World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966

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

American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996

Monday, May 1, 2017

Game Stories:

Orioles beat Yankees, 7-4, in 11 innings after blowing two-run lead with two outs in

ninth The Sun 4/30

Orioles fall 12-4 to Yankees to slip out of first place for first time this season The Sun

4/29

Orioles blow eight-run lead, lose 14-11 in 10 innings to Yankees The Sun 4/29

O's top Yanks in 11 to end April in first-place tie MLB.com 4/30

Ubaldo struggles, and O's can't keep pace in NY MLB.com 4/29

Baltimore busts out bats, but outslugged in 10 MLB.com 4/29

Orioles recover from blown lead to win in 11 innings MASNsports.com 4/30

Another disappointing start for Ubaldo Jiménez (O’s lose 12-4) MASNsports.com 4/29

Orioles squander big lead and head to extras (O’s lose 14-11 in 10th) MASNsports.com

4/28

Orioles blow lead, rally to beat Yankees 7-4 in 11 innings Associated Press 4/30

Gardner busts out, Yanks hit 4 more HRs to rout Orioles 12-4 Associated Press 4/29

Holliday HR in 10th, Yanks rally from 8 down, top O's 14-11 Associated Press 4/29

Columns:

Orioles open series at Fenway keeping Dylan Bundy on regular rest ... for now The Sun

5/1

Orioles observations: Call-up Verrett caps eventful 24 hours with escape act, victory The

Sun 4/30

Orioles notes: Britton will rejoin team Monday, be activated no later than Tuesday The

Sun 4/30

Several factors go into Orioles summoning Verrett and Bleier from minors for added

bullpen depth The Sun 4/30

Verrett factors big in win on day of O's callup MLB.com 4/30

Showalter ejected after critical balk call in 9th MLB.com 4/30

Orioles recall Mike Wright (plus lineups and notes) MASNsports.com 5/1

Trey Mancini included on All-Star Game ballot MASNsports.com 5/1

Leftovers for breakfast MASNsports.com 5/1

Wrapping up a 7-4 11-inning win MASNsports.com 4/30

Elbow issues, roster moves and more (extra innings) MASNsports.com 4/30

Thoughts on Wade Miley, the AL East and O’s-Boston series MASNsports.com 5/1

A look at the Orioles’ crazy, improbable and dramatic win in the Bronx

MASNsports.com 4/30

O’s game blog: Orioles look to salvage series finale MASNsports.com 4/30

Andrew Stetka: Baseball fandom is difficult MASNsports.com 5/1

Orioles Win Strange Game At Yankee Stadium PressBoxOnline.com 4/30

Orioles Recall Richard Bleier, Logan Verrett For Bullpen Help PressBoxOnline.com 4/30

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-orioles-yankees-game-20170430-story.html

Orioles beat Yankees, 7-4, in 11 innings after blowing two-

run lead with two outs in ninth

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 30, 2017

The Orioles made nothing easy for themselves for three days in the Bronx this weekend, and

their mettle was tested again as another ninth-inning lead dissipated in the chilly New York air

Sunday.

They had already been battered in the first two games of the series. Wounded by allowing a total

of 26 runs in the first two games of the series — a pair of humbling losses that knocked the

Orioles out of first place for the first time this season — they needed a win Sunday to avoid

being swept out of Yankee Stadium.

And Sunday’s game started to follow a familiar script, as the Orioles were one out away from

victory but blew a multirun ninth-inning lead for the second time in three games here in New

York, this time amid controversy.

In a game that included its share of strange moments, the Orioles ultimately escaped Gotham

with a 7-4 win over the Yankees in 11 innings, salvaging the series finale, but not before New

York’s tying runs came in to score after a questionable balk call; manager Buck Showalter was

ejected; the Yankee Stadium lights turned on, then off, then on again; and a Yankee pitched in

the ninth, played first base in the 10th and pitched again in the 11th.

“Our guys refused to lose,” Showalter said of his team, which at 15-8 is off to its best start after

23 games since 2005. “They let us hang around a little bit there early.”

The Orioles overcame that adversity to score three runs in the 11th to win — Mark Trumbo

drove in the go-ahead run after the Yankees walked Manny Machado intentionally to face him

and scored two more in the inning — and were able to head to Boston for another early-season

American League East road test with some positive vibes.

“It would have been tough having two [ninth-inning] leads and leaving with no wins,” reliever

Darren O’Day said. “So the guys bailed out the bullpen tonight. They did a great job. … It was a

good win.”

O’Day was in the middle of the biggest play of the night, when he was called for a balk with two

outs in the ninth inning with the Orioles up 4-2.

With runners on first and second, O’Day made a pickoff move to second base to catch Starling

Castro off the bag. Castro was caught but O’Day made a wild throw into center field as Castro

dived back to the base. Neither runner advanced on the play, but each received a base from home

plate umpire Stu Scheurwater to put them into scoring position.

Showalter jumped out of the dugout to argue and was quickly ejected by Scheurwater.

“There wasn’t a lot of give and take,” Showalter said. “Same thing he’s been doing for eight or

nine years. One out of four saw something that wasn’t there. I think we call it overofficiating in

basketball. He had a pretty good game going until that.”

Two batters later, both runs scored on Didi Gregorius’ two-run single off Donnie Hart.

O’Day was told by Scheurwater, a call-up umpire, that he didn’t make the proper step toward

second base.

“I’ve been doing the same move my whole career and nobody’s ever called it a balk, so it’s a bit

surprising that he could see that from there,” O’Day said. “It would have been interesting if I had

made a good throw and picked him off because that would have been the game. … I guess I’ll

continue to do it. I don’t know, but yeah it was a good opportunity there to steal an out and win

the game. It didn’t work out.”

The Orioles blew a ninth-inning lead Friday night, too, when right-hander Brad Brach couldn’t

preserve a three-run advantage.

After Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman shut down the Orioles in the top of the 10th in Sunday’s

twilight, the Yankee Stadium lights turned on before the bottom half of the inning, but Orioles

interim manager John Russell got them turned off because, according to major league rules,

stadium lights can’t be turned on in the middle of an inning.

With the bullpen bare, Logan Verrett, freshly landed from Triple-A Norfolk, entered the game in

the 10th. After allowing a leadoff bloop single down the right-field line, Verrett fielded Brett

Gardner's bunt and threw to second base, where he had no chance to get the lead runner.

The Orioles needed an outstanding play — J.J. Hardy’s charging scoop of Castro’s grounder and

throw to catcher Castillo to nab the potential winning run at the plate — and Verrett’s strikeout

of Aaron Judge to get out of the 10th.

Hardy credited Castillo, who had to take a low throw and maintain possession with Castro

bearing down on the plate.

“It’s instinct,” Castillo said. “I tried to play it [like I would at] first base, but as soon as I see the

throw, and I got to make sure that I hold the ball, and that’s what I did, so the throw turned into

the line, and I just went down there and grabbed the ball and tried to get one out.”

Yankees right-hander Bryan Mitchell, who pitched the ninth, then moved to first base in the

10th, returned to the mound in the 11th. Joey Rickard started the rally with a one-out single, then

stole second base, and the Yankees walked Machado intentionally to face Trumbo, who singled

up the middle to drive in Rickard with the eventual winning run.

“Some people thrive on that and take it personally and some just say, ‘Hey, it’s part of the

game,’ ” Showalter said of Trumbo making the Yankees pay for the intentional walk. “When I

walk somebody, it doesn’t mean I don’t think the next guy’s not a big league hitter. You’re just

picking your poison there.”

Castillo followed with an RBI single of his own to score Adam Jones. Trumbo then raced home

safely when Castillo was caught between first and second, as the Orioles finally made their own

good fortune in New York.

“That inning, with all that stuff happened, the balk, and all that stuff,” Castillo said. “After we

get in there, we say, ‘Here we go, we can win this game.’ We kept fighting [with] our bats and

our players, and we never give in. We never give up. We put everything together, and that’s how

we got the win.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-yankees-20170429-story.html

Orioles fall 12-4 to Yankees to slip out of first place for first

time this season

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 29, 2017

Orioles came to Yankee Stadium with a one-game division lead over the resurgent New York

Yankees. But after two meetings in the Bronx this weekend, the Orioles have been knocked off

their first-place perch in the American League East for the first time this season while being

delivered a pair of numbing road losses.

The Orioles (14-8) dropped the second game of their three-game series with the Yankees, 12-4,

losing their first series this season after winning six and splitting one before this weekend.

The Orioles allowed their two highest run totals this season on consecutive days, yielding 26

runs combined Friday and Saturday. It marks just the third time since 2012 that the Orioles have

allowed at least 12 runs in consecutive games. Both previous occurrences came last season.

The weather in New York is getting warm, so balls are starting to fly out of Yankee Stadium.

Over the first two games of the series, the Yankees hit nine homers.

It’s not just scissors that left-handers have problems with. These 14 cool products make life

easier for lefties.

“Pitchers had a rough time, hitters had a rough time,” Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph said. “But

the thing about it is our pitchers have kept us in the game for the most part this entire month.

They’ve really been the main reason why we are in the spot we are. So we are not going to hit

the panic button or try to reinvent the wheel with these guys. It’s two rough games.”

The Yankees (15-7) chased right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez from the game in the fourth inning, in

part because of two homers by left fielder Brett Gardner as the Yankees ran out to a 7-0 lead.

Yankees catcher Austin Romine -- only in the starting lineup because budding star Gary Sanchez

injured his biceps in the teams' prior meeting at Camden Yards early this month – drove in five

runs on the day, including a two-run homer off left-hander Vidal Nuno in the sixth.

The Orioles have dropped three of their past four games. In blowing an eight-run, sixth-inning

lead in the series-opening 14-11 extra-inning loss, the Orioles have been outscored, 25-6, by the

Yankees since the sixth inning of Friday’s game.

The Orioles scored two runs in the sixth Saturday on a throwing error by Yankees third baseman

Chase Headley that scored Manny Machado and a bases-loaded wild pitch by Yankees starter

Michael Pineda that scored Mark Trumbo.

They added two more in the ninth on Joseph's two-run homer.

Long relievers crumble

The Orioles spent the offseason concentrating on building pitching depth to serve as rotation and

bullpen relief. But two left-handers who the organization has planned to lean on for those roles

were roughed up for a second straight game.

In Friday’s loss, Nuno yielded a grand slam to Jacoby Ellsbury that fueled the Yankees'

comeback. Left-hander Jayson Aquino, whose strong spring training propelled him up the list of

reserve pitchers, gave up the game-winning homer to Matt Holliday in the 10th on Friday.

