it seemed to be a seamless adjustment for him.”

Hays appeared in 64 games with Frederick and batted .328/.364/.592 with 15 doubles, three

triples, 16 home runs and 41 RBIs. He played in 64 games with Bowie and hit .330/.367/.594

with 17 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. There’s accepting a challenge and

there’s devouring it.

“He runs good, throws good, he can hit, he can field and he’s got power to all fields, so he has all

the tools,” Duquette said. “He’s got an opportunity to contribute to our club and also be a

significant part of next year’s ballclub.”

* Sonny Gray is making his seventh start with the Yankees. He’s 2-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 37

innings since the Athletics traded him.

Gray posted a 4.00 ERA and 1.208 WHIP in 13 starts in the first half and a 2.44 ERA and 1.102

WHIP in nine start after the break.

The Orioles have faced Gray four times in his career and he’s gone 1-3 with a 5.57 ERA and

1.476 WHIP in 21 innings. He’s allowed 13 earned runs (17 total) and 21 hits in 21 innings.

Three of those starts came at Camden Yards, where Gray is 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.884

WHIP in 14 1/3 innings.

Tim Beckham is 4-for-8 with a double and home run.

Kevin Gausman is 1-1 with an 8.38 ERA and 2.483 WHIP in four starts against the Yankees this

season. He’s allowed 18 earned runs (19 total) and 32 hits with 16 walks and 11 strikeouts over

19 1/3 innings. But those starts were made within the first three months, the last coming on June

11 when he gave up seven runs and eight hits and walked six batters in 3 1/3 innings. He’s 5-2

with a 3.12 ERA in 10 starts since the break.

Gausman is 7-4 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.313 WHIP in 21 career games (15 starts) against the

Yankees over 99 innings. There have been much better stretches than the one he endured earlier

this year.

Starlin Castro is 10-for-25 (.400) with two doubles lifetime against Gausman. Brett Gardner is

13-for-40 (.325) with two doubles and a home run and Aaron Judge is 5-for-11 (.455) with a

double and two home runs.

Jacoby Ellsbury is 7-for-37 (.189) and Didi Gregorius is 6-for-28 (.214).

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/orioles-dfa-aquino-showalter-talks-about-

hardy.html

Orioles DFA Aquino, Showalter talks about Hardy (O’s win

7-6)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

The Orioles selected outfielder Austin Hays’ contract from Double-A Bowie today and

designated left-hander Jayson Aquino for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Hays will wear No. 18.

Aquino went 1-2 with a 7.43 ERA in four games (two starts) with the Orioles. He was 3-10 with

a 4.24 ERA in 21 starts with Triple-A Norfolk.

In case you missed it, here’s what I wrote earlier today about Hays’ promotion.

Meanwhile, the Orioles’ grounds crew unrolled the tarp around 5 p.m. today in anticipation of

another storm at Camden Yards.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy worked out on the field again this afternoon, returning to his locker soaked

in sweat and in need of a towel.

A roster spot continues to elude him.

The Orioles are waiting to activate Hardy from the 60-day disabled list. He said earlier today that

his elbow has improved after he received a cortisone injection on Friday. He’s been building up

the strength in his shoulder.

“Getting a little better,” said manager Buck Showalter, providing the latest Hardy update. “It

looks like we’re going to wait for the elbow to get a little better with swinging a bat for the time

being.

“Anxious to get him back because, one, just getting Hardy back is big for our club. Just to have

that option on the bench, because we really don’t have a whole lot right now, versatile speaking.”

The Orioles have another game against the Yankees on Wednesday and are off Thursday before

starting a weekend series in Cleveland.

“It could be as late as Friday,” Showalter said.

Hardy is batting .211/.248/.308 with 11 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 21 RBIs in 64

games. He hasn’t played since a pitch from the Cardinals’ Lance Lynn slammed into his right

wrist on June 18 and caused a nondisplaced fracture. Hardy went 2-for-4 with two doubles and

three RBIs the previous day.

The Orioles aren’t expected to pick up Hardy’s $14 million option for 2018, making him a free

agent. He didn’t accumulate enough plate appearances the past two seasons for the option to

vest.

Hardy came to the Orioles in a Dec. 2010 trade with the Twins, four months after Showalter took

over as manager. He’s won three Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger Award and made the 2013

All-Star team in the American League.

“To see him become a husband, a father, just all the things,” Showalter said. “I think we’ve had a

stage here for the rest of baseball to see how good he was and is. He’s not through. J.J.’s going to

play against next year. A lot of decisions down the road about all that. We have an option, I

believe. So, see how it all shakes out, but he’s just been so dependable, trustworthy, smart, great

resource for me to bounce things off. Has a great feel for not sharing anything. I don’t want

anything private about the players or whatever, so they can have confidence in talking to him

about things that might be bothering him.

