Tillman gets a second chance in Kansas City

Tillman gets a second chance in Kansas City
Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman is making only his second career start tonight at Kauffman Stadium, the first coming three years ago. He can be forgiven for blocking out that memory. Tillman allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings, and his ERA ballooned to 7.16. Doubts remained whether he would become an established major leaguer. It was so long ago, Josh Rupe relieved him in the fourth and Melky Cabrera homered off Clay Rapada in the eighth. Tillman is making his ninth start of the...

What's right and wrong with roster

What's right and wrong with roster
The Orioles made another roster move yesterday, optioning Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk and recalling reliever Evan Meek. If you're catching a whiff of fumes, it's just the shuttle going back and forth again. The Orioles don't have a true long reliever again after optioning left-hander T.J. McFarland, but on any given night, manager Buck Showalter could call upon Meek or left-hander Troy Patton to go multiple innings. Maybe Tommy Hunter, as well, now that he's not closing. It might only...

Britton works the ninth for first career save

Britton works the ninth for first career save
Orioles relievers Tommy Hunter and Brian Matusz warmed in the Orioles bullpen in the bottom of the eighth inning tonight as Ryan Webb recorded the last two outs to preserve a 2-1 lead. Webb struck out Salvador Perez, Hunter and Matusz sat down, and the intrigue built. Zach Britton began to warm as the Orioles batted in the top of the ninth, and he entered the game in search of his first career save. None in the minors, none in the majors. The leash on Hunter wasn't as long as the one attached...

Orioles still struggling with RISP (Cruz homers again, Chen out of game)

Orioles still struggling with RISP (Cruz homers again, Chen out of game)
Nick Markakis snapped an 0-for-14 skid tonight with a leadoff single in the first inning off Royals starter Yordano Ventura. Time to start another hitting streak. That's one in a row. Manny Machado also singled in the first. He was 5-for-31 in his last eight games before tonight's game. Adam Jones bounced into a double play to kill that rally. Through May 1, the Orioles were batting .315 with runners in scoring position. In the 13 games dating back to May 2, including Jones' at-bat...

Orioles and Royals lineups

Orioles and Royals lineups
Ryan Flaherty gets the start at second base and David Lough returns to left field for the Orioles' series opener against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Nothing much to see here. A fairly predictable order. Just came down to the starter at second base. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Nelson Cruz DH Steve Clevenger C J.J. Hardy SS Ryan Flaherty 2B David Lough LF Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Royals Nori Aoki RF Eric Hosmer 1B Billy Butler...

Orioles option Gausman and recall Meek

Orioles option Gausman and recall Meek
The Orioles made another change to their pitching staff this afternoon in Kansas City, optioning Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk and recalling Evan Meek. Gausman started yesterday against the Tigers and retired the first seven batters he faced before allowing five runs and six hits in four innings with two walks, two strikeouts and a wild pitch. He threw 87 pitches, 10 more than his highest total with Norfolk. Gausman, 23, went 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts for the Tides before being...

Orioles hoping to contain Butler, figure out Ventura

Orioles hoping to contain Butler, figure out Ventura
The Orioles have lost four straight games, which makes Wei-Yin Chen their stopper tonight in the opener of a four-game series in Kansas City. Chen is 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three road starts this season and 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA in five career starts against the Royals. He allowed three earned runs over 7 1/3 innings in his only start at Kauffman Stadiium on July 24, 2013. Billy Butler is 8-for-15 with two doubles, a triple (a triple??), two homers and four RBIs against Chen, but the...

A closing argument

A closing argument
Are we still stressing over the closer situation or an offense that scored in only three innings during the three-game series against the Tigers? Maybe it's the rotation, which has produced only 13 quality starts in 38 games. Or Matt Wieters' elbow, which eventually could require ligament-reconstructive surgery. J.J. Hardy still hasn't hit a home run. Chris Davis has two. David Lough, once projected as the regular left fielder, is batting .176. Jonathan Schoop is batting .224. Ryan...

Showalter on Gausman, Verlander's pitch to Cruz and 7-5 loss

Showalter on Gausman, Verlander's pitch to Cruz and 7-5 loss
Orioles manager Buck Showalter confronted plate umpire John Tumpane this afternoon after both teams received warnings following a Justin Verlander pitch that sailed behind Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bud Norris was ejected Friday night after hitting Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter. Verlander wasn't tossed today, and Showalter sought an explanation. "I'm just trying to figure out the consistency of it," he said after the Orioles lost 7-5 at Camden Yards. "You get one...

Benches warned, Gausman done for day (Cruz homers, O's lose 7-5)

Benches warned, Gausman done for day (Cruz homers, O's lose 7-5)
Tigers starter Justin Verlander threw a fastball behind Orioles designated hitter Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the fourth inning, an apparent retaliation for Monday night's bench-clearing incident. Plate umpire John Tumpane warned both dugouts, bringing manager Buck Showalter onto the field for a brief discussion. Showalter most likely wondered why Verlander wasn't tossed and why the Orioles were warned. Verlander bounced a curveball in the dirt and fired a 94 mph fastball behind Cruz, who...