Both pitchers were back in the game Saturday to provide length, but couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Nuno yielded Romine’s two-run homer in the sixth and Aquino allowed a two-run homer to

rookie slugger Aaron Judge. Both Aquino and Nuno were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after the

game.

“Jayson is better than that,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s shown us as a starter.

Vidal had a good outing the last time out, the time before last. He hasn’t been very good the last

couple, so we’ll continue to try and make the proper adjustments and I can after I finish talking

to you all.”

The club will likely have to make a roster move to add an additional reliever before Sunday's

series finale.

Machado robbed by Headley

Machado is usually the one taking away hits at third base – in fact, the play commonly regarded

as the best defensive play of his career took place at Yankee Stadium. But on Saturday, it was

Machado who was robbed.

The Orioles had runners at first and second with one out in the third when Machado scorched a

line drive down the third base line, coming off the bat at an exit velocity of 108.1 mph – the

Orioles’ hardest-hit ball of the game. But Headley made a lunging snare of Machado’s liner.

The Orioles ended up stranding both base runners after Chris Davis grounded out to first to end

the inning.

Schoop leaves game

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop left Saturday’s game before the bottom of the seventh inning

after he was hit in the left elbow by a pitch in the sixth.

Showalter said taking Schoop out of the game was precautionary. Schoop was replaced by Ryan

Flaherty at second base.

“He got hit pretty good right there on the elbow,” Showalter said. “Just like Chris Davis got hit

by [CC] Sabathia in the elbow. That one’s pretty sore. There’s some weakness in it.”

Showalter said Schoop tried to hit in the indoor batting cages to test the elbow, but he wasn’t

“able to push it much.” Schoop will be re-evaluated Sunday.

“I knew when he got hit,” Showalter said. "Jon’s a tough kid. He got hit right above the elbow,

which kind of compresses the nerves there. It’s real weak. It usually manages itself good over

12-16 hours, but we’ll see what it’s like tomorrow. I didn’t feel like there was a need for an X-

ray from where it was hit.”

Joseph ends RBI drought

The stars aligned again for Joseph to end his RBI drought in the sixth Saturday, but he struck out

with runners on second and third to end the inning.

Joseph finally ended his dubious streak in the ninth, hitting a two-run homer into the Orioles

bullpen off Yankees left-hander Tommy Layne.

Joseph didn’t have an RBI in 141 plate appearances last season and his previous RBI came on

Sept. 11, 2015.

“You do take something out of it,” Showalter said. “You don’t say, you can’t celebrate that

because we got beat. You do. It’s a big deal for Caleb. I think he’s handled it well, and we all

know he’s better than that.”

Since he hit his homer with the Orioles down 10 runs in the ninth, Joseph tempered the release of

breaking a long streak, making one clap of his hands as he rounded first base.

“I mean, you are in a tough spot because you are getting your you-know-what whipped,” Joseph

said. “You want to be excited because there’s a lot of enduring there, mentally, physically,

emotionally, spiritually. All of them. But the most important thing is a W. We weren't able to put

anything together today.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-yankees-20170428-story.html

Orioles blow eight-run lead, lose 14-11 in 10 innings to

Yankees

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 29, 2017

The Orioles' bats came alive at Yankee Stadium on Friday night, and thanks to resurgent nights

from slumping sluggers Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo, they took a seemingly comfortable

seven-run lead into the seventh-inning stretch.

The usually dependable Orioles bullpen couldn’t hold that cushion, leaking in the later innings in

a game that quickly went from rout to redux as the Yankees came back for a 14-11 win in 10

innings that was gut-wrenching to say the least.

The Orioles also had a 9-1 lead in the middle of the sixth inning, but as the Yankees started

pecking into that lead, it foreshadowed a game that was far from over.

Orioles reliever Brad Brach – who had been just about perfect as the team’s interim closer with

Zach Britton on the disabled list – couldn’t hold a three-inning lead in the ninth. A two-run

homer by Starlin Castro tied the game at 11 and woke up Yankees fans who were quiet for most

of the night.

“I think I was kind of rushing out there a little bit,” Brach said. “I think I kind of got away from

my game plan, the scouting reports that I had kind of come up with myself. Just a couple of

pitches I wish I could take back. Nothing different; just didn’t execute.”

The Orioles had little choice in the 10th but to turn to left-hander Jayson Aquino – who by no

means expected to be in the game in extra innings – and he was clearly unsettled, walking the

first two batters of the frame before serving up a game-winning three-run homer to Matt

Holliday.

“Just command,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Was just missing down, trying not to

make a mistake. He’s a young pitcher.”

As Orioles players slowly walked off the field as Holliday rounded the bases, they faced the task

of regrouping quickly for a day game about 14 hours later with a bullpen that was beaten and

decimated.

Jacoby Ellsbury hit a grand slam off lefty long man Vidal Nuno, forcing the Orioles’ late-inning

relievers into a game in which they should have only been spectators.

Nuno entered the game after starter Kevin Gausman allowed a leadoff single to open the seventh

with the Orioles up 11-4. Nuno retired Brett Gardner on a flyout to center, but then yielded a

Chase Headley double down the left-field line and walked Holliday to load the bases.

Ellsbury then took a 2-1 pitch from Nuno into the right-field stands for a grand slam to make it

11-8. One of those runs was charged to Gausman.

Machado and Trumbo break out

In a game that included eight homers, Machado and Trumbo each barreled up a ball with

authoritative swings that seemingly unleashed their pent-up frustrations of the opening month,

sending souvenirs into the Yankee Stadium bleachers.

Machado, who entered the night hitting just .186 (11-for-59) over his previous 16 games, had

hits in each of his first three at-bats. That included a monster solo home run to center field in the

fifth inning off Yankees starter CC Sabathia that sailed over Monument Park by about 80 feet,

hitting the bottom of the center-field concourse.

In the following inning, Trumbo parked a Bryan Mitchell pitch about 10 rows beyond the Orioles

bullpen in left field for his fourth career grand slam.

“It’s kinda like, you see a guy with a great track record that we think highly of,” Showalter said.

“[Trumbo] and Manny had a big night. And a guy who has been rock solid for us had an off

night with Brad. And that’s just part of it. You try to keep the ebb and flow and realize that

reality. That’s a good team over there and we’re a good team.”

Machado’s solo homer was estimated to have traveled 470 feet, which in the longest this season,

according to Statcast. He drove in three runs on the night, including a two-run double into the

right-center-field gap in the third.

Trumbo, the reigning major league home run king who was hitless in his 25 at-bats before a

fifth-inning single ended that streak, hit his first homer in 20 games. His only previous homer

this season came on Opening Day. Friday's blast that went an estimated 459 feet.

“Felt good to contribute,” Trumbo said. “Wasn't enough, but hopefully that can be a nice way to

get things moving in a better direction. … I was seeing the ball pretty well. Results weren't

there, but anytime I’m getting a good look at it and taking some close pitches that’s a good sign.”

Catcher Welington Castillo also hit a two-run shot in the fourth for the Orioles (14-7), his first of

the season.

After going through a span in which they scored three or fewer runs in six of nine games, the

Orioles offense took control early of Friday’s game, which featured the top two teams in

the American League East standings.

Bullpen can’t back it up

It didn’t appear that Brach would get a save opportunity in the middle of the sixth when the

Orioles were up 9-1.

“Obviously at 9-1 you’re not thinking you are, but it’s the AL East, so any team is a couple dinks

and a blast away from being a few runs back into it,” Brach said. “And even then it wasn’t in the

back of my mind that I wasn’t going to get in. I’m always ready whenever Buck makes the

phone call.”

But Gausman’s struggles and Nuno’s implosion forced the Orioles’ late-inning arms to be used,

with Mychal Givens, Darren O’Day and Brach all having to pitch.

Givens (two-thirds of an inning) and O’Day (one inning) both provided scoreless outings, but

Brach – who hadn’t allowed a run in 12 relief innings this seasons – allowed three runs in the

ninth.

Brach issued a leadoff walk to Headley, then a hard-hit single off the center field wall by

Holliday to put runners at the corners. After Ellsbury’s chopper up the middle led to a force out

at second and scored a run, Castro took a 95 mph first-pitch fastball into the left-field stands.

“The leadoff walk I felt was the bad thing,” Brach said. “I know I gave up the home run later, but

with a three-run lead I’ve got to attack the hitter. I can’t be messing around like I did. You just

don’t want to lose those games.”

Gausman can’t build on strong start

Despite a rocky start to the season, Gausman brought an impressive track record against the

Yankees to the Bronx – 6-3, 2.24 ERA in 18 career appearances. He held the Yankees two just

two hits over four scoreless innings before falling victim during Friday night’s power display.

Three of the five runs Gausman allowed came on a pair of homers by Herculean rookie Aaron

Judge, who hit a solo homer in the fifth and then blasted a two-run shot in the sixth.

“I felt really good,” Gausman said. “I was cruising through five. I give up the solo home run to

Judge, but those things are going to happen. Bad pitch, kind of came back to the middle of the

plate. I’m more [angry] about the fact that I gave up three in the sixth. Kind of let them get off

the hook, let them back in the ballgame. Darren and Brad shouldn’t even be getting in the game,

especially when we’re up 9-1. I’ve got to be able to kind of put my foot on their throat right

there.”

Gausman lasted one batter into the seventh inning, allowing five runs on eight hits through six-

plus innings. His ERA remained 7.50.

Rickard getting back in the act

Outfielder Joey Rickard made his impact felt immediately in his first game back off the disabled

list, reaching safely three times.

Rickard showed his speed with a pair of infield singles, including one on a bunt he dropped

down the first base line, and drew a walk.

Rickard was hitless in six at-bats before going on the DL.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/227311614/os-beat-yankees-end-april-in-first-place-

tie/?topicId=27118142

O's top Yanks in 11 to end April in first-place tie

By Bryan Hoch and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK -- Mark Trumbo and Welington Castillo contributed big hits in a three-run 11th

inning as the Orioles rebounded from another late bullpen collapse, snapping the Yankees' four-

game winning streak with a 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Trumbo delivered the go-ahead hit off reliever Bryan Mitchell, who had returned to the mound

after an unorthodox shift to first base, and Castillo roped a two-run single as Baltimore reclaimed

a share of first place in the American League East.

Logan Verrett picked up the win in his Orioles debut, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the 10th

before working a perfect 11th inning.

"Our guys refused to lose," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who was ejected for arguing a

balk call in the ninth inning. "They let us hang around a little bit there early. They had a chance

to open some things up and [Wade Miley] didn't let it happen. That will not be forgotten. He

didn't implode and let the game get away from him. They kind of let us hang around there and

our guys got back in it."

