World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966

American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

American League Wild Card 2012, 1996

Monday, August 31, 2015

Game Stories:

Orioles shut out by Rangers for 10th loss in past 11 games The Sun 8/30

Orioles drop ninth in 10 games, sink three games under .500 with 4-3 loss to Rangers The

Sun 8/30

Slumping Orioles stifled by Cole Hamels in 4-1 loss to Rangers The Sun 8/28

Orioles' struggles compounded by shutout MLB.com 8/30

Big fifth frame not enough for O's in Texas MLB.com 8/30

Struggling O's drop opener to Rangers MLB.com 8/29

Notes on trade deadline, Wilson, Parra, Jimenez and Garcia (O's lose 6-0)

MASNsports.com 8/30

Game update and Showalter talks about Wieters (O's lose 4-3) MASNsports.com 8/30

Showalter on Jones' health, Urrutia's chances of returning next month (O's lose 4-1)

MASNsports.com 8/28

O's free fall continues with loss at Texas for 1-6 road trip MASNsports.com 8/30

O's fall to Texas 4-3, have lost nine of their last 10 games MASNsports.com 8/29

Offense struggles again as Orioles lose to Cole Hamels, Rangers MASNsports.com 8/28

Holland Ks 11 for Texas in 6-0 win over O's for 3-game sweep AP 8/30

Wilson's RBI fuels Rangers in 4-3 win over Orioles AP 8/29

Hamels strikes out 10, Rangers beat Orioles AP 8/28

Jones angry at effort questions after another loss CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/30

Machado angry at checked swing call in Orioles loss CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/30

Orioles offense handcuffed by Hamels in another loss CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/28

Columns:

Orioles notes and observations (Jones, Machado, trades) The Sun 8/31

Orioles find out that things really are tough all over The Sun 8/30

Buck Showalter not expecting Orioles to make a trade The Sun 8/30

For struggling O's starter Ubaldo Jimenez, another tale of two half-seasons The Sun 8/30

Manny Machado's fire erupts after no-check call to end Orioles loss The Sun 8/30

Observation deck: Opportunity knocks for Ryan Flaherty, Paul Janish with J.J. Hardy on

DL The Sun 8/30

Orioles notebook: Club backing Red Land Little League The Sun 8/29

Orioles notes and observations on offense, Buck Showalter, Dariel Alvarez The Sun 8/29

Orioles minor league report: Tides' Julio Borbon could be speed option for O's in

September The Sun 8/29

Orioles notebook: Dariel Alvarez's call-up a 'dream come true' The Sun 8/28

Orioles aim to right ship after difficult road trip MLB.com 8/30

Wild Card hopefuls square off in Baltimore MLB.com 8/30

Run production a concern for Orioles MLB.com 8/30

Alvarez records first Major League hit MLB.com 8/29

O's throw support behind U.S. LLWS team MLB.com 8/29

Alvarez wastes no time making impression MLB.com 8/29

Hardy, Roe move closer to returning to O's MLB.com 8/28

Orioles prepared to select Steve Johnson's contract MASNsports.com 8/31

What went wrong and what awaits them tonight MASNsports.com 8/31

Adam Jones: "We might be getting beat, but that's not from a lack of effort"

MASNsports.com 8/30

Steve Pearce: "We know we can turn this thing around" MASNsports.com 8/30

Wrapping up a 4-3 loss MASNsports.com 8/30

Orioles continue to discuss expanded roster MASNsports.com 8/29

More on Jimenez and upcoming pitching matchups MASNsports.com 8/29

Wrapping up a 4-1 loss MASNsports.com 8/28

Urrutia and Clevenger on Norfolk's strong year, plus other O's and minors notes

MASNsports.com 8/31

O's game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid sweep at Texas MASNsports.com 8/30

Some not-so-great O's stats and Bowie closes in on a playoff berth MASNsports.com

8/30

O's game blog: O's have lost eight of nine heading into tonight's game at Texas

MASNsports.com 8/31

Orioles hope return home can change their luck CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/31

Orioles have nearly gotten through Garcia experiment CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/30

Showalter says Orioles aren't likely to make trades CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/30

How unlikely are Orioles playoff chances? CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/30

Orioles trying to close out dismal road trip with win CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/30

Uncertainty as Orioles prepare for roster expansion CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/29

Orioles embrace local U.S. Little League champs CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/29

Showalter thinks Wieters should be judged differently CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/29

Can Jimenez help get Orioles out of their funk? CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/29

Hardy wants to stay with Orioles during rehab CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/28

Cuban defector Alvarez gets big league call to join the Orioles CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/28

Cleared to play, Jones is back in Orioles lineup CSN Mid-Atlantic 8/28

Brooks Robinson Shares Stories, Birthday Wishes For Frank Robinson

PressBoxOnline.com 8/31

A Look At How All Former Orioles Around MLB Have Fared In 2015

PressBoxOnline.com 8/29

Brittany Ghiroli Says Orioles Are Not A Playoff Team CBS Baltimore 8/31

Davis focused on strong finish Longview News-Journal 8/31

Friday Replay Baltimore Magazine 8/28

Chris Davis leads pending free agents aiming to cash in after strong seasons Washington

Post 8/28

Pix We Love: Check Out the Baltimore Orioles 2016 Pet Calendar Dogster.com 8/28

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-rangers-0831-20150830-story.html

Orioles shut out by Rangers for 10th loss in past 11 games

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

Before the Orioles left for their seven-game road trip last week, Orioles center fielder Adam

Jones called the stretch against the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, “gut-check” time.

After the Orioles lost six of seven, including 6-0 to the Rangers Sunday afternoon to make their

diminishing playoff hopes faint at best, Jones exchanged gut talk for a soliloquy on his team’s

heart.

When asked his thoughts about the club’s effort level recently -- a span in which they’ve lost

four straight, 10 of their last 11 and 11 of 13 -- the Orioles’ longest-tenured player and vocal

leader quickly and adamantly defended his teammates.

“Whenever someone says, ‘Oh, you don’t give an effort. You’re not playing [with] effort.’

That’s kind of calling someone a coward,” Jones said. “Some days it looks pretty, some days it

doesn’t, but the effort is always there. For some people to say that our effort level isn’t there just

because we struck out 11 times [Sunday]. We could strike out 20 times.

“But to say our effort level wasn’t there, that’s a slap in the face. And I want to slap somebody in

the face who says that.”

Yes, Jones agreed, the team is losing at a disturbing rate during a crucial time.

The Orioles (63-67) are now 11 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League

East and 5 ½ behind the Rangers (68-61) for the second wild-card spot in the AL. The Orioles

have fallen into fourth in the division and are just three games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for

last place in the AL East.

But, Jones said, the club’s effort and desire to win shouldn’t be questioned.

“It annoys the hell out of me when people say effort is low," Jones said.

Jones was asked whether he would consider calling a team meeting, but he countered that he is

continually talking and challenging his teammates.

“I talk to these guys every day. What do you want me to do? Bend them over and spank them?

They’re grown men. They understand the objective here,” Jones said. “It’s not like, ‘I’ll just

come play and have some fun in the major leagues.’ No, we are here to win and they understand

that. A lot of the guys were here last year and got a taste of what we were about and the way we

play the game. Right now, we’re just getting beat.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked whether there was a time to have a team meeting --

and he said the logistics were tough with other responsibilities, including media obligations.

“That’s not to say we already haven’t done it two or three times,” Showalter said. “But I’m not

going to publicize [it] because we have to pick our spots.”

He echoed Jones’ belief that effort is not a problem within the Orioles’ clubhouse.

“We’ve got to keep working. We’ve tried a lot of different things, trust me,” Showalter said. “It’s

not a time to point fingers. It’s a time to rally around each other, which our guys have already

tried to do and will do.”

Sunday’s formula for defeat was similar to most of the losses in this stretch: Uneven starting

pitching and an invisible offense that managed just three hits against Rangers’ lefty Derek

Holland.

The Orioles were outscored 35-20 in the seven-game road trip -- they won just one game -- while

their starters have pitched to a 6.47 ERA in that span.

When a team is struggling the way the Orioles are, it doesn’t take much to keep them down.

The first inning Sunday was enough.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who hasn’t won since July 25 and has had one quality

start since then, allowed three straight singles to start the first inning. An Adrian Beltre sacrifice

fly and a Gonzalez wild pitch immediately gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead. The Rangers picked up

two more against Gonzalez on an infield single by Elvis Andrus in the third and a RBI single by

Hanser Alberto in the sixth against reliever Jason Garcia.

Gonzalez (9-11) was charged with four runs on seven hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He has

now thrown 5 1/3 innings or fewer in 11 of his last 14 starts, including an injury-shortened

outing.

“Command was better; was making better pitches toward the end of the game,” Gonzalez said.

“You’ve got to be mentally tough. You’ve got to keep grinding. I know everyone is trying to do

their best out there.”

Texas scored two more runs in the ninth against closer Zach Britton, who was in to get some

work. He gave up a two-out, RBI single to Delino DeShields; a second run scored when left

fielder Steve Pearce overran DeShields’ single.

Holland (2-1), who has missed most of the season with a left shoulder injury, allowed just three

hits and walked none in the complete-game victory. His 11 strikeouts tied a career-high.

“He was good. He's been good for quite a while,” Showalter said. “He's certainly got his health

back and that bodes well for him, bad for us.”

The whole week was bad for the Orioles. Now they’ll come home to Camden Yards for a three-

game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, hoping that they can do something to salvage the last

month.

“We are still right in the thick of things, so if you think we aren’t, cool,” Jones said. “I think we

are in the thick of things, just have to go on a five-, six-game winning streak.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-orioles-drop-ninth-in-10-games-sink-three-

games-under-500-with-43-loss-to-rangers-20150829-story.html

Orioles drop ninth in 10 games, sink three games under .500

with 4-3 loss to Rangers

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

The Orioles knew their seven-game road trip to Kansas City and Texas this week could make or

break their playoff hopes.

With one game remaining on this disastrous trek, broken seems like a fitting word.

Behind a shaky Ubaldo Jimenez and a sputtering offense, the Orioles lost, 4-3, to the Texas

Rangers Saturday night before an announced 29,768 at Globe Life Park.

It was the ninth loss in 10 games for the Orioles (63-66), who have won just once in six chances

on this road trip. They now have as many defeats this year with 33 games to play than they did

all of last season when they were 96-66 and won the American League East.

That 2014 club is beginning to seem more and more like a distant memory.

"We have pretty much the same team, everybody’s back," Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce

said. "We just haven’t caught fire. We had a good run earlier this year and then we followed it

right with a bad run. We still have one more month of baseball. And it’s got to start tomorrow.

We’ve got to turn this thing around. And we know we are capable of doing it. I think we’ve got

the right guys for it."

On Saturday, the Orioles fell to three games under .500 for the first time since July 24 while free-

falling to 4½ games behind the Rangers (67-61) for the second AL wild card.

“We’ve lost one-run games. Don’t get me wrong -- we’re playing against teams that are great,

teams that are battling, teams that hopefully are going to be in the playoffs," Orioles third

baseman Manny Machado said. "I mean, it’s not easy. We’re just one hit away, one out away.

It’s part of baseball. We’ve still got [33] games to get back in this. I mean, I've got faith in this

team, and we all trust each other that we’re going to get where we need to get to. We’re not

worried about this.

"Nobody wants to lose. I think we’re just one good game away from starting a nice streak, and

going where we need to go."

At least the Orioles stayed in Saturday's loss until the ninth, getting two runners on with one out

against Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson. But a fielder’s choice groundout by Ryan Flaherty and a

strikeout by Machado ended the threat, with Tolleson picking up his 28th save.

After thinking he had checked his swing on the last strike, Machado’s frustration boiled over as

he slammed his helmet down and began screaming at home plate umpire David Rackley, who

did not ask for help from the first base umpire on the call.

“You’ve got to ask there, situation of the game," Machado said. "Changes the whole at-bat, but

just we ask them. You’ve got to check. You’ve got to check on that. You can’t [not ask] in a

game like that. That’s not supposed to be ended, but whatever, you can’t do [anything] about it

now.”

It was just a bad inning in another difficult loss.

Attempting to recapture his fine first-half form, Jimenez was in trouble starting with the first

batter he faced, yielding a leadoff triple to Delino DeShields.

It sort of set the theme of the night for Jimenez, who continually fought through jams aided by

some Texas miscues. Ultimately, it caught up to Jimenez (9-9).

The Rangers didn’t score in the first, partially because DeShields broke toward home on a

comebacker to Jimenez and was thrown out in a rundown. In the second inning, the Rangers had

two runners on and didn’t score. In the fourth, the Rangers made all three outs at second base: A

runner ran into a fair popup, a forceout caused by a ball dropped in the outfield and a putout

when a runner tried to advance on a pitch in the dirt.

In the third, though, the Rangers capitalized on Jimenez’s shakiness. Shin-Soo Choo doubled to

score DeShields, who had singled. And Adrian Beltre added a two-run homer into the Orioles

bullpen in left-center for a 3-0 Rangers lead.

Jimenez wouldn’t give up another run until the sixth, his final inning. After getting the first two

outs, Jimenez allowed a triple to Elvis Andrus and, after an intentional walk, was replaced by

rookie Mychal Givens.

Bobby Wilson doubled on Givens’ first pitch to score Andrus and give the Rangers a 4-3 lead.

Jimenez was charged with four runs on eight hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, the fourth

consecutive start in which he has failed to pitch at least six innings.

"It’s not like I couldn’t hold onto it [to get through the sixth]," Jimenez said. "It’s just things that

happen in the game. I gave up a triple. It could happen to anyone, but those are the kinds of

things we are going through right now. In another situation, we’d probably get the third out right

there and get out of the inning. But everything is just going the other way."

After posting a 2.81 ERA over 17 starts before the All-Star break, Jimenez has posted a

7.50 ERA in nine starts since. He has allowed 40 earned runs in 48 second-half innings.

The Orioles offense, which has scored three runs or fewer in nine of their past 10 games, all

losses, didn’t have a hit against Texas lefty Martin Perez until Adam Jones’ two-out single in the

fourth inning.

Finally, the moribund Orioles offense broke through in the fifth with three runs, the first time

they’ve scored at least three runs in an inning in over a week -- dating to the sixth on Aug. 21,

against the Minnesota Twins.

Pearce led off the fifth with a solo homer, his ninth of the season and second since coming off

the disabled list Monday.

With one out, Caleb Joseph singled and Dariel Alvarez doubled, the Cuban outfielder’s first hit

in his fifth at-bat as a major leaguer.

Paul Janish’s sacrifice fly gave the veteran shortstop his first RBI as an Oriole and Machado

followed with an RBI single to tie the score at 3-3.

"We all started swinging the bats and we all thought we had the momentum on our side and

Wilson delivered a big hit the next inning," Pearce said. "So it kind of cooled us down a little

bit."

Perez (2-3), who entered with a 5.30 ERA, hung on for the win, lasting 6 1/3 innings and

yielding three runs on seven hits and no walks to send the Orioles to their latest loss.

With their season spiraling, the Orioles' mood is understandable.

"They are frustrated," manager Buck Showalter said. "So, there’s one way to take that frustration

away."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-slumping-orioles-stifled-by-cole-hamels-in-41-

loss-to-rangers-20150828-story.html

Slumping Orioles stifled by Cole Hamels in 4-1 loss to

Rangers

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 28, 2015

The Texas Rangers acquired lefty ace Cole Hamels at the July 31 trade deadline not so much for

this year's pennant push, but for the three-plus years left on his contract.

It's an added benefit to the Rangers that he's helping to further push the Orioles out of pennant

contention.

Of course, the Orioles are doing a solid job of imploding without any help from outsiders.

Hamels threw eight innings of two-hit ball in the Rangers' 4-1 victory before an announced

28,337 at Globe Life Park — marking the Orioles' eighth loss in their past nine games. They

have scored three or fewer runs in all eight losses.

“We've been struggling offensively and that is compounded [by Hamels]. That's the type of guy

you get for six prospects,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He was good and we weren't,

so that's a bad combination. We're just not stringing much together offensively.”

The Orioles (63-65) are now 31/2 games behind the Rangers (66-61) for the American League's

second wild card and have two more to play in Texas before heading home from what has the

appearance of being a season-snuffing road trip. They are 1-4 in this stretch to Kansas City and

Texas.

In his fifth start — and longest — as a Ranger, Hamels dominated a swing-happy Orioles lineup,

striking out 10 batters and allowing just one run, on a bases-loaded walk to Chris Davis in the

third inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

After that, Hamels retired 14 straight before walking Manny Machado in the eighth. Hamels (8-

8) allowed just two hits and four walks in the game while picking up his 30th 10-strikeout

performance of his career and first with Texas. It also was his first win against the Orioles, but

just his third start.

The Orioles struck out 12 times overall, and have 64 strikeouts over their past six games.

“It's been a challenge for us most of the year and will continue to be,” Showalter said. “You live

with them if the run production is there, but it hasn't been there.”

Showalter said the meek showing Friday was a product of both the Orioles' continued offensive

struggles and a tough pitcher in Hamels.

“It's the big leagues, we've figured out how to score off some of those people,” Showalter said.

“But it's been tough on our pitchers — they know that runs are going to be at a premium. I was

looking and we haven't scored enough runs to give them much room for error. We've got to turn

that part of it around. It's tough.”

Hamels' counterpart, Orioles' right-hander Kevin Gausman, pitched into the seventh but wasn't

particularly crisp, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk in 62/3 innings. Gausman was

aware of what he was up against with Hamels starting for the Rangers.

"I kind of knew that going into the night, especially with the guy I was facing,” he said. “He's

been great all year and continues to be. He kind of settled in. I think he was a little sporadic early

on, but he definitely settled in and put a pretty good start together.”

Gausman (2-6) got into trouble in the second, but right fielder Dariel Alvarez, in his big league

debut, made his presence known immediately.

Considered to have the best throwing arm among outfielders throughout the organization —

including a stronger one than Gold Glove center fielder Adam Jones — Alvarez showed it off in

the second inning.

With runners on the corners and no outs, Elvis Andrus hit a sinking liner to right that Alvarez

caught. In one motion, the 26-year-old unleashed a perfect one-hop throw to catcher Matt

Wieters, who tagged Adrian Beltre to complete the double play.

"He's kind of always like that down in Norfolk. He throws guys out left and right. He has

probably one of the best outfield arms I've ever seen,” Gausman said. “Obviously that was huge.

I don't think Beltre looked at the scouting report on the outfielders before the game. Yeah, he's

definitely kind of a freak athlete. He swings hard and runs hard. He plays the game the right way.

He has a really good arm out there in right.”

The Orioles entered the night tied with the Minnesota Twins for most outfield assists in the

majors and then added two more, bringing their total to 39. Jones threw out Prince Fielder trying

for a double in the fourth.

It came directly after Gausman had allowed his first run, a solo homer to right by Shin-Soo Choo

that just stayed fair.

The Rangers tacked on two more runs in the fifth. One came on a solo homer by catcher Chris

Gimenez, his fourth of the season — all in his past 11 games. They picked up their third run on

an RBI force out by Choo, who hustled to first to beat out a potential inning-ending double play.

Their final run came on an RBI triple by rookie Delino DeShields, the son of the former Oriole.

Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson allowed an infield hit, but pitched a scoreless ninth for his 27th

save.

Texas is now 17-9 since trading for Hamels — at a time when the Rangers were 49-52 and an

after thought in the AL pennant race. The Orioles were 51-50 and are now 12-15 since the July

31 trade deadline.

“It's really tough,” second baseman Jonathan Schoop said. “Trying to go out and win, and things

don't go our way right now.”

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/146279578/rangers-beat-orioles-on-derek-holland-shutout

Orioles' struggles compounded by shutout

By Brittany Ghiroli and Dave Sessions / MLB.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON -- Texas starter Derek Holland mastered the Orioles in a 6-0, three-hit shutout

Sunday, earning a series sweep for the surging Rangers and heaping more misery on a Baltimore

club that has begun to see its postseason hopes fade over the past two weeks.

"He was terrific," Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre said of Holland. "He was spotting his

fastball in and out, his breaking ball was absolutely magnificent, he was making the guys chase,

he was ahead in the count the whole game. It was huge for us."

The Rangers have won four in a row and 13 of their last 17 to move within three games of the

AL West-division lead held by Houston since early May; they are now seven games above .500

for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. The Orioles have lost 10 of their last 11 games

and wrap the road trip just 1-6, 5 1/2 games back in the race for the second American League

Wild Card spot.

"We are still right in the thick of things, so if you think we aren't, cool," Orioles center fielder

Adam Jones said. "I think we are in the thick of things, just have to go on a five-, six-game

winning streak and you guys [in the media] come back to us and say, 'Now you're in the middle

of it.' It's just how it works. We just got to get on that roll so you guys can ask those questions."

Holland struck out 11 and walked none in his fourth start since returning from a shoulder injury

he suffered in the first inning of the Rangers' home opener. He tallied his eighth career shutout

and first since 2013, lowering his ERA to 2.82.

The Rangers collected 11 hits -- all singles -- including seven off Baltimore starterMiguel

Gonzalez.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Holland hangs on in fifth: Holland cruised through the first four innings, allowing only a pair

of two-out hits, but things got dicey for him in the fifth after he hit Caleb Joseph to start the

frame. Jonathan Schoop grounded to short for a potential double play, but was ruled safe at first,

a call that was later confirmed by instant replay. Dariel Alvarez singled, putting men on first and

second with one out, but Holland got both Paul Janish and Manny Machado to fly out to right

field to end the threat.

"Derek's pitched a lot of baseball games at this level and I think he's well aware of those types of

situations," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "He's the type of guy that he stays in control."

Baltimore's backsliding: The Orioles, who dropped to fourth in the AL East, have already

exceeded their loss total from a year ago. The O's have lost 11 of 13 and are 1-57 when trailing

after seven innings. Offensively, they mustered just three hits and are four games under .500 for

the first time since June 7.

"That's a question that gets asked every year in this sport and for every team out there and it's us

right now, and we've got to keep working," manager Buck Showalter said of turning things

around. "We've tried a lot of different things, trust me. It's not a time to point fingers. It's a time

to rally around each other, which our guys have already tried to do and will do."

Rangers come out swinging: The first three Rangers hitters collected singles to start the game

and two of them scored. Delino DeShields led off with a blooper to right, Shin-Soo

Choo followed with a line drive to right and Prince Fielder singled to left-center. With the bases

loaded, Adrian Beltre drove in DeShields with a sacrifice fly, and Choo came home on a

Gonzalez wild pitch.

"We're getting some early runs for ourselves, which is really key," Banister said. "When you

look up in a baseball game and you see a team that scores first, that win percentage jumps up."

Short shrift: Struggling righty Gonzalez got into trouble early on, loading the bases and

allowing a pair of early runs. Gonzalez was charged with four runs and has gone 5 1/3 innings or

fewer in 11 of his last 14 starts (one due to injury), again putting his future rotation status in

jeopardy.

"Command was better, was making better pitches towards the end of the game," Gonzalez said of

his outing. "Holland pitched a great game and you tip your hat to them. They've been playing

really good baseball."

QUOTABLE

"We're striking out in double figures it seems like every game. I'm not going to beat up on them.

If I do that, it's certainly going to be privately, not publicly. They understand and they're

frustrated and I think we're looking forward to getting home and see if we can right this ship." --

Showalter .

"We really didn't play well at home … it was all aspects of it. We were losing games at home

really in any way imaginable. We'd blow leads, we'd make errors, we wouldn't hit, and when we

played those games with multiple runs scored, we weren't winning them. I feel like now that has

flipped." -- Banister on how much his team has improved at home since it was 16-28 in late July

(Texas is now 32-32)

REPLAY REVIEW

With no outs and a runner on first in the top of the fifth, the Rangers thought they had a double

play when Schoop grounded to shortstop Elvis Andrus, who made a quick toss to second

where Hanser Alberto relayed the ball to first baseman Mitch Moreland. First base umpire Paul

Schrieber ruled Schoop safe and Rangers manager Jeff Banister challenged the call, but the call

stood after a replay review. Holland got out of the inning unscatched and said the Rangers

infielders kept the replay delay from affecting him.

"Those guys were keeping me loose and not letting me overthink anything," Holland said.

"They're not letting me dwindle too much and worry about what I've got to do -- just stay there

and be Derek."

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Baltimore heads home for a quick three-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays

before heading out on the road for series in Toronto and New York. The O's will send lefty Wei-

Yin Chen to the hill on Monday night against Rays righty Chris Archer. First pitch is slated for

7:05 p.m. ET.

Rangers: The Rangers begin an 11-day, 10-game road trip, their longest of the season, in San

Diego at 9:10 p.m. CT on Monday. Colby Lewis, the team leader in victories with 14, could set a

career high with another win. The Padres counter withTyson Ross.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/146132648/rangers-feeling-wild-with-third-straight-win

Big fifth frame not enough for O's in Texas

By T.R. Sullivan and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers maintained their grip on the second Wild Card playoff spot in the

American League on Saturday night, while the Orioles continued to slide in the other direction.