“J.J.’s just a great resource for Jonathan (Schoop) and Manny (Machado). It’s like, I don’t want

to say Uncle J.J., but it’s like a guy they trust. And J.J. has no agenda when he talks to them. It’s

nothing personal. And also give you some tough love. If you don’t want to know truth, don’t talk

to him. And he’s been a really good player, OK? And I like the fact that baseball got to see how

good he is.

“He does things physically and mentally that other people can’t do. And I can tell you, he has a

way of making really hard plays look routine. He doesn’t have to show ... His substance is his

style. I’ll see somebody catch a ball and spin and flip and all this other stuff. And J.J. will take it,

show it to them. And he’ll also tell them, ‘What did you gain by making the play that way? You

made it harder for your teammate.’ The simplicity and substance of him actually to me was very

stylish. There’s so much substance that became his own style.

“I like talking about him.”

Single-A Frederick third baseman Jomar Reyes has been chosen as the Carolina League’s Player

of the Week.

Reyes, 20, batted .357/.379/.679 (10-for-28) with one double, one triple, two home runs, seven

RBIs and four runs scored in seven games.

In 50 games with the Keys this year, Reyes crafted a .302/.333/.434 slash line with 10 doubles,

one triple, four home runs, 21 RBIs and 28 runs scored. He was limited to 50 games due to a

broken finger that sidelined him from April 29-Aug. 4.

On this date in 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,130th consecutive game to tie Lou Gehrig’s

record.

Update: Trey Mancini’s infield hit with two outs in the first inning scored Jonathan Schoop and

gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead against CC Sabathia, who threw 26 pitches.

Update II: The Yankees scored six runs in the third inning, three of them earned due to a dropped

fly ball by Adam Jones, and took a 6-1 lead. They sent 10 batters to the plate.

Jeremy Hellickson was charged with five runs (three earned) and two hits in 2 1/3 innings. He

walked four batters and hit one.

Manny Machado led off the bottom of the third with his 31st home run to reduce the lead to 6-2.

Update III: Schoop homered into the Yankees’ bullpen with two outs in the fifth to reduce the

lead to 6-3. He also tied Machado again for the team lead.

Update IV: Mark Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the sixth to shave the lead to 6-5. Sabathia is

out of the game.

Trumbo has 200 career home runs.

Update V: Tim Beckham walked with two outs in the ninth and Machado hit a two-run homer

off Dellin Betances to give the Orioles a 7-6 win. Machado reclaims the team lead with 32.

Machado has three walk-off home runs this season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/orioles-adding-austin-hays-to-expanded-

roster.html

Orioles adding Austin Hays to expanded roster

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

The Orioles won’t wait to start outfielder Austin Hays’ service clock.

Hays is headed to Camden Yards to join the Orioles, according to multiple sources. They’ll need

to place him on the 40-man roster.

The organization figures to choose Hays as its minor league Player of the Year after he batted a

combined .329/.365/.593 with 32 doubles, five triples, 32 home runs and 95 RBIs in 128 games.

Hays appeared in 64 games with Single-A Frederick and batted .328/.364/.592 with 15 doubles,

three triples, 16 home runs and 41 RBIs. He also played in 64 games with Double-A Bowie and

hit .330/.367/.594 with 17 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs.

The Baysox qualified for the Eastern League playoffs, but the Orioles are bringing Hays to

Baltimore. He could be placed on the roster later tonight or Wednesday.

Hays had to leave a July 23 game in Bowie after fouling a ball off his face and opening a cut

above his eye, the only mishap for the outfielder.

The Orioles selected Hays, 22, in the third round of the 2016 draft out of Jacksonville University.

He appeared in 38 games with short-season Single-A Aberdeen and batted .336/.386/.514 with

nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and 21 RBIs.

With Craig Gentry on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured right middle finger, Hays gives

the Orioles an extra outfielder as they attempt to secure a playoff spot.

A player will need to come off the 40-man roster to accommodate Hays.

Hays is one of five finalists for Baseball America’s national minor league Player of the Year.

The winner will be announced on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Orioles don’t intend to activate shortstop J.J. Hardy from the disabled list today.

For the Yankees:

Brett Gardner LF

Aaron Judge RF

Starlin Castro 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

Matt Holliday DH

Greg Bird 1B

Todd Frazier 3B

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Austin Romine C

CC Sabathia LHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/orioles-lineup-vs-yankees-37.html

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

With the Orioles facing another left-hander tonight, Yankees veteran C.C. Sabathia, they’re

starting Joey Rickard in right field and Trey Mancini in left and using Mark Trumbo as their

designated hitter.

Pedro Álvarez will have to wait.

Tim Beckham remains the leadoff hitter and shortstop. No word on J.J. Hardy being removed

from the 60-day disabled list.

Welington Castillo is catching. He’s hit three home runs in the last two days.