Baltimore took its first lead in the sixth inning on Jonathan Schoop's go-ahead RBI double, part

of a three-run frame in which the Orioles sent eight men to the plate against rookie left-

hander Jordan Montgomery and reliever Jonathan Holder. Adam Jones, Trey Mancini and Craig

Gentry also picked up RBIs for the O's.

Matt Holliday hit a first-inning homer for the Yankees, who finished 3-for-13 with runners in

scoring position and left 16 men on base. Baltimore and New York finished April tied for first in

the division with 15-8 records.

"The whole series was kind of crazy," Brett Gardner said. "We obviously didn't come away with

the win, but there were a lot of positives. I thought we put up some good at-bats today when we

came back there at the end. We always fight until the end."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

O's take advantage: After being limited to one run through the first five innings, the Orioles' bats

came alive in the sixth as they sent eight men to the plate. Montgomery walked the first two

batters before yielding to Holder. After a single loaded the bases, third baseman Chase

Headley tried unsuccessfully for a double play on Mancini's game-tying fielder's choice. Schoop

followed with a line-drive double to center field to give Baltimore the lead.

Miley's escapes: Miley was able to wriggle out of trouble repeatedly as the Yankees left seven

men on through the first three innings. Most prominently, Miley held New York scoreless in the

second inning after Gregorius singled and Chris Carter doubled to open the frame, with the left-

hander striking out Kyle Higashioka, Gardner and Aaron Hicks in succession.

"This is kind of what he's done all season long," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He got a

key double play, he got some key strikeouts."

Stopped cold: The Yankees loaded the bases with one out in the 10th inning, and Verrett

got Starlin Castro to hit a sharp grounder to shortstop J.J. Hardy that was fired home, forcing

out Austin Romine on a nifty play by Castillo. Verrett then fanned Aaron Judge to end the inning

and set up Baltimore's winning rally in the 11th.

"It's instinct," Castillo said. "As soon as I see the throw, I've got to make sure that I hold the ball,

and that's what I did. The throw turned into the line, and I just went down there and grabbed the

ball and tried to get one out."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

After pitching the ninth inning, Mitchell remained in the game by replacing Carter at first base

for the 10th. Mitchell dropped a Castillo popup for an error, but then caught Schoop's foul pop.

Mitchell was the first pitcher to pitch and play first base in the same game since the Brewers'

Chuck Crim on June 6, 1989, at Toronto.

QUOTABLE

"I thought to myself, 'This is my opportunity to have a big moment at Yankee Stadium and put a

stamp on my Orioles debut.' I thought it was a lot of fun out there. It was a long game, but glad

we came out on top." -- Verrett, who was recalled from Triple-A prior to the game.

ON THE MOVE

Orioles closer Zach Britton will be rejoining the team in Boston. Britton, who has been sidelined

with a left forearm injury, could be activated as early as Monday.

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: The Orioles will head to Boston to start a four-game series at Fenway Park. Dylan

Bundy will square off Monday against Boston's Rick Porcello at 7:10 p.m. ET. Bundy was the

O's best starter the first month of the season, pitching to a 1.65 ERA over 32 2/3 innings pitched.

The righty is in his first full season as a starter.

Yankees: Right-hander Luis Severino (2-1, 3.00 ERA) will look to continue a string of strong

performances on Monday as the Yankees host the Blue Jays at 7:05 p.m. ET. Severino has gone

at least seven innings in three straight starts. Right-hander Marco Estrada (0-1, 2.70) starts for

Toronto.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/227248236/brett-gardner-homers-twice-yanks-beat-

orioles/

Ubaldo struggles, and O's can't keep pace in NY

By Bryan Hoch and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 29, 2017

NEW YORK -- The Yankees belted four more long balls and became the proud owners of the

best record in the Majors on Saturday. Brett Gardner went deep twice, Austin Romine collected

a career-high five RBIs and Aaron Judge slammed his American League-leading 10th blast,

powering a 12-4 victory over the Orioles.

Michael Pineda limited Baltimore to a pair of unearned runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings to

pick up his third victory for the surging Yankees (15-7), who grabbed sole possession of first

place in the AL East. Gardner drove in four runs against O's starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who

surrendered seven runs (six earned) over 3 1/3 frames.

"I feel like we've gotten off to a great start this season, and it's up to us to keep it rolling," said

Gardner, who hadn't homered since last July 30. "The Orioles always play us tough. It was a

great win last night, and it was great to come out here today and win the series, but we want to

just keep taking things one day at a time and keep winning."

Judge added a two-run blast in the seventh inning for the Yankees, who have won 14 of their last

17 games while outscoring opponents by 50 runs over that span.

"You're going to have times where you go up to the plate and the baseball is going to look like a

golf ball up there, and you're going to have times where it's looking like it's right down the

middle," Judge said.

Romine contributed a second-inning sacrifice fly and a two-run single in the fourth off Jimenez,

then added a two-run homer in the sixth off Vidal Nuno. Jimenez has been unable to complete

five innings in four of his five starts, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter was noncommittal

when asked if he would remain in the rotation.

"It's tough," Jimenez said. "I've been there before. I know it's tough, but I know I can get out of

it, too. I'm going to keep working hard and I'm going to find a way to get back."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Gardner plants another: After leading off the game with a second-deck homer to right field -- a

pseudo-back-to-back shot, considering Matt Holliday's walk-off blast in Friday's series opener --

Gardner connected again in the second inning, barreling a 92.5-mph Jimenez fastball for a three-

run blast to deep center field. Gardner entered play on Saturday with just three hits in his last 28

at-bats (.107).

"Guys have been giving me a hard time, asking me how many I've got, so it was nice to get that

first one out of the way and contribute a little bit on the offensive side of the ball," Gardner said.

"I thought it was a great day for the team."

Judge and jury: Judge's seventh-inning homer off Jayson Aquino was his 10th in April, tying the

Major League record for rookies. The big-swinging outfielder, whom Holliday has called

"probably the most gifted baseball player I think I've ever been around," joined Trevor Story (10

homers in 2016) and Jose Abreu (10 homers in 2014) in reaching the mark.

"I'm not sure you really expect 10 home runs from anybody in a month; that would be 60 in a

year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "But we knew he was extremely talented. I've said all

along, if he gets the barrel of the bat to the ball, good things are going to happen."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph's two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning marked his first RBI

since Sept. 11, 2015. He hadn't homered since Aug. 16, 2015 vs. Oakland.

"You are in a tough spot, because you are getting your you-know-what whipped," Joseph said.

"You want to be excited because there's a lot of enduring there, mentally, physically,

emotionally, spiritually. All of them. But the most important thing is a 'W'. We weren't able to

put anything together today."

SCHOOP HIT BY PITCH

Jonathan Schoop was removed for precautionary reasons in the bottom of the seventh inning

after being hit in the elbow in his sixth-inning at-bat. He did not get an X-ray and the club will

see how he is on Sunday.

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Baltimore will send Wade Miley to the hill in Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Miley has had three consecutive quality starts and is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA. The veteran lefty has

allowed just three earned runs over his last 15 innings.

Yankees: Rookie left-hander Jordan Montgomery is set to make his fourth Major League start on

Sunday as the Yanks complete their three-game series with the Orioles. Montgomery took his

first career loss on April 23 at Pittsburgh, despite allowing only two runs over six innings.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/227149666/yankees-rally-to-walk-off-in-10-vs-orioles/

Baltimore busts out bats, but outslugged in 10

By Bryan Hoch and Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 29, 2017

NEW YORK -- Just before Starlin Castro launched a game-tying homer to set up Matt Holliday's

walk-off blast, powering the Yankees' wild 14-11, 10-inning victory over the Orioles on Friday

night, the second baseman issued a bold prediction from the Yankee Stadium infield clay.

Jacoby Ellsbury's seventh-inning grand slam brought New York within three runs, chipping

away at what had been an eight-run deficit, and Castro told teammate Didi Gregorius that he

sensed something special was brewing against long odds in this wild slugfest.

"After that happened, I told Didi, 'Let's keep the game here. We might win the game today,'" said

Castro, who tied the game with a two-run blast off Brad Brach in a three-run ninth inning.

"When we scored those runs, we're really close. I just go up to the plate looking for something

that I can drive. It happened the right way."

The Yankees (14-7) grabbed a share of first place in the American League East with the victory,

sealed as Holliday clubbed the decisive drive into the Yanks' bullpen off Jayson Aquino.

Holliday's three-run homer was the fifth one hit by the Yankees in Friday's game.

"I think the good thing about this team is we have a lot of firepower and we can hit homers and

get people on base," Holliday said. "I think that's a good recipe to come back in a game like

that."

Aaron Judge homered twice off Orioles starter Kevin Gausman -- one measured as the hardest-

hit homer in the Statcast™ era, at 119.4 mph -- and Ellsbury hit the first grand slam of his career,

a shot off Vidal Nuno that also marked Ellsbury's 100th home run.

"I kind of let them get off the hook, let them back in the ballgame," Gausman said. "Darren

[O'Day] and Brad shouldn't even be getting in the game, especially when we're up, 9-1."

Baltimore took the defeat despite Mark Trumbo's fourth career grand slam, a sixth-inning blast

off Bryan Mitchell, and a three-RBI performance from Manny Machado that included the longest

home run in the Majors this year: a fifth-inning solo drive that cleared the restaurant over

Monument Park and was calculated at 470 feet by Statcast™.

"It felt good to contribute," said Trumbo, who led the Majors in homers last year and hadn't gone

deep since Opening Day. "Wasn't enough [to win], but hopefully that can be a nice way to get

things moving in a better direction."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Manny being Manny: The Orioles grabbed the lead in the third inning by piecing together a two-

out rally against Yankees starter CC Sabathia. Joey Rickard reached on an infield dribbler up the

third-base line, and Adam Jones worked a walk to set up Machado, who pounced on a 92.2-mph

sinker and blasted it over Ellsbury's head in center field for a two-run double. That served as a

prelude for Machado's monster blast off Sabathia in the fifth inning; Sabathia allowed seven runs

in 5 2/3 innings.

"He was having quality at-bats all night, and then he had that one to center field that I think went

over the glass in center," Judge said. "Not too many people do that. It's impressive."

Star bright: The seventh homer of the night belonged to Castro, a two-run shot to left field, and it

brought everything back to even as the Yankees tied the game against Brach. Chase Headley got

the inning started with a leadoff walk, and Holliday banged a long single off the right-field wall

to set up Ellsbury's run-scoring fielder's choice. Castro then notched his third hit of the game by

jumping on the first pitch he saw from Brach, a 94.9-mph fastball.

"It's an amazing feeling," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We're down, 9-1, and then we're

down, 11-4, but this group is resilient. We never quit. We have the ability to hit the ball out of

the ballpark, and that's what we did. We got a bunch of big hits along the way."