Bobby Wilson's RBI double put the Rangers ahead in the bottom of the sixth inning, and they

held on for a 4-3 victory over the Orioles at Globe Life Park. The Rangers, with their third

straight win, have a 1 1/2-game lead for that second spot; the Orioles, with their ninth loss in the

last 10 games, are now 4 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race.

"They are frustrated," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of his club, which has gone 1-5 on

its current road trip. "So there's one way to take that frustration away."

Rangers starter Martin Perez earned the victory by holding the Orioles to three runs in 6 1/3

innings. Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez took the loss, with the big blow he allowed a two-run

home run by Adrian Beltre.

"We're not aiming for the Wild Card right now," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrussaid. "We're

aiming for the division, and we have plenty of games in September left. It has been fun the way

we are playing as a team. The pitching has been amazing, the bullpen has been terrific and we're

playing great defense. We need to keep it up and continue the momentum."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Wilson delivers: After a two-out triple by Andrus in the sixth, the Orioles walked the left-

handed-hitting Will Venable to face Wilson, a right-handed hitter. They also brought in right-

handed reliever Mychal Givens in a 3-3 game. But Wilson delivered an RBI double down the

left-field line to send home the go-ahead run.

"We take so much pride in what we do, I definitely took it personally," Wilson said. "It was

preached to me by my dad -- don't let people do that to you. It was nice to come through."

Three's trouble: Three is a pesky number for the Orioles, with all nine of their losses in the past

10 games coming when the offense scored three runs or fewer. Baltimore is 9-50 in those

scenarios for the season.

"Most teams will [have trouble when they don't score many runs]," Showalter said. "We've gone

through periods where we've beat [guys like this]. Perez is a good pitcher. He's coming back

from some health issues, but ... The changeup, any time you got command of that, you got a

chance. Made everybody honest enough on the inner half."

Choo extends streak: Shin-Soo Choo drove in the Rangers' first run with a double that sent

home Delino DeShields from first base. Choo has now reached base in all 33 of his starts since

the All-Star break.

Alvarez records first hit: Orioles rookie Dariel Alvarez collected his first Major League hit

with a double off Perez in the fifth inning. Alvarez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A

Norfolk on Friday, went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Machado's punchout: The game ended suddenly for Orioles third baseman Manny Machado,

who was called out on a high swinging third strike. Machado thought he had checked his swing

and threw off his helmet immediately, slamming it into the dirt as he started yelling at home-

plate umpire David Rackley. Machado, who was batting with runners on first and third with two

outs, had to be restrained by Showalter.

"[It was a] checked swing. You've got to ask [for help from the first-base umpire because of the]

situation of the game. ... You've got to check on that," Machado said. "That's not supposed to be

[how it] ended, but whatever, you can't do [anything] about it now."

RANGERS' BIZARRE FOURTH

The Rangers experienced a unique bottom of the fourth, as they went 1-2-3 in the inning despite

two singles and no double plays. All three outs were recorded at second base. Venable started it

off with a single, then the Rangers tried a hit-and-run with Wilson at the plate. Wilson hit a soft

line drive up the middle that hit second-base airspace at the same time as Venable. The ball hit

Venable on the back just as second baseman Jonathan Schoop tried to make a catch for what

would have been an easy double play. By rule, Venable was out and Wilson was safe with a

single. Hanser Alberto then hit a high pop into shallow left that fell in among three defenders.

But Wilson had to hold up to see if the ball would be caught and was forced out at second by left

fielder Gerardo Parra. Alberto was safe at first but then tried to advance on a pitch in the dirt and

was thrown out by catcher Caleb Joseph.

QUOTABLE

"We're not out of this thing. It almost seems like nobody wants to take that last spot. We got the

team for it. We know we can turn this thing around, and it's going to start tomorrow." -- Orioles

first baseman Steve Pearce

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez tries to snap a personal four-game losing streak when he

pitches against the Rangers at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Gonzalez is 0-4 with a 7.58 ERA in his

last six starts.

Rangers: Left-hander Derek Holland makes his fourth start since coming off the disabled list

when he pitches against the Orioles at 2:05 p.m. CT on Sunday. All three of Holland's previous

starts have been at home.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/145950984/struggling-os-drop-opener-to-rangers

Struggling O's drop opener to Rangers

By T.R. Sullivan and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON -- Rangers starter Cole Hamels had one shaky inning of control issues but was

otherwise brilliant, holding the Orioles to two hits over eight innings in a 4-1 victory on Friday

night.

The Rangers' victory was their 11th in their last 15 games, and they remain a half-game ahead of

the Twins in the American League Wild Card race. The Orioles have lost eight of their last nine

and are now 3 1/2 games behind the Rangers.

Hamels allowed two hits and walked four, including three in the third inning, while striking out

10. Orioles starter Kevin Gausman took the loss after allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings,

including home runs to Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Gimenez.

"You've got to take a pop at him early before he can get in step," Orioles manager Buck

Showalter said of Hamels. "He doesn't even throw 50 percent fastballs anymore, but he's going

to play off your aggressiveness, and when you're not swinging the bats well, it's a challenge. He's

good. That's the type of people you get for what you give up and the type of commitment they

made to him."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Gimenez hits milestone home run: Gimenez has been with the Rangers for only a month, but

his home run in the fifth inning was a major milestone beyond giving the Rangers a lead. It was

his fourth home run, a career high for him in one season.

"It has been a lot of fun," Gimenez said.

Alvarez debuts: Cuba-born outfielder Dariel Alvarez wasted no time showing why there's been

so much buzz about his defense, contributing to a key second-inning double play in his Major

League debut. After catching Elvis Andrus' liner, Alvarez fired a strike from right field to

catcher Matt Wieters, easily nabbing Adrian Beltretrying to score.

"You don't get a whole lot of nerves about something you know you do real well. He's got a lot

more than that. That was, 'I got you out pretty easy here. I don't need to really air it out here.'

He's got plenty of arm, and he doesn't have to overthrow it," Showalter said. "That was

impressive. That's a textbook throw."

Hamels rallies in third: Hamels walked three batters in the third, including Chris Davis with

two outs and the bases loaded to force in a run. But he got out of the inning trailing 1-0 by

getting Wieters to ground out to shortstop. He then retired the side in order over the next four

innings. He did not allow another baserunner until issuing a one-out walk to Manny Machado in

the eighth inning.

"It was just being aggressive in the zone," Hamels said. "Challenging guys and not trying to

make the perfect pitch to get swing-and-misses. That's what I wasn't doing in the third inning,

being aggressive early and getting them to swing outside the zone."

Homers or nothing: Baltimore's frustrating one-dimensional offense was on full display again, as

the O's only run came from a bases-loaded walk. The Orioles couldn't capitalize on Hamels' early

struggles; the lefty retired 14 in a row at one point, and the Orioles were struck out 12 times.

"It's been a challenge for us most of the year and will continue to be," Showalter said of his

team's high-strikeout rate. "You live with [strikeouts] if the run production is there, but it hasn't

been there. That's a tough part of that."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

With his game-tying home run in the fourth inning, Choo has now reached base in 32 straight

starts since the All-Star break. He also drove in a run in the fifth, when he batted with runners at

the corners and one out. He hit a grounder to first baseman Davis and hustled down the line to

avoid an inning-ending double play.

QUOTABLE

"We like to win, and that's kind of what we've been doing the last couple of years, so to have a

skid like this, obviously, doesn't feel good. But we're one hit away, one pitch away, and I think

that's the biggest frustrating thing." -- Gausman, on the Orioles' recent troubles

"He was still in control in the eighth inning. It was a tough decision not sending him out for the

ninth. But we felt he had done what we needed to have done, we had the lead and a very capable

closer who we trust and has shown up big for us. We felt it was time." -- Rangers manager Jeff

Banister, on replacing Hamels with Shawn Tolleson in the ninth

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez pitches against the Rangers at 8:05 p.m. ET on Saturday

in Arlington. Jimenez is 2-5 with a 6.13 ERA in his last 10 starts. He is 3-6 with a 5.14 ERA in

14 starts on the road.

Rangers: Left-hander Martin Perez opposes the Orioles at 7:05 p.m. CT on Saturday. He will be

pitching on eight days' rest, as the Rangers skipped his last start to help monitor his innings. He

is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA in two starts against the Orioles.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/notes-on-trade-deadline-wilson-parra-

jimenez-and-garcia.html

Notes on trade deadline, Wilson, Parra, Jimenez and Garcia

(O's lose 6-0)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - The next trade deadline arrives on Monday and executive vice president Dan

Duquette is engaged in talks in an attempt to add a bat or pitcher. Players must pass through waivers

before they can be dealt. They must be in the organization by 11:59 p.m. on Monday for inclusion on

the postseason roster.

Manager Buck Showalter said he hasn't heard that the Orioles are close to making a trade.

"No, I haven't had any conversations that would lead me to think that, but Dan is pretty good at

stealth, in a good way," Showalter said.

"I focus on the people we have here and the September call-ups we might make. I haven't heard

anything. And if I had, I probably wouldn't tell you, but you can tell the way I'm telling you that I

haven't."

Got all that?

What about going in the other direction and trading a pending free agent while looking ahead to 2016

and beyond.

"I haven't heard any of that," Showalter said. "The people we have here we think we can make a run

at it with. I'm not contemplating or expecting any of that."

The Orioles are preparing for roster expansion on Tuesday.

"I texted Dan," Showalter said. "We're going to have to get some people traveling probably

tomorrow from Norfolk to prepare for the 1st. We'll see how many."

Tyler Wilson, on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, will throw a simulated game on

Tuesday.

Gerardo Parra is out of the lineup for the second time in three games. The Rangers started three left-

handers and Showalter wanted Caleb Joseph and Steve Pearce in the lineup. Also, Showalter

mentioned that Parra's had "a stinger" in his right wrist, though he added that the outfielder is fine.

Parra is 9-for-16 as a pinch-hitter this season, another factor in Showalter's decision. He likes Parra's

left-handed bat on the bench.

Showalter was asked about Ubaldo Jimenez's pattern of being much better in one half of a season

than the other - whether he his more effective in the first or the second. This season, Jimenez is 7-4

with a 2.81 ERA in 17 starts before the break and 2-5 with a 7.50 ERA in nine starts since play

resumed.

The Orioles signed Jimenez to a four-year deal after he went 7-4 with a 4.56 ERA in 19 first-half

starts with the Indians in 2013 and 6-5 with a 1.82 ERA in 13 second-half starts. Last season, he was

3-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 18 first-half starts and 3-1 with a 5.96 ERA in second second-half

appearances, including four starts.

Jimenez was 8-7 with a 4.50 ERA in 17 first-half starts in 2012 and 1-10 with a 6.63 ERA in 14

second-half starts.

"I know there's a pretty large sampling with (Jimenez), so you try to ride the good part of it as long as

you can," Showalter said. "I tell guys all the time when things are going well as a hitter or whatever

you try to actually make notes about that. What are you feeling? Not physically what I'm doing.

What are you feeling? What's the feel of this and that and whatever, so you can reach back for it

when there's some challenges.

"Ubaldo went through some sequences in two or three innings there where that was really good, but I

think that's why guys are starting pitchers, because they're able to maintain some things over (a

period). Their stuff plays three or four times around the order, it's not just a pure stuff thing.

"I think it's more with him because his delivery has some deception in it and there are periods where

he gets out of (whack). It's why his work days ... He has such a good feel of his body and where he

needs to be and what works. And always trying to get it there. Little bitty things can throw a pitch off

this far (one or two inches), which is a difference at this level with this quality of hitters that you'll

pay a price for.

"That's why guys who are consistently good as a starting pitcher are in such demand. It's so rare to

find that you're able to stay together like that, mechanically and health-wise, for seven or eight

months. It's hard. But just because something's hard doesn't mean that you're not always looking for

someone that can do it."

Pitcher Jason Garcia is drawing closer to losing his Rule 5 status for next season. He just needs to

avoid the disabled list over the final month.

The Orioles must decide whether Garcia stays in the bullpen next season while assigned to a minor

league affiliate or returns to a starting role. The Red Sox transitioned him to the bullpen after he

underwent ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in May 2013.

Garcia has made 51 starts among his 82 appearances in the minors, but that include nine games this

summer at Double-A Bowie on his injury rehab assignment.

Does he start or pitch out of the bullpen next year?

"That's a good question," Showalter said. "I know what I look at him as right now. I don't think

there's enough information on him. This is a guy coming out of A ball, basically. To be able to think

you're that smart or that smug and say you know what he's going to be a year or so from now ... I

know what I think. If someone asked me today, I have to be ready to give that answer.

"There's a lot of talk back and forth about that. That will be something that will happen next spring. I

know what player development people think. There's one side that says you keep the ball in his hand

and you pitch every fifth day and have work days in between to work on stuff, and there's another

one that says that wouldn't be part of his skill set and he'd be a big piece in the bullpen.

"Either way, if you can get through this year, it's nice to have that option."

Garcia is 1-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 13 games with the Orioles, with 14 walks and 11 strikeouts in 21

innings. He missed a significant chunk of the season with right shoulder tendinitis.

"It's a challenge, as you've seen," Showalter said. "Physically, he had some problems, but we were

able to take care of it and stay within the timeframe. He had some issues. It wasn't some tomfoolery.

We were able to get that behind him and hopefully get the days.

"I asked our guys below when he was in rehab, do we have guys like that in the system? And every

club would tell you not enough. Nobody's got enough of them. Boston had too many of them. It's

kind of a difference in their depth level, because when you sign that many free agents, you have a lot

of those guys down in the minor leagues that don't have room at the inn. Look at where these guys

are getting drafted from - the Astros, the Red Sox, teams that have a lot of players they have to

protect."

Update: Miguel Gonzalez loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first inning and gave up

two runs to put the Orioles in an early hole. He threw 24 pitches.

The Rangers strung together three consecutive singles. Adrian Beltre lifted a sacrifice fly and another

run scored on a wild pitch.

Update II: Gonzalez retired the first two batters in the third inning and allowed three straight hits,

including an infield single by Elvis Andrus that increased the Rangers' lead to 3-0. Gonzalez has

thrown 56 pitches.

Update III: Gonzalez was charged with four runs in 5 1/3 innings after Jason Garcia let an inherited

runner score on Hanser Alberto's RBI single. Gonzalez hasn't exceeded 5 1/3 innings in 11 of his last

14 starts - including an injury-shortened start on June 6.

Gonzalez allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, with two walks, three strikeouts, a wild

pitch and a hit batter. He threw 103 pitches, 68 for strikes.

The Orioles are down 4-0 and have been held to three hits in six innings.

Update III: The Orioles end their road trip with a thud, losing to the Rangers 6-0 at Globe Life Park.

Zach Britton gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth, the second scoring on Steve Pearce's error.

The Orioles go 1-6 on the trip. They've lost four games in a row, 10 of 11 and 11 of 13 to fall four

games below .500 for the first time since June 7.

The Orioles (63-67) are 11 games out of first place in the division and 5 1/2 behind the Rangers for

the second wild card. They're now in fourth place and only three games ahead of the last-place Red

Sox.

The offense remains a major liability. The Orioles have been held to three runs or fewer in 10 of their

last 11 games. They've been shut out nine times this season - Derek Holland went the distance today

and held them to three hits - and are 0-59 when trailing after the eighth inning.

The Orioles have exceeded their loss total from last season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/game-update-and-showalter-talks-about-

wieters.html

Game update and Showalter talks about Wieters (O's lose 4-

3)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. - Ubaldo Jimenez came close tonight to allowing another run in the first

inning, but he escaped a jam following Delino DeShields' leadoff triple.

Shin-Soo Choo grounded out and DeShields broke for home on Prince Fielder's bouncer to the

mound, running into a 1-5-2 putout. Adrian Beltre flied to deep left-center field to send Jimenez

back to the dugout at 15 pitches.

As I wrote earlier today, Jimenez had surrendered at least one run in the first inning in five of his

eight starts in the second half. He's allowed 12 total runs in the first inning since the break.

Rangers left-hander Martin Perez retired the Orioles in order on six pitches in the top of the first.

Chris Davis grounded out to open the second inning, extending his slump to 2-for-27 with 15

strikeouts.

Perez has retired the first nine batters. If the Orioles' offense is busting out tonight, it's going to

happen in the middle or late innings.

Matt Wieters had started five straight games before returning to the bench tonight. Manager

Buck Showalter chose Davis as his designated hitter while Caleb Joseph starts behind the plate.

Wieters is batting .266/ .296/.411 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs in 56 games.

Showalter said earlier today that he's grading Wieters according to the catcher's return from

Tommy John surgery.

It's a different scale.

"Oh sure," Showalter said. "One, because he's catching every other day. It's hard to get in a

whole lot of rhythm there. Like I said many times, Jonathan (Schoop), him, Steve Pearce, none

of them even have 200 at-bats and we're almost into September.

"I've tried to give Matt some DH days, too. He's getting closer, closer. We'll see how he feels

when he gets into September. I keep that in mind."

Wieters has averaged slightly more than twice as many strikeouts as walks in his career, but he's

walked nine times and struck out 54 this season.

"I just don't think there's enough sampling this year to really say anything concretely, but I know

Matt," Showalter said. "Because he knows his chances to contribute aren't as many as every day

catching right now, he probably tries to do too much sometimes."

Wieters is .309/.345/.509 right-handed and .248/.276/.372 left-handed this season.

"You know what's funny with Matt? When I first got here, everybody was talking about how he's

a lot better left-handed hitter," Showalter said. "In watching him, I thought he was pretty even

both sides. One year they switch around this way and the next year they switch around this way."

Update: DeShields reached on an infield hit leading off the bottom of the third - Manny

Machado bobbled the ball - and scored on Shin-Soo Choo's double to break a scoreless tie.

Fielder flied out, but Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

Update II: The Orioles tied the game in the fifth on Steve Pearce's ninth home run, Paul Janish's

sacrifice fly and Machado's RBI single. Dariel Alvarez doubled for his first major league hit.

The Orioles haven't scored this many runs in an inning since the sixth inning on Aug. 21.

Update III: Bobby Wilson doubled off Mychal Givens with two outs in the sixth to score Elvis

Andrus and give Texas a 4-3 lead.

Andrus tripled off Jimenez and Will Venable was walked intentionally before Givens entered the

game.

Jimenez hasn't gone more than 5 2/3 innings in his last four starts. He's carrying a 7.50 ERA in

nine starts in the second half.

Update IV: The Orioles lose again tonight, 4-3, for their fifth defeat in six games on the road

trip. They're 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers for the second wild card.

The Orioles are 9-50 when scoring fewer than four runs. All of their scoring tonight was

confined to the fifth inning.

They've lost nine of their last 10 games and 10 of 12, and they're now 17-24 in one-run games.

The Orioles are three games below .500 for the first time since July 24.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/showalter-on-jones-health-and-urrutias-

chances-of-returning-next-month.html

Showalter on Jones' health, Urrutia's chances of returning

next month (O's lose 4-1)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - Adam Jones remained in the Orioles' lineup tonight following batting

practice, passing his final test that cleared him to play.

Jones struck out to end the first inning. Manny Machado also struck out, as Rangers starter Cole

Hamels retired the side in order on 13 pitches.

Kevin Gausman retired the Rangers in order on 12 pitches in the bottom of the first, getting a

pop-up and two groundballs.

Jones had blurred vision yesterday after slamming into the fence at Kauffman Stadium. He

underwent X-rays on his wrists and neck and experienced symptoms similar to whiplash.

The Rangers' team physician examined him this afternoon.

"Adam saw Dr. (Keith) Meister here," said manager Buck Showalter. "Just following procedure

with it. He went through the other test where you heat him up on the bike and bring him out there

after that and get the heart rate up and run around and see if there's any ... But he's fine. Ready to

go. We hoped he would be, but we wanted to go through all the proper channels to get there."

Jones was injured after hitting a portion of the fence that isn't padded. His wrists seemed to

absorb most of the punishment.

"Still don't understand some of the things with the structures," Showalter said. "Our biggest asset

is our players. I know the signage is important to pay everybody's salary, but that fence with the

plexiglass behind it and some of the places that still have metal and brick walls, I don't

understand how that happens in our industry. I really don't."

Showalter wrote out two lineups today in case Jones was a late scratch.

"Knowing Adam, I thougth it was 50-50," Showalter said. "He's been real frank and honest with

us. I appreciate him telling us yesterday. The whiplash gives you a little fuzz there, but he feels

good today. If he has a problem during the game, we'll make the adjustment."

The Orioles continued to adjust their roster by selecting outfielder Dariel Alvarez's contract from

Triple-A Norfolk and optioning outfielder Henry Urrutia.

"We got Dariel some money," Showalter said. "I had my son (Nathan) and one of our scouts,

because they spoke Spanish, pick him up at the airport last night in Dallas, and he told them he

spent his last penny buying some clothes in the mall in Gwinnet. They asked him if he needed

anything and he said, 'Yeah, I don't have any money.' So he got some meal money today, so he's

OK. He spent every piece of cash he had.

"He seems pretty excited, huh?"

The Orioles are facing three left-handers in the Rangers series, plus Rays southpaw Drew Smyly

on Tuesday at Camden Yards. Alvarez's right-handed swing seemed a better fit.

"That's part of it. And he's doing well down there," Showalter said.

"We knew we were going to do it at some point. I know it's probably a year early and people

look at it roster-wise, but at his age (26) and his experience level, you're going to know

something about that very quickly. It's not like it's a 21-year-old that you're trying to save a year

and all that stuff. And again, the roster never really figured in. Kind of how we have to do it and

who we try to be. There was a need and he served it, so we took him. We had plenty of room on

the roster."

There are no guarantees that Urrutia will return next month when rosters expand.

"We're going to take that day by day," Showalter said. "In September, we'll call some people up.

(Norfolk) is only two games up now. I was hoping Henry would get there quicker. His wife and

child are in Baltimore. He's going to fly back there. It looks like he's going to meet the club

Monday back there."

The Tides' lineup tonight includes outfielders Nolan Reimold and David Lough. The roster is

full.

"When Henry gets there they're going to have to make a move," Showalter said.

We'll see whether Urrutia creates an opening by returning to Baltimore.

"I wouldn't commit to that," Showalter said. "We'll see if that's a fit for us. We're not going to

just call bodies up. They're going to have to be somebody we think can contribute."

Showalter saw improvements in Urrutia compared to his brief stint in the majors in 2013.

"He's getting there, he's getting there," Showalter said. "He had a good year down there. He did

some good things for us here and he'll go down there again with even a better (idea) of what the

differences are. It's still the biggest jump in sports going from the minor leagues to the big

leagues in baseball. It's the biggest jump in the level of play."

Catcher Jonah Heim, playing in his first injury rehab game in the Gulf Coast League, went 2-for-

4 with a double, two RBIs, a walk and two runs scored. Heim served as the designated hitter.

Double-A Bowie outfielder Quincy Latimore, 26, has been named to the 2015 Eastern League

season-ending All-Star team. He currently leads the Baysox with 16 home runs and 66 runs

scored and ranks second with 52 RBIs.

Update: Alvarez showed off his arm in the second inning, catching Elvis Andrus' liner and

throwing out Adrian Beltre at the plate with room to spare. The Orioles lead the majors with 38

outfield assists.

Alvarez led off the third inning and grounded out to third base on Hamels' first pitch.

Paul Janish doubled, making him 4-for-7 with the Orioles. Manny Machado and Steve Pearce

walked to load the bases with one out, Jones struck out again and Chris Davis walked to give the

Orioles a 1-0 lead.

Update II: Shin-Soo Choo homered to lead off the bottom of the fourth and tie the game 1-1.

Prince Fielder singled to deep center field, but Jones threw him out at second for the Orioles'

39th outfield assist. Jones has 13.

Update III: Chris Gimenez hit his career-high fourth home run to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead in

the fifth.

All four home runs have come in the last 11 games.

The Rangers tacked on another run in the ffith on singles by Hanser Alberto and Delino

DeShields and a fielder's choice grounder by Choo.

Update IV: Gausman is done after allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings, the last coming on Delino

DeShields' RBI triple with two outs in the seventh. He surrendered nine hits, walked one, struck

out three, threw a wild pitch and served up two home runs. He threw 102 pitches, 66 for strikes.

Hamels has retired the last 13 Orioles since Davis' bases-loaded walk in the third.

Update V: The Orioles are two games below .500 for the first time since July 25 following

tonight's 4-1 loss to the Rangers.

The Orioles have lose nine of their last 11 games. They've scored three runs or fewer in eight of

nine.

Cole Hamels held the Orioles to two hits over eight innings, none after Janish's double with one

out in the second. He retired 14 in a row before walking Machado with one out in the eighth.

The Orioles trail the Rangers by 3 1/2 games for the second wild card.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/os-free-fall-continues-with-loss-at-texas-os-go-

1-6-on-road-trip.html

O's free fall continues with loss at Texas for 1-6 road trip

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

The Orioles' road trip ended with a thud today as they were shut out 6-0 by left-hander Derek

Holland at Texas. The O's completed a 1-6 trip that leaves them with a 63-37 record and four

games under .500 for the first time since they were 26-30 on June 7.

The Orioles have lost 10 of 11 games, scoring three or fewer runs in each of those losses. The

Orioles scored eight runs in their one win on the trip and 12 in the six losses. They have scored

just 25 runs over their past 12 losses.