For the Orioles:

Tim Beckham SS

Manny Machado 3B

Jonathan Schoop 2B

Adam Jones CF

Trey Mancini LF

Mark Trumbo DH

Chris Davis 1B

Welington Castillo C

Joey Rickard RF

Jeremy Hellickson RHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/09/orioles-outright-wilson-and-verrett.html

Orioles outright Wilson and Verrett

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

Pitchers Tyler Wilson and Logan Verrett have cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A

Norfolk. The Orioles announced the moves earlier today.

The Orioles designated Verrett and Wilson for assignment on Friday, the same day that they

purchased reliever Richard Rodríguez’s contract from Norfolk.

Verrett went 2-6 with a 5.10 ERA in 40 games with Norfolk, including two starts. He won both

decisions with the Orioles while posting a 4.22 ERA in four appearances over 10 2/3 innings.

Wilson, a 10th-round pick in 2011 out of the University of Virginia, is 7-8 with a 4.74 ERA in 20

starts for Norfolk. He’s 2-2 with a 7.04 ERA in nine games (one start) for the Orioles this season

and 8-10 with a 5.02 ERA in 42 major league games (19 starts).

First baseman Chris Davis is the Orioles’ nominee for the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award

The Orioles named Single-A Delmarva left-hander Alex Wells their minor league Pitcher of the

Year. Wells was 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10 walks and 113 strikeouts in 140 innings.

He didn’t issue a walk in his last 68 innings.

The rest of the organization’s awards will be announced later in the homestand.

Triple-A Norfolk infielder Luis Sardiñas, 24, was named the International League’s Batter of the

Week. He went 13-for-26 with a double, triple and three home runs in eight games to raise his

season average to .319.

Sardiñas batted .375 (66-176) with four doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs over the last 50

games. He posted a .415 on-base percentage.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/09/bowies-garabez-rosa-named-eastern-

league-mvp.html

Bowie’s Garabez Rosa named Eastern League MVP

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

After a season where he led the league in batting and RBIs, Double-A Bowie’s Garabez Rosa has

been named the MVP of the Eastern League for 2017.

Rosa topped all hitters in batting average (.310), hits (162) and RBIs (91). The 162 hits are the

second highest single-season total in franchise history and the 91 RBIs are tied for seventh most

all-time. He also finished second in in the Eastern League in total bases (232) and tied for second

in runs scored (75). He hit 14 home runs.

The 27-year-old is the third player in Baysox history to be named Eastern League MVP,

following Calvin Pickering (1998) and Lou Montanez (2008).

The Cotui, Dominican Republic native had three hitting streaks of 10 games or more and hit .363

with runners in scoring position.

Rosa played six different positions (1B, 2B, 3B, LF, CF, RF) for manager Gary Kendall’s club

this season and is the franchise’s all-time leader in games (590), hits (650), RBIs (306), runs

scored (273) and doubles (107). He played his 500th game as a Baysox on May 14 versus

Richmond and was selected to play in the 2017 Eastern League All-Star game earlier this year.

The Double-A playoffs are scheduled to start tonight with Bowie hosting Altoona in Game 1 of a

best-of-five series. Rosa was on Bowie’s 2015 Eastern League championship team. He was the

MVP of the Eastern League championship series and hit two home runs in Bowie’s Game 5 win

over Reading when the Baysox won the title.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/09/more-on-machados-heroics-plus-hays-on-

his-power.html

More on Machado’s heroics, plus Hays on his power

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

September 6, 2017

New York Yankees right-hander Dellin Betances has allowed three homers in 52 2/3 innings this

year and two of them have come the past two nights against the Orioles.

Betances made two big mistakes in the ninth last night. First, he walked Tim Beckham to

give Manny Machado a chance. And he left a breaking ball up in the zone that Machado could

mash. He did. It was a walk-off two-run home run in the last of the ninth as the Orioles, once

down 6-1, beat the Yankees 7-6.

Machado has three walk-off homers this year and all have come since Aug. 18. He has hit nine

homers over his last 18 games, had two on the night and now has 32 for the year. He’s done

some special things in recent weeks, this was just the latest among his greatest.

“I’m just looking for something up,” Machado said of hitting a 1-0 pitch 431 feet to walk it off.

“Something I can do damage with. You know I’m up in the count and just trying to look for a

good pitch that I could hit, that I could control. I hit it pretty good.”

Yeah, he did. Mark Trumbo, a veteran not prone to hyperbole, had some strong praise for

Machado’s latest huge home run.

“He’s on another level,” Trumbo said. “He’s a premier talent. This season is going to be one he

can use in the future to build off of. He’s proven to himself that even if he has a little bit of a

struggle, that talent is in there. It’s going to come out. It’s a character builder and he’s played

exceptionally.

“It’s my favorite (win) of the season, there’s no doubt. That’s a really good ballclub over there.

A ballclub that has played us real tough. CC (Sabathia) was doing a nice job and for a while

there. We didn’t have much momentum.