QUOTABLE

"The leadoff walk, I felt, was the bad thing. I know I gave up the home run later, but with a

three-run lead, I've got to attack the hitter. I can't be messing around like I did. You just don't

want to lose those games." -- Brach

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Friday's loss marked the first time since July 29, 2006, that the Orioles have scored 11 or more

runs and lost a game. The O's 'pen allowed nine runs just once all of last season, on Aug. 19

against Houston.

WHAT'S NEXT

Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez will take the ball in Saturday's 1:05 p.m. ET matinee, hoping to get

back on track. He's 1-0 with a 5.95 ERA on the season and has been widely inconsistent, though

the Orioles are 4-0 in his starts.

Yankees: Michael Pineda (2-1, 3.86 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season on Saturday.

Pineda last pitched on April 22 at Pittsburgh, taking a no-decision after permitting three runs and

five hits over five innings, including a pair of home runs.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/orioles-recover-from-blown-lead-to-win-in-

11-innings.html

Orioles recover from blown lead to win in 11 innings

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK - Given the chance for redemption today, the Orioles bullpen couldn’t cover the

last four innings of regulation without unraveling.

It happened again. A late lead lost and a game forced into extra innings. Unwanted drama better

saved for Broadway.

What didn’t happen was another defeat that tears at the gut. The Orioles overcame the loss of

their lead and their manager to avoid being swept and move back into a first-place tie in the

American League East.

Mark Trumbo delivered an RBI single off Bryan Mitchell with two outs in the 11th following an

intentional walk to Manny Machado, and the Orioles tacked on two more runs and escaped with

a bizarre 7-4 win over the Yankees.

Joey Rickard singled with one out and Machado was given first base after Adam Jones flied out.

Trumbo came through with his single, Welington Castillo followed with an RBI single and

Trumbo scored when the Yankees seemed to forget about him on the play. It was ruled a

fielder’s choice, no error.

Didi Gregorius’ two-out, bases-loaded single off Donnie Hart in the ninth inning plated two runs

and erased the Orioles’ 4-2 lead. Logan Verrett escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 10th

and earned his first win with the Orioles in his debut.

Austin Romine blooped a single down the right field line to lead off the 10th and Brett Gardner

reached when Verrett fielded his bunt, hesitated and threw late to second. Aaron Hicks laid down

a sacrifice bunt, Verrett hit pinch-hitter Greg Bird, Starlin Castro grounded into a force at home

and Aaron Judge struck out.

Mychal Givens retired six of the seven batters he faced, striking out two in the seventh to strand

runner, Brad Brach rebounded from Friday night’s blown save to toss a scoreless eighth

and Darren O’Day retired two batters in the ninth and was replaced by Hart, who sought his first

major league save.

He didn’t get it.

O’Day hadn’t been charged with a run in his last seven appearances.

Manager Buck Showalter earned an ejection after arguing a balk call on O’Day, who attempted a

pickoff at second base with Chase Headley batting. The ball skipped into center field and the

runners moved up to second and third.

Headley walked, Gregorius singled and another Bronx tale was born.

The game turned so crazy, Mitchell pitched the ninth, was inserted at first base in the 10th and

pitched again in the 11th. Mitchell misplayed a popup for an error. He caught one later in the

inning and received a huge ovation.

The Orioles (15-8) scored three runs in the sixth erase a 2-1 deficit. Machado and Trumbo drew

walks against rookie left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Castillo singled off Jonathan Holder to

load the bases and Trey Mancini tied the game on a force play at second base.

Jonathan Schoop provided the lead with an RBI double and Craig Gentry, a late addition to the

lineup with Chris Davis scratched due to a sore elbow, delivered another run with a grounder to

short.

Starter Wade Miley didn’t miss his catcher as much as he missed his spots.

Twenty-seven pitches in the first inning, 23 in the second and 29 in the third. Four walks issued

among the first 14 batters. Two visits from pitching coach Roger McDowell in the first three

innings.

By the end of the fourth inning, Miley had thrown 95 pitches, allowed seven hits, walked five

batters and only trailed 2-1.

With Castillo behind the plate instead of Caleb Joseph, Miley threw 114 pitches in five innings

and allowed two runs and eight hits, with five walks, six strikeouts and a home run. He’s walked

seven, none, none, six and five this month.

Orioles starters in the series allowed 14 runs (13 earned) and 21 hits in 14 1/3 innings, with 10

walks, 13 strikeouts and five home runs. Dylan Bundy will attempt to restore order Monday

night in Boston.

Miley served up Matt Holliday’s solo home run in the first inning on an 0-2 pitch. Castro and

Judge walked, but Headley struck out.

The inning began with Brett Gardner’s leadoff single and a double play grounder from Hicks.

Miley executed a tremendous escape act in the second after Gregorius singled and took third on

Chris Carter’s double. This is where an inning, and a game, can get away from a pitcher.

Miley struck out Kyle Higashioka, Gardner and Hicks in succession to keep the deficit at one run

and increase his pitch count to 50.

Back-to-back walks with one out in the third created another jam, and Headley took advantage

with an RBI single to right field on the first pitch thrown to him. Gregorius singled to load the

bases, but Miley stepped up again by striking out Carter with the count full and retiring

Higashioka on a fly ball to shallow center field.

Miley made heavy use of his slider, and the pitch got him the last two outs in the third.

Castro grounded into a double play to end the fourth after an infield hit and walk, and Carter

field out with the count full again to end the fifth after Judge’s leadoff single. Verrett was

warming in the bullpen.

Montgomery, making his fourth major league start, retired the first eight batters before Gentry

reached on an infield hit. Gentry stole second base on the next pitch and J.J. Hardy walked.

Rickard struck out, but Gentry raced to third on the wild pitch. Adam Jones fell behind 0-2 in the

count, fouled off a two-seam fastball and changeup, then poked 94 mph four-seamer into right

field on the seventh pitch to tie the game.

Two points come to mind here. Gentry again demonstrated his value with the single, stolen base

and hustle to third, which set up Jones for the RBI. And Jones had a professional at-bat, fighting

off a couple of pitches just to stay alive and going to the opposite field for the single.

The Orioles loaded the bases on Machado’s walk, but Trumbo struck out.

Gentry walked and stole second base in the eighth inning. A fine afternoon for a guy who

expected to be on the bench.

Down on the farm, Zach Britton tossed a scoreless inning at Double-A Bowie, with one hit

allowed and one strikeout. He threw 11 pitches and likely will be activated on Tuesday.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/another-disappointing-start-for-ubaldo-

jimenez.html

Another disappointing start for Ubaldo Jiménez (O’s lose 12-

4)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 29, 2017

NEW YORK - Yankees starter Michael Pineda struck out the side today in the top of the first

inning. Orioles starter Ubaldo Jiménez served up a leadoff home run to Brett Gardner.

And a tone was set.

Gardner added a three-run shot in the second inning and the Orioles are threatening to lose their

first series of the season while trailing 7-0 in the fifth at Yankee Stadium.

Jiménez lasted only 3 1/3 innings for the second consecutive start and was charged with seven

runs (six earned) and five hits, with three walks and four strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches, 38 for

strikes.

Since his 7 2/3 scoreless innings in Cincinnati, Jiménez has allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in 6

2/3 innings. He isn’t driving up the market in his free agent season.

Gardner was batting .188 with no home runs or RBIs before today. He was due.

Jiménez recovered after the leadoff shot to retire the next three batters, two on strikeouts, and

complete the inning on only 11 pitches. But he threw 30 in the second while loading the bases

and surrendering four runs.

Austin Romine lifted a sacrifice fly to right field after a single and back-to-back walks with one

out. Gardner stepped to the plate and really had himself a day.

His first home run landed in the second deck in right field. He went to right-center in the second

inning.

Jiménez became the third consecutive Orioles starter to allow two home runs to the same player.

Tampa Bay’s Tim Beckham homered twice off Dylan Bundy in Wednesday’s series finale, and

the Yankees’ Aaron Judge took Kevin Gausman deep last night in back-to-back innings.

As if to show how easily he can get in and out of rhythm, Jiménez retired the side in order on

only seven pitches in the third inning. He put two runners on base with one out in the fourth on a

single and walk, the jam intensified when Aaron Judge stole third base and Greg Bird took

second on catcher Caleb Joseph’s throwing error, and Romine grounded a two-run single up the

middle.

Manager Buck Showalter popped out of the dugout and called for left-hander Vidal Nuño, who

retired the next two batters to limit the damage. Nuño is getting a do-over today after serving up

Jacoby Ellsbury’s grand slam last night.

The Orioles have four hits off Pineda, but they can’t push across a run. Third baseman Chase

Headley made a sensational diving catch to his right in the third inning with two runners on base

to rob Manny Machado, who nearly took the cover off the ball.

Down on the farm, Single-A Frederick third baseman Jomar Reyes was placed on the disabled

list with a broken pinky finger on his right hand, an injury that occurred after he punched a wall

after an out. Surgery is a likely result of the incident.

Reyes, 20, was batting .321/.361/.436 in 21 games.

Update: The Orioles scored twice in the sixth on Headley’s throwing error after Manny

Machado doubled and Adam Warren’s wild pitch with the bases loaded. Both runs were

unearned.

Update II: Romine strikes again. His two-run shot off Nuño in the sixth increased the lead to 9-2.

Romine has five RBIs, equaling his total before the game.

Jayson Aquino replaced Nuño.

Update III: Nuño gave up three runs in the seventh, the last two on Judge’s home run, and the

Orioles trail 12-2.

Update IV: Joseph hit a two-run homer off Tommy Layne in the ninth inning, his first RBIs since

Sept. 11, 2015, to complete the scoring in a 12-4 loss.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/orioles-squander-big-lead-and-head-to-

extras.html

Orioles squander big lead and head to extras (O’s lose 14-11

in 10th)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 28, 2017

NEW YORK - Orioles reliever Brad Brach hadn’t allowed a run in 11 appearances before

tonight. Twelve innings without anyone crossing the plate. But it’s never easy at Yankee

Stadium.

Big leads become small leads. Small leads disintegrate. Crowds get louder. Bullpens get taxed.

The Yankees scored three runs off Brach in the bottom of the ninth, the last two on Starlin

Castro’s home run to left field, and we’re headed to extra innings with the score tied 11-11.

Brach replaced Darren O’Day, who retired the side in order in the eighth, and was trying for his

fifth save, which would have tied Zach Britton for the team lead. Chase Headley walked, Matt

Holliday singled and Jacoby Ellsbury bounced into a force at second base to reduce the lead to

11-9. Castro jumped on the next pitch and Brach had his first blown save of the season in his

300th career game.