He got zero run support today, but Miguel Gonzalez also pitched 5 1/3 or fewer innings for the

sixth time in his last seven starts and for the 11th time in 14 outings. Gonzalez went 5 1/3

innings, allowing seven hits and four runs and throwing 103 pitches. He is 9-11 with an ERA of

4.85. In his past three starts, his ERA is 8.59, and it is 6.49 over his last 13 starts.

Texas took a quick 2-0 lead when its first three hitters singled to start the first inning. Then, an

Adrian Beltre sac fly made it 1-0 and a Gonzalez wild pitch scored the second run. In the third,

three singles with two outs and none on made it 3-0. Elvis Andrus came up with an infield hit to

plate the run. The lead became 4-0 on Hanser Alberto's RBI single in the fourth. Texas made it

6-0 in the ninth off Zach Britton on a Delino DeShields single and a Steve Pearce error in left

field.

Left-hander Holland, making his fourth MLB start of the season, pitched a complete-game three-

hitter on 116 pitches. He walked none, fanned 11 and retired 14 in a row to end the game. He is

2-1 with an ERA of 2.82. The Orioles were shut out for the ninth time as they fall to 26-42 in

road games.

The Orioles went 11-3 the last two seasons against Texas, but they went 1-6 this season. Texas

(68-61) has won seven of nine and 13 of 17 games, and is 18-9 this month.

The Orioles return home Monday to start a three-game series against Tampa Bay when Wei-Yin

Chen (8-6, 3.17 ERA) pitches against right-hander Chris Archer (11-10, 2.88 ERA).

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/the-os-fall-to-texas-4-3-and-have-lost-

nine-of-their-last-10-games.html

O's fall to Texas 4-3, have lost nine of their last 10 games

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 29, 2015

For the Orioles, it was another night when they could not score more than three runs as they

suffered yet another loss on this road trip.

Texas pushed across a tiebreaking run in the sixth to beat the Orioles 4-3 at Globe Life Park. The

Orioles fall to 63-66 with their ninth loss in their last 10 games. The Orioles have scored three or

fewer runs in each of the nine losses and have scored just 25 runs in their last 11 losses.

The game ended in frustration for the Orioles when Manny Machado struck out with runners on

first and third and two outs in the ninth. Home plate umpire David Rackley said Machado went

around on a checked swing, and Machado was arguing as manager Buck Showalter came out to

pull him away as the Rangers celebrated the victory.

The Orioles fall to 1-5 on the road trip that ends Sunday and to 2-10 in their last 12 games. They

are 26-41 on the road and 1-5 this year versus Texas.

Texas scored with two outs and no one on to break a 3-3 tie in the last of the sixth. Elvis Andrus

tripled to left off Ubaldo Jimenez, and Will Venable was intentionally walked. RelieverMychal

Givens came on, and No. 8 hitter Bobby Wilson doubled on his first pitch to left for the 4-3 lead.

After going 0-for-4 the first two innings with runners in scoring position, Texas scored three in

the third to get the lead. Shin-Soo Choo's 25th double scored a run for the 1-0 lead. Two batters

later, Adrian Beltre's two-run homer made it 3-0. Beltre hit No. 13 on an 0-1 fastball from

Jimenez that found the middle of the plate.

The Orioles had scored just one run in 13 innings in the series when they scored three in the fifth

to tie the game.

Steve Pearce led off with his ninth homer. He hit a 1-0 pitch out to left off Martin Perez, who had

not allowed a homer in his first seven starts - covering 37 1/3 innings - coming into the game.

Caleb Joseph singled with one out and went to third on a Dariel Alvarez double to left. That was

Alvarez's first major league hit. A Paul Janish sac fly made it 3-2, and the O's tied it 3-3 on

Machado's RBI single to center with two outs.

In his second big league game, Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored, and he is 2-for-

6 to start his big league career.

Jimenez took the loss to fall to 9-9 with an ERA of 4.34. He allowed eight hits and four runs in 5

2/3 innings. Jimenez, who has allowed 11 runs in 11 1/3 innings in two starts on this trip, is 2-5

with an ERA of 7.50 in nine starts since the All-Star break.

Perez gave up three runs in 6 1/3 innings to get the win for Texas. He is now 2-3 with an ERA of

5.15. The Rangers (67-61) have won 21 of their last 29 games, and are 25-15 in the second half

and 22-11 versus Amerian League East teams in 2015.

In the series finale on Sunday afternoon, Miguel Gonzalez (9-10, 4.78 ERA) faces left-hander

Derek Holland (1-1, 4.73 ERA).

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/os-offense-struggles-again-as-they-lose-to-

cole-hamels-and-the-rangers.html

Offense struggles again as Orioles lose to Cole Hamels,

Rangers

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 28, 2015

For the Orioles, it was another night with not much offense and another loss.

Texas Rangers' left-hander Cole Hamels held the Orioles to just two hits over eight innings as

Texas beat the O's 4-1 at Globe Life Park in the opener of a weekend series.

Hamels retired 14 in a row from the last out of the third inning into the eighth inning. He walked

four and fanned 10, throwing 111 pitches, 72 for strikes. Hamels improves to 2-1 with an ERA of

3.89 in five starts with Texas. He needed 56 pitches over the first three innings, but then threw

just 40 over the next four frames. Shawn Tolleson pitched the ninth to complete a comined three-

hitter.

While Texas (66-61) has now won 11 of 15 games, the Orioles lost for the eight time in nine

games, and are 2-9 the past 11 games. At 63-65 overall, the Orioles fall two games under the

.500 mark for the first time since July 25.

The Orioles have been held to just nine runs in their four losses on this road trip and to just 22

runs in their last 10 losses overall.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but they could have done much better in that

inning.

They loaded the bases with one out on a Paul Janishdouble and walks to Manny Machado and

Steve Pearce. After Adam Jones struck out, Chris Davis drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to force in a

run for the 1-0 lead. But Matt Wieters grounded out to leave the bases loaded. In an inning where

Hamels walked three, he gave up just one run.

Texas tied it on a Shin-Soo Choo leadoff homer in the fourth off Kevin Gausman. He hit No. 16

on a 3-1 pitch. They went ahead 3-1 in the fifth. Chris Gimenez homered with one out. He hit

No. 4 for a 2-1 lead. Later in the fifth, Choo plated a run on a force out. First baseman Davis

tried for an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play but the relay throw was late and the third run scored.

Dariel Alvarez made his major league debut and made a big play before he even batted for the

first time. He caught a flyout then threw a runner out at the plate from right field to complete a

double play in the bottom of the second. Alvarez went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, and the

Orioles struck out 12 times tonight after fanning 14 times yesterday.

Gausman went 6 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and four runs with one walk and three strikeouts.

He falls to 2-6 with an ERA of 4.39 in 19 games, 11 starts.

In the second game of the series on Saturday night, Ubaldo Jimenez (9-8, 4.26 ERA) faces left-

hander Martin Perez (1-3, 5.30 ERA).

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/30/ap-bba-orioles-rangers-1st-ld-writethru

Holland Ks 11 for Texas in 6-0 win over O's for 3-game

sweep

Associated Press / SI.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Derek Holland noticed how quiet it suddenly got after the final pitch

of his eighth career shutout for the Texas Rangers

Everyone was briefly distracted as Baltimore slugger Chris Davis' bat helicoptered toward the

right-field line after a big swing-and-miss, an appropriate ending for the slumping Orioles.

''They were watching the bat, and I was like, (catcher Chris Gimenez) has the ball right now,

why isn't everybody getting excited?'' Holland said with a grin after his 6-0 victory Sunday

polished off a three-game sweep.

Once Davis' bat settled to the ground without doing any harm, there were finally loud cheers to

mark Holland's three-hitter. The left-hander matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in his third

start since coming off the disabled list.

Holland (2-1), who walked none and hit a batter with a pitch, struck out each of the Orioles' nine

starters at least once - getting Adam Jones and Davis twice. The last of his 116 pitches was a

slider past Davis.

''Nobody really knew. I felt bad for him. I told him it's kind of anticlimactic. For it to end like

that, and I'm the only one back there going crazy,'' Gimenez said. ''For him, too, it's just big, just

knowing that he's back, he's fully capable of going out and doing that. He just proved it to

everybody today.''

At 68-61, the Rangers are seven games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013

season. Their 68 wins are already one more than all of last year - and they still have 33 regular-

season games to play.

The Orioles have lost 10 of 11, falling 5 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the AL wild-card

chase.

''(Holland) was good. He's been good for quite a while. He's certainly got his health back,''

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. ''It bodes well for them and bad for us.''

After missing most of 2014 following left knee surgery, Holland went back on the DL after only

one inning in the home opener April 10 when he strained his left shoulder. His previous shutout

was Sept. 23, 2013, against Houston.

''I executed all my pitches, the defense was making some outstanding plays behind me, and the

offense put up the runs,'' Holland said. ''I'm just glad to get back and get a complete game.''

Miguel Gonzalez (9-11) gave up four runs in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander is 0-5 in his last

seven starts, allowing 29 earned runs over 35 innings (7.46 ERA).

''We all know that this game isn't easy,'' he said. ''Mentally, you've got to be tough and not think

about what's going on. ... But you've got to keep making pitches.''

It was the Rangers' seventh shutout this season, and Baltimore was held scoreless for the ninth

time.

Texas had three consecutive singles to start the first before Adrian Beltre's sacrifice fly made it

1-0. Shin-Soo Choo, whose single marked his 34th consecutive start since the All-Star break

reaching safely, then scored on a wild pitch.

Beltre had a two-out double in the third, scoring when Elvis Andrus hit a single. Andrus led off

the sixth with a bunt single and scored on Hanser Alberto's single.

POSITIVE TRENDS IN TEXAS

Texas finished with its best record against the Orioles, going 6-1 this season. ... The Rangers

have won their last six series finales, and nine of 10. ... They have won six consecutive day

games, and nine of 11, moving to 19-18 in such games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Chaz Roe, on the disabled list since Aug. 10 with right shoulder tendinitis, is

scheduled to throw an inning Monday for Double-A Bowie and could rejoin the Orioles later in

the week.

Rangers: C Carlos Corporan (left thumb strain) will travel with the team for its trip to San Diego,

and likely will be activated Tuesday when rosters can expand to 40. He hasn't played since July

12. ... C Robinson Chirinos (left shoulder strain), out since July 30, is expected to take batting

practice Monday with Double-A Round Rock, and could begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Orioles: After a 1-6 trip, the Orioles are home Monday night to start a three-game series against

Tampa Bay that will end a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. Then they hit the road again for six

more games.

Rangers: Colby Lewis goes for his career-best 15th win when the Rangers play Monday night in

San Diego, the start of an 11-day, 10-game road trip that is their longest of the season.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/29/ap-bba-orioles-rangers

Wilson's RBI fuels Rangers in 4-3 win over Orioles

Associated Press / SI.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Bobby Wilson took it personally when the Orioles intentionally

walked Will Venable ahead of him.

Wilson lined a tiebreaking double with two out in the sixth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the

Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Saturday night.

Elvis Andrus tripled off the left-field wall with two outs and Venable was walked to bring up

Wilson. Mychal Givens came on and Wilson hit his first pitch over third baseman Manny

Machado to score Andrus.

''That's been preached to me from a young age from my dad - don't let people do that to you,''

said Wilson, who had two hits and a walk. ''So, it was nice to come through there.''

Wilson was one of Texas' acquisitions before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. He hit .145

in 26 games this season for Tampa Bay but has hit .286 in 16 games with Texas.

Wilson has shared the catching duties with fellow newcomer Chris Gimenez with Robinson

Chirinos and Carlos Corporan on the disabled list.

''Bobby has gotten some really big hits for us,'' manager Jeff Banister said, ''and none bigger than

that tonight.''

The Rangers have won three straight and increased their lead for the second AL wild card to 1

1/2 games. They are six games above .500, equaling their season high, and have equaled their

win total for last season at 67.

The Orioles have lost 10 of their last 12 games. In each loss, they have scored three runs or

fewer.

''They're frustrated. Frustrated,'' Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. ''So, there's one way to

take that frustration away.''

Rangers left-hander Martin Perez (2-3) allowed three runs and seven hits with no walks in 6 1/3

innings, throwing 63 strikes in his 84 pitches.

Shawn Tolleson earned his 28th save in 30 attempts, stranding runners at first and third in the

ninth. Tolleson ended the game with a check-swing strikeout of Machado.

An RBI double by Shin-Soo Choo and Adrian Beltre's two-run homer in the third gave Texas a

3-0 lead.

Delino DeShields - ''a kid that leads the charge'' according to Texas manager Jeff Banister -

opened that inning by beating out a grounder to third. Machado appeared to double-pump the

throw but said DeShields ''just beat it out.''

Perez sailed through the first four innings, retiring the first 11 batters, before Baltimore erased

the three-run deficit in the fifth. The rally began with Steve Pearce's ninth home run of the

season.

Perez struggled when getting away from pitching inside but quickly returned to what worked.

''Some of the secondary stuff got hit,'' Banister said, ''but they got right back into it. Nice

readjustment.''

DUECES WILD

All three outs of the Rangers' fourth inning came at second base. Venable was standing near

second when he was struck under the left arm by a ball hit by Wilson. Wilson was forced at

second on a single to shallow left field by Hanser Alberto that Adam Jones couldn't catch.

Alberto was thrown out at second trying to advance on a pitch to DeShields that wasn't ruled a

caught stealing.

WAITING GAME

OF Josh Hamilton said he still feels pain in his sore left knee that prevents him from running.

Hamilton will be eligible to come off the disabled list on Monday but isn't sure if he'll be ready.

''It's a day-to-day thing,'' he said. ''I'm tired of watching ballgames.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: 2B Rougned Odor hasn't played since coming out of last Tuesday's game when a

grounder ran up his right hand and ripped the nail on his middle finger.

UP NEXT

Orioles: In 12 starts since coming off the DL in late June, RHP Miguel Gonzalez (9-10) has an

ERA of 6.46. Gonzalez has two losses and three no-decisions in his last five outings.

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland (1-1) will make his third start after missing four months with a

shoulder injury. He allowed three home runs in six innings last Tuesday in a no-decision against

Toronto.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/08/28/ap-bba-orioles-rangers-1st-ld-writethru

Hamels strikes out 10, Rangers beat Orioles

Associated Press / SI.com

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Cole Hamels delivered the type of performance the Texas Rangers

hoped to get when they traded for him.

Hamels pitched his best game since being acquired by Texas, striking out 10 in eight innings

Friday night in a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

''This is what everybody kind of envisioned when we traded for him,'' catcher Chris Gimenez

said.

The Rangers maintained their hold on the AL's second wild-card spot and moved within four

games of West-leading Houston.

''This is the part of the season where everything is and everything's focused on. This is where you

have to be at your best,'' said Hamels, a former World Series MVP.

Star outfielder Adam Jones started for the Orioles, a day after he ran into a wall and was forced

to leave, but Baltimore lost for the eighth time in nine games.

Jones went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts, one coming with the bases loaded in the third inning.

''We just, offensively, haven't been putting much together,'' Orioles manager Buck Showalter

said. ''(Hamels) was good, and we weren't very good. So, that's a bad combination.''

Hamels (2-1) gave up one run and two hits. Acquired from Philadelphia shortly before the July

31 non-waiver trade deadline, the three-time All-Star won for the first time at home after a pair

of no-decisions.

The left-hander had pitched a no-hitter in his final start for the Phillies.

''I think he proved to everybody just how tough he is really and the type of pitcher he is,'' Texas

manager Jeff Banister said.

Shawn Tolleson pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 27th save in 29 chances.

Shin-Soo Choo and Gimenez hit solo home runs for Texas.

Kevin Gausman (2-6) allowed four runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. He has made 11 starts this

season, beginning in late June, with one win.

Hamels gave up a second-inning single to Matt Wieters and a third-inning double to Paul Janish,

the latter followed by three walks that scored Baltimore's run.

Following the bases-loaded walk to Chris Davis, Hamels retired the next 14 batters.

In five starts for Texas since the trade, Hamels has a 3.89 ERA. He had a 3.64 ERA in 20 starts

for the Phillies.

Gimenez's home run in the fifth inning was his career-high fourth of the season, all coming in his

last 11 games since his recall from Triple-A Round Rock. He hit six homers in 185 games over

parts of six seasons before this year.

Choo homered in the fourth inning and drove in a run in the fifth on an infield out. He has

reached base safely in all 32 starts he's made since the All-Star break.

Orioles outfielder Dariel Alvarez made his major league debut after being called up from Triple-

A Norfolk earlier in the day. The Cuban went 0 for 3.

In the second inning, Alvarez ran down a sinking liner hit by Elvis Andrus and threw home to

nab Adrian Beltre to complete a double play.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: SS J.J. Hardy (groin) rejoined the team while on the disabled list through Sept. 8. He'll

go through light workouts before swinging a bat or running.

Rangers: OF Josh Hamilton (sore left knee) took batting practice. He's eligible to come off the

disabled list on Monday, the day before rosters are expanded.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (9-8) has lasted six innings in one of five August starts.

Rangers: LHP Martin Perez (1-3) will pitch on eight days' rest. In his seven starts since being

activated in mid-July following Tommy John surgery, Perez hasn't allowed a home run in 37 1-3

innings.

LOOKING LEFT

Before the game, the Rangers promoted LHP Andrew Faulkner from Round Rock and optioned

RHP Nick Martinez to the same club. Faulkner was 7-4 at Double-A Frisco before going to

Round Rock, where he struck out 13 of the 26 batters that he faced in six games.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-end-dismal-road-trip-6-0-loss

Jones angry at effort questions after another loss

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- Adam Jones had heard enough, seen enough. After the final game of a

horrendous road trip, which ended with six losses in seven games, Jones was waiting as his

locker in the visitors clubhouse in Globe Life Park.

He had something to say.

Jones was sick of being questioned about the Orioles’ effort. Sure, his team had lost 10 of 11 and

fallen out of the playoff conversation after the 6-0 loss to the Texas Rangers before 22,256 on

Sunday.

But, wait a minute.

Jones doesn’t think the Orioles are out of it. Never mind they’re in fourth place in the AL East,

11 games out of first place—or they’re 5 ½ games out of the wild card.

“We’re still right in the thick of things, so if you think we aren’t, cool. I think we are in the thick

of things, just have to go on a five-six game winning streak and you guys come back to us and

say, ‘now you’re in the middle of it,’” Jones said.

Jones doesn’t want to hear anything about the team’s supposed lack of effort, either.

“My biggest thing about sports is when somebody doubts an effort or another player or

something like that. That’s basically calling him a coward. You know what I mean? Whenever

someone says, ‘Oh you don’t give an effort. You’re not playing (with) effort. That’s kind of

calling someone a coward,” Jones said.

“We go out there and play our tails off. Some days it looks pretty, some days it doesn’t but the

effort is always there. For some people to say that our effort level isn’t there just because we

struck out 11 times. We could strike out 20 times. But to say our effort level wasn’t there, that’s

a slap in the face and I want to slap somebody in the face who says that.”

Jones is having another fine season, with 24 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .279 average. He had one

of the Orioles’ three hits off Derek Holland, who threw a complete game shutout. Jones also

struck out twice.

The Orioles didn’t put up much of a fight off Holland (2-1), who missed most of the season with

a shoulder injury. After Dariel Alvarez’s fifth-inning single, Holland retired the final 14 Orioles,

and didn’t walk a batter.

Miguel Gonzalez continued to struggle. In 5 1/3 innings, he allowed four runs on seven hits.

Gonzalez (9-11) has lost five straight and hasn’t won in seven starts.

Gonzalez had a horrid first inning. He allowed singles to Delino DeShields, Shin-Soo Choo and

Prince Fielder to begin the inning. Adrian Beltre’s sacrifice fly to right scored DeShields, and

Choo scored on a wild pitch.

Texas took a 3-0 lead in the third when Beltre, Mitch Moreland and Elvis Andrus singled.

The Rangers (68-61) scored again in the sixth. Andrus singled, and with one out, Gonzalez hit

Chris Gimenez with a pitch.

Jason Garcia replaced Gonzalez and allowed an RBI single to Hanser Alberto.

“It’s tough to swallow. September is coming up, we got to keep grinding. Keep working hard,

keep our heads up and give each other, talk about positive stuff. That’s going to be the main

thing for September. Pick each other up,” Gonzalez said.

Two more runs scored in the eighth. Zach Britton was getting some needed work, and allowed an

RBI single to DeShields. Steve Pearce overran the ball and allowed Gimenez to score.

Manager Buck Showalter’s team has scored more than three runs just once in the last 11 games,

and they’ve lost each time.

“We’ve tried a lot of different things, trust me. It’s not a time to point fingers. It’s a time to rally

around each other, which our guys have already tried to do and will do,” Showalter said.

In their last four games, the Orioles (63-67) have struck out 11,14,12, 6 and 11 times. They’re

on-base percentage has dropped to an abysmal .305.

“We're striking out in double figures it seems like every game. I'm not going to beat up on them.

If I do that, it's certainly going to be privately, not publicly. They understand and they're

frustrated and I think we're looking forward to getting home and see if we can right this ship,”

Showalter said.

Showalter talks. Jones talks. Can something change in these final five weeks to wake up the

slumbering Orioles?

“I’ve talked to the team, I talk to these guys every day. What do you want me to do? Bend over

and spank them?” Jones said.

COMING UP: Wei-Yin Chen (8-6, 3.17) faces Chris Archer (11-10, 2.88) on Monday night as

the Orioles begin a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. Chris Tillman and Kevin

Gausman faces Drew Smyly and Erasmo Ramirez in the other two games.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-lose-ninth-time-last-10-games

Machado angry at checked swing call in Orioles loss

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- Manny Machado was livid. He screamed at home plate umpire David

Rackley, pleading with him to ask for help on a checked swing that ended the game.

Rackley called Machado out, and the frustration of losing for the ninth time in 10 games got to

him. Machado screamed at Rackley while manager Buck Showalter rushed out to get between

the two.

The game was over.

The Orioles left the tying run at third, and the go-ahead run at first, as Machado struck out.

A 4-3 Orioles loss to the Texas Rangers before 29.768 at Globe Life Park ended angrily.

“You’ve got to ask there, situation of the game. Changes the whole at-bat, but just we ask them.

You’ve got to check. You’ve got to check on that,” Machado said.

“It’s just part of the game. We’ve lost one-run games. Don’t get me wrong. We’re playing

against teams that are great, teams that are battling, teams that hopefully are going to be in the

playoffs. I mean, it’s not easy. We’re just one hit away, one out away.”

The Orioles entered the ninth trailing by a run against Texas closer Shawn Tolleson. Jonathan

Schoop singled and took second on Caleb Joseph’s infield out. Dariel Alvarez walked, and Ryan

Flaherty hit into a fielder’s choice.

With Schoop at third and Flaherty at first, Machado was quickly angered by Tolleson’s first

pitch, called a strike, but one that Showalter said was “four inches off the plate.”

The count was 1-2, and Machado tried to hold up.

“I think it’s just an overall thing. There’s a lot going on. There’s frustration, I mean, that at-bat,

winning run on first, tying run on third. You want to get ahead in that situation. We want to take

that into the next inning or give us an opportunity to do something that we needed to do. It’s not

something that they’re just starting to do. They’ve done it for a long time, but you’ve got to

check. That’s all we ask. A nice little check. See what happens,” Machado said.

Ubaldo Jimenez allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings to the Rangers, and the Orioles (63-66) have

lost five of six games on the road trip and nine of 10 overall.

It wasn’t just Machado’s call that annoyed Showalter.

“We’ve got too many other things that happened in that game that we could have done to make it

not matter,” Showalter said.

Fortunately for the Orioles, their road trip ends on Sunday. That may be one of the few positives

they can find.

In each of the nine games, they’ve scored three runs or fewer, and have now dropped three

games under .500 for the first time since July 24. Their 66 losses equal last year’s total.

Texas scored three in the third on an RBI double by Shin-Soo Choo and a two-run homer by

Adrian Beltre.

Martin Perez retired the first 11 Orioles until Adam Jones singled with two outs in the fourth.

The Orioles tied the score at 3 in the top of the fifth.

Steve Pearce led off with a home run to left, his ninth of the season. With one out, Joseph singled

and Alvarez sent him to third with his first major league hit, a double. Paul Janish’s fly to right

scored Joseph, and Alvarez came home on Machado’s RBI single.

It was the first three-run inning for the Orioles (63-66) since Aug. 21 when they scored three

against Minnesota in the sixth.

Jimenez (9-9) allowed a two-out triple to Elvis Andrus. After Will Venable was walked

intentionally, Mychal Givens allowed a double to Bobby Wilson, giving Texas (67-61) the lead.

It was the fourth straight time Jimenez didn’t finish six innings.

Perez (2-3) allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Machado’s strikeout gave Tolleson his 28th save.

If the Orioles are going to somehow make a playoff run, they’ve got to start quickly.

“We had a good run earlier this year and then we followed it right with a bad run. We still have

one more month of baseball. And it’s got to start tomorrow. We’ve got to turn this thing around.

And we know we are capable of doing it. I think we’ve got the right guys for it,” Pearce said.

Machado is remaining positive, too.