“Everyone went nuts. That is kind of what you’re hoping for and envision. Something big like

that. That was picture perfect.”

The Orioles lead the majors with 12 walk-off wins and six have come on homers. The Orioles

have hit 10 homers in the past three games and 66 in the last 31. They have 96 homers since the

All-Star break to lead the majors.

The win provided skipper Buck Showalter his 1,500th career managerial victory.

The wild card race remains wild. The Los Angeles Angels now hold the second wild card by a

half-game over Minnesota and one game over the Orioles. But there are six teams within three

games of the Angels. The Orioles are 71-68 with 23 games to go.

Hays talks homers: The Orioles called up outfielder prospect Austin Hays on Tuesday. At just

22, he is in the majors. This was just his first full season in the minor leagues after being drafted

in round three (No. 91 overall) in June 2016 out of Jacksonville University.

In 128 games this year between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, Hays hit

.329/.365/.593 with 32 doubles, five triples, 32 homers, 81 runs, 95 RBIs and an OPS of .958. He

filled up the stat sheet and had as good a year as anyone in the minors on any team.

Hays’ 32 home runs are tied for second in all of minor league baseball. When Hays made his pro

debut last year, he hit just four homers in 38 games for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. At that

point, we could not have projected he’d hit 32 this year.

But in a recent interview, Hays explained to me that there is one key reason for his power display

this year. Not long after he was drafted last June, several O’s hitting coaches noticed he was not

properly tapping into his power potential.

“In college, I would jump at the ball and allow my hands to drift forward with my body,” Hays

explained. “This season I’ve done a really good job of keeping my hands back, so I get those

extra couple of inches of momentum and force and power into my swing. And I’m doing that

more consistently now than ever.

“I started to understand that these couple of inches are making a big difference in being able to

use center field and right center instead of just yanking everything to left. This gave me a lot

more power than I had before. In baseball, the tiniest thing can mean everything.”

Yep, a couple of inches with the placement of his hands meant many more feet of distance when

he would drive a ball this year. Now Hays is an Oriole. He is also among a group of five finalists

for Baseball America’s minor league Player of the Year award. The winner will be announced

Friday.

By the way, here is an interesting comparison. Machado reached the majors from Bowie in 2012

after playing 222 minor league games and getting 832 at-bats. Hays is in the majors after playing

in 166 games and getting 663 minor league at-bats.

The playoffs start tonight on the farm: The Bowie Baysox and Frederick Keys begin the playoffs

tonight. Four teams make the postseason in each league with two best-of-five series to determine

a league champion.

Bowie hosts Altoona the next two nights at Prince George’s Stadium before the series moves to

Altoona for the remaining games.

Right-hander David Hess (11-9, 3.85) starts Game 1 for the Baysox. He has gone 3-2 with a 2.25

ERA in six starts in August. The Baysox are expected to start lefty Tanner Scott (0-2, 2.22 ERA)

in Game 2 and right-hander Lucas Long (9-6, 2.95 ERA) in Game 3.

Frederick hosts Lynchburg the next two nights in the Carolina League playoffs. Right-

hander Cristian Alvarado (7-9, 5.00 ERA) will start tonight for the Keys.

The last two championships by O’s affiliates were won by Frederick in 2011 and Bowie in 2015.

For playoff ticket information, go to Baysox.com and FrederickKeys.com.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/09/os-game-blog-notes-on-austin-hays-alex-

wells-and-more.html

O’s game blog: Notes on Austin Hays, Alex Wells and more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

Tonight’s Orioles-Yankees game will not start on time. As of about 6:40 p.m. it was raining

steadily at Oriole Park and the tarp is on the field. No start time was announced and we’ll keep

you posted when we hear any updates.

Earlier today, the Orioles announced that Single-A Delmarva lefty Alex Wells has been named

their minor league Pitcher of the Year, winning the Jim Palmer Award.

The 20-year left-hander from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia finished 11-5 with a 2.38

ERA for the Shorebirds. He led the South Atlantic League in ERA and WHIP at 0.91 and

finished tied for second in wins. Wells walked just 10 batters all year and fanned 113 in 140

innings. In addition to going those last 68 innings since June 25 without a walk, he walked just

two batters his last 17 starts and 98 1/3 innings. He had 17 quality starts.

At a press box press conference to discuss the honor, O’s executive vice president Dan Duquette

talked about Wells, his season and his remarkable control.

“Alex had an excellent year for Delmarva,” Duquette said. “Outstanding control. No walks for

his last 68 innings and if pitching is about throwing strikes, Alex threw more strikes than any

other pitcher in our organization this year. He put it all together. He’s got a very good curveball

to go with that. Good intelligence, excellent instincts and we hope he has a long career with the

Orioles.

“With that kind of control, throwing that many strikes and with his intelligence and his excellent

curveball, he’s got a chance to have a good future very quickly. He has elite control and he has

an elite curveball.”