It all began for the Orioles with a swinging bunt in the third inning and a hit-by-pitch in the

fourth.

The Orioles were subtle before they started slugging. And boy, did they start slugging

Manny Machado came within a triple of the cycle, Mark Trumbo emerged from his slump by

hitting a grand slam, Kevin Gausman pitched into the seventh inning and the Orioles carried a

three-run lead into the ninth. Now they’ve got Jayson Aquino warming in the 10th.

Things change, especially around here.

Gausman served up two home runs to Aaron Judge, including a two-run shot in the sixth that cut

the lead to 9-4. Ellsbury hit a grand slam off Vidal Nuño in the seventh, with one of the runs

charged to Gausman, and the Orioles were clinging to an 11-8 lead.

Gausman was trying for only his second quality start in six outings and settled for allowing five

runs and eight hits in six-plus innings, with two walks, three strikeouts and two home runs. He

threw 106 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Mychal Givens struck out Judge to end the seventh and manager Buck Showalter continued the

passing of the baton.

Trumbo’s slam in the sixth inning was the fourth of his career and his first home run since the

opening day walk-off.

Joey Rickard marked his return from the disabled list with his first hit of the season, a slow roller

to the left side with two outs in the third. Adam Jones walked and Machado scored both runners

with a double over Ellsbury’s head in center field.

CC Sabathia hit Chris Davis on the right arm leading off the fourth and Welington

Castillo followed with his first Orioles home run, an opposite-field shot that increased the lead to

4-0.

Machado pushed his average to .208 with a two-hit game against the Rays on Wednesday and

opened this series with a single and two-run double. At the plate again leading off the fifth, he

launched a Sabathia pitch to the bottom of the railing in the standing-room-only section in center

field.

According to Statcast, Machado’s ball traveled 470 feet and is the longest home run of the

season. No one in attendance denied it.

Machado’s average had climbed to .237. He walked in the sixth after singles by Rickard and

Jones, and Trumbo destroyed a pitch from reliever Bryan Mitchell for his first grand slam since

Aug 11, 2016 in Oakland.

Trumbo singled in the fifth to break an 0-for-25 streak. He really busted out of his slump the

following inning, and now has his first three-hit game of the season after an infield single in the

10th.

The Orioles increased their lead to 11-4 in the seventh on a two-run single by Jonathan

Schoop after Castillo walked and Trey Mancini doubled. Mancini struck out in all three at-bats

against Sabathia and was happy to find Mitchell on the mound.

All of the Orioles seemed to celebrate him.

Given another chance at the cycle in the seventh, Machado flied to shallow right field against

Jonathan Holder with the bases loaded and one out. He grounded out in the 10th against Aroldis

Chapman.

Rickard, fresh off the disabled list today, also walked and reached on another infield hit in the

sixth. He was 0-for-6 before spraining his left middle finger on April 8.

Down on the farm, Britton entered tonight’s game at Double-A Bowie in the sixth inning and

served up a solo home run to Akron’s Yu-Cheng Chang. He walked two batters and struck out

one in two-thirds of an inning. He came out after throwing 28 pitches, 17 for strikes.

The Orioles will activate Britton from the disabled list Sunday or Tuesday.

Update: Aquino walked the first two batters he faced in the 10th, struck out Chase Headley and

surrendered a three-run homer to Matt Holliday. The Orioles lose 14-11.

http://scores.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370430110

Orioles blow lead, rally to beat Yankees 7-4 in 11 innings

Associated Press

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK -- Who's on first wasn't an Abbott and Costello question for Bryan Mitchell. With

New York short on pitchers, the Yankees reliever played there for the first time since high

school.

After throwing a scoreless ninth inning, Mitchell moved to first and allowed one foul popup to

fall for an error in the 10th, then caught another. He returned to the mound in relief of closer

Aroldis Chapman to start the 11th and gave up run-scoring singles to Mark Trumbo and

Welington Castillo in the Baltimore Orioles' 7-4 win Sunday, which stopped New York's

winning streak at four.

"The whole series was kind of crazy," Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner said.

New York overcame a 9-1 deficit to win Friday's series opener 14-11 in 10 innings, then romped

12-4 Saturday. With Adam Warren and Tommy Layne unavailable after outings in the middle

game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi felt a need to improvise. So when Mitchell reached the

dugout in the middle of the ninth, pitching coach Larry Rothschild asked him a question out of

right field: Would he move to first if the game went into extras, allowing him to return to the

mound later?

"All right. I'll go get a glove. I'll be ready," Mitchell remembered responding.

Mitchell retrieved one of first baseman's Greg Bird's mitts from the clubhouse and became the

first Yankees pitcher to play another position since Billy Martin petulantly put Ron Guidry in

center for the finish of the Pine Tar Game against Kansas City on Aug. 18, 1983.

Sure enough, the leadoff batter hit the ball to Mitchell -- Castillo's foul pop just in front of first

base. Castillo singled after Mitchell's error prolonging the at-bat, and Mitchell rebounded to

glove Jonathan Schoop's foul pop for the second out -- earning a standing ovation.

"I was praying for him, to be honest with you," Yankees reliever Dellin Betances said.

Mitchell smiled at his new-found fielding ability.

"I guess I just went back too far and the ball had a lot of spin. I just never actually got there," he

said. "Luckily, the next one was a little closer to me."

Girardi wasn't sure whether Mitchell ever had played first.

"I didn't ask," he said. "I have a strikeout pitcher on the mound. You don't assume there's going

to be too many groundballs over there."

Even in the 11th, when he was back on the mound, Mitchell tried to keep making fielding plays.

"All of a sudden he started running after every popup," Girardi said, shaking his head.

New York's unconventional move was thwarted by Logan Verrett (1-0), who escaped a bases-

loaded, one-out jam in the 10th. Castillo scooped shortstop J.J. Hardy's one-hop throw home on

Starlin Castro's grounder to force Austin Romine, and the reliever struck out hot-hitting rookie

Aaron Judge.

"I thought to myself this is an opportunity for me to have a big moment here at Yankee Stadium

and to put a stamp on my Orioles debut," said Verrett, brought up from the minors on Sunday

morning.

Castillo kept his left foot on the plate as Romine slid in with his left shoulder.

"It's instinct," Castillo said.

New York stranded 16 runners in a 4-hour 37-minute marathon. Didi Gregorius' two-run, two-

out single off Donnie Hart tied the score 4-all in the ninth before Chris Carter took a called third

strike with runners at second and third. Orioles manager Buck Showalter was ejected for arguing

a balk call on Darren O'Day that set up Gregorius' single.

"Same thing he's been doing for eight or nine years," Showalter said. "Think we call it over-

officiating in basketball."

Joey Ricard singled with one out in the 11th against Mitchell (1-1), stole second and, after an

intentional walk to Manny Machado, scored on Trumbo's two-out single. Castillo singled for a 6-

4 lead, and Machado got into a rundown and came home when Chase Headley bobbled the ball

at third.

Verrett finished with only the second 1-2-3 inning for Orioles pitchers. Baltimore starter Wade

Miley went to seven three-ball counts in the first three innings, when he threw 79 pitches and

stranded seven runners. He walked five or more for the third time in five starts, allowing two

runs, eight hits and five walks in five innings.

"They let us hang around a little bit there early," Showalter said. "They had a chance to open

some things up and Wade didn't let it happen. That will not go forgotten. He didn't implode and

let the game get away from us."

A year after an 8-14 April start, New York ended the first month tied with the Orioles for the AL

East lead at 15-8.

"Definitely happy with where we're at," Gardner said.

EYEBALLS

New York's telecasts on YES averaged 330,000 viewers in the New York designated market area

through Friday, up from 237,000 in April last year (when Comcast did not carry YES) and

251,000 in April 2015. It is the highest viewership since an average of 341,000 in April 2014,

Derek Jeter's last season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: 1B Chris Davis was removed from the starting lineup about an hour before gametime

because of a sore right elbow -- he was 0 for 7 with five strikeouts since he was hit on the elbow

Friday by a pitch from New York's CC Sabathia. Davis played first in the 11th. ... Closer Zach

Britton, on the DL since April 16 with a strained left forearm, pitched a scoreless, one-hit inning

Sunday in his second rehab appearance for Double-A Bowie, throwing eight of 11 pitches for

strikes.

Yankees: C Gary Sanchez, who hasn't played since April 8 because of a strained right biceps,

could be activated for the series at the Chicago Cubs starting Friday. He is to start a rehab

assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (3-1) starts Monday's series opener at Boston and RHP Rick Porcello

(1-3).

Yankees: RHP Luis Severino (2-1) is on the mound Monday against Toronto and RHP Marco

Estrada (0-1).

http://scores.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370429110

Gardner busts out, Yanks hit 4 more HRs to rout Orioles 12-

4

Associated Press

April 29, 2017

NEW YORK -- Young and old, from top to bottom, the New York Yankees are quickly growing

into a powerful force at the plate.

Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge and the thundering Yankees picked up right where they left off the

previous night, steamrolling past the Baltimore Orioles 12-4 on Saturday for their fourth straight

victory.

Gardner homered twice from the leadoff spot and had his first four RBI of the season. Austin

Romine, the No. 9 batter, also went deep and knocked in five runs.

"It's fun when everybody's hittin' the ball out of the yard," Romine said. "We're enjoying it and

we're just trying to stay on the roll, ride the wave."

Judge, not to be outdone, clocked his latest colossal homer and scored four times as the Yankees

won their 14th in 17 games to boost the top record in the majors to 15-7. They are 10-1 at home.

And all this without injured catcher Gary Sanchez, who did his own Babe Ruth impression as a

rookie last year with 20 homers and a whopping 1.032 OPS in 53 games.

"We've gotten contributions from everybody, all over the place, and that's why we've been

successful," manager Joe Girardi said.

Michael Pineda (3-1) did not allow an earned run in 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight, and the

Yankees knocked Baltimore out of first place in the AL East for the first time this season.

Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1) got chased with one out in the fourth for the second

consecutive start. The veteran right-hander issued three costly walks and was tagged for a

season-high seven runs -- six earned.

"I'm not helping the team at all," said Jimenez, who has a 7.43 ERA after five starts. "I have to

find a way to get back on track and I know I can."

In a series-opening slugfest Friday night, the Yankees hit five homers and rallied from eight runs

down for a 14-11 victory capped by Matt Holliday's three-run shot in the 10th inning.

Less than 15 hours later, it was a little guy who got them going.

Gardner, who began the day batting .188, sent Jimenez's second pitch into the second deck in

right field for his seventh leadoff homer. It was his first long ball since July 30 last season,

ending droughts of 66 games and 261 at-bats.