“I mean, I got faith in this team, and we all trust each other that we’re going to get where we

need to get to. We’re not worried about this,” Machado said. “I think we’re just one good game

away from starting a nice streak, and going where we need to go,” Machado said.

The Orioles clubhouse was somber after the game, and that’s understandable.

“Frustrated. They are frustrated. So, there’s one way to take that frustration away,” Showalter

said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-offense-handcuffed-hamels-another-loss

Orioles offense handcuffed by Hamels in another loss

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. – At a most critical time of the season, the Orioles’ offense is producing

almost nothing. The result was their eighth loss in nine games.

Cole Hamels, in his fourth start since his acquisition by the Texas Rangers at the trading

deadline, totally shut down the Orioles.

Hamels allowed two hits in eight innings, none after the third, and struck out 10 as the Rangers

beat the Orioles 4-1 on Friday night before 28,337 at Globe Life Park.

The loss puts the Orioles (63-65) 3 ½ games behind the Rangers (66-61) for the second wild card

spot.

In the eight losses, the Orioles have scored just 19 runs. Against Hamels, just one.

“We’ve been struggling offensively and that is compounded (by Hamels). That’s the type of guy

you get for six prospects,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He was good and we weren’t, so

that’s a bad combination. We’re just not stringing much together offensively.

Matt Wieters singled in the first and Paul Janish doubled in the third off Hamels (2-1), and at one

point retired 14 consecutive hitters.

The Orioles struck out 14 times on Thursday in Kansas City and 12 more times against Hamels

and Shawn Tolleson.

“It’s been a challenge for us most of the year and will continue to be. You live with them if the

run production is there, but it hasn’t been there. That’s a tough part of that,” Showalter said.

Kevin Gausman allowed two home runs to take the loss. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 6

2/3 innings.

“It’s tough for me to fault many of our pitchers when you are going out there knowing that runs

are going to be at a premium. Especially with Hamels out there and you compound that with

some of our offensive woes right now,” Showalter said.

Gausman knows it’s harder to pitch now with the offense lagging.

"I kind of knew that going into the night, especially with the guy I was facing. He's been great all

year and continues to be. He kind of settled in. I think he was a little sporadic early on, but he

definitely settled in and put a pretty good start together,” Gausman said.

“It's tough. We like to win and that's kind of what we've been doing the last couple of years, so to

have a skid like this obviously doesn't feel good. But we're one hit away, one pitch away, and I

think that's the biggest frustrating thing.”

Making his major league debut, Dariel Alvarez quickly saved a run for the Orioles. With runners

at first and third with none out in the second, Elvis Andrus lined to Alvarez in right, who threw a

one-hopper to the plate to easily retire Adrian Beltre.

“He's kind of always like that down in Norfolk. He throws guys out left and right. He has

probably one of the best outfield arms I've ever seen. Yeah, obviously that was huge. I don't

think Beltre looked at the scouting report on the outfielders before the game. Yeah, he's

definitely kind of a freak athlete. He swings hard and runs hard. He plays the game the right way.

He has a really good arm out there in right,” Gausman said.

Alvarez was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

In the top of the third, the Orioles scored on a one-out double by Janish and walks to Manny

Machado, Steve Pearce and Chris Davis. Davis’ bases-loaded walk was his 92nd RBI of the

season.

After Davis’ walk, Hamels retired 14 straight until Machado walked with one out in the eighth,

but Pearce quickly hit into a double play.

Shin-Soo Choo’s 16th home run off Gausman (2-6) to lead off the fourth, tied the score at 1.

"I thought I threw a pretty good pitch to Choo. I probably should have stayed away from him 3-1

but I tried to go fastball in. He put a good swing on it. It's pretty short down the right field line

here. He just kind of got me, I guess,” Choo said.

Prince Fielder followed with a drive to center, but Adam Jones threw Fielder out trying for

second.

Chris Gimenez’s one-out homer in the fifth, put Texas ahead 2-1. HHanser Alberto and Delino

DeShields each singles, and Alberto scored on Choo’s infield out, and the Rangers led 3-1.

DeShields’ seventh-inning triple scored Will Venable and finished Gausman.

Tolleson allowed a ninth-inning single to Jones, then recorded the final three outs for his 27th

save.

The final out was Jonathan Schoop’s fourth strikeout of the game.

“It’s really tough. Trying to go out and win, and things don’t go our way right now,” Schoop

said.

COMING UP: Ubaldo Jimenez (9-8, 4.26) faces Martin Perez (1-3, 5.30) on Saturday night.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-notes-and-observations-jones-

machado-trades-20150830-story.html

Orioles notes and observations (Jones, Machado, trades)

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 31, 2015

Center fielder Adam Jones can be mercurial. One of the most articulate Orioles, sometimes his

post-game interviews are terse and unusable for reporters’ purposes.

And I usually give him a pass on those days. Because he is almost always at his locker and

because he gets approached so often that I’m sure it gets old quickly.

But I also give him a pass on those uncooperative days because when something needs to be

said, when hard questions have to be asked, Jones often will step up and take them all head-on.

He was waiting for the media by his locker Sunday afternoon following the Orioles’ 6-0 loss to

the Texas Rangers, their fourth straight and 10th of 11.

The season is spiraling out of control and Jones was there to talk about it whereas some of his

teammates -- some that have stepped up in the past -- weren’t around. That’s been happening

more often in the last month or so.

But not only did Jones talk, he punched back at critics who may question the Orioles’ lack of

effort during this losing skid.

More of the quotes can be read here, but here’s Jones’ most pointed comments in one paragraph:

“My biggest thing about sports is when somebody doubts an effort or another player or

something like that. That’s basically calling him a coward. You know what I mean? Whenever

someone says, ‘Oh you don’t give an effort. You’re not playing [with] effort.’ That’s kind of

calling someone a coward. It’s like me going to someone else’s job and saying ‘You’re not

playing. You’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing. You’re not playing hard.’ It’s a

sport, man. We go out there and play our tails off. Some days it looks pretty, some days it

doesn’t, but the effort is always there. For some people to say that our effort level isn’t there just

because we struck out 11 times [Sunday]. We could strike out 20 times. But to say our effort

level wasn’t there, that’s a slap in the face. And I want to slap somebody in the face who says

that.”

I’ve been in this business long enough to know that fans don’t really care if players talk to the

media or not. Fans want wins. They want hustle. They want effort. Most couldn’t care about

players answering hard questions.

But, in the big picture, it all speaks to accountability. To accepting responsibility for failures,

because the cheers are going to come. It isn’t easy, I’m sure. But the best players, the biggest

winners always seem to be the ones who also are accessible and accountable.

** It’s very possible that Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Darren O’Day are gone at season’s end.

And that’s a whole lot of veteran experience and leadership walking out the Orioles’ clubhouse

door.

O’Day may be the most irreplaceable leader of the trio, but closer Zach Britton has the talent,

ability and personality to pick up some of that slack. And Caleb Joseph, despite his lack of big-

league experience, is already a fairly trusted voice in the clubhouse.

But others have to step up to join Jones.

To me the most interesting candidate is 23-year-old third baseman Manny Machado, who is

clearly the best player on the roster (along with Jones).

The jury is out on Machado’s leadership; there’s a maturity question. And he’s obviously

allowed his emotions to get the best of him several times in young career. He did that Saturday,

when he spiked his helmet and jawed at the home plate umpire when he was rung up to end the

game.

Machado’s complaints were justified -- home plate umpire David Rackley should have asked for

help on the check-swing appeal -- but he still needs to go about things the right way. We saw a

glimpse of that Saturday night, though, after the game when he calmly talked to reporters about

his outburst. Again, it’s all accountability, whether it’s to the media, the fans, his teammates, etc.

And Saturday night was a nice step for Machado.

** If the Orioles are still trying to improve themselves for 2015, or if they are trying to dump a

pending free agent for prospects, Monday is really the last day to do it. Players that aren’t in an

organization on Sept. 1 can’t be placed on a playoff roster. And to be traded Monday, players

must have already passed through revocable trade waivers.

So the chances of the Orioles making a move seem remote. That said, when it comes to trades, I

don’t dismiss Dan Duquette. He’s made at least one in August in each of the past three years.

And he told me on Saturday that he’s not giving up on this season. Maybe that was just talk; it’s

one of those things that, in a sense, must be said publicly.

So we’ll see if it means anything in the next 24 hours.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-things-really-are-tough-all-over-for-

orioles-20150830-story.html

Orioles find out that things really are tough all over

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

It was bad enough that the Orioles got shut out and swept in Texas, but that would not be the end

of the indignity that would attach to them over the course of a very eventful Sunday across the

major leagues.

The Orioles lost for the 10th time in 11 games and fell further out of contention in the American

League wild card race, which would have been disturbing enough to the O's, their front office

and their fans all by itself.

Then came the news that Cleveland Indians president Mark Shapiro is headed to Toronto to

become the new president of the Blue Jays, which is the job that many thought Orioles baseball

operations chief Dan Duquette would be in line for at the end of this season.

He was the first choice of Blue Jays ownership last winter when current Jays president Paul

Beeston signaled his intention to retire, but the Orioles were not willing to let Duquette out of his

contract without getting a lot in return from the Jays.

Still, until the story broke that the Jays had lured Shapiro away from the Indians, it still seemed

plausible that Duquette might get that job this winter, though his club's recent downturn has not

reflected well on his performance over the past nine months.

Oh, if that wasn't enough for one day, Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta pitched a no-hitter

against the Dodgers on Sunday night for his 17th victory of the season. Arrieta, you surely recall,

was a top Orioles pitching prospect who never popped here and was traded to the Cubs for Scott

Feldman and Steve Clevenger.

Obviously, the Orioles could have used him the past couple of years -- he's a combined 27-11

with a 2.31 ERA since the start of the 2014 season -- but there's no guarantee he would have

fulfilled his potential in Baltimore. He had reached the point where just about everyone agreed

that he would benefit from a change of scenery.

He certainly has.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-buck-showalter-not-expecting-orioles-to-make-

a-trade-20150830-story.html

Buck Showalter not expecting Orioles to make a trade

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

With August ending, contending teams may still be jockeying to add players, but Orioles

manager Buck Showalter said he's not aware that the Orioles are in the mix.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette said Saturday that if the Orioles made a deal before Sept.

1 it would be to better the 2015 team. And Duquette added Saturday that he was still having

trade talks with other teams despite the Orioles' recent skid.

If trades are in the works, Showalter said, it was news to him.

"I haven't had any conversations that would lead me to think that, but Dan is pretty good at

stealth, in a good way," Showalter said. "I focus on the people we have here and the September

call-ups we might make. I haven't heard anything. And if I had, I probably wouldn't tell you, but

you can tell the way I'm telling you that I haven't."

Players must be in an organization before Sept. 1 to be eligible for the postseason. To make a

trade in August, players must first pass through trade waivers, making it more difficult to

consummate a deal. In each of the past three seasons, however, Duquette has made at least one

August deal.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0831-20150830-story.html

For struggling O's starter Ubaldo Jimenez, another tale of

two half-seasons

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

One of the more concerning components of the Orioles' recent collapse has been the regression

of starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who was so good in the first half this season and has struggled

mightily in the second.

How stark is the contrast?

He was 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 17 starts before the All-Star Break and is 2-5 with a 7.50 ERA

after it. Including Saturday's outing, in which he allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings, Jimenez has

made it through six innings just twice in nine second-half starts. He threw six innings or more in

nine of 17 outings before the break.

The trend of one half being significantly better than the other is not new to Jimenez. In his last

five seasons, dating back to 2011 when he was with the Colorado Rockies, he's had an ERA

difference of at least 1.2 runs from one half to the other.

In three of those five seasons the disparity between halves has been more than two runs apart.

And it's not as if the first half is always better than the second or vice versa. In 2014, his post

break ERA was 5.96 while his pre-break ERA was 4.52. In 2013 in Cleveland, he posted a 4.56

ERA in the first half and a sparkling 1.82 ERA in the second, which helped him land the four-

year, $50 million deal with the Orioles.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said many pitchers endure such disparities at times, but he

understands that Jimenez's splits stretch throughout much of his career.

"I know there's a pretty large sampling with [Ubaldo]. So you try to ride the good part of it as

long as you can," Showalter said. "I tell guys all the time when things are going well as a hitter

or whatever, you try to actually make notes about that. What are you feeling? Not physically

what I'm doing. What are you feeling? … So you can reach back for it when there's some

challenges."

Showalter said he felt like there were times Saturday in Texas in which Jimenez looked like the

same guy from the first half, but a tough sixth inning in which he gave up a two-out triple helped

torpedo what could have been a quality start.

The problem, Showalter said, is more mechanical than mental with Jimenez. With such a herky-

jerky delivery that creates excellent deception when it's working, Jimenez needs to repeat it for

consistent results. There are stretches of games when he does — and others when he can't.

"He has such a good feel of his body and where he needs to be and what works. And [he's]

always trying to get it there. Little bitty things can throw a pitch off this far [one or two inches]

which is a difference at this level with this quality of hitters that you'll pay a price for,"

Showalter said. "That's why guys who are consistently good as a starting pitcher are in such

demand."

Orioles closing in on keeping Garcia

When rosters expand Tuesday, it will be much easier for the Orioles to keep Rule 5 right-

hander Jason Garcia, who will no longer have to be counted on to pitch in key situations. The

Orioles had to keep Garcia on the 25-man roster (or disabled list) all year or would have to offer

him back to the Boston Red Sox.

Although it's not technically official — and so Showalter doesn't want to celebrate it — it now

appears the 23-year-old Garcia will be an Oriole next year, when he safely can be sent to the

minors to work on refining his pitch arsenal which includes a high-90s fastball.

"There's that potential," Showalter said about keeping the Rule 5 pick. "I'm proud of that

potential, because it's not easy to do."

Around the horn

Umpire David Rackley, who drew the ire of Orioles third baseman Manny Machado on Saturday

night, was the third base ump Sunday afternoon. Machado got into Rackley's face in the ninth

inning Saturday after Rackley refused to ask for help on a check-swing call that ended the game.

There were no incidents Sunday. ... The Orioles hadn't been swept in Arlington since July 4-6,

2011. … The Rangers end their season series with the Orioles winning six of seven games.

That's their best record in one season against the Orioles in the teams' histories. … RHP Tyler

Wilson (oblique) is throwing a simulated game Tuesday. … The Orioles have been shut out nine

times this year while the Rangers have registered seven shutouts. Sunday was Derek Holland's

eighth career shutout and first since 2013 against Houston. It was the first time in his career in

which he threw a complete game shutout without issuing a walk.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-machados-fire-erupts-after-nocheck-call-

20150829-story.html

Manny Machado's fire erupts after no-check call to end

Orioles loss

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

If you want a snapshot of the Orioles’ frustration during this disastrous road trip this week, look

no further than the last pitch of Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.

With runners at the corners and the count at 1-2, Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson threw a 94-mph

fastball that Manny Machado started to swing at, and then stopped.

The question is whether he stopped in time. He thought he did. Orioles manager Buck Showalter

thought he did.

But home plate umpire David Rackley didn’t agree. He felt Machado didn’t check in time. So he

rung up Machado, game over, Rangers win.

Machado wanted Rackley to ask first base umpire Jim Reynolds to confirm the call. And usually

umpires will do that.

But this one was a little different. Since it was the last pitch and last strike, many umpires won’t

end the game and then allow an appeal to extend it. That doesn’t look good. So Rackley refused,

saying Machado didn’t check his swing.

And the Orioles' 23-year-old third baseman lost it. Spiking his helmet on the plate and getting

into the face of Rackley. In normal situations, Machado would have been tossed. But the game

was over.

Showalter came running out to get between them and the fire died quickly.

After the game, Machado was calm, and explained why he was so angry -- and, yes, he has a

point.

“You’ve got to ask there, situation of the game. Changes the whole at-bat,” Machado said.

“You’ve got to check on that. You can’t [not ask] in a game like that. That’s not supposed to be

ended, but whatever. You can’t do [expletive] about it now.”

Showalter said there could have been some carryover from Machado’s first pitch of the at-bat,

which Rackley called a strike when it appeared to be outside. But Machado said he had little

problem dealing with that one. It was Rackley’s insistence on not checking that steamed him.

But Machado also admitted that it’s also the frustration of this stretch boiling over -- of knowing

how important these games are and not being able to win close ones. And when he feels that the

game shouldn’t have ended the way it did, well, it was hard for him to take.

“I think it’s just an overall thing. There’s a lot going on. There’s frustration, I mean, that at-bat,

winning run on first, tying run on third,” Machado said. “You want to get ahead in that situation.

We want to take that into the next inning or give us an opportunity to do something that we

needed to do. It’s not something that [umpires are] just starting to do. They’ve done it for a long

time, but you’ve got to check. That’s all we ask. A nice little check. See what happens.”

Machado added, however, that he still believes in these Orioles, and isn’t giving up on their

playoff chances.

“It’s not easy. We’re just one hit away, one out away,” he said. “We’ve still got [33] games to

get back in this. I mean, I got faith in this team, and we all trust each other that we’re going to

get where we need to get to. We’re not worried about this. Nobody wants to lose. I think we’re

just one good game away from starting a nice streak, and going where we need to go.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-schmuck-observations-0830-20150829-

column.html

Observation deck: Opportunity knocks for Ryan Flaherty,

Paul Janish with J.J. Hardy on DL

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 30, 2015

J.J. Hardy's silver lining: It's hard to find a positive aspect to the injury that sent shortstop J.J.

Hardy to the disabled list at such a critical time in the season, but there have been a couple of

uplifting developments that have come as a direct result.

Ryan Flaherty has gotten the opportunity to play more and he has taken advantage of it to snap

out of the lengthy hitting drought that threatened to make him expendable before the Sept. 1

roster expansion.

Flaherty put together a bunch of productive at-bats during the series against the Kansas City

Royals and put a big charge into a couple of balls to remind everyone that he's not just a versatile

glove man. But it's important to remember that he is a very versatile defender who has played an

important role on the Orioles bench for quite some time.

There's a reason Buck Showalter likes him so much, and it's not the Michael Jordan haircut.

Meanwhile, opportunity knocks for Janish:Hardy's absence also has given 32-year-old

journeyman infielder Paul Janish a chance to show what he can do with the glove, but he has

used it to show that he can also handle a bat.

Janish had hits in three of his first four games after being called up from Triple-A Norfolk. He

singled in his first major league at-bat since 2013 on Tuesday night and had two hits in

Thursday's game. He delivered his first extra-base hit and his fourth hit in his first seven O's at-

bats off Cole Hamels on Friday.

It's difficult to say how much playing time he'll get when Hardy returns from the DL, but Janish

is making the most of his long-awaited return to the big leagues.

The Caleb Joseph question: There's no question that Caleb Joseph has established himself as a

high-quality reserve catcher, which has prompted some observers to speculate that the Orioles

can afford to let Matt Wieters leave via free agency at the end of this season.

Whether the team can or can't replace Wieters probably is irrelevant, since he likely will move

on. The question is whether Joseph can perform at the level he has this year in a bigger role. He

has made no secret about how fresh he has been able to stay playing every other game, but being

the main man behind the plate can be a grueling job.

No doubt, if Wieters goes, the Orioles will look for catching depth this winter, but it wouldn't be

a shock to see Joseph and Steve Clevenger sharing the job next year.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0830-20150829-story.html

Orioles notebook: Club backing Red Land Little League

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 29, 2015

A group of Orioles watched the U.S. Championship of the Little League World Series on

Saturday afternoon in the visiting clubhouse and cheered when the Red Land (Pa.) team won in

the bottom of the sixth to advance to Sunday's overall championship against Japan.

"That was good. That was kind of cool," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We were one or

two games away from being there when I was 12. … Remember it like it was yesterday."

The Red Land team is from northern York County, about 70 miles north of Camden Yards. At

the beginning of the tournament, Showalter, Kevin Gausman and Jonathan Schoop sent a video

message of good luck to the team. On Friday, Showalter and Manny Machado called the team

and again offered encouragement.

No matter what happens Sunday, the team has been invited to Camden Yards to be honored on

the field. There's no question the Orioles are on the Red Land bandwagon now.

"I think a lot of it has to do with it being nearby. I think they are coming to the ballpark, think

we've got that set up," Showalter said. "They've got their work cut out for them now [against

Japan]."

Limited number of call-ups on Sept. 1

Showalter said he and Duquette have talked about who might be promoted Tuesday when rosters

expand, but he doesn't expect a high volume of players. Showalter said at least one reliever will

be added to the roster in addition to Chaz Roe, who will come off the disabled list Wednesday.

One possibility is U.S. Naval Academy product Oliver Drake, 28, who has a 0.63 ERA and 22

saves in 41 games at Triple-A Norfolk and pitched in five games with the Orioles earlier this

season.

"He's under strong consideration," Showalter said. "Oliver's had as good of a statistical year as

you want to see a reliever have. He's pretty glad we protected him. He's had that type of year."

Showalter hinted at least one prospective call-up is already with the team — presumably

outfielder Dariel Alvarez — and that the organization doesn't want to disrupt the minor league

affiliates' playoff runs, but will take guys who can help the Orioles now.

"I think we'll be able to solve both needs, the needs of our club and the needs of Norfolk," he

said. "That's what we're trying to do. But we're going to err on the side of Baltimore."

Around the horn

Former Oriole Mark McLemore, who is now a TV broadcaster for the Rangers, was in the

dugout chatting before the game with Showalter, first base coach Wayne Kirby and others.

McLemore, 50, attended the same high school (Morse High in San Diego) as Orioles center

fielder Adam Jones and has become close with Jones over the years. … High-A Frederick right-

hander Cody Wheeler was named to the Carolina League postseason All-Star team. Wheeler, 26,

entered Saturday 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 17 saves for the Keys. … Showalter said right-hander

Mike Wright will pitch Tuesday for Norfolk and could still be a call-up at some point next

month.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-notes-and-observations-offense-

showalter-alvarez-20150828-story.html

Orioles notes and observations on offense, Buck Showalter,

Dariel Alvarez

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 29, 2015

But the Orioles’ 4-1 loss to Hamels and the Texas Rangers on Friday night had only so much to

do with the veteran left-hander.

It also had plenty to do with an Orioles offense that simply can’t get anything going unless it puts

together a barrage of homers.

“It’s both,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s the big leagues, we’ve figured out how

to score off some of those people. But it’s been tough on our pitchers -- they know that runs are

going to be at a premium. I was looking and we haven’t scored enough runs to give them much

room for error. We've got to turn that part of it around. It’s tough.”

This problem has been in existence for the past few years. The Orioles have a lineup of primary

all-or-nothing hitters. Guys that smash baseballs a long way, but also strike out a lot and don’t

make consistent contact, and that’s not a great formula against good pitching.

It’s a roster flaw that was exposed in the 2012 and 2014 playoffs, and even more so this year.

Case in point: The Orioles struck out 12 times Friday, 14 times Thursday and 11 times in a win

Wednesday. During their five-game road trip, the Orioles have fanned 54 times in 45 innings

while going 1-4.

I don’t believe this is about teaching an approach or the fault of hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh.

Most of these guys are veterans who are difficult to change. This is the free-swinging roster that

was built by Dan Duquette and Showalter, and the Orioles live and die by it.

And you know what they are doing right now.

** I thought one of Showalter’s comments Friday was telling. He was asked about Kevin

Gausman’s outing and Showalter basically said it was tough to evaluate the performance -- four

runs in 6 2/3 innings -- because the offense is giving all of his starters no margin for error.

It’s not a surprising concept, but Showalter is increasingly pointing the finger at the offense.

And, frankly, he should be. Here’s what he said: “It’s tough for me to fault many of our pitchers

when you are going out there knowing that runs are going to be at a premium. Especially with

Hamels out there and you compound that with some of our offensive woes right now.”

** Speaking of free swingers, Dariel Alvarez saw just nine pitches in three at-bats in his major

league debut, striking out twice and grounding out. He has offensive ability, but plate discipline

is a concern (heard that one before?). He had 16 walks in 541 plate appearances this season in

the minors.

But boy does this guy have an arm. He threw out Adrian Beltre at the plate on Friday night on a

one-hopper from right. And he really didn’t have to air it out. The 26-year-old is gonna be fun to

watch, but he might not be a whole lot different at the plate than many of his teammates. So be

prepared for that.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-minor-league-capsules-0829-

20150828-story.html

Orioles minor league report: Tides' Julio Borbon could be

speed option for O's in September

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

August 29, 2015

Triple-A Norfolk

Julio Borbon remains a staple in the Tides lineup for a second straight year, with the former

Texas Ranger batting .295 in his first 30 games before Friday to bring his season average to .275.

Borbon hit his first home run of the season on Aug. 22, and had 21 steals on 29 attempts through

Thursday. He could be a speed option off the bench for the Orioles in September.

Double-A Bowie

Cuban left-hander Ariel Miranda has made a smooth transition to the Eastern League, winning

five of his first seven starts with a 2.38 ERA while striking out 38 in 41 2/3 innings for the

Baysox. In stops in the Gulf Coast League, Frederick and Bowie, Miranda, 26, is 6-2 with a 2.84

ERA in 66 2/3 innings (13 starts) with 68 strikeouts.

