Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
Pitcher Kevin Gausman took special interest in the two-homer day by Yankees first baseman Greg Bird. And not because the teams are division rivals and the Orioles are trying to catch them. Gausman and Bird were teammates at Grandview High in Aurora, Colo., their families living a few minutes apart. Bird was a catcher, so the relationship only grew stronger. The Yankees called up Bird, their fourth-rated prospect, on Thursday, which prompted Gausman to send him a congratulatory text message....

Chris Davis on his walk-off homer and Dan Duquette's pregame comments

Chris Davis on his walk-off homer and Dan Duquette's pregame comments
For the first time since July 22-23, 1998, the Orioles have won two straight games on walk-off homers. Manny Machado and Chris Davis got that done the last two nights against Oakland. Oakland was also victimized back in 1998 when Rafael Palmeiro and Lenny Webster delivered the game-winning homers. With two outs in the last of the ninth tonight, Davis faced Oakland switch-pitcher Pat Venditte. The A's hurler threw left-handed against Gerardo Parra and then right-handed against Adam Jones. He...

Buck Showalter: "Without a doubt, that was fun"

Buck Showalter: "Without a doubt, that was fun"
The Orioles went 4-5 on their West Coast trip and were no-hit in the final game in Seattle. They're 2-0 on the current homestand and have produced a pair of walk-off home runs. They now trail the Angels by a half-game for the second wild card. Baseball is a funny game. Chris Davis homered twice tonight, including a two-out shot off Oakland switch-pitcher Pat Venditte in the bottom of the ninth that gave the Orioles a 4-3 win before a sellout crowd of 44,028 at Camden Yards. Manny Machado...

Another walk-off win: Chris Davis homers in the ninth to win it

Another walk-off win: Chris Davis homers in the ninth to win it
Another night, another comeback and another walk-off win for the Orioles. Chris Davis homered to right on a 2-2 delivery from switch-pitcher Pat Venditte in the last of the ninth and the Orioles beat the Oakland A's 4-3. It was Davis' second homer of the night. Davis hit his 33rd and 34th homers in the win. Davis has hit six homers his last six games and nine in his last 12 contests. Over his past 23 games, he has hit 15 home runs with 35 RBIs. This is Davis' 11th career-multi-homer game and...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Who's ready for another roster move? Outfielder Henry Urrutia will be recalled today after spending yesterday on the taxi squad. A spot must be created for him. Junior Lake, who doubled in six at-bats last night and is 2-for-14, has a minor league option, but it doesn't guarantee his removal. It's just an easier avenue to take if the Orioles choose it. Plenty of guys are slumping. Jimmy Paredes struck out in both at-bats last night after pinch-hitting for Nolan Reimold, who was 2-for-4....

Orioles won't face Jesse Chavez in Friday's series opener

Orioles won't face Jesse Chavez in Friday's series opener
The Athletics will send a new starter to the mound for Friday's series opener against the Orioles at Camden Yards. Sonny Gray was scratched from today's start against the Blue Jays due to back spasms, but he could be plugged into the rotation this weekend. In the meantime, Jesse Chavez has been bumped up from Friday to today. Chavez was supposed to oppose Ubaldo Jimenez, but he's needed today at Rogers Centre. Gray could take Chavez's place against the Orioles if his back improves. Another...

Matt Kremnitzer: O's likely forced to hold steady during Miguel Gonzalez's rough stretch

Matt Kremnitzer: O's likely forced to hold steady during Miguel Gonzalez's rough stretch
How bad does a starting pitcher have to perform before he gets removed from the rotation? For the last couple of months, Miguel Gonzalez seems to be pushing those boundaries. He was up to his usual tricks the first couple months of the season, but he's been off his game since late June. In the middle of that month, Gonzalez was placed on the disabled list with a right groin injury. Since his return outing on June 25, things have not gone well. In nine starts (46 1/3 innings), he has posted an...

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

Latest loss brings more concern that Orioles will be on the outside looking in come October
Hopefully, yesterday's loss will not turn out to be a microcosm for an entire season for the Orioles. They rallied, they came close, they were right there until the last pitch. But they just didn't do enough to win. It was frustrating for Birdland in a season where there have been a few frustrations. The one-run loss on Sunday by a 5-4 score in 11 innings to the Los Angeles Angels meant the difference between being one game or three games out for the second wild card in the American League....

Playing the numbers game after yesterday's loss

Playing the numbers game after yesterday's loss
With yesterday's 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Angels, the Orioles fell three games back for the second wild card spot and failed to gain ground on the Yankees, who remain five games ahead of them in the division. An opportunity also was lost, and the second-guessing carried through the night. Manager Buck Showalter took a huge risk by ordering intentional walks to Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to load the bases with two outs. Brian Matusz fell behind in the count and eventually ran it full before...

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

Walk-off loss: David Murphy's single in 11th lifts Angels over Orioles
After leading early by two runs and then trailing by two, the Orioles tied today's game. They never could get the lead back and then lost in walk-off fashion. David Murphy's single to deep left field on a 3-2 pitch from Brian Matusz with the bases loaded in the last of the 11th gave the Los Angeles Angels a 5-4 win over the Orioles in the series finale. No. 9 Carlos Perez hitter led off the last of the 11th and doubled off Chaz Roe. After a strikeout on a bunted third strike, Matusz came on...