"Two or three years, it seemed like," Gardner said. "Guys have been giving me a hard time,

asking me how many I've got. So it's nice to get that first one out of the way."

In the second, the 33-year-old Gardner added a three-run shot for his third career multihomer

game.

Romine hit a sacrifice fly in the second, a two-run single in the fourth and a two-run homer in the

sixth, making him the first No. 9 batter with a five-RBI game for the Yankees since Girardi

drove in seven runs during a 21-3 rout at Texas in August 1999.

Judge, the muscular, 6-foot-7 rookie who entered tied for the AL lead in homers, socked his 10th

of the year in the seventh inning, an opposite-field shot that soared beyond the right-center

bullpen.

It was his third home run in two days and fourth in four games. Judge also walked twice and

singled during a perfect afternoon at the plate.

"We knew he was extremely talented," Girardi said. "It's been fun to watch, I can tell you that."

DANDY DEFENSE

With two on in the third, Yankees third baseman Chase Headley robbed counterpart Manny

Machado of extra bases with a diving, backhand grab that thwarted an Orioles rally. In the

eighth, New York shortstop Didi Gregorius made a spinning throw on a grounder up the middle -

- with second baseman Starlin Castro nearby feigning a scoop and toss of his own.

UPSIDE DOWN

The bottom three batters in New York's lineup -- Judge, Greg Bird and Romine -- combined to

go 4 for 6 with five walks, seven runs and seven RBI.

LONG TIME COMING

Baltimore catcher Caleb Joseph hit a two-run homer in the ninth for his first RBI since Sept. 11,

2015. He clapped his hands as he rounded first base. "You want to be excited about it because

there is a lot of enduring there -- mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually," Joseph said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: All-Star closer Zach Britton (strained left forearm) is scheduled for another rehab outing

Sunday with Double-A Bowie. On the 10-day disabled list since April 16, Britton needed 28

pitches to get two outs Friday for Bowie. He walked two and gave up a home run. ... RHP Chris

Tillman (right shoulder bursitis) is slated to make his fourth minor league rehab start Tuesday,

this time for Triple-A Norfolk. After that, he is expected to return to the big league rotation.

Tillman, who has averaged 14 wins and 190 innings over the past four years, could make his

season debut for Baltimore on May 7 at home against the Chicago White Sox. ... 2B Jonathan

Schoop was removed in the seventh, one inning after getting hit by a pitch just above the left

elbow.

UP NEXT

After handing the Orioles their first series loss this season, New York goes for a three-game

sweep Sunday as Baltimore LHP Wade Miley (1-1, 2.08 ERA) starts against rookie LHP Jordan

Montgomery (1-1, 3.78). Miley had an unusual outing vs. the Yankees on April 9, when he

walked seven in five shutout innings of one-hit ball.

http://scores.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370428110

Holliday HR in 10th, Yanks rally from 8 down, top O's 14-11

Associated Press

April 29, 2017

NEW YORK -- Matt Holliday ended a thrilling duel of home run derby in the Bronx with one

final thump.

Holliday hit the eighth homer of the game, a three-run shot in the 10th inning as the New York

Yankees completed a stunning rally from an eight-run deficit, outslugging the Baltimore Orioles

14-11 Friday night.

"It's an amazing feeling. We're down 9-1, and then we were down 11-4," Yankees manager Joe

Girardi said. "They never quit. We have the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark and that's

what we did."

Starlin Castro slipped to a knee when he tied it with a two-run drive that capped a three-run burst

in the ninth off Brad Brach. Then in the 10th, Holliday hit the Yankees' fifth homer of the

evening with one out off Jayson Aquino (1-1) and was mobbed at the plate.

"I thought it had a good chance. I was hesitant to get too excited, because Adam Jones is out

there, and if it's just clearing the fence, he's got a chance to catch a lot of those," Holliday said.

Two innings earlier, Jones climbed the center-field wall to take away a possible home run from

Greg Bird. This time, the Gold Glover never had an opportunity.

Down 9-1 in the sixth, the Yankees pulled off their biggest comeback since overcoming a 9-0

gap to beat Boston 15-9 in 2012.

On the first true spring-like day in New York, the ball was flying. Featured were all kinds of

monster mashes -- cleanup men Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Trumbo connected for grand slams,

and Yankees fan favorite Aaron Judge homered twice, including a drive tracked at 119.4 mph off

the bat, the hardest-hit ball since Statcast began counting in 2015.

Manny Machado launched a 470-foot homer, the longest in the majors this year, and Welington

Castillo also homered for Baltimore.

"Got to just flush it," Orioles starter Kevin Gausman said. "We've just got to forget about it

quick."

Though the Yankees surged against the Baltimore bullpen, Gausman took the blame. He gave up

three runs in the sixth that made it 9-4.

"I kind of let them get off the hook," Gausman said.

Aroldis Chapman (1-0) pitched the 10th. The Yankees won their third straight, improved to 9-1

at home and tied Baltimore at 14-7 for the best record in the AL.

Ellsbury hit his 100th career home run and first slam, tagging Vidal Nuno and drawing New

York to 11-8 in the seventh.

Brach had started the season with 12 scoreless innings before the Yankees got him. A leadoff

walk and a double by Holliday set up Ellsbury's grounder for his fifth RBI, and Castro followed

with a shot far into the left-field seats.

Machado, who began the day batting just .205 with three home runs, also hit a two-run double

and singled against CC Sabathia.

Trumbo was stuck in a worse rut, an 0-for-25 slide dropping him to .185. After grounding a soft

single, he hit his fourth career slam, measured at 459 feet by Statcast and putting the Orioles up

by eight runs in the sixth.

Trumbo led the majors with 47 home runs last year. This season, his only previous homer had

been a game-ending shot on opening day.

Judge lined a shot into the Baltimore bullpen in the fifth. In the sixth, he hit his AL-high tying

ninth homer, a two-run homer that gave him his first career multihomer game.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter shook his head at what he'd seen, and offered the only piece of

advice he could muster.

"Try to keep a grip on reality," he said.

HAPPY HOLLIDAY

Holliday's third hit of the game marked his first game-ending homer since 2009 with St. Louis

against the Cubs. This was his 10th walk-off hit overall.

NOT ENOUGH

Machado and Trumbo each got three hits, yet Baltimore endured its first loss when scoring at

least 11 runs since 2006, when the White Sox beat them 13-11.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: LF Joey Rickard was activated from the 10-day disabled list after missing time with a

sprained finger. He got his first two hits of the season, two-out singles on a tapper and a bunt that

led to runs. ... RHP Chris Tillman (shoulder bursitis) joined the team at Yankee Stadium. He

hasn't pitched this season, and Showalter said the club would see how Tillman is feeling after a

workout.

Yankees: SS Didi Gregorius came off the disabled list after being sidelined by a strained right

shoulder, an injury that occurred while playing for the Netherlands in last month's World

Baseball Classic. The public address announcer greeted him with "Welcome Back!" when

presenting the starting lineups. Gregorius doubled, singled and a couple of nice plays in the field.

... Chapman was nicked in the pitching hand by Trumbo's single in the 10th. The Yankees said

he seemed fine.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Baltimore is 4-0 in games started by RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0, 5.95) despite three

shaky outings, including one against the Yankees.

Yankees: RHP Michael Pineda (2-1, 3.86) has allowed home runs in a career-high six straight

starts dating to last season.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-open-series-at-fenway-keeping-

dylan-bundy-on-regular-rest-for-now-20170501-story.html

Orioles open series at Fenway keeping Dylan Bundy on

regular rest ... for now

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

May 1, 2017

The Orioles will continue to pitch right-hander Dylan Bundy on regular rest -- he will start

Monday's series opener at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox -- even though the club has

already considered giving the 24-year-old an extra day of rest just five starts into the season.

Bundy, who is pitching his first full season as a major league starter, is off to a tremendous start,

pitching to a 1.65 ERA and recording quality starts in all five of his outings this season.

However, his fastball velocity has dropped incrementally in each of his five starts, averaging

90.46 in his most recent start on Wednesday at home against Boston.

Following that start, manager Buck Showalter said the team would continue to monitor that

trend. Bundy shrugged off the dip, instead pointing to the strong results he’s recorded this

season. But once it became clear that right-hander Chris Tillman wouldn’t be ready to start

Tuesday, Showalter toyed with the idea of pushing Bundy to that day to give him an extra day of

rest, but ultimately chose to keep him pitching Monday.

The opportunities to give Bundy rest won’t come often. After having five off days in April –

allowing them to work with four starters for most of the month – the Orioles are in the midst of

playing 17 straight days and 26 of 27 days. That’s won’t allow for giving any pitcher many days

off through late May.

“If he needs it, sure,” Showalter said Sunday. “That’s why it’s so important with the work days

and everything else. With all our guys, not just him. Be a little tough, but even if we are playing

five days in a row we can do that. He hasn’t shown the need for it yet.”

Of course, velocity is just one way to gauge a pitcher's strength, and Bundy’s created a deep

arsenal of pitches so he doesn’t need to rely on mid-90s heat to get batters out.

Showalter said the key will be keeping closer tabs on Bundy’s between-start work days. He said

that Bundy felt strong in his last one, which led him to deciding to keep him on regular rest.

However, Bundy did open last season as a reliever, his first full season healthy since 2013, and

he performed better with extra rest as a starter – posting a 5.13 ERA on four days' rest and a 3.73

mark when getting extra rest.

His strong start makes it easy to forget that he’s still been through a lot physically, and although

it appears he’s over the physical obstacles he’s faced, anytime a pitcher is projected to reach new

innings and pitch highs, it’s worth debating what’s best for him in the long term – whether that’s

preserving his ability to pitch in 2017 or ensuring he’s strong for years.

“The innings and stuff, that’s not near the issue some people may perceive,” Showalter said. “It’s

the stress and how he feels physically and the work days. With what Dylan’s been through, he’s

pretty frank and honest with us, he doesn’t want to go back there. … Roger and those guys every

day they are talking to them. I had a good conversation with Dylan yesterday about his last

outing, what he felt, didn’t feel, his last work day. I usually wait until after his work day.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-observations-0501-20170430-

story.html

Orioles observations: Call-up Verrett caps eventful 24 hours

with escape act, victory

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 30, 2017

Over a span of 24 hours, right-hander Logan Verrett went from racing to the airport to board a

flight to join the Orioles in New York to pitching the 10th and 11th innings of a tie game at

Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

But after a rocky opening inning that Verrett survived through with a combination of grit and

luck, he provided calm to a crazy series finale at Yankee Stadium with a perfect 11th inning to

earn the win in his Orioles debut in a 7-4 extra-inning victory full of surprises.