Checking on Gausman (updated)

Checking on Gausman (updated)
Kevin Gausman wears glasses and the Orioles are peering into their future. What they've seen so far today has mostly been good, but they're playing from behind. Making his first start of 2014 for the Orioles, Gausman retired the first seven Tigers before Bryan Holaday reached on an infield hit and Danny Worth singled into right field in the third inning. Ian Kinsler also reached on an infield hit with two outs, his ball deflecting off Gausman's foot, and Miguel Cabrera singled to left field...

Showalter on the closer's role and other notes

Showalter on the closer's role and other notes
Chris Tillman threw in the Orioles bullpen today and expects to make Friday night's start in Kansas City. Tillman had soreness in his groin that put the start in jeopardy. Triple-A Norfolk's Steve Johnson will undergo an MRI on his right shoulder in Baltimore after leaving last night's start after two innings with more discomfort. Johnson had been on the minor league disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. "We came close to taking him and decided we wanted to let him have one more outing...

Orioles and Tigers lineups

Orioles and Tigers lineups
Not much to dissect with today's Orioles lineup. Nick Markakis continues to lead off. Steve Clevenger is behind the plate versus a right-hander, Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Jonathan Schoop is at second base and David Lough is in left field. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Nelson Cruz DH J.J. Hardy SS Steve Clevenger C Jonathan Schoop 2B David Lough LF Kevin Gausman RHP For the Tigers Rajai Davis LF Ian Kinsler 2B Miguel Cabrera 1B Victor Martinez...

Joseph on Gausman: "He looked like a major leaguer for sure"

Joseph on Gausman: "He looked like a major leaguer for sure"
Steve Clevenger registered three-hit games on Saturday and Monday. Caleb Joseph collected his first major league hit last night, threw out two runners attempting to steal and cut down another runner trying to advance to third base on a ball in the dirt. If not for the umpires reversing an out call in the ninth inning, he would have finished with three caught stealings and probably been elected mayor. Maybe the Orioles' catching situation is in good hands after all. I've heard that the Orioles...

Orioles option Guilmet, Showalter talks about Hunter and 4-1 loss

Orioles option Guilmet, Showalter talks about Hunter and 4-1 loss
The Orioles optioned reliever Preston Guilmet to Triple-A Norfolk tonight to make room for Kevin Gausman, who starts Wednesday afternoon against the Tigers at Camden Yards. Guilmet struck out the only batter he faced tonight after replacing closer Tommy Hunter with two outs in the ninth. He retired all five batters he faced the past two nights, fanning three of them. Manager Buck Showalter wanted to talk about catcher Caleb Joseph tonight, but he knew the topic would shift to Hunter, who gave...

Joseph gets first major league hit (O's lose 4-1)

Joseph gets first major league hit (O's lose 4-1)
Just when it appeared that Caleb Joseph's finest work tonight would come behind the plate, he did something memorable from the right side of it. The rookie catcher grounded a single into center field with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning for his first major league hit. Joseph had been 0-for-8 in three starts, including a ground ball to Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos tonight that led to a force play. He ended that streak and gained a souvenir with his single off left-hander...

Orioles take right approach with Smyly

Orioles take right approach with Smyly
A few more swings tonight like the one delivered by center fielder Adam Jones, and the Orioles may wipe that Drew Smyly off the mound. OK, I couldn't properly execute that joke. Let me try again later. Jones lined a home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning, a rope strong enough to hold wet laundry. The ball cleared the fence in approximately two seconds and gave the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead over the Tigers. (It takes Torii Hunter a little longer to stop holding a grudge, but he...

Lots from Showalter and more pregame notes

Lots from Showalter and more pregame notes
It's easier to understand now why the Orioles were slow to reveal Wednesday afternoon's starter against the Tigers at Camden Yards. The move was tied to Chris Tillman's groin and Bud Norris' status. Or something along those lines. Manager Buck Showalter wanted to give left-hander Wei-Yin Chen an extra day of rest. He didn't want to start Miguel Gonzalez on short rest. He may need Gonzalez to replace Tillman on Friday, though it's not expected to happen. Norris could appeal a suspension...

Notes on Gonzalez, Tillman, Norris, Urrutia, Bundy and more

Notes on Gonzalez, Tillman, Norris, Urrutia, Bundy and more
Miguel Gonzalez will move into the bullpen and back up starter Kevin Gausman on Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards. Gonzalez's relief role is a temporary move, according to manager Buck Showalter, who confirmed that left-hander Wei-Yin Chen will start Thursday night's series opener in Kansas City. Chris Tillman has been bothered with some discomfort in his groin, but he's expected to be fine. The Orioles will re-evaluate him after his bullpen session. The uncertainty surrounding Tillman is...

Orioles and Tigers lineups (rotation update)

Orioles and Tigers lineups (rotation update)
Looking to stack his lineup with right-handers tonight, Orioles manager Buck Showalter decided to start Steve Pearce as his designated hitter and put Caleb Joseph behind the plate. The DH choice came down to Pearce or Delmon Young. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Nelson Cruz LF J.J. Hardy SS Steve Pearce DH Jonathan Schoop 2B Caleb Joseph C Ubaldo Jimenez RHP For the Tigers Ian Kinsler 2B Torii Hunter RF Miguel Cabrera DH Victor Martinez...