High-A Frederick

Right-hander David Hess, the Orioles' fifth-round draft pick in 2014, posted his first career

complete-game shutout in the first half of a doubleheader Tuesday against Potomac. He struck

out five and allowed just one hit in the win. Hess is 9-4 with a 3.58 ERA this year, and is a

perfect 7-0 with a 1.34 ERA since the All-Star break.

Low-A Delmarva

Dominican catcher Yermin Mercedes, making his affiliated debut this year after playing

independent ball in 2014 and spending three years in the Dominican Summer League before that,

batted .351 in his 10 games before Friday, with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs in that span.

Mercedes, 22, hit .278/.313/.486 with a team-high eight home runs and 16 doubles in his first 57

games.

Short-A Aberdeen

Shortstop Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles' second first-round pick in 2015, homered in his second

game with Aberdeen last Sunday, the first of three hits he picked up in his first three games with

the IronBirds.

Rookie level GCL

Outfielder Gerrion Grim entered Friday leading the team with five home runs this season.

Outfielder Jaylen Ferguson led current members of the club with nine stolen bases.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0829-20150828-story.html

Orioles notebook: Dariel Alvarez's call-up a 'dream come

true'

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun

August 28, 2015

New Orioles outfielder Dariel Alvarez escaped Cuba in the dark of night in a speedboat that ran

out of gas once in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico before finally reaching Mexico's shore in

2012. He began another kind of journey Friday night.

His first major league call-up, first major league game and first big-league at-bat all occurred

Friday against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park.

"It's a dream come true. I'm so happy," Alvarez said through assisting hitting coach Einar Diaz,

who acted as an interpreter. "I thank my family and this organization. I'm so happy right now, I

can't believe it."

The Orioles signed Alvarez for an $800,000 bonus in 2013; this is his third season playing in the

organization and first full year at Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .275 with 16 homers and 72

RBIs in 130 games.

The 26-year-old was considered the club's fifth-best prospect by Baseball America heading into

this year. His solid season and rocket right arm made him the organization's most anticipated

call-up of 2015. That could come with a major league case of the nerves.

"Sometimes when guys go up to a higher level, if that's your goal to get to in your life, there's a

certain calmness about finally getting there. I don't know," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said

about what he expected from Alvarez. "I'm as curious as you all are to see how it goes. We

picked a really easy pitcher for him to break in against. But it's the big leagues."

On Friday, Alvarez made his debut playing right field and batting eighth against Texas lefty Cole

Hamels, one of the top pitchers in the game. His ability to hit lefties was one of the main reasons

Alvarez received the call before rosters expand in September. Beginning Friday, the Orioles

were scheduled to face four left-handed starters in five games.

So it made sense to bring up Alvarez and demote left-handed-hitting Henry Urrutia, who hit .265

in 10 games with the Orioles with a walk-off homer on Aug. 19. Both Cuban defectors, Urrutia

and Alvarez were road roommates with the Tides, and Alvarez said Urrutia served as an

inspiration when he was promoted to the Orioles earlier this month.

"That motivated me to work hard and come here," Alvarez said. "We always talk about that. I

was really happy for him."

The organization, including Triple-A manager Ron Johnson, was exceptionally happy for

Alvarez, Showalter said.

"I think it means as much to [Alvarez] as anybody we called up. He was pretty emotional about

it," Showalter said. "The kid played hard every day down there. [Johnson] said there wasn't a day

he didn't post up and show up ready to go. And if you look at his background and what he's been

through to get to this point, you can see how he feels that way."

Showalter said Urrutia would meet the Tides in Norfolk for Monday's game. It's possible, but not

a guarantee, that Urrutia will be back at some point in September.

"We'll see if it's a fit for us. We're not going to just call bodies up. They're gonna have to be

somebody we think can contribute," Showalter said. "He's getting there, he had a good year

down there and he did some good things for us here."

Jones back in lineup

Center fielder Adam Jones, who left Thursday's game in Kansas City two innings after crashing

into the outfield wall, was back in the lineup Friday.

First he had to clear additional tests with the Rangers doctor, Showalter said, including

concussion protocol as well as an examination of his wrists. All checked out.

"He's fine, ready to go," Showalter said. "We hoped [Jones] would be, but we wanted to go

through all the proper channels to get there."

Clevenger off paternity list

Catcher Steve Clevenger was activated from the paternity list Friday. Clevenger's wife, Tiffany,

gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Peyton, earlier this week. Peyton was a couple of

weeks premature, but mother and daughter are doing well and should be released from the

hospital Saturday, Clevenger said.

"It's been awesome. My family's very happy. I'm just glad everything went well," Clevenger

said. "The doctors did a great job and the nurses are taking great care of them."

The Orioles had already made a roster move to make room for Clevenger, optioning reliever

Jorge Rondon to Norfolk after Thursday's game.

Roe likely back Wednesday

Right-hander Chaz Roe, who is on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, threw a 25-pitch

simulated game Friday. He is expected to pitch for Double-A Bowie on Monday, and if all goes

well, return to the Orioles bullpen Wednesday.

"At first, you know I was kind of skeptical of [going on the DL]," Roe said. "But everything

started feeling good. Everything is back to normal. And it definitely is a good thing for me."

Around the horn

Shortstop J.J. Hardy (left groin), who rejoined the team in Texas, said he's feeling better and

expected to do light activities such as playing catch this weekend. He hasn't yet been cleared to

run, but still hopes to be back by Sept. 8, when he's first eligible to come off the DL. … Right-

hander Tyler Wilson (oblique) threw a 48-pitch bullpen Thursday, will throw 70 pitches

Saturday and then should rejoin the Tides. … Right-hander Mike Wright (calf) pitched four

innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks for Norfolk on Thursday. He'll have at least

one more outing there, in five days, before coming off the DL. … Showalter and third baseman

Manny Machado phoned the Red Land Little League team Friday to wish it luck in Saturday's

U.S. Little League championship game in South Williamsport, Pa. If Red Land wins win, it will

advance to Sunday's overall championship game. Red Land is based out of Lewisberry, Pa.,

which is in northern York County, about 70 miles from Camden Yards. … Baysox outfielder

Quincy Latimore, 26, was named to the season-ending Eastern League All-Star team. He entered

Friday leading Bowie with 16 homers and 66 runs scored.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/146361310/orioles-finish-7-game-road-trip-with-one-win

Orioles aim to right ship after difficult road trip Club goes 1-6, falls 5 1/2 back in race for second AL Wild Card

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON -- An Orioles club that won the American League East by 12 games last year now

sits 11 out of the division. Baltimore completed a dismal two-city road trip 1-6, with Sunday's 6-

0 loss loss to the Rangers, and has lost 10 of its last 11 games to fall 5 1/2 games back in the race

for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Nothing has gone right lately for an Orioles team that has already exceeded its loss total (67)

from 2014 and faces a daunting schedule in the season's remaining five weeks.

"I've talked to the team, I talk to these guys every day. What do you want me to do? Bend them

over and spank them? They're grown men. They understand the objective here," center

fielder Adam Jones said. "It's not like, 'I'll just come play and have some fun in the Major

Leagues.' No, we are here to win and they understand that. A lot of the guys were here last year

and got a taste of what we were about and the way we play the game. Right now, we're just

getting beat. That's how it works. You've just got to figure out a way to win. That's how it is."

Over their recent skid, the Orioles have scored three or fewer runs in all 10 losses. They've also

had rotation struggles, pitching to a 6.47 ERA on the seven-game road trip and -- despite scoring

eight runs in their lone win -- were outscored 35-20.

"That's a question that gets asked every year in the sport and for every team out there and it's us

right now, and we've got to keep working," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of turning

things around. "We've tried a lot of different things, trust me. It's not a time to point fingers. It's a

time to rally around each other, which our guys have already tried to do and will do."

Baltimore is now four games under .500 (63-67) for the first time since June 7 will head home

for a three-game series before heading to Toronto and New York.

"We go out there and play our tails off. Some days it looks pretty, some days it doesn't, but the

effort is always there," Jones said. "For some people to say that our effort level isn't there, just

because we struck out 11 times. We could strike out 20 times. But to say our effort level wasn't

there, that's a slap in the face and I want to slap somebody in the face who says that."

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20150830146271122?game_pk=415612

Wild Card hopefuls square off in Baltimore

By David Wilson / MLB.com

August 30, 2015

The Orioles and Rays, who have both struggled to end August, open a three-game series on

Monday at Camden Yards.

And the first game is the heavyweight bout of the series. Cy Young-hopeful Chris Archer will

take the mound for Tampa Bay, which has lost 10 of its past 16 games. The O's will counter with

their ace, Wei-Yin Chen. Baltimore has lost 10 of its past 11 games.

Despite the recent struggles, both teams are still in contention for the second American League

Wild Card spot.

Things to know about this game

• Archer's breakthrough third season has him matching some of the numbers mentor David Price

put up during his best seasons with the Rays. With his next strikeout, Archer will match the 218

whiffs Price piled up in 2011, his most strikeout-heavy season in Tampa Bay. Scott Kazmir

holds the club record with 239 in 2007.

• Archer has a 5.06 ERA in eight career appearances against the Orioles, one of only three teams

he's made at least four appearances against with an ERA worse than 5.00.

• Chen has a 3.42 ERA in 17 career starts against the Rays.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/146226030/run-production-a-concern-for-orioles

Run production a concern for Orioles

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON -- Three has been a troublesome number for the Orioles, with all nine of their

losses in the past 10 games coming when the offense has scored three runs or fewer.

That offensive frustration was on full display in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Texas, in which Baltimore

went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base, dropping to 9-50 when

they score three runs or fewer.

"Most teams will [have trouble in those situations]," manager Buck Showalter said. "We've got

through periods where we've beat [guys like this]. [Texas starter Martin] Perez is a good pitcher.

He's coming back from some health issues, but ... The changeup, any time you got command of

that, you got a chance. Made everybody honest enough on the inner half."

The O's, three games under .500 for the first time since July 24, are 17-24 in one-run games.

They also have to figure out a way to play better away from home, having gone 26-41 on the

road, including losses in nine of their last 10.

"We have pretty much the same team, everybody's back. We just haven't caught fire," said

outfielder Steve Pearce, who homered in Saturday's loss. "We had a good run earlier this year,

and then we followed it right with a bad run. We still have one more month of baseball. And it's

got to start tomorrow. We've got to turn this thing around. And we know we are capable of doing

it."

All three of the Orioles' runs on Saturday came in the fifth inning; the bats went cold beyond

that. Similarly, they only scored in the third inning of Friday night's game.

"We've lost one-run games. Don't get me wrong. We're playing against teams that are great,

teams that are battling, teams that hopefully are going to be in the playoffs. I mean, it's not easy.

We're just one hit away, one out away. It's part of baseball," said third baseman Manny

Machado. "We've still got 30, 30-something games to get back in this. I mean, I got faith in this

team, and we all trust each other that we're going to get where we need to get to. We're not

worried about this. Nobody wants to lose. I think we're just one good game away from starting a

nice streak and going where we need to go."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/146182980/os-dariel-alvarez-gets-first-major-league-hit

Alvarez records first Major League hit

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON -- Dariel Alvarez collected his first Major League hit in the fifth inning of

Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers, delivering a one-out double off Texas starterMartin Perez. His

double came in his second at-bat on Saturday as part of a three-run fifth that saw Baltimore tie

the score.

Alvarez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, went 2-for-3 with a walk

and a run scored.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/146150476/orioles-support-us-little-league-champions

O's throw support behind U.S. LLWS team

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON -- A good portion of the Orioles' clubhouse was captivated on Saturday afternoon

as they watched Red Land Little League of Lewisberry, Pa. -- about 70 miles north of Camden

Yards -- complete a 3-2 victory over Texas to advance to the Little League World Series

championship.

Baltimore has been eagerly following the York County club, sending the players messages of

encouragement throughout their playoff run. Manager Buck Showalter and third baseman Manny

Machado spoke with the team on Friday.

"They wanted to talk to Manny. They know who Manny is. He said, 'Bring the 'ship home' I said,

'That's pretty good.' I [thought it meant] 'bring the ship to dock,'" Showalter said. "But I guess

that's cool for 'bring the championship.' It's slang."

To do that, Red Land will have to beat undefeated Japan in Sunday's championship game.

"I think a lot of it has to do with it being nearby," Showalter said of his players being so

captivated by the Little League games. "I think they are coming to the ballpark [in Baltimore],

think we've got that set up. [Red Land has] got their work cut out for them now."

Watching Red Land's walk-off win reminded Showalter of his Little League days.

"That was kind of cool. We were one or two games away from being there when I was 12," he

said. "Remember it like it was yesterday."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/145949792/dariel-alvarez-makes-great-play-in-os-loss

Alvarez wastes no time making impression

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON -- There was that arm everyone had raved about.

Outfielder Dariel Alvarez, who made his Major League debut for the Orioles in Friday's 4-1

loss to Texas, has critics when it comes to his offense. But his defense -- particularly that

fantastic arm -- has gotten raves at every level from inside the organization and out, and he

wasted no time showing why.

With the ballgame scoreless in the second inning, Alvarez caught Elvis Andrus' sinking liner and

fired a perfect throw from right field to catcher Matt Wieters to easily get Adrian Beltre out at

home.

"He has probably one of the best outfield arms I've ever seen," starter Kevin Gausman said of

Alvarez, whom he saw plenty of in Triple-A Norfolk this year. "Obviously, that was huge. I don't

think Beltre looked at the scouting report on the outfielders before the game. Yeah, he's

definitely kind of a freak athlete."

Alvarez's contract was selected from Norfolk prior to the game. He was one of two additions on

Friday, along with catcher Steve Clevenger, who returned from paternity leave. Henry Urrutia --

who was Alvarez's roommate in Norfolk -- was optioned to Triple-A to clear a roster spot.

And even though Alvarez, like many of his teammates, went hitless on Friday, he still left quite

the impression.

"You don't get a whole lot of nerves about something you know you do real well. He's got a lot

more than that. That was, 'I got you out pretty easy here. I don't need to really air it out here,'"

manager Buck Showalter said of Alvarez's throw home. "He's got plenty of arm, and he doesn't

have to overthrow it. That was impressive. That's a textbook throw."

Alvarez hit .275/.305/.424 with 24 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, and 72 RBIs in 130 games

with Norfolk this season. Named to the Triple-A All-Star team, he was a logical choice to come

up given that Texas is starting three lefties in the weekend set.

"It was tough [offensively] early in the season," said Alvarez, with assistant hitting coach Einar

Diaz serving as interpreter. "I never stopped working, got help from all the coaches over [at

Triple-A], and it was a good thing I never gave up. Now I'm here."

Clevenger has hit .370 with four doubles, a home run and seven RBIs in 13 games this season,

including five multihit efforts. He was placed on the paternity list on Tuesday, leaving after

Monday's game in Kansas City.

"It's been awesome," Clevenger said of welcoming daughter Peyton Lee with his wife, Tiffany.

"My family's very happy. I'm just glad everything went well. The doctors did a great job, and the

nurses are taking great care of them. She's healthy, and my wife is doing great, and they're going

to be home tomorrow."

Urrutia hit .265/.306/.382 with a double, a home run and six RBIs in 10 games this season.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/145950726/jj-hardy-chaz-roe-make-progress-in-recovery

Hardy, Roe move closer to returning to O's

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON -- Shortstop J.J. Hardy was with the team in Texas on Friday, joining

reliever Chaz Roe as the two rehabbing Orioles move closer to a return.

Hardy, sidelined with a strained left groin, received a platelet-rich-plasma inj

ection in Baltimore earlier in the week and is doing light baseball activities for now. He will try

to test things without doing too much and risking a setback. Running will be one of the biggest

obstacles.

"Swinging the bat and running, anything that kind of involves pulling your leg in is what was

affecting it," Hardy said. "So running and swinging, stuff like that, I think will be the ultimate

test."

Roe (tendinitis in right shoulder) threw a simulate game prior to the Orioles-Rangers opener and

said the plan is for him to throw in a rehab game on Monday. The team hasn't worked out the

Minor League affiliate, but Roe is expected to finish an inning and then pitch another; the goal is

for him to be activated on Wednesday.

"About 25 pitches, threw all the pitches, everything felt good," Roe said of Friday's sim game.

"The slider is back to normal, and the sinker had good depth on it."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/orioles-prepared-to-select-steve-johnsons-

contract.html

Orioles prepared to select Steve Johnson's contract

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 31, 2015

The Orioles won't dig deep into Triple-A Norfolk's roster when their own 25-man roster can

expand on Tuesday. The Tides are making a run at the playoffs and the Orioles don't want to

leave them at a competitive disadvantage, though helping the major league club remains the top

priority.

They've already got one pitcher in place after summoning right-hander Steve Johnson from

Triple-A Norfolk. Johnson has left the Tides and is headed to Baltimore, putting him in position

to have his contract selected on Tuesday.

Johnson, who's celebrating his 28th birthday today, is 4-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 32 appearances

with Norfolk, including three starts. He's walked 16 batters and struck out 67 over 54 2/3

innings.

In his last 10 outings, Johnson has allowed one earned run and seven hits, walked three and

struck out 18 over 17 1/3 innings.

Johnson was brought along slowly this season after undergoing surgery on Sept. 24 to shave a

bone spur behind his right shoulder. An MRI revealed what's known as a "Bennett lesion," which

limited him to 13 appearances with Norfolk in 2014.

Johnson, a 13th-round pick of the Dodgers in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Paul's,

is 5-1 with a 3.67 ERA in 21 games (five starts) with the Orioles. He went 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA

in 12 games (four starts) as a rookie in 2012.

Johnson's last major league appearance came on Sept. 27, 2013 against the Red Sox. He's out of

minor league options next season.

The Orioles have 38 players on their 40-man roster. Johnson will become the 39th unless

executive vice president Dan Duquette makes a trade today.

Chaz Roe will be activated from the disabled list on Wednesday, adding another arm to the

bullpen.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/what-went-wrong-and-what-awaits-them-

tonight.html

What went wrong and what awaits them tonight

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 31, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - If being swept by the Twins in a four-game home series was hitting rock

bottom, how do you label a 1-6 road trip that followed it?

The Orioles can't generate any offense unless it's confined to one inning. The rotation hasn't

come close to duplicating last year's production, and Bud Norris isn't the only culprit, though

going from 15 wins and a 3.65 ERA to only two wins and a 7.06 ERA was killer.

Starters posted a 3.61 ERA last season that ranked 12th in the majors. They've posted a 4.42

ERA this season that ranks 25th.

I don't make the decisions or sign the checks, but I'd be all-in for a starting pitcher this winter. I'd

make such a spirited run at David Price that he'd be tempted to get a restraining order.

I know that runs have been scarce, but I'll repeat that it all starts with starting pitching and I'm

not expecting Wei-Yin Chen to re-sign with the Orioles. This team seems to fall behind early

every night. It needs a stud at the top of the rotation to pair with Chris Tillman, who's 3-2 with a

2.96 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break.

Re-sign Gerardo Parra or you're going to spend the entire winter looking for that exact same

player. Also, build a time machine and offer Nelson Cruz that fourth year.

The Orioles have scored three runs or fewer in 10 of their last 11 games and 11 of 13. They've

totaled three or fewer in 60 of their 130 games this season. It happened in 72 of 162 games last

season.

The Orioles are 7-5 against the Rays this season. They still have three games against them at

Camden Yards starting today and four at Tropicana Field on Sept. 17-20.

Can't miss them if they won't go away.

Wei-Yin Chen is making his fifth start against the Rays this season. He allowed three runs and

four hits in 4 1/3 innings on April 7, two runs and seven hits in six innings on May 3, three runs

and five hits in seven innings on May 30, and two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings on June 26.

Chen is 3-0 with a 2.90 ERA in five starts this month after going 2-2 with a 4.03 ERA in six

starts in July. He's 4-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 17 career starts against the Rays.

Daniel Nava is 7-for-16 with a home run against Chen, Logan Forsythe is 7-for-22 with a double

and three home runs, Brandon Guyer is 5-for-16 with three doubles, James Loney is 6-for-19

with two doubles and a home run, Evan Longoria is 9-for-31 with three doubles and a home run,

Kevin Kiermaier is 4-for-9 with a triple and home run, and Asdrubal Cabrera is 0-for-11.

The Orioles can get reacquainted with catcher J.P. Arencibia, who's back in the majors. He's 2-

for-2 against Chen.

Chris Archer provides the latest challenge to the Orioles' offense. He's 11-10 with a 2.88 ERA in

27 starts this season. However, he's 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA in eight games (seven starts) against the

Orioles and 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA in two games (one start) at Camden Yards.

Archer has faced the Orioles three times this season. He allowed three earned runs (four total)

and six hits in 5 2/3 innings on April 6, four runs and six hits in six innings on May 2, and one

run and five hits with nine strikeouts over six innings on July 24.

Steve Pearce is 3-for-8 with a double and two home runs versus Archer, Manny Machado is 6-

for-16, Chris Davis is 4-for-10, Ryan Flaherty is 5-for-14 with two doubles, Matt Wieters is 4-

for-12, Caleb Joseph is 2-for-6 with a double and home run, and Adam Jones is 2-for-20.

Facing a right-hander will bring more changes to the Orioles lineup. Flaherty will replace Paul

Janish at shortstop. Gerardo Parra will return to the outfield. Steve Clevenger might serve as the

designated hitter, as he did against right-handers before going on paternity leave.

Does manager Buck Showalter continue to start Dariel Alvarez in right field. Alvarez has three

hits in the last two games and the Orioles may want to take an extended look at him. They

already know about the arm, which definitely works in right field.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/adam-jones-we-might-be-getting-beat-but-

thats-not-from-a-lack-of-effort.html

Adam Jones: "We might be getting beat, but that's not from

a lack of effort"

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - Let's start by reviewing the numbers that I tagged onto the end of my last

blog entry. Be advised that they're not pretty.

The Orioles lost to the Rangers today 6-0 at Globe Life Park to complete the three-game sweep.

They went 1-6 on the road trip. They've lost four games in a row, 10 of 11 and 11 of 13 to fall

four games below .500 for the first time since June 7.

The Orioles (63-67) are 11 games out of first place in the division and 5 1/2 behind the Rangers

for the second wild card. They're now in fourth place and only three games ahead of the last-

place Red Sox.

The lack of offense continues to be an issue. The Orioles have been held to three runs or fewer in

10 of their last 11 games. They've been shut out nine times this season - Derek Holland went the

distance today and held them to three hits - and are 0-59 when trailing after the eighth inning.

The Orioles already have exceeded their loss total from last season and we still have a month

remaining.

OK, now that we got all of that out of the way ...

Center fielder Adam Jones was standing at his locker after the game, waiting for reporters and

basically serving as team spokesman. He's the leader in the clubhouse and it showed again.

"The game is frustrating in general," Jones said. "You've just got to get back on it, man. Ain't

nobody is going to feel sorry for us. Just got to go out and play the game right and continually

give the best effort we can.

"We've been playing some good teams, teams that are still in. The Royals are leading their

division by a lot, but are still trying to clinch. The Rangers are in the same boat we are. They're

also in the same boat with the division. So, we're playing some teams that have something to

play for. That's the beauty of the game is who's going to step up. And right now, we're being

beat, but it doesn't mean lack of effort. It's just how the cards are falling for us right now."

Jones bristled at the suggestion that the Orioles no longer are in the thick of the pennant race, and

that some fans perceive that the club isn't giving maximum effort.

"We're still right in the thick of things, so if you think we aren't, cool," Jones said. "I think we're

in the thick of things. Just have to go on a five, six-game winning streak and you guys come back

to us and say, 'Now you're in the middle of it.' It's just how it works. We've just got to get on that

roll so you guys can ask those questions.

"My biggest thing about sports is when somebody doubts an effort or another player or

something like that. That's basically calling him a coward. You know what I mean? Whenever

someone says, 'Oh, you don't give an effort. You're not playing (with) effort,' that's kind of

calling someone a coward. It's like me going to someone else's job and saying, 'You're not doing

what you're supposed to be doing. You're not playing hard.'

"It's a sport, man. We go out there and play our tails off. Some days it looks pretty, some days it

doesn't, but the effort is always there. For some people to say that our effort level isn't there just

because we struck out 11 times, we could strike out 20 times, but to say our effort level wasn't

there, that's a slap in the face and I want to slap somebody in the face who says that. There's my

point of view on that.

"It annoys the hell out of me when people say effort is low. The effort's not low. We might be

getting beat, but that's not from a lack of effort."

As the team leader, Jones is expected to address his teammates in times of crisis.

"I've talked to the team, I talk to these guys every day," Jones said. "What do you want me to do,

bend them over and spank them? They're grown men. They understand the objective here."

The season appears to be crumbling into pieces, but the Orioles aren't conceding a thing.

"It's not like I'll just come play and have some fun in the major leagues," Jones said. "No, we're

here to win and they understand that. A lot of the guys were here last year and got a taste of what

we were about and the way we play the game. Right now, we're just getting beat. That's how it

works. You've just got to figure out a way to win. That's how it is."

The Orioles boarded a charter flight home, where they begin a three-game series Monday night

against the Rays.

"I know we haven't been home a lot this second half, but going home tonight," Jones said.