After the Orioles used all their available late-inning pitchers, a 4-4 game belonged to Verrett

heading into extra innings. The Yankees had already taken momentum by rallying for two runs

in the ninth — thanks in part to a controversial balk call on right-hander Darren O'Day that put

the eventual tying runs into scoring position.

Verrett found himself in trouble quickly after Austin Romine lifted a bloop single just inside the

foul line in shallow right field, putting the winning run on base right away. Verrett then fielded a

bunt by Brett Gardner to the right of the mound, looked to first but then made a panicked throw

to second, where there was no play. Two batters later, the bases were loaded after a sacrifice bunt

and hit batter, and Verrett was saved by J.J. Hardy's charging scoop on Starlin Castro's grounder

and throw home to catcher Welington Castillo.

"I just told myself to keep making pitches," Verrett said. "The first guy got on with a perfectly

placed pop fly and the next one I messed up on a bunt play. It is what it is; that's how the inning

started. But you still got to pitch out of it. Those guys put the ball in play and have to find holes.

It's me versus them out there and I have a pretty good defense behind me. It's easy to make

pitches when that's the case."

But Verrett's shining moment under pressure was when struck out American League home run

leader Aaron Judge, getting him to swing through three straight pitches to end the inning.

"I was standing on the mound there in that jam and kinda thinking, at Yankee Stadium everyone

has a big moment sometime," Verrett said. "I thought to myself, 'This is my opportunity to have

a big moment at Yankee Stadium and put a stamp on my Orioles debut.' I thought it was a lot of

fun out there. It was a long game, but glad we came out on top."

After the Orioles scored three runs in the top of the 11th, Verrett retired the Yankees in order to

end the game and earn the win.

In the process, Verrett – who was making his Orioles debut Sunday despite his familiarity with

the team, he was in camp with the club in 2015 as a Rule 5 pick and returned this offseason —

earned kudos from his teammates.

"It was awesome," O'Day said of Verrett's performance. "It takes a special kind of guy. He

believes in himself and you know he came in there and made some big pitches after some

exciting plays in the infield. That says a lot about who Logan is, and he's going to help us out."

Said starting pitcher Wade Miley: "That team over there is hot. They are swinging the bats well

and laying off of good pitches. Got to get them out around the plate. That's tough what Logan did

right there to get out of that jam. That's fun."

Miley pitches through wildness to give five: Miley's outing Sunday wasn't his best of the season,

and even though there were times when the left-hander battled his control, he was able to

overcome it — as he has for most of the year.

Miley stranded nine base runners on the day, overcoming five walks and eight hits to hold New

York to two runs over five innings. He benefited from two double-play balls that limited

damage.

"We kind of went straight to breaking ball early," Miley said about his bend-but-don't-break

outing. "Not really a pitch I want to hang, so had to pick my spots working through it for strikes.

Somehow got out of it. I got two pretty key double plays and was able to wriggle my way out of

it again. I need to stop doing that. Eventually it's going to break, I imagine."

There were times over Miley's outing when he was dangerously close to trouble. He pulled a

tremendous escape act in the second, striking out the side after placing runners at second and

third. After allowing a single by Didi Gregorius and double by Chris Carter, Miley struck out the

next three batters — Kyle Higashioka,Gardner and Aaron Hicks — all swinging, by working

both sides of the plate.

After allowing a solo homer to Matt Holliday in the first — a hit that would have been more

damaging had he not induced a double-play ball from Hicks just before — Miley allowed a run

in the third but prevented further damage by leaving the bases loaded, striking out Carter and

inducing a popup from Higashioka.

Miley had issued five or more walks in three of his starts this season, but still has a 2.32 ERA

"They had a chance to open some things up and Wade didn't let it happen," Showalter said. "That

will not go forgotten. He didn't implode and let the game get away from him. They kind of let us

hang around there and our guys got back in it."

Schoop having hit parade: After his RBI double gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead in the sixth, Jonathan

Schoop extended his on-base streak to 17 games, his second longest on-base streak of his career

(22 games from last June 18 to July 15).

Schoop is hitting .344/.368/.672 with 10 extra-base hits (five homers and five doubles) and 15

RBIs over that stretch.

Schoop, who opened the season hitting just .105 over his first six games, now is tied for the team

lead in homers (five with Trey Mancini) and leads the club with 16 RBIs.

Gentry takes advantage of late opportunity: Right fielder Craig Gentry, a late addition to the

lineup card when first baseman Chris Davis was scratched (sore right shoulder) and Mancini

moved to first, made his value known right away.

He nearly manufactured the Orioles' first run on his own, hitting a one-out single in the second,

stealing second on the first pitch to Hardy, then scoring on an RBI single by Adam Jones, who

had three hits.

Gentry stole another base in the eighth after walking. He is 3-for-3 on steal attempts this season.

The Orioles' stolen-base leader last season, Joey Rickard, only had four all season.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-notes-0501-20170430-story.html

Orioles notes: Britton will rejoin team Monday, be activated

no later than Tuesday

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 30, 2017

Closer Zach Britton will rejoin the Orioles on Monday in Boston and be reinstated from the

disabled list no later than Tuesday, manager Buck Showalter said after Sunday's 7-4 extra-inning

win over the New York Yankees.

Britton, who was sent to the 10-day disabled list with a right forearm strain, made a second

minor league rehabilitation start Sunday, pitching for Double-A Bowie. He needed just 11

pitches to complete a scoreless inning, allowing a single, inducing two groundouts and striking

out one while pitching the sixth inning for the Baysox.

Britton's second rehab outing was much crisper than his first one on Friday at Bowie, an

appearance that Britton described to Showalter as "rusty", when he couldn't finish a full inning

despite throwing 28 pitches. But after Sunday's outing, the Orioles feel he's ready.

Even though Britton will join the club Monday, Showalter wouldn't say whether he will be

available for the team's series opener at Fenway Park or activated Tuesday after a day off.

"I'm not going to broadcast that," Showalter said. "I just talked to Zach. He had a really good

outing. Felt good on the mound. … See how he feels in the morning. If he feels good in the

morning, he'll catch a flight to Boston and we'll make a decision there."

Britton's return comes after the Orioles blew two ninth-inning leads in their three games at

Yankee Stadium

Davis a late scratch but plays: First baseman Chris Davis was scratched from the starting lineup

for Sunday's game with right elbow soreness, but he entered the game in the bottom of the 11th

as a defensive replacement.

Davis was initially in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, but was replaced

by Trey Mancini about one hour before the scheduled first pitch.

Davis was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning of Friday night's game in New York, taking a

fastball from CC Sabathia to the right elbow. He remained in the game and played Saturday,

going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before being replaced by Mancini in eighth inning.

Davis had started in all 22 games this season heading into Sunday.

Davis is hitting just .167 over his past 15 games, going 9-for-54 with 24 strikeouts after starting

the season hitting .385 in his first seven games. Davis is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in the first

two games of this weekend's series against the Yankees.

Orioles begin bullpen shuffle: The Orioles reached into their stash of optionable relievers to

summon multiple pitchers from Triple-A Norfolk on the same day for the first time this season,

recalling left-hander Richard Bleier and right-hander Logan Verrett before Sunday's game.

The team optioned left-handers Vidal Nuno and Jayson Aquino after Saturday's 12-4 loss to the

Yankees, starting on Sunday their 10-day clock of mandatory service time in the minors before

being eligible to return.

With the Orioles in a midst of playing 17 days in a row and on 26 of 27 days after enjoying the

luxury of five days off in April, the team's ability to move optionable relief arms back and forth

will be tested. Both pitchers paid attention to the Orioles' shuffling their pitching staff and

thought a call-up could come sooner or later.

Showalter said both call-ups were deserved but that there were other factors at play, including

days off and that the club wanted to keep certain pitchers in the minors so they could build on

recent success.

He said he wanted to keep left-hander Chris Lee and right-hander Gabriel Ynoa at Norfolk while

leaving right-handed reliever Jesus Liranzo at Double-A Bowie.

"The need of the major league club will always [be first], but if there's a tiebreaker, it will be

what's best for their development as well," Showalter said. "Sometimes coming up here is what's

best for their development."

Lee and Ynoa are coming off quality starts in their most recent outings, and Liranzo has allowed

just one earned run over his past three relief appearances spanning five innings.

Jackson getting close: Showalter said right-hander Edwin Jackson, who signed a minor league

deal with the Orioles on April 5, is getting close to joining a minor league affiliate after

beginning his season at extended spring training.

"He's pitching well," Showalter said. "I think he will present himself as an option [soon]. …

We're trying to let those guys try and establish some things before we go get them, but we're

going to take the best as [we have] options. The roster doesn't figure too much into it. We're

always going to have room."

Jackson would likely join a crowded staff at Norfolk, but it's still unclear whether he would be

used as a starter or reliever.

"I know what I think, but we'll see where they are with starters and everything when he's ready to

go," Showalter said. "He's close. They actually had to take him to the bullpen yesterday because

he's wasn't getting as challenged as much as he probably [is] used to at that level."

Around the horn: Right-handed pitcher Alec Asher will start Tuesday's game in Boston,

Showalter announced after Sunday's game. Right-hander Dylan Bundy is still scheduled to start

tonight's series opener in Boston on regular rest. … Right-hander Chris Tillman was scheduled to

leave the team after Sunday's game to fly to Charlotte, N.C., where he will make his fourth minor

league rehabilitation start for Norfolk on Tuesday night.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-several-factors-go-into-orioles-

summoning-verrett-and-bleier-from-minors-for-added-bullpen-depth-20170430-story.html

Several factors go into Orioles summoning Verrett and

Bleier from minors for added bullpen depth

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 30, 2017

The Orioles reached into their stash of optionable relievers to summon multiple pitchers from

Triple-A Norfolk on the same day for the first time this season, recalling left-hander Richard

Bleier and right-hander Logan Verrett before Sunday’s game.

The team optioned left-handers Vidal Nuno and Jayson Aquino after Saturday’s 12-4 loss to

the New York Yankees, starting on Sunday their 10-day clock of mandatory service time in the

minors before being eligible to return.

Showalter said Bleier, Verrett and right-hander Alec Asher would be available out of the bullpen

Sunday but indicated Asher would be the least likely to be used because he’s the most likely

candidate to fill the open starter spot for Tuesday night in Boston.

Bleier has a 1.00 ERA over nine relief innings at Norfolk. He just returned from the minor

league disabled list Wednesday (right hamstring strain) and pitched on back-to-back days

Thursday and Friday, allowing no hits and striking out three over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Verrett had a rocky start at Norfolk, compiling a 12.71 ERA over his first three appearances

spanning 5 2/3 innings, but he’s recovered nicely, with a 1.35 ERA over his past four outings

spanning 6 2/3 innings.