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

Tyler Wilson scratched with sore oblique (O's lose 5-4 in 11 innings)
Orioles pitching prospect Tyler Wilson was scratched from today's start at Triple-A Norfolk with a sore oblique muscle. Veteran left-hander Dana Eveland replaced Wilson in the rotation and tossed two scoreless innings against Indianapolis. Jorge Rondon took over for Eveland in the third. Wilson is 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA in six appearances with the Orioles, including two starts. He was optioned again after allowing two runs in 7 2/3 innings in a 9-2 win over the Athletics on Aug. 3. Wilson is 5-5...

Orioles and Angels lineups

Orioles and Angels lineups
The Orioles are going for a series win against the Angels this afternoon with Miguel Gonzalez on the mound. He took the loss in his last outing, allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings in Oakland. Gerardo Parra is in right field while David Lough gets a start in left. For the Orioles:Manny Machado 3BGerardo Parra RFAdam Jones CFChris Davis 1BMatt Wieters CJonathan Schoop 2BJimmy Paredes DHJ.J. Hardy SSDavid Lough LF Miguel Gonzalez RHP For the Angels:Johnny Giavotella 2B Kole Calhoun RF Mike...

O's game blog: It's Gonzalez against Weaver in series finale

O's game blog: It's Gonzalez against Weaver in series finale
The Orioles will look to make it two series wins in two series on their West Coast road trip if they can beat Los Angeles this afternoon at Angels Stadium. The Orioles got blanked on the second night of this trip at Oakland, but their offense has picked up lately. They've scored nine, zero, seven, four and five runs in going 3-2 on the trip. They are batting .301 on the trip, with seven homers and 25 runs scored. A look at some hitters recently: * Caleb Joseph is 8-for-15 over his last four...

Orioles going for series win today in Anaheim

Orioles going for series win today in Anaheim
A rotation that posted a 7.07 ERA in the previous eight games got exactly what it needed last night. Good Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez blanked the Angels on two hits over eight innings in the Orioles' 5-0 victory - the club's ninth shutout of the season. He had registered a 10.61 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. The Orioles moved to within five games of the first-place Yankees in the American League East. They're two behind the Blue Jays for the second wild card. Adam Jones registered...

Chris Tillman makes his next start on Monday

Chris Tillman makes his next start on Monday
The Orioles are pushing back Chris Tillman one more day in the rotation, holding him until Monday night in Seattle. Miguel Gonzalez will start Sunday's series finale in Anaheim. The Angels are sending Jered Weaver to the mound. Tillman is listed as Monday's starter vs. Mariners left-hander Vidal Nuno. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen opposes Taijuan Walker on Tuesday night and Kevin Gausman opposes Hisashi Iwakuma on Wednesday afternoon. Tillman hasn't pitched since spraining his left ankle on July...

Tonight's game and yesterday's roster move

Tonight's game and yesterday's roster move
The Orioles continue their West Coast trip tonight in Anaheim with Kevin Gausman taking the mound as their most effective healthy starter. Gausman has allowed two runs and 10 hits over his last two outings, with one walk and 11 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. His ERA is down to 3.97 ERA in 14 games, including six starts. Ubaldo Jimenez is 1-3 with a 10.61 ERA in four starts in the second half after going 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 17 starts before the All-Star break. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen hasn't...

Oakland scores four in the sixth, blanks Orioles 5-0

Oakland scores four in the sixth, blanks Orioles 5-0
Within the span of a few minutes in the last of the sixth inning, a one-run game turned into a five-run lead for the Oakland A's. One curious decision and two badly executed pitches cost the Orioles dearly in that frame as Oakland beat the Orioles 5-0. The Orioles are 1-1 on this road trip and fall to 54-52 for the season. They are now one game behind Toronto for the second American League wild card berth and 6 1/2 games back of the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East. Leading 1-0,...

O's game blog: Orioles looking for 2-0 start to road trip at Oakland

O's game blog: Orioles looking for 2-0 start to road trip at Oakland
The Orioles have had an interesting stretch of games since they were a season-high six games under the .500 mark at 23-29 on June 3. From that point, they went 18-5 and moved a season-high seven games over .500 at 41-34. They followed that by losing 15-of-20 games. But now, they have won eight of their last 10 games. That all adds up to the Orioles playing .585 baseball at 31-22 since that June 3 date. They've gone from six games under .500 to now three over at 54-51, and they started today in...

Chris Davis following his own act from 2013 (and other notes)

Chris Davis following his own act from 2013 (and other notes)
Chris Davis is on such a roll these days, he's resembling the 2013 version of himself. Davis belted a three-run homer in the first inning last night to point the Orioles toward a 9-2 victory in Oakland. He's collected six home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 10 games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last Oriole to do so was also Davis in his first 10 games of the 2013 season. Over the last 30 seasons, the only other players to do so for the Orioles were Albert Belle in June 2000 and...

Miguel Gonzalez trying to follow Tyler Wilson's lead

Miguel Gonzalez trying to follow Tyler Wilson's lead
The West Coast trip is off to a good start, with the Orioles scoring the first six runs last night in a 9-2 victory over the Athletics. The Orioles have won eight of their last 10 games. They're tied with the Blue Jays and Twins for the second wild card and trail the Yankees by 5 1/2 games in the American League East. Still not selling. It was just a typical night for the Orioles with Tyler Wilson getting the win and Mychal Givens retiring all four batters he faced with three strikeouts. I'm...