"Hopefully, we get a good crowd this week with the three games at home. I know it's brief, but

we need the support of our fans in Birdland just to be behind us because we're still going to make

a run.

"There's a full month left, so I don't think anybody in this clubhouse has given up. If anybody

outside this clubhouse has given up, hey, we can't do nothing about that. But inside this

clubhouse, we still have the confidence that, when it's all said and done, we should be in there."

Nothing is going to top Jones' quotes, but here's more:

Manager Buck Showalter on Holland:

"It's a very offensive-friendly place, but we certainly didn't take part in it. He was good. He's

been good for quite a while. He's certainly got his health back and that bodes well for him, bad

for us."

Showalter on whether he's happy with his team's offensive approach and at-bats:

"Of course not. No. Something was amiss and he was part of it, but we knew what he was going

to do and the approach he was going to take and what he was going to try to do in certain counts,

and he did it anyway, which is a tribute to the stuff he brings but also a little indicator of where

we are."

Showalter on falling behind early and Miguel Gonzalez's effort:

"It's been tough on our pitchers the whole trip because we just haven't scored any runs. We look

at starting pitching different because of the results, other than a shutout. And we'd still be out

there playing. It's tough on Miggy. But after the first inning, I thought his stuff crept up and was

a little crisper."

Showalter on how he handles players during this rough stretch:

"We're striking out in double figures it seems like every game. I'm not going to beat up on them.

If I do that, it's certainly going to be privately, not publicly. They understand and they're

frustrated, and I think we're looking forward to getting home and see if we can right this ship."

Showalter on Gonzalez:

"After the first he was fine. It's a tough environment to pitch in where we are offensively right

now. And this is usually a hitter-friendly park, but both teams didn't exactly light up the

scoreboard. But they obviously did more than we did."

Showalter on whether the effort was there:

"It's not about effort. Physically, but I think emotionally and mentally, guys beat up on

themselves as much as the opposition."

Showalter on how the Orioles can turn around their offense:

"That's a question that gets asked every year in that sport and for every team out there and it's us

right now, and we've got to keep working. We've tried a lot of different things, trust me. It's not a

time to point fingers. It's a time to rally around each other, which our guys have already tried to

do and will do."

Showalter on all the strikeouts:

"We talk about it. They see it and Scott (Coolbaugh) sees it. I see it, all the coaches. We're all a

part of it. You guys see it, too. It's pretty obvious. We just need to correct it. Try to play within

our skill set."

Showalter on whether he needs to call a meeting:

"It's tough because you (reporters) have to come in here 10 minutes after the game, and you have

to come in for an hour before that. That's not to say we already haven't done it two or three times,

but I'm not going to publicize because we have to pick our spots."

Showalter on how road trip was supposed to be gut-check time:

"Every day is, every day is. Opening Day is. It's a challenge that only the people that go through

it in the locker room understand that, and that's what people want somebody to say. It's kind of

the obvious. Every day it is, so it will be again tomorrow. It's a stretch of 20 days in August.

Very close in a lot of these games, as you've seen. Some days like today it doesn't feel like it."

Gonzalez on his improvement after the first inning:

"Command was better. Was making better pitches toward the end of the game. Holland pitched a

great game, and you tip your hat to them. They've been playing really good baseball."

Gonzalez on getting through the struggles:

"You've got to be mentally tough. You've got to keep grinding. I know everyone is trying to do

their best out there, and obviously we came a little short today, and we've got to keep working

hard. Can't give up."

Gonzalez on the 1-6 road trip:

"It's tough to swallow. September is coming up, we've got to keep grinding, keep working hard,

keep our heads up and give each other ... talk about positive stuff. That's going to be the main

thing for September. Pick each other up."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/steve-pearce-we-know-we-can-turn-this-

thing-around.html

Steve Pearce: "We know we can turn this thing around"

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - Steve Pearce didn't issue a Joe Namath guarantee last night. He didn't go

that far. But he told reporters that the Orioles aren't "out of this thing" and better days are ahead -

beginning this afternoon.

"It almost seems like nobody wants to take that last (wild card) spot," he said. "We've got the

team for it. We know we can turn this thing around and it's going to start (today)."

The Orioles are facing their third consecutive left-hander. Derek Holland is making only his

fourth start of the season and his third since coming off the disabled list.

Holland lasted one inning and threw only nine pitches before exiting his April 10 start against the

Astros with an injured left shoulder. He returned on Aug. 19 and has allowed six runs and 15 hits

over 12 1/3 innings, with one walk, nine strikeouts and four home runs in his two outings.

Holland is 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA in seven career games (six starts) against the Orioles. Manny

Machado is 4-for-11, Adam Jones is 4-for-17 with seven strikeouts, Matt Wieters is 2-for-15

with two home runs and Chris Davis is 0-for-7 with six strikeouts.

Davis was 2-for-29 with 17 strikeouts before his single in the eighth inning. Captain Obvious

says he needs to heat up again.

Miguel Gonzalez hasn't worked more than 5 1/3 innings in 10 of his last 13 starts. He's allowed

10 runs and 14 hits over 9 1/3 innings in his last two starts, with five walks, six strikeouts and

two home runs.

Gonzalez is 7-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 16 starts in the first half and 2-4 with a 5.95 ERA in eight

starts in the second half. He's 0-3 with a 6.84 ERA in five August starts, with 20 runs and 32 hits

allowed in 26 1/3 innings. He's walked 13, struck out 22 and surrendered six home runs.

Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA in four career starts versus the Rangers, and 1-1 with a 3.86

ERA in two starts at Globe Life Park. Mitch Moreland is 4-for-10 with a home run, Shin-Soo

Choo is 3-for-8 with a double and home run, and Adrian Beltre is 1-for-11.

The Orioles are 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers for the second wild card. The losses bring

greater pain when they come against a team in front of you.

"Yeah. Every game you think about that because you know they're on top of us and you have to

come here and try to win games, but that hasn't been the case in the first two games," saidUbaldo

Jimenez. "Hopefully, we can get it going (today)."

"I think there's a good run ahead of us," said manager Buck Showalter, "but we've just got to

start at some point."

Searching for positives, Showalter talked about free-swinging outfielder Dariel Alvarezdrawing

a walk with one out in the ninth inning. Alvarez also had two hits.

"I thought Dariel handled himself well. I thought the walk was impressive," Showalter said.

"You don't want guys to take until they hit. That's been thrown out the window with moneyball

and all that stuff. You can't play the game that way. He did a good job of hitting until he took

tonight and that's really hard to do because you've got a very small window there in order to do

it. We'll see what (today) brings, but it was a good night for him."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/wrapping-up-a-4-3-loss-1.html

Wrapping up a 4-3 loss

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - As the losses pile up for the Orioles, it seemed only appropriate that

tonight's game would end with a disputed strikeout and a batting helmet slammed to the ground.

Manny Machado thought he checked his swing against Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson with

runners on the corners, two outs and the Orioles trailing 4-3. The visiting dugout agreed, but

plate umpire David Rackley had the final call and he ruled that Machado went around with the

count 1-2.

Rackley didn't consent to an appeal by first base umpire Jim Reynolds, which would have been

the normal scenario. Rackley said Machado struck out and the Orioles lost for the ninth time in

their last 10 games and for the 10th time in their last 12. They also fell three games below .500

for the first time since July 24.

It gets worse.

The Orioles (63-66) have matched their loss total from the 2014 season and are 4 1/2 games

behind the Rangers for the second wild card.

Machado screamed at Rackley and manager Buck Showalter rushed out of the dugout to get

between them. He was much calmer in the clubhouse, though still frustrated by the call.

"Checked swing," Machado said. "You've got to ask there, situation of the game. Changes the

whole at-bat, but just, ask them. You've got to check. You've got to check on that. You can't (not

ask) in a game like that. That's not supposed to be ended, but whatever. You can't do (anything)

about it now."

Showalter noted that the first pitch was called a strike despite missing outside by a considerable

margin.

"It was a little bit outside," Machado said. "I don't really care about balls and strikes. You can't

really force those. He's been calling it all day. It was a little away. I'm not worried about balls

and strikes. You've got to go up there and swing the bat. You've just got to check, ask for help. I

know you know the situation of the game. Whatever."

Machado said he watched video of the at-bat and his opinion didn't change.

"I don't think I went," he said. "I don't think there's a good view on it. It looked like I didn't."

The strikeout provide another layer of anger and frustration as the club fell to 1-5 on the road

trip.

"I think it's just an overall thing," Machado said. "There's a lot going on. There's frustration. I

mean, that at-bat, winning run on first, tying run on third, you want to get ahead in that situation.

We want to take that into the next inning or give us an opportunity to do something that we

needed to do.

"It's not something that they're just starting to do. They've done it for a long time, but you've got

to check. That's all we ask. A nice little check. See what happens."

It's not getting any better for the Orioles after the Twins swept them at home in four-game series.

It's a snowball effect.

"It's just part of the game," Machado said. "We've lost one-run games. Don't get me wrong, we're

playing against teams that are great, teams that are battling, teams that hopefully are going to be

in the playoffs. I mean, it's not easy. We're just one hit away, one out away. It's part of baseball.

We've still got (33) games to get back in this. I mean, I've got faith in this team and we all trust

each other that we're going to get where we need to get to. We're not worried about this.

"Nobody wants to lose. I think we're just one good game away from starting a nice streak and

going where we need to go."

Here's more from the Orioles following their latest loss, which dropped them to 17-24 in one-run

games and 9-50 when they score fewer than four runs:

Showalter on the ending:

"There's a lot of things that went on there. We had some opportunities, but just couldn't get it

done. Manny had a tough at-bat. First pitch was about four inches off the plate. The last one was

very doubtful that he swung, but we put ourselves in that position. But got some good innings

out of the bullpen. Just didn't string much together again offensively. Just really that one inning."

Showalter on Ubaldo Jimenez, who was charged with four runs in 5 2/3 innings:

"OK, OK. He kept us engaged in the game and gave us a chance to get back in it. Mychal

(Givens) has been throwing the ball as good as anybody. Came in and gave up a ball off the end

of the bat that found a hole. There's nothing you can do there.

"I though his last couple innings were some of the best. You look back it, he kept us in the

(game). He gave up three runs. I guess it ended up being four. He kept us engaged. I have a

tough time faulting him. We didn't do too much tonight other than that one inning. Had a chance

there at the end."

Showalter on how there's enough time left to make a run:

"That's what the good thing is there's another opportunity tomorrow with very quick sleep and

turnaround. We've got an opportunity tomorrow to get things going and get it turned in the other

direction. It can turn in a hurry. September and August, it's a long season left and we've got to

start doing some things in order to make it happen and not think it's just part of the mathematics."

Jimenez on his performance:

"I think I felt fine. I was able to, as you say, minimize the damage. Got a couple guys on right

away, but I was able to get the sinker down and get a couple double plays. I think I did good as

much as I could. That's what you do as a starting pitcher, try to go out there as long as you can

and give as much as you have."

Jimenez on how he wanted to stay in the game:

"I think there's no one starting pitcher that's going to be happy to get out of that game, because as

a starting pitcher, you want to go deep in the game and it's your game. You want to be in there as

much as you can, especially after I got a couple quick outs. It's not my call. You've got to go out

there as much as they allow you to go."

Jimenez on level of urgency:

"We know we still have a month left, but as a team you want to go out there and compete every

night and try to get on a good roll, because it's not easy to come to a stadium losing so many

games. We still have a lot of time left, but we have to find a way to get it going right away."

Steve Pearce on whether he felt the offense was heating up after three-run fifth:

"Yeah, we all started swinging the bats and we all thought we had the momentum on our side,

and (Bobby) Wilson delivered a big hit the next inning. So it kind of cooled us down a little bit."

Pearce on frustration of road trip:

"Yeah, because we're not playing bad baseball, it's just chips aren't falling our way right now.

One big hit, either way, in almost all of these games and a different outcome. So we're going to

do what we do best, we're gonna keep grinding and just try to get back at it tomorrow."

Pearce on Givens allowing Wilson double on ball off the end of the bat:

"Yeah, when it rains it pours, but we've got a new game tomorrow. We're not out of this thing. It

almost seems like nobody wants to take that last spot. We've got the team for it. We know we

can turn this thing around, and it's going to start tomorrow."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/orioles-continue-to-discuss-expanded-

roster.html

Orioles continue to discuss expanded roster

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles manager Buck Showalter still isn't showing his hand regarding

the September call-ups.

The Orioles will add a few bullpen arms, including Chaz Roe, who's supposed to come off the

disabled list on Wednesday. One or two minor league relievers initially are expected to be

promoted.

More players will be summoned after Triple-A Norfolk's season is done. The Tides are in

position to make the International League playoffs and the Orioles won't raid their roster, though

helping the major league club remains the top priority.

"I think we'll initially start serving what needs we have right away and then go from there,"

Showalter said. "I think we'll be able to solve both needs, the needs of our club and the needs of

Norfolk. That's what we're trying to do. But we're going to err on the side of Baltimore."

Mike Wright is scheduled to start again for the Tides on Tuesday as part of his injury rehab

assignment. He could be in the mix.

"Eventually, we could," Showalter said. "I know he's scheduled to start back down there again.

We'll kind of wait and see how everybody does.

"Wright won't be able to go more than five (innings), but having September call-ups, you don't

worry about a short guy."

I asked Showalter whether Oliver Drake, who's posted a 0.63 ERA with 22 saves in 41 games at

Norfolk, is a consideration. Drake (Navy) has allowed three runs and 21 hits in 43 innings, with

16 walks and 66 strikeouts, and he's a favorite to be named the organization's minor league

Pitcher of the Year.

"He's under strong consideration," Showalter replied. "I want them to focus there and finish off a

good season that a lot of those guys have had down there. Oliver's had as good of a statistical

year as you want to see a reliever have. He's pretty glad we protected him. He's had that type of

year."

The Norfolk roster includes four outfielders who have played in Baltimore this season - Nolan

Reimold, David Lough, Henry Urrutia and Junior Lake. What are the chances that some or all of

them make the expanded roster?

"One, two, three or four," Showalter said. "I'm not really there yet. If we do that, somebody's got

to play in those playoffs."

(Don't be shocked if non-roster outfielder Julio Borbon comes up. He's a plus-defender and

runner, and Showalter has been impressed with him all season.)

Could the Orioles dip into Double-A Bowie's roster? The Baysox, also in line to make the

playoffs, have first baseman Trey Mancini, who's batting .351/.389/.570 with 25 doubles, three

triples, 11 home runs and 51 RBIs in 74 games since being promoted from Single-A Frederick.

He's a slam-dunk to be named the organization's minor league Player of the Year.

"That would be a question for Dan (Duquette)," Showalter said. "I know we've talked about it,

thought about it, a couple guys. You probably know who we're talking about. But I'm not going

to say an arm or a position player. They're trying to close it out, too."

Not much clarity on the expanded roster subject.

"I know what I would do," Showalter said. "We'll wait, as we get closer. With Dan, we met

before we left and we'll see what may have changed. Someone who was going to come may

already be here."

That would be outfielder Dariel Alvarez.

Players were glued to the big-screen television in the visiting clubhouse this afternoon watching

the Red Land team from Lewisberry in York County, Pa., advance to the championship of the

Little League World Series. They hung on every pitch until the walk-off single.

The Orioles arranged yesterday for Showalter and Manny Machado to address the team on

speaker phone.

"Manny said something I never heard before," Showalter said. "They wanted to talk to Manny.

They know who Manny is. He said, 'Bring the 'ship home.' I said that's pretty good. I guess bring

the ship to dock. But I guess that's cool for bring the championship. It's slang.

"That was good. That was kind of cool. We were one or two games away from being there when

I was 12. Remember it like it was yesterday."

Players were rooting hard for Red Land and cheered the finish, which set up Sunday afternoon's

final against Japan.

"I think a lot of it has to do with it being nearby," Showalter said. "I think they're coming to the

ballpark, think we've got that set up.

"They've got their work cut out for them now."

Single-A Frederick reliever Cody Wheeler, 26, has been named a Carolina League postseason

All-Star.

Wheeler is 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 17 saves in 41 games. In 49 2/3 innings, he's issued 28

walks, struck out 56 and held opponents to a .195 average.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/more-on-jimenez-and-upcoming-pitching-

matchups.html

More on Jimenez and upcoming pitching matchups

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ubaldo Jimenez is attempting tonight to become the Orioles' first 10-

game winner this season. He's tied for the lead with Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez at nine

victories.

Jimenez is on the verge of posting his sixth career 10-win season and the first since 2013 with

the Indians.

The Orioles could use a quality start from Jimenez, who's posted only one in his last five outings

and two in his last nine.

Jimenez has surrendered at least one run in the first inning of five of his eight starts following the

All-Star break. He's allowed 12 total runs in the first inning since the break.

The Orioles have lost eight of their last nine games and nine of 11. They've scored three runs or

fewer in eight of those nine games.

They're trying to avoid falling three games below .500 for the first time since July 24.

Here are the pitching matchups for next week's series against the Rays at Camden Yards:

Monday: Wei-Yin Chen (8-6, 3.17 ERA) vs. Chris Archer (11-10, 2.88 ERA)

Tuesday: Chris Tillman (9-9, 4.58 ERA) vs. Drew Smyly (1-2, 3.82 ERA)

Wednesday: Kevin Gausman (2-6, 4.39 ERA) vs. Erasmo Ramirez (10-5, 3.68 ERA)

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/08/wrapping-up-a-4-1-loss-1.html

Wrapping up a 4-1 loss

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas - With tonight's 4-1 loss, the Orioles have slipped to 3 1/2 games behind

the Rangers for the second wild card. They've also lost nine of their last 11 games.

The offense continues to sputter, scoring three runs or fewer in eight of the last nine games. It

managed only three hits tonight.

Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels was exceptional, retiring 14 in a row and striking out 10 batters

over eight innings. Combine him with cold bats and it's a recipe for another loss.

"It's both," said manager Buck Showalter, whose club is two games below .500 for the first time

since July 25. "It's the big leagues. We've figured out to score off some of those people. But it's

been tough on our pitchers. They know that runs are going to be at a premium.

"I was looking and we haven't scored enough runs to give them much room for error. We've got

to turn that part of it around. It's tough."

The Orioles have struck out 26 times in the last two games and 37 in the last three.

"It's been a challenge for us most of the year and will continue to be," Showalter said. "You live

with them if the run production is there, but it hasn't been there. That's a tough part of that."

The Orioles had a shot early after loading the bases with one out in the second. The only run

scored on Chris Davis' two-out bases-loaded walk. Again, the Orioles failed to deliver a clutch

hit.

"You've got to take a pop at him early before he can get in step," Showalter said. "He doesn't

even throw 50 percent fastballs anymore, but he's going to play off your agressiveness, and when

you're not swinging the bats well it's a challenge.

"He's good. That's the type of people you get for what you give up and the type of commitment

they made to him. "

Kevin Gausman fell to 2-6 after allowing four runs over 6 2/3 innings, including home runs by

Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Gimenez.

"It's tough for me to fault many of our pitchers when you're going out there knowing that runs

are going to be at a premium, epecially with Hamels out there, and you compound that with

some of our offensive woes right now," Showalter said.

Said Gausman: "I thought I threw a pretty good pitch to Choo. I probably should have stayed

away from him 3-1, but I tried to go fastball in. He put a good swing on it. It's pretty short down

the right field line here. He just kind of got me, I guess."

Gausman was the latest starter to fall victim to a lack of run support. The trick is not putting

added pressure on yourself knowing that runs will be scarce.

"I kind of knew that going into the night, especially with the guy I was facing," Gausman said.

"He's been great all year and continues to be. He kind of settled in. I think he was a little sporadic

early on, but he definitely settled in and put a pretty good start together."

Said Showalter: "We've been struggling offensively and that's compounded (by Hamels). That's

the type of guy you get for six prospects. He was good and we weren't, so that's a bad

combination. We're just not stringing much together offensively."

The Orioles are reeling and the schdule continues to present nightly challenges.

"Yeah, it's tough," Gausman said. "We like to win and that's kind of what we've been doing the

last couple of years, so to have a skid like this obviously doesn't feel good. But we're one hit

away, one pitch away, and I think that's the biggest frustrating thing."

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

"It's really tough. Trying to go out and win and things don't go our way right now," Schoop said.

"(Hamels) was really good today. I tip my cap. I take my cap off to him. He threw the curveball

for strikes, he threw a cutter. Everything was working for him today. He was really good today."

The lost opportunity in the third inning proved to be the Orioles' last gasp.

"It's tough, but (everybody) wants to go in there and drive a run in and everybody wants to do it,"

Schoop said. "Like I say, he was really good and you have to tip your cap to him."

One bright spot was Dariel Alvarez's throw to the plate in the second inning that cut down

Adrian Beltre. The right arm comes as advertised.

"He's kind of always like that down in Norfolk," Gausman said. "He throws guys out left and

right. He has probably one of the best outfield arms I've ever seen. Yeah, obviously that was

huge. I don't think Beltre looked at the scouting report on the outfielders before the game.

"Yeah, he's definitely kind of a freak athlete. He swings hard and runs hard. He plays the game

the right way. He has a really good arm out there in right."

Showalter didn't expect Alvarez to be nervous in the field.

"You don't get a whole lot of nerves about something you know you do real well," Showalter

said.

"He's got a lot more than that. That was, 'I got you out pretty easy here. I don't need to really air

it out here.' He's got plenty of arm and he doesn't have to overthrow it. That was impressive.

That's a textbook throw."

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/urrutia-and-clevenger-on-norfolks-strong-

year-plus-other-os-and-minors-notes.html

Urrutia and Clevenger on Norfolk's strong year, plus other

O's and minors notes

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 31, 2015

While the Orioles were losing another game on Sunday, their Triple-A Norfolk affiliate picked

up what was likely one of its biggest wins of the year.

Playing the team that is trying to keep them from winning a division championship, Norfolk won

4-3 at Gwinnett. That gives the Tides a three-game lead over the Braves atop the division with

nine games to play. Their lead would have been cut to one game with a loss Sunday. Norfolk had

lost nine of 11 heading into this game.

Norfolk is 75-60 with a magic number of seven to clinch the division and reach the playoffs for

the first time since 2005.

First baseman Christian Walker hit a two-run homer for the Tides. He has 11 homers, 40 RBIs

and an OPS of .863 since the All-Star break. Winning pitcher Terry Doyle went 7 2/3, allowing

five hits and two runs. Doyle has 15 wins this year between Norfolk and Double-A Bowie and is

3-1 with an ERA of 2.85 for the Tides.

In interviews recently at Camden Yards, I talked to two players that have spent a lot of time with

Norfolk this year in Henry Urrutia and Steve Clevenger.

Urrutia said Norfolk has had strong chemistry this season.

"The most important thing, I think, is that everybody plays like a family," he said. "I think that is

a big reason we've won. I have played three years in Norfolk and it was pretty good to play down

there before. But this year has been different. Everyone is happy every day and playing that way.

We talk to each other like brothers, not just like friends, like brothers. I think that is important

and then in the field you can do anything."

Clevenger said the coaches and manager Ron Johnson have been huge for the Tides players.

"The coaching staff is strong. RJ is a great guy to play for. He's even keel, doesn't get too high or

too low. He is very honest and up front. When you are playing bad, he will you let know that. He

is someone I respect and he has helped me develop a lot over the last two years, mentally and

physically. It is a great group of guys there that pitch well and play very good defense. The

record shows it.

"It is a tight group of guys that have been playing good baseball all year. The pitching staff has

been solid. The back end of the bullpen with Pedro (Beato) and (Cesar) Cabral, Steve Johnson

and Oliver Drake have been real good all season. Those guys want to be out there every night

and they know the Orioles aren't scared to bring them up here," Clevenger said.

Norfolk has now played 60 one-run games, more than any other team in all of minor league

baseball. The Tides are 34-26 (.567) in those games.

Gwinnett is going to get another shot at Norfolk. The clubs begin a series of four games over

three days starting Wednesday at Harbor Park.

Double-A Bowie lost 9-8 at Reading on Sunday. But as the Baysox (75-58) return home tonight,

they have a magic number of one to clinch a playoff berth. They host Altoona this evening at

7:05 p.m. and a win will put the Baysox into the Eastern League playoffs for the sixth time in the

club's 23-year history. They are also closing in on their second division championship.

The short season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds are locked in a three-team race for first place. At

35-33, Aberdeen is a half-game behind division co-leaders Hudson Valley and Staten Island at

35-32.

On Sunday Aberdeen beat Vermont 9-5 as outfielder Cedric Mullins went 3-5 with a single,

double, triple and two RBIs. Ryan Mountcastle had two hits and two RBIs and Randolph

Gassaway went 3-for-5. Aberdeen had 15 hits and went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring

position.

As for the Orioles: The O's come home with a record of 63-67 and flickering playoff hopes after

a 1-6 road trip and with 10 losses in the last 11 games.

Since July 1 when the Orioles were 42-36 and leading the American League East by a half-game,

they have gone 21-31 to drop to four games under .500 and into fourth place, now 11 games

back. The Orioles trail the second wild card spot by 5 1/2 games with five teams ahead of them

in that race right now.

The Orioles have scored three runs or less in 10 of their last 11 games, all losses, and in 28 of

their last 48 games. They are 9-51 when scoring fewer than four runs.