Wells was thrilled to join the list of previous winners that includes Zach Britton, Dylan

Bundyand the last two years it was Mychal Givens and Oliver Drake (2015 co-winners)

and Donnie Hart, who won last season.

“It is definitely an honor to be along those guys. Hopefully I can have the success they are

having in the big leagues,” the 20-year-old Wells said.

Well was asked the obvious question - how did he develop such great control and command?

“Just preparation in between starts in the bullpen,” he said. “I feel like that is where I have the

most success - getting ready for games. Plus working on my throwing program and making sure

I’m ready before each start.

“I’ve tried to have as much control as I can. Commanding both sides of the plate, in and out and I

feel like this is the way I’ll be known as a pitcher - just commanding the ball. I’m not going to be

able to blow guys away unless I get a jump in velo (which currently tops at 91 mph per reports).

So having that command is going to help me succeed.”

Wells also had some praise for the help he got from Justin Lord, his pitching coach last year at

short season Single-A Aberdeen and this season with the Shorebirds.

Hays to Baltimore: Double-A Bowie outfielder Austin Hays has joined the Orioles roster. That

was first reported today by MASNSports.com.

The 22-year-old Hays, who is one of five finalists for Baseball America’s national Player of the

Year award, has had a fantastic season between Single-A Frederick and Bowie.

In 128 games, he’s hit .329/.365/.593 with 32 doubles, five triples, 32 homers, 81 runs, 95 RBIs

and with an OPS of .958. A third-round pick out of Jacksonville University in 2016, this is Hays’

first full year in the minors.

Hays has shown the ability to hit for both average and power this year.

“I feel like I have a good combination of size and speed,” he told me earlier this summer. “So I

have quick hands and I can generate power with that quickness, but also I have good bat control

and that kind of plays for the average side, too.”

Hays is known as a high-intensity, high-energy player.

“He runs everything out,” Bowie manager Gary Kendall said. “Everyone should do it, but this

guy hits a popup to the infield and he’s almost on second when it gets caught. That is great to

see. He leaves it on the field. He provides a lot of energy to our lineup.”

Said Orioles’ director of player development Brian Graham: “What is special about Hays is the

fact that he not only is producing on offense - hitting for average, having good ABs - but he is

also a plus defender. You don’t often find a guy that has plus tools as a runner, as a thrower, a

defender and as a hitter with power,” Graham said.

“He makes adjustments well and he’s very open to suggestions,” Kendall added. “He’s been kind

of a wrecking force for us in the middle of the lineup. But he has both a willingness and the

ability to make adjustments.”

Reyes gets CL honor: Frederick Keys third baseman Jomar Reyes has been named the Carolina

League Player of the Week for Aug. 28-Sept. 4. It is the eighth time a Frederick player has

claimed a weekly accolade this year, while it is the first time Reyes has won a weekly award as a

professional.

Over seven games, Reyes, 20, batted .357/.379/.679 (10-for-28) with two homers, seven RBIs,

one triple, one double and four runs scored. He finished the regular season on a nine-game

hitting streak, batting .343 (12-for-35) to go with two homers and seven RBIs.

Tonight’s game: After losing 7-4 Monday, the Orioles host the Yankees tonight in the second

game of this series, weather permitting. The Orioles (70-68) are 1 ½ games out for the second

AL wild card spot, back of Minnesota.

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (2-3, 6.55 ERA) is scheduled to make his seventh O’s start. He

allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 Thursday versus Toronto. Over his past four starts he has pitched 21

1/3 innings allowing 24 hits, 22 earned runs and eight homers.

Lefty CC Sabathia (11-5, 3.71 ERA) starts for New York. He gave up one run in six innings on

Thursday against Boston. In two April starts versus the Orioles he gave up 10 runs (nine earned)

over 11 2/3. In 40 career starts against the Orioles he is 19-10 with an ERA of 3.47.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/09/chris-davis-on-nomination-for-the-robert-

clemente-award.html

Chris Davis on nomination for the Robert Clemente Award

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

The Orioles’ Chris Davis is the club’s 2017 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente

Award, the most prominent individual player award bestowed by MLB. The Roberto Clemente

Award is the annual recognition of a player from each club who best represents the game of

baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive

contributions, both on and off the field.

“It is definitely an honor,” Davis said this afternoon. “For as long as I can remember it’s been

Adam (Jones as O’s nominee). It’s such a great honor. It is something that you as a person, and a

player, who is obviously in the spotlight most of the time, it is pretty much our responsibility to

give back to the community and do everything we can.”

Each club nominates one player to be considered for the award in tribute to Clemente’s

achievements and character. The sixteenth annual Roberto Clemente Day will take place

tomorrow, Sept. 6.

Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Orioles will present Davis with the Clemente Award during an

on-field ceremony. Davis earned the distinction due to his family’s ongoing work with many

charities in and around the Baltimore community, including the University of Maryland

Children’s Hospital, Casey Cares, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc. (BARCS),

Christian Youth Athletics, and the OriolesREACH Gameday Experience Program. This is his

first time earning the nomination.