Beginning with tonight's home series against Tampa Bay, the Orioles will play 26 of their final

32 games versus the AL East. They are 26-24 in division games.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/os-game-blog-orioles-need-a-win-to-avoid-

sweep-at-texas.html

O's game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid sweep at Texas

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

It has been a pretty miserable road trip and a bad stretch of losing for the Orioles. The O's are

just 1-5 so far on this seven-game road trip to Kansas City and Texas, which ends today at Globe

Life Park.

In 2013 and 2014, the Orioles went 11-3 against Texas, going 5-1 in Texas. But this year they

are 1-5 against the Rangers. A loss today and the Orioles would be swept three in a row at Texas

for the first time since April 4-6, 2011.

On the mound today, Miguel Gonzalez (9-10, 4.78 ERA) makes his 25th start of the season and

faces Texas lefty Derek Holland (1-1, 4.73), who will be making his fourth start.

Over his last two starts, Gonzalez is 0-2 with an ERA of 9.65. In 12 starts since returning from

the disabled list in late June, he is 4-6 with a 6.46 ERA. Over the last three months, Gonzalez has

ERAs of 5.75 in June, 5.00 in July and 6.84 in August.

Gonzalez has worked 5 1/3 or fewer innings in five of his last six and 10 of his past 13 starts.

Holland came off the 60-day DL on Aug. 19. He suffered a left shoulder injury in his first start of

2015 on April 10. Over his past eight MLB starts, dating to last season, he is 3-1 with a 2.27

ERA.

In the small sample size of his three 2015 starts, lefty batters hit .375 against him and right-

handed batters are hitting .311. In seven career games (six starts) versus Baltimore, he is 4-2 with

a 3.60 ERA. Current Orioles are batting .196/.241/.314 against him.

With the loss last night, the Orioles matched last year's loss total at 63-66 to 96-66, and Texas

matched last season's win total at 67-95 to 67-61.

The Orioles lead the majors with 40 outfield assists. Adam Jones leads the team and is tied for

third in the majors with 13 outfield assists. Dariel Alvarez notched the first outfield assist of his

career on Friday in Texas. According to FanGraphs, Orioles outfielders are tied for fourth in the

American League with nine defensive runs saved (DRS).

The Orioles have been swept in three-game series three times this year: at Toronto on April 21-

23, at Minnesota on July 6-8 and at the Yankees on July 21-23. They were swept four straight at

home by Minnesota on Aug. 20-23.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/some-not-great-os-stats-and-bowie-closes-

in-on-a-playoff-berth.html

Some not-so-great O's stats and Bowie closes in on a playoff

berth

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 30, 2015

A look at a few notes and stats after the Orioles' latest loss last night. Texas beat the Orioles 4-3

as they lost for the ninth time in 10 games. The Orioles have scored three runs or less in each of

the nine losses.

* The Orioles have scored 11 runs in their five losses on this 1-5 road trip and they have scored

25 runs in their past 11 losses.

* In the first two games of the series with the Rangers, the Orioles have scored four runs on 12

hits, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

* In going 1-9 the past 10 games, the Orioles have been outscored 55-30 with a team batting

average of .227.

* O's pitchers have allowed at least one homer in six straight games. They have yielded at least

one homer in 17 of the last 22 games, giving up 26 in that stretch.

* The O's starting rotation has just one quality start the past six games. Over the last 29 games,

O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 5.44. The rotation ERA for the year is now up to 4.40

Baysox getting close: Double-A Bowie beat Reading 6-2 last night and the Baysox are now very

close to wrapping up an Eastern League playoff berth with a record of 75-57.

Bowie's magic number to reach the playoffs is down to two with Akron's loss to Richmond. That

means a Baysox win on Sunday afternoon, combined with an Akron loss, would clinch a

postseason berth. The Baysox are seeking their sixth playoff trip in the 23-year history of the

franchise. Bowie's only previous division title came in 2008. The Baysox have a magic number

of five to clinch the division championship.

Mike Yastrzemski went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer and Brandon Snyder added two RBIs.

Drew Dosch added two hits as Bowie had 11 hits in the victory.

Ariel Miranda (5-1, 2.38 ERA) is on the mound for the Baysox this afternoon.

Triple-A Norfolk was held to just two hits Saturday night in a 2-0 loss at Gwinnett. Gwinnett is

now just two games behind the first-place Tides with 10 games to play. Norfolk's magic number

for a division title remains at nine. Mike Belfiore gave up just one earned run in 7 2/3 innings for

Norfolk last night, but the Tides went just 2-for-28 in the loss. Terry Doyle (2-1, 3.24 ERA)

pitches for the Tides this afternoon.

The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds are in a three-team race for first place and a

playoff berth in their division in the New York-Penn League. Hudson Valley and Staten Island

are tied for first at 34-32 while Aberdeen is just a half-game back at 34-33 with nine games to

play. Aberdeen begins a six-game homestand later today at 5:35 p.m. against Vermont at Ripken

Stadium.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/08/run-totals-low-but-frustration-levels-high-

right-now-for-the-orioles-and-their-fans.html

Run totals low, but frustration levels high right now for

Orioles and their fans

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 29, 2015

The way the Orioles offense is not performing right now it may be hard to remember, but in both

April and June, this team averaged over five runs a game. That was for two entire months.

Yep, hard to remember that now.

I guess it is hard to look good losing at anytime, but the Orioles sure look bad doing it right now.

In addition to the lack of runs lately, there have been some other issues. For one, suddenly it

seems nightly that one or two balls are hit over the heads of Orioles outfielders.

But I digress. The Orioles offense has been brutal in recent games. Here are some of the

numbers:

* The Orioles have a total of four runs on nine hits the last two games

* They have scored three runs or less in eight of their last nine games

* They have scored a total of 22 runs in their past 10 losses, scoring three or fewer each time.

* The Orioles have seven hits or less in six of their last eight games and in 12 of the past 18

* They hit five homers in Wednesday's win at Kansas City. But, in the other eight games since

Aug. 20, they have hit three total home runs

* The Orioles have scored eight runs in their four losses on this current road trip

With eight losses in nine games, the Orioles are free falling. As is the case with most losing

streaks or extended stretches of losing, it feels like they'll never win again.

In less than two weeks, the Orioles have gone from four games out of first place to nine back.

They have now fallen 3 1/2 games out in the wild card race. They are losing touch with that race

as well.

O's runs per game by month:

* April: 5.6

* May: 3.3

* June: 5.3

* July: 3.7

* August: 4.4

It doesn't feel like it, but they've actually scored fewer runs per game in May and July than they

are now. But the O's batters are frustrating Birdland daily with too many strikeouts and too few

adjustments. They are an aggressive team that will chase pitches and they are now doing that in

abundance.

No doubt it is most frustrating in the clubhouse where the Orioles have the want to, as Buck

Showalter might say. But right now want to is not nearly good enough.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-hope-return-home-can-change-their-

luck

Orioles hope return home can change their luck

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 31, 2015

Tonight's Game:

Tampa Bay Rays (64-66) vs. Baltimore Orioles (63-67), Oriole Park at Camden Yards,

Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Chris Archer (11-10, 2.88) vs. Wei-Yin Chen (8-6, 3.17)

Keys to the Game:

Will the Orioles wake up? They've lost 10 of 11 and trail four teams, including Tampa Bay for

the final wild card spot.

Can the Orioles stop striking out? They've struck out 54 times in their last five games.

News and Notes:

Chen is the hottest Orioles starter. He's won his last four decisions and hasn't lost in seven

straight starts.

Chen is 4-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 17 starts against the Rays.

Current Rays hitters are batting .305 against Chen.

Archer is 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA in eight appearances against the Orioles.

Adam Jones is just 2-for-20 (.100) against Archer.

The Orioles are 37-25 at home and 26-42 on the road.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-have-nearly-gotten-through-garcia-

experiment

Orioles have nearly gotten through Garcia experiment

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- Jason Garcia is close to losing his Rule 5 status. Once Tuesday comes,

Garcia won’t be just one of 25 players, and the Orioles can pick and choose their spots with him.

Next year, Garcia will have three options, and is expected to be sent to the minors so that he can

pitch regularly.

“That’s something that’s out of my control. I’m trying to figure this year out on a strong note.

When the offseason comes, start preparing for next season, and whatever the team thinks what’s

in my best interests for next year, I’m with that on that. My goal next year is to break with the

team again and be a little more effective up here,” Garcia said.

Garcia is 1-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 13 games. He missed nearly three months with tendinitis in his

right shoulder.

Manager Buck Showalter says because of their situation, the Orioles view Rule 5 players as an

important part of their scouting.

“We have to look at ways to procure and get players,” Showalter said.

“You’re taking them out after they’ve played X number of years in pro ball and you’ve got a

pretty good feel about what you may or may not get. Every club is talking about the same 12 or

13 players in December at the Rule 5 draft.

Three players, Garcia, Ryan Flaherty and T.J. McFarland, are products of the last four Rule 5

drafts for the Orioles.

“It’s not like it used to be. You’re finding the Johan Santanas. Most of the time, it’s bullpen guys

or utility infielders,” Showalter said.

“Physically, he had some problems, but we were able to take care of it and stay within the

timeframe. He had some issues. It wasn’t some tomfoolery. We were able to get that behind him

and hopefully get the days. I asked our guys below when he was in rehab, do we have guys like

that in the system? And every club would tell you not enough. Nobody’s got enough of them.”

Showalter isn’t sure whether Garcia’s future is as a starter or a reliever.

“That’s a good question. I know what I look at him as right now. I don’t think there’s enough

information on him. This is a guy coming out of A ball, basically, to be able to think you’re that

smart or that smug and say you know what he’s going to be a year or so from now. I know what I

itthink. If someone asked me today, I have to be ready to give that answer.”

As for Garcia, he’s had a great time.

“I’ve felt like a big leaguer all year. It just feels good. I worked hard and been here the whole

year. I had a little hiccup where I had to go to Sarasota, but I got things right. I just tried to come

back and help the team with the playoff chase as much as possible,” Garcia siad.

“It’s been a once in a lifetime kind of experience. The path I had to come to get here, you don’t

see that very often. I would say I probably added a little more pressure on myself at times being

here. This is not your everyday team there. Everyone’s pulling for each other and helping each

other. It’s been an awesome experience.”

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/showalter-says-orioles-arent-likely-make-trades

Showalter says Orioles aren't likely to make trades

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- Monday night is the deadline for adding players from outside the

organization who can be eligible for the postseason.

Manager Buck Showalter says he’s not expecting any trades that add players to the Orioles, and

he’s in constant contact with executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette.

“No, I haven't had any conversations that would lead me to think that, but Dan is pretty good at

stealth, in a good way. I focus on the people we have here and the September call-ups we might

make. I haven't heard anything. And if I had, I probably wouldn't tell you, but you can tell the

way I'm telling you that I haven't," Showalter said on Sunday.

After nine losses in the past 10 games, some may think trading some pending free agents could

occur.

"I haven't heard any of that. The people we have here we think we can make a run at it with. I'm

not contemplating or expecting any of that,” Showalter said.

Showalter is more concerned about the roster expansion which occurs on Tuesday.

"I texted Dan. We're going to have to get some people traveling probably tomorrow from

Norfolk to prepare for the 1st. We'll see how many,” Showalter said.

NOTES: Tyler Wilson (oblique) will pitch a simulated game for Norfolk on Tuesday. … Chaz

Roe will pitch for Bowie on Monday night.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/how-unlikely-are-orioles-playoff-chances

How unlikely are Orioles playoff chances?

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 30, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- It was only 11 days ago. Henry Urrutia had just hit the Orioles third

game-ending home run in the past six days, and the team was rolling.

Five games over .500, a playoff spot was certainly a possibility, and if they continued to play

well, another division title couldn’t be ruled out.

Now, with nine losses in the next 10 games, and just five weeks remaining in the season, the

Orioles trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 10 games. That’s the most they’ve been behind since the

end of the 2013 season.

A wild card? They’re 4 ½ games behind Texas, a seemingly beat which has won five of six from

the Orioles this season.

Not only do they trail the Rangers, but they’re three games behind Minnesota, which completed

a four-game sweep against them just a week ago.

And, they’re two behind Los Angeles and tied with Tampa Bay. Cleveland is only a half-game

behind the Orioles.

They’ve already lost 66 games-as many as they dropped in the glorious 2014 season.

With 33 games to play, the Orioles could get hot, but they’d have to pull off, say a 23-10 run to

get back into the playoff conversation. Even that would leave them with 86 wins.

Would that be enough? Maybe not.

In Buck Showalter’s five seasons as Orioles manager, his teams were a combined 22 games over

.500 from Sept. 1 on.

If Showalter somehow guides this bunch to the postseason, it would be his greatest Orioles

achievement yet.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-trying-close-out-dismal-road-trip-win

Orioles trying to close out dismal road trip with win

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 30, 2015

Today's Game:

Baltimore Orioles (63-66) vs. Texas Rangers (67-61), Globe Life Park, Arlington, Tex., 3:05

p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Miguel Gonzalez (9-10, 4.78) vs. Derek Holland (1-1, 4.73)

Keys to the Game:

Can Gonzalez rebound? He hasn't won in his last six starts.

Can the Orioles score more than three runs? They've lost nine of 10, scoring three runs or fewer

in each of the losses.

News and Notes:

The Orioles are 10 games behind AL East leading Toronto. That's the most they've trail by since

the end of the 2013 season. They're 4 1/2 games behind for the second wild card.

Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA in four starts against Texas.

Holland is 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA in seven starts against the Orioles.

Current Orioles are batting .196 against Holland.

The Orioles are three games under .500 for the first time since July 24.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/uncertainty-orioles-prepare-roster-expansion

Uncertainty as Orioles prepare for roster expansion

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Roster expansion is just three days away, and Buck Showalter continues

to be asked about it. When the Orioles return on Monday, they’ll make some final decisions.

Because Norfolk is in the playoff picture, the Orioles don’t want to plunder the Tides.

Chaz Roe, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 10 is scheduled to be activated on

Wednesday.

Showalter is eager to have Roe, “which is like getting another one without having to send

anybody back down.”

Mike Wright is scheduled for another rehab start on Tuesday, the day the rosters expand, but

he’ll be added shortly after that.

Showalter and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette continue to talk

about additions.

“I know what I would do. We’ll wait, as we get closer. With Dan, we met before we left and

we’ll see what may have changed,” Showalter said.

Dariel Alvarez, who was going to be added is already with the Orioles.

The Orioles will add to the bullpen.

“We’ll probably take Chaz and at least one more, initially. Maybe more. I don’t know. We’ll see

what Dan thinks when we get there,” Showalter said.

One name under consideration is Oliver Drake, who spent time with the Orioles earlier this

season.

"He's under strong consideration. I want them to focus there and finish off a good season that a

lot of those guys have had down there. Oliver's had as good of a statistical year as you want to

see a reliever have. He's pretty glad we protected him. He's had that type of year,” Showalter

said.

The Orioles could dip down to Bowie to take first baseman Trey Mancini, but the Baysox are in

the playoffs, too.

Four outfielders currently with Norfolk have played for the Orioles this month, Junior Lake,

David Lough, Nolan Reimold and Henry Urrutia, but it’s unlikely that more than two would be

added. Non-roster outfielder Julio Borbon could make an appearance, too.

“If we do that, somebody's got to play in those playoffs. But I think we'll initially start serving

what needs we have right away and then go from there. I think we'll be able to solve both needs,

the needs of our club and the needs of Norfolk. That's what we're trying to do. But we're going to

err on the side of Baltimore,” Showalter said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-embrace-local-us-little-league-champs

Orioles embrace local U.S. Little League champs

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- Many of the Orioles were eager watchers of Saturday’s U.S. Little

League Championship. Redland Little League from Lewisberry, Pa. in York County defeated

Pearland, Texas 3-2.

Lewisberry is about 70 miles north of Baltimore, and many of the team members are Orioles

fans.

On Sunday, Lewisberry faces Japan for worldwide honors.

Adam Jones and Manny Machado called the team to encourage them.

“Manny said something I never heard before, they wanted to talk to Manny. They know who

Manny is. He said, ‘Bring the ‘ship home,”” manager Buck Showalter said. “I guess, bring the

ship to dock. But I guess that’s cool for bring the championship, it’s slang.”

Showalter played on an excellent Little League team in Florida that nearly made the Little

League World Series in the late 1960’s.

“That was good. That was kind of cool. We were one or two games away from being there when

I was 12…remember it like it was yesterday,” Showalter said.

The Orioles have invited Lewisberry to be honored on the field before a game.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/showalter-thinks-wieters-should-be-judged-

differently

Showalter thinks Wieters should be judged differently

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. – After playing for five straight games, Matt Wieters has the night off.

Wieters has alternated between catching and the DH spot.

Wieters is batting .266 with five home runs and 17 RBIs. The batting average is actually ahead

of his lifetime .257 average.

Because Wieters is returning from Tommy John surgery, manager Buck Showalter is grading

him differently than he normally would.

“Oh, sure. Sure. One, because he’s catching every other day. It’s hard to get in a whole lot of

rhythm there. Like I said, many times, Jonathan [Schoop], him, Steve Pearce, none of them even

have 200 at-bats, and we’re almost into September. I’ve tried to give Matt some DH days, too.

He’s getting closer, closer. We’ll see how he feels when he gets into September. I keep that in

mind,” Showalter said.

Wieters is a switch-hitter, and he’s batting .309 right-handed and .248 left-handed. In his career,

he’s hitting .282 right-handed and .248 left-handed.

“You know what’s funny with Matt. When I first got here, everybody was talking about, he’s a

lot better left-handed hitter. In watching him, I thought he was pretty even both sides. One year,

they switch around this way, and the next year, they switch around this way,” Showalter said.

In his career, Wieters averaged just over twice as many strikeouts as walks. This year, he’s

struck out six times as often. (54 strikeouts to nine walks).

“I just don’t think there’s enough sampling this year to really say anything concretely, but I

know Matt, because he knows his chances to contribute aren’t as many as everyday catching and

everyday what right now, he probably tries to do too much sometimes,” Showalter said.

NOTE: RHP Cody Wheeler has been named to the Carolina League All-Star team.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/can-jimenez-help-get-orioles-out-their-funk

Can Jimenez help get Orioles out of their funk?

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 29, 2015

Tonight's Game:

Baltimore Orioles (63-65) vs. Texas Rangers (66-61), Globe Life Park, Arlington, Tex., 8:05

p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Ubaldo Jimenez (9-8, 4.26) vs. Martin Perez (1-3, 5.30)

Keys to the Game:

Will the Orioles get out of their funk? They've lost eight of nine and fallen 3 1/2 games behind

the Rangers for the final wild card spot.

Can the offense stop striking out? The Orioles have struck out 26 times in the last two games.

News and Notes:

Jimenez has failed to complete six innings in his last three starts.

Jimenez is 4-2 with a 2.37 ERA in eight starts against the Rangers.

Adrian Beltre is 9-for-23 (.391) with two home runs against Jimenez.

The Orioles have 39 outfield assists. They made two on Friday night.

Perez has started twice against the Orioles. Both came in 2013. He is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/hardy-wants-stay-orioles-during-rehab

Hardy wants to stay with Orioles during rehab

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Two days after he received a platelet rich plasma injection for his sore left

groin, J.J. Hardy was in the Orioles clubhouse on Friday.

“I’m here to get treatment to try to get this thing right and come off as soon as possible,” Hardy

said.

He’s hoping he’ll be ready to play when he’s eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on

Sept. 8.

“I think so. It’s hard to say until I can test it and try and run around, but I would think so,” he

said.

Hardy will limit his workouts this weekend, play catch, but not running and batting.

“I think that’s going to be a big test. Swinging the bat and running, anything that kind of involves

pulling your leg in is what was affecting it, so running and swinging, stuff like that, I think will

be the ultimate test,” Hardy said.

Hardy, who said he’d like to stay with the club before he goes out on a rehab assignment, felt he

had no choice but to go on the DL.

“Yeah, at that point, it was more for the team. I wasn’t going to be able to help the team that

much. It’s kind of what everyone was thinking. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I think it was

definitely necessary,” Hardy said.

NOTES: Caleb Joseph is the Orioles’ designated hitter for the first time in his career. … Gerardo

Parra wasn’t in the starting lineup after 25 straight starts.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/cuban-defector-alvarez-gets-big-league-call-

join-orioles

Cuban defector Alvarez gets big league call to join the

Orioles

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- A little over two years after he signed with the Orioles, Cuban defector

Dariel Alvarez has reached the major leagues. Alvarez had his contract purchased by the Orioles

on Friday, and he’s batting eighth and playing right field.

The 26-year-old Alvarez batted .275 with 16 home runs and 72 RBIs for the Tides.

“Two days ago, they told me I was coming over here. I was so happy I didn't know what to say,”

Alvarez said through Einar Diaz, the Orioles assistant hitting coach, who served as his translator.

“It was tough early in the season. I never stopped working, got help from all the coaches over [at

Triple-A] and it was a good thing I never gave up. Now I’m here,” Alvarez said.

He credits his success to Norfolk hitting coach Sean Berry

“We started talking about having better discipline at the plate. And swing at good pitches, and

that’s what I did. I got better pitches [after that] and my numbers went up,” Alvarez said.

“It’s a dream come true. I’m so happy, I thank my family and this organization. I’m so happy

right now, I can’t believe it.”

Ironically, fellow Cuban Henry Urrutia was optioned to Norfolk to make room for Alvarez.

Urrutia hit .265 with a home run and six RBIs in 10 games. The two roomed together with the

Tides.

“When they called him to the big leagues I was so happy for him. That motivated me to work

hard and come here. We always talk about that. I was really happy for him,” Alvarez said.

Manager Buck Showalter wouldn’t commit to bringing Urrutia back to the Orioles after the

rosters expand.

“We’ll see if they if they’re good for us. We’re not just going to call bodies up. They’re going to

have to be somebody we thank can contribute,” Showalter said.

Steve Clevenger was activated from the paternity list. His daughter, Peyton Lee was born in

Baltimore on Tuesday.

While his wife and daughter were in the hospital, Clevenger went to Oriole Park and take some

swings off the hitting machine, and then return to be with them.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/cleared-play-jones-back-orioles-lineup

Cleared to play, Jones is back in Orioles lineup

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic

August 28, 2015

ARLINGTON, Tex. –- One day after he ran into the left-center field wall in Kansas City, Adam

Jones is back in the Orioles lineup. Jones left Thursday’s game in the third inning and had a

battery of tests performed on Friday.

“He’s fine. He’s ready to go. We were hoping he would be, but we wanted to go through all the

proper channels to get there,” manager Buck Showalter said.

“I know they did X-Rays on both wrists and his neck.”

Showalter often compliments Jones’ toughness, and said that yesterday he wasn’t ruling the

center fielder out for Friday.

“Knowing Adam, it’s 50-50,” Showalter said. “He’s been frank and honest with us. I appreciate

yesterday him telling us [that] the whiplash gives you a little fuzz there, but he feels good today.”

NOTES: Chaz Roe [shoulder] threw a 25-pitch simulated game. He’ll throw an inning for Bowie

on Monday and be reactivated on Wednesday. …Tyler Wilson (oblique) threw 48 pitches in the

bullpen for Norfolk on Thursday. He’s scheduled to throw 70 pitches on Saturday. … Bowie

outfielder Quincy Lattimore has been named to the Eastern League All-Star team.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/08/31/brooks-robinson-shares-stories-birthday-wishes-for-

frank-robinson

Brooks Robinson Shares Stories, Birthday Wishes For Frank

Robinson

PressBoxOnline.com

August 31, 2015

As Baltimore Orioles legend Frank Robinson celebrates his 80th birthday Aug. 31, Brooks

Robinson shares his memories and best wishes for his former teammate.

Frank Robinson joined the Orioles after 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and spent six years

in Baltimore, helping lead the Orioles to four World Series appearances and two championships.

Frank Robinson was named the American League MVP in 1966 after winning the Triple Crown

with 49 home runs, 122 RBIs and a .316 batting average.

While both are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Brooks remembers a different

side of Frank as well, including a man who once jumped into the pool to avoid getting thrown in

by his teammates -- even though he couldn't swim.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/08/29/a-look-at-how-all-former-orioles-around-mlb-have-

fared-in-2015

A Look At How All Former Orioles Around MLB Have

Fared In 2015

By Paul Folkemer / PressBoxOnline.com

August 29, 2015

A significant streak came to an end Aug. 28 when Seattle Mariners right fielder Nelson Cruz, a

former Oriole, failed to reach base during his team's 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Cruz

had reached base safely in 37 straight games, the longest streak in the American League this

year.

Cruz's success with the Mariners hasn't gone unnoticed by Orioles fans, many of whom are

lamenting his loss from the O's lineup amidst the Birds' 2015 struggles.

Cruz isn't the only ex-Oriole enjoying a stellar 2015 season. New York Yankees lefty Andrew

Miller -- who, like Cruz, left the Orioles as a free agent after 2014 -- has a 1.99 ERA and 27

saves during his first season as a full-time closer. And Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta,

whom the O's traded away in 2013, has emerged as a National League Cy Young candidate with

16 wins (tied for most in the NL) and a 2.22 ERA during 26 starts.

All told, there are 42 ex-Orioles playing in the majors this season. That includes players who

made at least one regular-season appearance with the Birds, so former O's minor leaguers such as

Boston Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez don't count. Here's a look at how every ex-Oriole has

fared in 2015, as of Aug. 28.

HITTERS

PLAYER TEAM

YEARS

WITH O'S 2015 STATS

RF Jose Bautista Blue Jays 2004

121 G, .246/.365/.529/.894, 31 HR,

88 RBIs

OF Nelson Cruz Mariners 2014

126 G, .317/.385/.605/.990, 39 HR,

82 RBIs

OF Alejandro De

Aza Red Sox 2014-15

58 G, .303/.351/.503/.854, 4 HR, 25

RBIs

IF Pedro Florimon Pirates 2011

15 G, .105/.190/.211/.401, 0 HR, 1

RBI

OF L.J. Hoes Astros 2012-13 8 G, .267/.313/.267/.579, 0 HR, 1 RBI

C Nick Hundley Rockies 2014

95 G, .296/.334/.460/.795, 9 HR, 41

RBIs

1B/OF Travis

Ishikawa Giants/ Pirates 2013

39 G, .203/.299/.305/.604, 1 HR, 8

RBIs

IF Kelly Johnson Braves/ Mets 2014

85 G, .259/.307/.435/.742, 12 HR, 40

RBIs

C Ryan Lavarnway Braves 2015

16 G, .271/.352/.479/.831, 2 HR, 6

RBIs

IF Steve

Lombardozzi Pirates 2014

12 G, .000/.091/.000/.091, 0 HR, 0

RBIs

RF Nick Markakis Braves 2006-14

126 G, .300/.370/.377/.747, 2 HR, 48

RBIs

1B/OF Michael

Morse Marlins/ Pirates 2013

72 G, .226/.297/.321/.618, 4 HR, 12

RBIs

IF Mark Reynolds Cardinals 2011-12

112 G, .235/.310/.401/.711, 11 HR,

41 RBIs

C Taylor Teagarden Cubs 2012-13

8 G, .200/.200/.200/.400, 0 HR, 2

RBIs

IF Steve Tolleson Blue Jays 2012

19 G, .268/.333/.439/.772, 0 HR, 3

RBIs

IF Justin Turner Dodgers 2009-10

100 G, .299/.361/.522/.883, 15 HR,

51 RBIs

IF Danny Valencia

Blue Jays/

Athletics 2013

75 G, .293/.331/.517/.848, 12 HR, 43

RBIs

IF Jemile Weeks Red Sox 2014 3 G, .333/.333/.333/.667, 0 HR, 1 RBI

PITCHERS

PITCHER TEAM

YEARS WITH

O'S 2015 STATS

RHP Matt Albers White Sox 2008-10 18 G, 2-0, 1.75 ERA

RHP Jake Arrieta Cubs 2010-13 26 G (26 starts), 16-6, 2.22 ERA

LHP Bruce Chen Indians 2004-06 2 G (2 starts), 0-1, 12.79 ERA

LHP Dana Eveland Braves 2012 10 G, 0-1, 5.40 ERA

RHP Scott Feldman Astros 2013 17 G (17 starts), 5-5, 3.75 ERA

RHP Kevin Gregg Reds 2011-12 11 G, 0-2, 10.13 ERA

RHP Preston Guilmet Rays/ Brewers 2014 5 G, 0-0, 11.05 ERA (combined)

RHP Jeremy Guthrie Royals 2007-11 24 G (23 starts), 8-7, 5.62 ERA

RHP Jason Hammel Cubs 2012-13 25 G (25 starts), 7-6, 3.42 ERA

RHP LaTroy

Hawkins

Rockies/ Blue

Jays 2006

35 G, 3-1, 2.76 ERA, 3 saves

(combined)

RHP David

Hernandez Diamondbacks 2009-10 28 G, 1-4, 5.01 ERA

RHP Tommy Hunter Cubs 2011-15

12 G, 1-0, 5.59 ERA, 1 save

(Cubs only)

RHP Jim Johnson Braves/ Dodgers 2006-13

59 G, 2-5, 4.37 ERA, 10 saves

(combined)

RHP Radhames Liz Pirates 2007-09 11 G, 1-3, 3.63 ERA

LHP Adam Loewen Phillies 2006-08 7 G, 0-0, 6.30 ERA

LHP Andrew Miller Yankees 2014 45 G, 2-2, 1.99 ERA, 27 saves

RHP Bud Norris Padres 2013-15 9 G, 1-0, 6.75 ERA (Padres only)

RHP Francisco

Rodriguez Brewers 2013 46 G, 0-2, 2.01 ERA, 30 saves

RHP Alfredo Simon Tigers 2008-11 24 G (24 starts), 11-8, 4.89 ERA

RHP Miguel

Socolovich Cardinals 2012 21 G, 4-1, 1.54 ERA

RHP Pedro Strop Cubs 2011-13 61 G, 2-6, 2.89 ERA

RHP Koji Uehara Red Sox 2009-11 43 G, 2-4, 2.23 ERA, 25 saves

RHP Ryan Webb Indians 2014 32 G, 1-0, 2.74 ERA

LHP Randy Wolf Tigers 2012 2 G (2 starts), 0-2, 2.57 ERA

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/08/31/brittany-ghiroli-on-possible-frustration-in-the-orioles-

locker-room/

Brittany Ghiroli Says Orioles Are Not A Playoff Team

CBS Baltimore

August 31, 2015

Brittany is the Baltimore Orioles beat reporter for MLB.com.

Brittany joined Steve and Ken to talk about the continued struggles of the Orioles after being

swept by the Rangers over the weekend.

Ken asked Brittany about the level of frustration within the clubhouse during the Orioles recent

skid. Brittany noted that, “I can’t put my finger on why that is. I certainly don’t think that they

expect to lose, but I think the losses of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis in that club house are

just felt everywhere. People don’t realize it’s not just their on-field production. I think that

having them to keep these guys steady and have them not panic during these rough stretches

because let’s face it, there’s always tough stretches for every team, even the teams that win the

division. I just think that the loss of them cannot be overstated.”

Steve asks about if the team’s frustration on the loss of players like Markakis and Cruz and not

replacing them on the roster has led to their poor performance this season. Brittany says that she

thinks it’s been like that since spring training, “What people don’t realize is they let go of

Delmon Young who was very popular in there and was a professional hitter. Some of the guys

were talking to me about this the other day, you look in that clubhouse and tell me who is a

professional, veteran hitter in that clubhouse? Veteran in my book is about 5 full seasons in the

major leagues. Who do they have, outside of Adam Jones? Nobody. There’s just nobody with

any kind of major league experience and veteran presence, like I said to keep everybody from

panicking. They don’t realize how many guys Nick Markakis kept in line. Not because he was a

vocal guy, but because of the way he was. Same thing for Nelson Cruz. You can’t try to replace

those guys with 2 or 3 other guys, Travis Snider’s or David Lough’s and it’s going to be okay,

because if you add these 2 guys together, their production lines, equals what you think Nelson

Cruz or Nick Markakis is going to do. It just doesn’t work that way and the Orioles are finding

out first hand.”

Britt goes on to say, “I don’t think they’re quite as bad as they played on that road trip. I think

people need to realize that this isn’t the same team that won the division by 12 games last year,

they’re not 11 games out. They’re somewhere in the middle. What you see with a lot of teams

around this time of year is they spiral and then they kind of have almost a grieving period for

lack of a better word and then they kind of even out. I don’t know if the Orioles are going to

even out and play a little bit more to their level. This team, the way they’ve been going right

now, and I know we’ve talked all year ‘about are they a playoff team? are they not a playoff

team?’ They’re not a playoff team. They’re 5.5 games back, they’ve got a really tough schedule.

They’re not a playoff team and people need to realize that.”

Steve asked Brittany about how much hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh is to blame for the Orioles

struggles offensively and whether he might be on the hot seat. Brittany doesn’t believe

Coolbaugh is to blame for the struggles because our lineup is filled with hitters who have high

strike out rates and there is a lack of players with a proven track record as good veteran hitters.

“There isn’t any talk about firing him at all. If you ask me the whole team has been awful. The

starting rotation has been horrible, especially over the last 11 games pitching to a 6.47 ERA. We

don’t have that one pitcher that can dominate and give you a great start during difficult

stretches.”

Brittany went on to discuss whether the Orioles will make any moves ahead of the waiver trade

deadline today, pitchers who might be able to help out the starting rotation, and how big of an

impact the recent run of losses has had on both play on the field and moral in the clubhouse.

http://www.news-journal.com/news/2015/aug/31/davis-focused-on-strong-finish/

Davis focused on strong finish

By Hayden Henry / Longview News-Journal

August 31, 2015

ARLINGTON – Chris Davis has a lot going on these days. As the regular season enters the home

stretch, the Baltimore Orioles remain in the playoff hunt, creating pressure to perform at his peak

at a pivotal moment of the season. In correlation to his performance on the field, after the season

concludes, he will become a free agent for the first time in his career.

But as Davis and the Orioles visited Texas this past weekend in a key series of two clubs fighting

for a trip to the postseason, the former Longview High School standout kept a reminder in his

locker — a picture of a lifetime friend — that the fight, no matter the circumstances, must

continue.

"We played Little League baseball together and won the city championship in the Longview

Boys Baseball Association when we were little," Davis said of longtime friend Jeremy Cotham,

looking at a photo of the two on top of his locker. "It's tough when you find out that one of your

friends is diagnosed with something that serious and to watch them struggle and battle every

day."

Cotham, a fellow Lobo as well as News-Journal correspondent, was diagnosed with leukemia in

2009 and died this past March.

"I was extremely saddened to hear that he passed away," he said. "There was also a sense of

relief because I know without a shadow of a doubt that he's in a place now where there's no more

pain and there's no suffering."

Battling for more than six years with the disease, Cotham, who graduated from Kilgore College

and UT Tyler, leaves behind a profound impact on those around him, particularly Davis, who

uses a framed photo of the two longtime friends as a reminder that the battle must continue.

"The fight that he showed and really the optimism that he had throughout the whole thing was

really incredible," Davis said. "I feel like it's so easy for us, no matter what we do for work or

where we are in life, to complain about the circumstances that we're in.

"Jeremy never did that and that was a constant reminder to me and a great inspiration to me."

Usually when Davis comes to back to Texas, it's a chance to catch up with friends and family but

due to the late in the season series with the Rangers, the 2015 trip was a little more business.

Entering Sunday, with the Rangers having already claimed the three-game series with wins on

Friday and Saturday nights, the Orioles were 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers with just over a

month left in the regular season.

"It's different this season because we usually come to Texas around the All-Star Break," Davis

said. "This year, it's a quick trip. No doubt, there's work to be done. We know what's at stake and

Texas is battling for a postseason berth as well."

Davis is batting .251 this season, as of Sunday, with 35 home runs and 92 RBIs, both marks good

for second in all of Major League Baseball. His home run total sits at 147 home runs since the

2012 season. Since the All-Star break in mid-July, Davis' average jumps to .289, including 16

home runs, 40 RBIs and a .653 slugging mark. Davis credits a calmer approach at the plate as

well as Baltimore hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh, who held the same position during Davis' stint

as a Ranger. The patient approach at the plate is evident with his 59 walks, on track to eclipse a

career high of 72 set in 2013, when he belted 53 home runs and drove in 138 runs.

"I think a lot of it is just being healthy all year and once you get to a certain number of at bats,

you get your timing and rhythm down," Davis said. "Having Scott Coolbaugh here has been

great for me. He's a guy that I've had a lot of success working with in the past. He's helped me

stay positive and pushes me to keep working.

"The biggest thing is being a little more patient. Instead of going up there and swinging at

everything, I've been working on being a little more disciplined at the plate."

Davis also is tops in another MLB category – home runs robbed. According to ESPN Stats and

Info, he has four home runs that have been taken away by opposing outfielders.

"I guess I need to hit the ball on a little more of a line," Davis said. "As a power hitter, any time

you come to the plate, outfielders are a little more conscious – that's in the back of their minds.

"For me, all four of those, except the one that Avisail Garcia robbed in Chicago (an leaping, over

the head catch), were really high balls that I necessarily didn't hit too well. You tip your cap,

shake it off and move forward."

Davis said he picked up a thing or two from the outfielders that have taken away home runs from

him as he spent a long stretch in right field earlier in the season for the Orioles, showing

versatility in his game in the switch from his usual first base or designated hitter position.

"I enjoy playing right field, I think it's something you can have a lot of fun with," he said. "You

have to put in a lot of work and time when you're not playing in the outfield consistently. I had a

good time out there."

With free agency looming after the end of his fifth season in Baltimore concludes, Davis spoke

about the city that has become his second home, namely a series of events that rocked the city

and nation to its core earlier in 2015 surrounding the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Due to

protests and civil unrest, the Orioles postponed two games and shifted one series away from

Baltimore.

"It was tough," Davis said. "Any time that your city is in a state of crisis like that, it's tough to be

there. For me, it was tougher leaving the city. We had an opportunity to give people a boost and

a break from what was going on through the game of baseball.

"It was an unfortunate occurrence and, I hate to say it, is something that's more prevalent today

than it's ever been. It's something that needs to be addressed. With all the negative that comes

around it, theirs is some positive with the awareness that's been raised as well as the

accountability that needs to be held."

Davis said he saw the city embrace the Orioles amidst the chaos between Baltimore officials and

protesters.

"I'd like to thing that the community used the Orioles as a healing point," he said. "At that time,

we were paying some good baseball and anytime your city is hurting like that, you want to be

something that can lift it up. The fact that the city was able to bounce back so quickly is a tribute

to the men and women we've got in Baltimore that worked so hard and so bravely to restore

peace to the city."

During the violent stretch of unrest, the Orioles squared off with the Chicago White Sox inside

Camden Yards, where no fans were allowed to enter – a game played in complete silence that

Davis said provided a valuable lesson to everyone involved in the game.

"It was weird – eerie really," he said. "As players, no doubt, we really appreciate the support of

the fans – they make the game what it is and it really reinforced to everyone how much the fans

mean to the game. A large element of the game was missing that day."

Over the past year, Davis and his wife, Jill, welcomed their first child, a daughter, Ella. When

he's not playing, he said he's remained heavily involved with an organization in Baltimore called

Christian Youth Athletics.

"It gives kids a chance to be a part of an organization where they can be on a team, play baseball

and also learn about the Gospel and your relationship with Christ," Davis said. "My wife and I

do a lot of charity work and that's something that's near and dear to my heart and giving back is

very important to me because God has blessed me so much."

One thing that Davis said fans might not know about him is his ability to cut up and be a jokester

off the field. He noted that time and time again, observers have made the comment to him that he

looks angry while playing the game.

"I'm much more light heartened than I lead on while on the field," Davis said. "I've been told all

the time that I look ticked off when I play. I was brought up to respect the game and play as hard

as I can. I love the game of baseball and I enjoy it every day but when I'm out there, it's

business."

Davis showed his light side on the field this past month while donning a mustache – the result of

a bet with a teammate and something that was aptly dubbed the 'Crushstache.'

"That was just a bad look," Davis said with a laugh. "It was bad for everyone."

Over the coming weeks, there's a lot to process for Davis. While working through his own

personal game as the Orioles make a late push to the postseason with free agency looming on the

other side, it'll be his work ethic, his faith and his daily inspiration that pushes him through the

uncertainty.

"You go on what you've heard and what other people have told you but you really don't know

what to expect," Davis said. "It's something that you prepare yourself for the best you can and let

it play out.

"This last stretch is so huge that I haven't thought too much about it. I've been focusing on what's

right in front of me. I know that free agency is going to take care of itself. I know there's a

greater plan at work. My goal is to go out and do everything I can every day to help this team

win as many games as possible."

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2015/8/28/friday-replay-joe-flacco-is-actually-funny

Friday Replay And four more things that happened in Baltmore sports this week.

By Max Weiss / Baltimore Magazine

August 28, 2015

1. Joe Flacco mocks himself in surprisingly good Pepsi/Tostitos ad.

For a Super Bowl winning quarterback, Flacco does surprisingly few national commercials.

(Locally, he's got that Mother's account on LOCK DOWN, though.) That's partly because he isn't

exactly—how shall we put this gently?—the life of the party. It's that very quality that Pepsi and

Tostitos are gently teasing in this clever ad. The best part is that Joe totally plays along and is

actually funny! On purpose! And, while we are on the subject, are we the first to notice that Joe

Flacco has gotten kind of...hot lately? With Tom Brady still embroiled in "Deflate Gate" is it

possible we are seeing the new face of the NFL?

2. Manny reels Schoop in. Look, there hasn't been a lot to cheer about lately in Birdland (understatement), so let's focus on

a very cute moment between Jonathan Schoop and his bro Manny Machado on Wednesday

night. After Schoop hit a mammoth two-run home run against the Royals to put the Orioles

ahead once and for all, Manny excitedly reeled him back into the dugout. These two are so dang

cute together!

3. John Urschel and Ravens have (playful) Twitter spat.

It started with the Ravens posting a picture of linebacker (and mathematician!) John Urschel as

the Incredible Hulk.

Urschel responded like this:

And then the Ravens responded like this:

Your move, Urschulk.

4. A bad week for the Orioles may have just gotten worse. Last night, the Orioles slump continued with a 5-3 loss to the Royals. To add injury to insult, so

to speak, Orioles All-Star Adam Jones left the game after crashing into the center-field

wall while diving to make a catch in the third inning. He was down for several minutes and even

tried to stay in the game, before being replaced in the lineup by Paul Janish. In true Jones form,

he thinks he'll be ready to play Friday night against the Rangers. As of now, they're saying

it's whiplash, but not a concussion. We love what a gamer Jones is, but frankly we'd prefer he

take a few days off to heal rather than come back too soon risking further injury. (The pessimist

in us says, whether he plays or not doesn't seem to be making much of a difference these

days...Sigh).

5. Terrell Suggs hit on Sam Bradford deemed legal.

In the Ravens 40-17 preseason loss to Philadelphia (do not panic, people; it's the preseason),

linebacker Terrell Suggs was charged with roughing passer Sam Bradford. Suggs immediately

argued that it was a legal hit, as Bradford was not passing, but running the "read option," where a

quarterback chooses to hand-off the ball or run himself. As Suggs put it later in his inimitable

way, "You've got to know the rules. If you want to run the read option with your starting

quarterback that's had two knee surgeries, that's on you." Of course, Suggs, a true student of the

game, was right. The NFL later acknowledged that Suggs should not have been called for a

penalty.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/08/28/chris-davis-leads-pending-free-

agents-aiming-to-cash-in-after-strong-seasons/

Chris Davis leads pending free agents aiming to cash in after

strong seasons

By Barry Svrluga / Washington Post

August 28, 2015

We are on the cusp of September, so the races that are truly taking shape are for pennants and

postseason awards. But the financial reality of baseball never goes away — not in the minds of

players and executives and agents, anyway – which means for dozens of players the final month

of the season is the final push for free agency.

Move aside, though, the headliners – Toronto lefty David Price, right-handers Johnny Cueto of

Kansas City and Zack Greinke of the Dodgers (who has the right to opt out of his deal), St. Louis

outfielder Jason Heyward, etc. – and think about the next tier. There is a group of free agents-to-

be that is performing beyond what could have been expected at the beginning of the year, the

perfect time to do so as they head to the open market.

Chris Davis, first baseman, Orioles

When the season began, the former home run champ was coming off a dismal 2014 in which he

hit .196 and struck out an unfathomable 173 times in 127 games – and then was suspended

during the Orioles’ playoff drive for use of Adderall, which helps him deal with attention deficit

disorder. But in 2015, the 29-year-old has rebuilt his value, hitting .253 with a career-best .338

on-base percentage. His .532 slugging percentage is sixth in the American League, and his 35

homers trail only Seattle’s Nelson Cruz. Davis made $12 million in this, his final year of

arbitration eligibility. He’ll join Heyward and Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon (who will

almost certainly decline a $12 million option on his contract) in a group of dynamic left-handed-

hitting free agents.

Yovani Gallardo, starting pitcher, Rangers

When ace Yu Darvish was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery, who figured the Rangers

had the pitching to stay in the race? Yet they entered the weekend with a hold on a wild-card

spot, and Gallardo is a major reason why. Acquired in an offseason trade with Milwaukee, he has

moved to the American League yet still posted the best ERA of his career – 3.14, eighth-best in

the league. He has made every one of his starts and, relying on a sinker-slider combination, been

the kind of groundball pitcher needed for a right-hander at Globe Life Park. At 30, he’s a solid

bet for a three- or possibly four-year deal for a team that misses out (or can’t afford) the top-of-

the-market pitchers.

Scott Kazmir, starting pitcher, Astros

This unthinkable comeback story continues. After inexplicably losing velocity and command in

2011 and being cut by the Angels – who still owed him $14.5 million – Kazmir turned to

independent ball in 2012. After becoming an all-star with Oakland in 2014, he is proving his

rebound isn’t a fluke, posting a 2.39 ERA in 24 starts – a number that trails only Sonny Gray of

the Athletics and Dallas Keuchel of the Astros in the American League. A week before the trade

deadline, Houston acquired Kazmir from the A’s in the first indication that the Astros were

serious about contending, and only once in six starts has he allowed more than two earned runs.

The other amazing wrinkle: After this ridiculous journey, Kazmir is still just 31.

Mike Leake, starting pitcher, Giants

Over the previous three seasons with the Reds, where he pitched behind Cueto and Homer

Bailey, Leake quietly became one of the most reliable starters in the National League, making 94

starts in those three years and averaging 195 innings. This year, he was dealt to the Giants at the

trade deadline and, after just one appearance for San Francisco, went on the disabled list with a

hamstring strain. But he’s back now and posting a 3.44 ERA (second-best of his career) with a

career-best WHIP (1.134) and has given up two earned runs or fewer in 14 of 23 starts. Given the

questions about Matt Cain and others in the Giants’ rotation, Leake will be a key part of a

postseason push. The best part for an offseason buyer: He turns just 28 in November.

Darren O’Day, reliever, Orioles

We’ll use the all-star to represent the relief class in part because he has had an excellent season

and in part because the free agent options to upgrade bullpens are rather thin. In 52 appearances,

O’Day has a career-best 1.63 ERA that ranks fourth among AL relievers to go along with a 1.007

WHIP and 63 strikeouts with 12 walks in 49-2/3 innings. Plus, in baseball’s most volatile

position, he now has a track record: a 1.96 ERA and 0.954 WHIP in four years with the Orioles.

There are no marquee closers on the market this offseason, and with Andrew Miller’s four-year,

$36-million deal from last offseason as a backdrop (remember: the Yankees closer hadn’t been a

closer at that point), O’Day and fellow setup man Tyler Clippard of the Mets could cash in.

Gerardo Parra, outfielder, Orioles

Not in the elite group of hitters available in the offseaon, the 28-year-old left-handed hitter still

figures to be coveted – just as he was at the trade deadline, when Milwaukee peddled him to

Baltimore. In 125 games between the Brewers and Orioles, he has a career-high .309 average and

.846 OPS to go along with a career-high 14 homers. A former Gold Glover who can play all

three outfield positions, he would be a perfect fit for a team like the Nationals, who will need a

left-handed bat and could use a player to spell veteran Jayson Werth, who is still under contract

for 2016-17.

http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/pix-we-love-check-out-the-baltimore-orioles-2016-pet-calendar

Pix We Love: Check Out the Baltimore Orioles 2016 Pet

Calendar The calendar, featuring Orioles players with their dogs, raises money for the Baltimore

Animal Rescue and Care Shelter.

By Jeff Goldberg / Dogster.com

August 28, 2015

The Major League Baseball team in Baltimore is called the Orioles. But when it comes to

making a big play for the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), it’s okay to refer

to them as angels.

With the Orioles in the thick of the American League postseason chase, the team is hitting a

home run in the cause of helping shelter animals reach home — a forever home. Last Saturday,

the team unveiled its seventh annual Orioles Pet Calendar, sponsored by Pet+E.R. The 16-month

calendar for 2016 features photos of Orioles players with their pets and various BARCS animals

at locations around Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where the Orioles play their home games.

Last Saturday, several players, including catcher Matt Wieters, pitcher Chris Tillman, and

shortstop J.J. Hardy took part in an autograph session at BARCS. Fans who purchased the

calendar received autographs. Last Sunday, the first 20,000 fans 15 and over who attended that

day’s game against the Minnesota Twins received an Orioles pet leash.

The Orioles have helped to raise $190,000 for BARCS, including $46,000 through calendar sales

in 2015. The largest companion animal shelter in Maryland, BARCS takes in more than 12,000

dogs and cats and 1,000 wildlife and other small mammals annually. On any given day, BARCS

cares for 110 dogs and 110 cats in the shelter, plus more than 800 animals in foster care.

Thanks to Orioles photographer Todd Olszewski, here is a look at some of the players and their

pups.

1. Adam Jones and Missy

2. J.J. Hardy and Beauty

3. Chris Davis and Samson

4. Buck Showalter and Webster, Jasper, and Opie

The calendar is available for $15 at Oriole Park, the Orioles Team Store in the York Galleria in

York, PA, and at orioles.com/petcalendar.