“Once you start getting involved with organizations and people in the city, you really develop a

heart for them and some relationships that will hopefully last a lifetime,” Davis said. My wife

and I have really enjoyed our time with Casey Cares, with the hospital and with a number of

organizations around the city. It’s nice to be recognized.”

Davis was asked what is the best aspect of his community work:

“Just getting to know the kids and their families and the people in the city of Baltimore,” he said.

I grew up in Texas but feel like I’m a pretty big part of this city. Just getting to know the people

and where they’re from and what they’ve been through. Some are not any different from you but

they were dealt a bad hand. They always seem to be a lot more optimistic and positive than I am

and that’s refreshing.”

On another topic, the news was first reported by MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko that Double-

A Bowie outfielder Austin Hays is making the jump from the Eastern League to the American

League and will be joining the Orioles. Click here for a recent profile I wrote on Hays and how

he was underrated nationally. Well that has changed too. Hays today was announced as one of

five finalists for Baseball America’s Player of the Year award in the minors. The winner will be

announced Friday. But first Hays gets a call to the show.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/09/delmarva-lhp-alex-wells-named-os-minor-

league-pitcher-of-year.html

Delmarva’s Alex Wells named O’s minor league Pitcher of

Year

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

September 5, 2017

After a year in which he led the South Atlantic League in ERA and didn’t walk a batter over his

last 68 innings, Single-A Delmarva’s Alex Wells has been named the Orioles minor league

Pitcher of the Year. He wins the Jim Palmer Award.

The 20-year left-hander from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia finished 11-5 with a 2.38

ERA for the Shorebirds. He also led the South Atlantic League in WHIP at 0.91 and finished tied

for second in wins. Wells walked just 10 batters all year and fanned 113 in 140 innings. In

addition to going those last 68 innings since June 25 without a walk, he walked just two batters

his last 17 starts and 98 1/3 innings.

Wells posted a career high in strikeouts and he recorded 17 quality starts in 25 games. In 11

starts at home, he went 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA, three walks and 52 strikeouts in 67 innings. His 10

walks are the fewest in all of minor league baseball (minimum 110.0 innings pitched). He held

right-handed batters to a .215 average and lefty batters hit .237 (40-for-169)

He had a streak of 36 consecutive scoreless innings from June 30 to July 30. In five starts in July,

Wells did not allow a run or a walk, going 3-0 with 26 strikeouts in 31 innings. He was selected

as both the South Atlantic League Player of the Month and the Orioles minor league Pitcher of

the Month for July. He was also named a South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star with the

Shorebirds.

Wells throws his fastball between 87 and 91 mph and also features a curve and changeup. His

ability to consistently repeat his delivery and release point gives him great control and command.

The Orioles signed him for $300,000 as an international amateur in August 2015.

Wells will be presented with his award tonight during a pregame ceremony with Orioles director

of player development Brian Graham and Orioles director of Pacific Rim operations and baseball

development Mike Snyder.

Recipients of the remaining player development and scouting awards for 2017, including the

Brooks Robinson minor league Player of the Year, the Elrod Hendricks minor league

Community Service Award, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award, and the Jim Russo

Scout of the Year Award will be announced during the club’s final homestand.

Hays is a finalist: Double-A Bowie outfielder Austin Hays is one of five finalists for Baseball

America’s national minor league Player of the Year award. The winner will be announced

Friday.

In 128 games between Single-A Frederick and Bowie, Hays hit .329/.365/.593 with 32 doubles,

five triples, 32 homers, 81 runs, 95 RBIs and an OPS of .958.

The other four finalists are Ron Acuna from Atlanta, Toronto’s Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero

and Jon Duplantier of Arizona.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/09/06/orioles-bring-top-prospect-outfielder-austin-hays-

to-the-majors

Orioles Bring Top Prospect Outfielder Austin Hays To The

Majors

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

September 6, 2017

BALTIMORE -- About an hour before the scheduled start of the Orioles' game Sept. 5, the team

made an announcement that many fans were eager to hear.

The Orioles were bringing 22-year-old outfielder Austin Hays to the major leagues.

Hays, who was the team's third-round draft choice in 2016 and is the favorite to be named the

Orioles' Minor League Player of the Year, becomes not only the first member of his draft class to

make it to the majors, but he also got there before all the Orioles' draftees from 2014 and 2015.

"Austin Hays has distinguished himself with his play in all areas since being drafted 100th in the

2016 draft," executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said. "He has all the

tools you look for in an everyday major league ballplayer, and he has grit. … Hays can hit for

power and is especially effective versus left-handed pitchers."

Hays did not play during the Orioles' 7-6 win against the New York Yankees Sept. 5.

After attending Jacksonville University, Hays hit .336 with four home runs and 21 RBIs with the

short-season Class-A Aberdeen IronBirds in 2016.

This year, Hays played 128 games -- 64 for the Class-A Advanced Frederick Keys and 64 for

Double-A Bowie Baysox. He hit .329 with 32 home runs and 95 RBIs and played both center

and right field.

"He's special," Keys manager Keith Bodie said. "His ability to hit the fastball is what I like most

about him. He has average speed, but he has above-average instincts. You know exactly what

you are going to get from him. This guy plays the game hard."

Hays is expected to get time in right field for the Orioles with Craig Gentry on the 10-day

disabled list with a fractured right middle finger.

Joey Rickard has started the past three games in right. The Orioles also have Rule 5 draft choice

Anthony Santander, but he hasn't started a game since Aug. 19, the day after he was activated

from the 60-day disabled list.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Hays, the Orioles designated left-handed pitcher Jayson

Aquino for assignment.

Aquino was 1-2 with a 7.43 ERA in four games with the Orioles this season and was 3-10 with a

4.24 ERA for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

Moments before the Hays announcement was made, the Orioles had concluded a media session

with 20-year-old Australian left-hander Alex Wells, who was named the organization's Minor

League Pitcher of the Year.

Wells was 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds and walked just 10

batters in 140 innings -- none in his last 68 innings.

"I didn't really think about it that much," Wells said of the streak. "Try to forget about it and go

out and pitch my game."

Duquette said of Wells: "Good intelligence, excellent instincts, and I hope he has a long career

with the Orioles."

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES: Frederick third baseman Jomar Reyes was named the Carolina

League Player of the week. … Norfolk shortstop Luis Sardinas was named the International

League Hitter of the Week. … Right-handed pitchers Logan Verrett and Tyler Wilson cleared

waivers and were assigned outright to Norfolk.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/09/06/myriad-orioles-thoughts-machado-delivers-

utilizing-austin-hays-honoring-wells/

Myriad Orioles Thoughts: Machado delivers again; utilizing

Austin Hays; honoring Wells

By Paul Folkemer / BaltimoreBaseball.com

September 6, 2017

If there’s one thing that can be said for the unpredictable 2017 Orioles, it’s this: You can never

count them out until the last out is in the books.

The Orioles proved that again Tuesday night — actually, Wednesday morning — when Manny

Machado, with the Orioles down to their final out, clubbed a game-ending, two-run homer off

New York Yankees closer Dellin Betances.

Those brave souls who stuck around until 12:53 in the morning (after a two-hour, 14-minute rain

delay pushed back the start of the game) were rewarded by witnessing the Orioles’ MLB-leading

12th walkoff win — in a game the club once trailed, 6-1.

The game-winning blast was the second of the day for Machado, who recently won American

League Player of the Month honors for August after batting .341 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs.

After slumping throughout the first half this season, Machado has returned to his MVP-caliber

play since the All-Star break. His latest heroics, combined with the Minnesota Twins’ loss earlier

in the night, pulled the Orioles within half a game of the second American League Wild Card

spot.

“Manny, he’s been really dialing up what we need in a time of need,” manager Buck Showalter

said. “Manny’s got a chance to have a great career, and he’s off to a really good start. It’s been

an honor to watch some really great players play at a very high level. It’s something that’s very

hard to do, that very few people can do. Manny has a chance to fit into that group.”

The last at-bat dramatics erased a long night of frustrations for the Orioles, who surrendered six

runs in a sloppy second inning. Jeremy Hellickson was the latest starting pitcher to throw a dud,

failing to make it out of the third inning. Five of the six batters he faced that inning reached base,

and all five ended up scoring during an ugly, six-run frame that also included an Adam Jones’

error.

Hellickson was pulled with one out in the third, marking the fifth time in the Orioles’ last seven

games that their starter has failed to complete five innings.

But as has happened countless times this season, the Orioles’ offense and bullpen overcame an

abbreviated effort from a starter. Six Orioles relievers combined to hold the Yankees to one

unearned run for the final 6 2/3 innings, while the offense powered back with four home runs to

chip away at the deficit, setting up the ninth-inning suspense.

“Some great innings pitched out of our bullpen tonight to hold them,” Showalter said. “That’s a

tough lineup to hold down. It’s a reminder of what these guys are made of. Whether it be the

pitchers, guys kept grinding, little by little, they kind of let us sneak back in there.”

Somehow, some way, the Orioles keep finding improbable ways to win. And their Tuesday

stunner against the Yankees might be their biggest victory of this season.

Austin Hays’ surprising promotion:

Tuesday’s biggest Orioles news happened off the field, as the club announced the promotion of

top outfield prospect Austin Hays to the majors.

Hays, who’s a lock to be named the Orioles’ minor league player of the year, has emerged as one

of the best prospects in baseball with his incredible 2017 season split between Single-A

Frederick and Double-A Bowie. In 128 games, he batted .329 with a .958 OPS, 32 home runs

and 95 RBIs.

Hays may be the most exciting prospect to debut for the Orioles since Manny Machado in 2012.

But the timing of his callup is surprising. The Baysox are set to begin their playoff series against

Altoona on Wednesday, and now they’ll be without their best player for the postseason.

That suggests, to me, that the Orioles plan on giving Hays plenty of opportunities to start games

in September, rather than just having him absorb the experience from the bench like fellow

prospect Chance Sisco, another recent callup. After all, why would the Orioles rush to pull Hays

from Bowie’s roster — and start his major league service clock so early — unless they thought

he could contribute to their own postseason chase?

And frankly, he probably can. Not all 22-year-old rookies can come to the majors and make an

immediate impact, but Hays is in a league of his own. He laid waste to the minors this season,

and he’s plenty capable of sparking for the Orioles down the stretch, similar to how Machado did

after his August 2012 promotion.

With Trey Mancini and Adam Jones firmly entrenched in left and center field, respectively,

Hays’ best shot to see action this month is in right field. Will Buck Showalter start Hays over

veteran Seth Smith against righties? Maybe not.

Hays, though, would certainly be an upgrade against left-handed pitchers ahead of Joey Rickard,

who has an unremarkable .283 average, .706 OPS and one home run versus southpaws this year.

Hays, by contrast, has torched lefty pitching for a .411 average and 1.170 OPS in the minors this

season, with 12 homers in 166 plate appearances.

Hays wasn’t in the lineup against Yankees lefty CC Sabathia on Tuesday. That’s understandable,

since his promotion wasn’t made official until an hour before the scheduled start time. But it’ll

be interesting to see how many starts Hays gets moving forward. The Orioles would be well

served to give him a legitimate chance.

Orioles honor control specialist Wells:

Hays wasn’t the only Orioles minor leaguer who had a memorable Tuesday. The Orioles named

Low-A Delmarva lefty Alex Wells as the 2017 Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Wells was 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA in 25 starts for the Shorebirds. He allowed three or fewer runs

in 22 of his 25 starts.

Wells, 20, isn’t known for a blazing fastball or gaudy strikeout numbers. No, his specialty is

throwing strikes — a ridiculous number of strikes. In 140 innings this season, Wells issued 10

walks. That’s not a typo.

Wells threw 68 consecutive innings without walking a batter to end his season, spanning his final

11 starts.

“Alex had an excellent year,” said executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette.

“Outstanding control. No walks in his last 68 innings. So he had [the equivalent of] seven

complete games plus five innings of the next game where he didn’t walk a guy. And if pitching

is about throwing strikes, Alex knows how to throw strikes, because he threw more strikes than

any other pitcher we had in our organization this year.

“He put it all together this year. He’s got a very good curveball to go along with that, good

intelligence, excellent instincts, and I hope he has a long career with the Orioles.”

Wells wasn’t ranked as one of the club’s preseason top 10 prospects by most publications. With

a fastball that tops out at 90-91 mph, he may never get a lot of praise from national prospect

rankings. Pitchers who don’t get a ton of swings and misses in the minors face uncertain futures

in the big leagues.

But all he’s done in his two-year professional career is succeed, first in Low-A Aberdeen in 2016

(4-3 with a 2.15 ERA in 13 starts) and now Delmarva.

Wells’ pinpoint control is his bread and butter. The Orioles’ major league staff, which has issued

the second-most walks in the AL (497 entering Tuesday), could learn a thing or two from Wells’

ability to keep the ball in the zone.

“I’ve tried to have as much control as I can, commanding both parts of the plate, in and out. And

I feel like that’s the way I’m going to be known as a pitcher, just commanding the ball,” Wells

said. “I’m not going to be able to blow guys away unless I get a jump in [velocity], so having

that command is going to help me succeed.”

Each of the last six pitchers to earn the Jim Palmer Award have made it to the majors with the

Orioles: Donnie Hart (2016 winner), Oliver Drake and Mychal Givens (2015), Tyler Wilson

(2014), Mike Wright (2013) and Dylan Bundy (2012).

“It’s definitely an honor to be along with those guys, and hopefully I can have the success that

they’re having right now in the big leagues, take after those guys and just keep doing what I’m

doing and having fun while I’m doing it,” Wells said.

The Orioles have taken a lot of heat — and deservedly so — for their often tepid effort in

international amateur scouting, but Wells, whom the club signed out of his native Australia in

2015, could be one signing who pays off.

“Mike Snyder, our Pacific Rim director, did a great job in identifying Alex, and Chris Reitsma,

our scout in Canada, saw him pitch in an international tournament,” Duquette said. “I think Alex

struck out seven out of the first ten Canadians that he faced that day. Good curveball. And then

we were fortunate to get him signed. So here he is, and he’s off to a great start in his career.”