“I just caught a few breaks here and there,” Verrett said. ‘It’s always a grind, but early on it just

seemed like there wasn’t anything going our way as a team down there in Norfolk. The whole

team’s really turned it around and started to get that ball rolling in the right direction.”

Verrett’s first regular-season stint with the Orioles is a long time coming. He was a Rule 5 pick

of the team in 2015 and spent spring training with the club before it couldn’t keep him. The

Orioles reacquired him in a trade with the Mets after the 2016 season, and he spent his second

spring with the club before being optioned to Triple-A to open this season.

Both players are familiar with New York. The Orioles selected Verrett from the Mets in the Rule

5 draft, and he made 49 appearances with the Mets over 2015 and 2016. Bleier was a longtime

Yankees farmhand before getting his first taste of the majors last season, compiling a 1.96 ERA

in 23 big league appearances with New York before being traded to the Orioles in February.

“It’s nice to be here,” Verrett said. “It’s somewhat ironic, I guess, that it’s New York, a familiar

city. But nonetheless, I’m glad to be here.”

Both pitchers paid attention to the Orioles’ shuffling their pitching staff and thought a call-up

could come sooner or later.

“You see guys going up and down quite often in Norfolk,” Bleier said. “You see that aspect of it.

You can’t ignore it there because guys are there and then they’re not. You see that there’s been

quite a bit of movement so far and the season’s just started. I’m just trying to pitch and get

people out regardless of where I am.”

Showalter said both call-ups were deserved but that there were other factors at play, including

days off and that the club wanted to keep certain pitchers in the minors so they could build on

recent success.

He said he wanted to keep left-hander Chris Lee and right-hander Gabriel Ynoa at Norfolk while

leaving right-handed reliever Jesus Liranzo at Double-A Bowie.

“The need of the major league club will always [be first], but if there’s a tiebreaker, it will be

what’s best for their development as well,” Showalter said. “Sometimes coming up here is

what’s best for their development.”

Lee and Ynoa are coming off quality starts in their most recent outings, and Liranzo has allowed

just one earned run over his past three relief appearances spanning five innings.

Jackson getting close

Showalter said right-hander Edwin Jackson, who signed a minor league deal with the Orioles on

April 5, is getting close to joining a minor league affiliate after beginning his season at extended

spring training.

“He’s pitching well,” Showalter said. “I think he will present himself as an option [soon]. …

We’re trying to let those guys try and establish some things before we go get them, but we’re

going to take the best as [we have] options. The roster doesn’t figure too much into it. We’re

always going to have room.”

Jackson would likely join a crowded staff at Norfolk, but it’s still unclear whether he would be

used as a starter or reliever.

“I know what I think, but we’ll see where they are with starters and everything when he’s ready

to go,” Showalter said. “He’s close. They actually had to take him to the bullpen yesterday

because he’s wasn’t getting as challenged as much as he probably [is] used to at that level.”

Around the horn

Right-handed pitcher Chris Tillman was scheduled to leave the team after Sunday’s game to fly

to Charlotte, N.C., where he will make his fourth minor league rehabilitation start for Norfolk on

Tuesday night. … Closer Zach Britton is scheduled to pitch an inning Sunday afternoon at

Bowie and could be an option to return from the DL for Tuesday’s game.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/227411674/orioles-add-verrett-who-gets-win-vs-yankees/

Verrett factors big in win on day of O's callup

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK -- When Logan Verrett arrived at Yankee Stadium on Sunday morning, he was just

excited at the prospect of making his Orioles debut. Verrett, who flew from Triple-A Norfolk

along with Richard Bleier on Saturday night, was thought to be some long-relief insurance

behind starter Wade Miley.

Instead, the righty played a pivotal role in Sunday's sweep-avoiding 7-4, 11-inning win, tossing

two scoreless innings to pick up the 'W' in his first Major League outing of the season.

"I thought to myself, 'This is my opportunity to have a big moment at Yankee Stadium and put a

stamp on my Orioles debut,'" said Verrett, who worked out of a bases-loaded spot in the 10th

inning. "I thought it was a lot of fun out there. It was a long game, but glad we came out on top."

Called on after Darren O'Day's blown save in the ninth inning, Verrett gave up a perfectly placed

blooper into right field to start the 10th. He unsuccessfully tried to go to second base on Brett

Gardner's sacrifice-bunt attempt, leaving the Yankees in a threatening spot. One out later, the

righty hit Greg Bird with a pitch to load the bases with one out.

But Verrett, who had warmed up earlier in the game, got a key out on Starlin Castro's fielder's

choice when shortstop J.J. Hardy made a great stop and a perfect throw to catcher Wellington

Castillo to get the force at home plate.

"It was awesome," O'Day said of watching Verrett get the job done in a big spot. "It takes a

special kind of guy. He believes in himself and you know he came in there and made some big

pitches after some exciting plays in the infield. That says a lot about who Logan is, and he's

going to help us out."

Verrett followed Castro's out by striking out red-hot rookie Aaron Judge to leave the bases

loaded and saddle the Yankees -- who stranded 16 -- with another missed opportunity.

"That Verett inning gave us some momentum back," Orioles starter Wade Miley said. "It kind of

knocked the air out of them and gave us the momentum to score in the top of the 11th."

For Verrett, it marked his fifth career Major League win and third as a reliever, capping a

whirlwind 24 hours.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/227411778/showalter-ejected-after-critical-balk-call/

Showalter ejected after critical balk call in 9th

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter was ejected from Sunday's wild 7-4, 11-inning

win against the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth by home-plate umpire Stu Scheurwater.

"There wasn't a lot of give and take," Showalter said of his quick conversation with Scheurwater

over Darren O'Day's balk call. "Same thing he's been doing for eight or nine years. One out of

four saw something that wasn't there. I think we call it over-officiating in basketball. He had a

pretty good game going until that."

The balk call, which came after O'Day's pickoff attempt at second scooted into the outfield,

resulted in Starlin Castro and Aaron Judge moving to second and third base with O's up, 4-2.

Showalter argued Scheurwater was the wrong guy to even make the call, and O'Day concurred.

"I've been doing the same move my whole career and nobody's every called it a balk, so it's a bit

surprising that he could see that from there," O'Day said. "He called a balk, it would have been

interesting if I had made a good throw and picked [Castro] off, because that would have been the

game."

O'Day, who walked Judge, also walked Chase Headley to load the bases and bring on

lefty Donnie Hart. Hart, who fell behind 2-0, allowed a game-tying single to Didi

Gregorius before retiring Chris Carter to send the game to the 10th inning

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/05/orioles-recall-mike-wright-plus-lineups-

and-notes.html

Orioles recall Mike Wright (plus lineups and notes)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

May 1, 2017

BOSTON - The Orioles are taking advantage of the maneuverability of their bullpen, the latest

example coming today with Mike Wright recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and Logan

Verrett optioned to the Tides.

Verrett was called up yesterday, earned the win in his Orioles debut with two scoreless innings

and now heads back to Norfolk.

Wright is 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA in five starts at Norfolk, with 15 earned runs (18 total) and 28 hits

in 23 1/3 innings.

Wright worked 5 2/3 innings on Thursday, allowing two earned runs and seven hits and walking

four batters. He’s available tonight in long relief.

Ryan Flaherty is starting in left field tonight. He’s 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run lifetime

against Rick Porcello, and a career .322/.371/.460 hitter in 87 at-bats at Fenway Park.

Chris Davis returns to the lineup after being scratched yesterday with a sore right elbow. He

entered the game at first base in the 11th inning.

Dylan Bundy is making his third start against the Red Sox this season. He allowed three runs in 6

1/3 innings on April 11 at Fenway Park, and no runs in seven innings on April 21 at Camden

Yards.

Dustin Pedroia is 6-for-15 with a double lifetime against Bundy. He’s 7-for-11 since the Red Sox

lowered him to sixth in the order.

Mookie Betts is 5-for-15 with two home runs against Bundy.

Porcello is 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA in 15 career starts against the Orioles. Seth Smith is 9-for-19

(.474) with three doubles and a triple. J.J. Hardy is 11-for-28 (.393) with two doubles. Mark

Trumbo is 8-for-26 (.308) with a double and three home runs.

For the Orioles

Seth Smith RF

Adam Jones CF

Manny Machado 3B

Mark Trumbo DH

Chris Davis 1B

Welington Castillo C

Jonathan Schoop 2B

Ryan Flaherty LF

J.J. Hardy SS

Dylan Bundy RHP

For the Red Sox

Xander Bogaerts SS

Andrew Benintendi LF

Mookie Betts RF

Hanley Ramirez DH

Mitch Moreland 1B

Dustin Pedroia 2B

Jackie Bradley Jr. CF

Sandy Leon C

Marco Hernandez 3B

Rick Porcello RHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/05/mancini-included-on-all-star-game-

ballot.html

Trey Mancini included on All-Star Game ballot

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

May 1, 2017

BOSTON - Orioles rookie Trey Mancini is listed among the designated hitters on the All-Star

Game ballot released today by Major League Baseball.

Mancini has appeared in 15 games this season after making his debut in September and hitting

three home runs in five games. He’s batting .216/.245/.549 (11-for-51) with two doubles, five

home runs and 12 RBIs.

The ballot also includes first baseman Chris Davis, second baseman Jonathan Schoop,

shortstop J.J. Hardy, third baseman Manny Machado, catcher Welington Castillo, and

outfielders Adam Jones, Seth Smith and Mark Trumbo.

Balloting, which started today, is done exclusively online for the third consecutive year via

mobile devices at MLB.com, all 30 club websites and the MLB.com At Bat and MLB.com

Ballpark mobile apps.

The pitchers and reserves for both squads - 22 for the American League and 23 for the National

League - will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections

made by the commissioner’s office.

Fans again will be allowed to vote for a final player from both leagues from a list of five.

The 88th Midsummer Classic, hosted by the Marlins on July 11 for the first time in the

franchise’s history, will mark the first All-Star Game played in the state of Florida.

The Orioles had five representatives last year: Machado, Trumbo, catcher Matt Wieters and

relievers Zach Britton and Brad Brach.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/05/leftovers-for-breakfast-62.html

Leftovers for breakfast

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

May 1, 2017

NEW YORK - The Orioles made it through the month of April with a 15-8 record, their best

start since the 2005 season. Didn’t have their No. 1 starter, lost their closer and tied with the

Yankees for the best winning percentage in the American League. Only one day without at least

a share of the division lead. Six wins, one loss and one tie in eight series while compensating for

injuries and testing the flexibility of their roster.

“Our team is really good,” said catcher Welington Castillo. “This is a competitive team with

really good pitchers and really good players. The division is not easy. The teams that we play

against have good players and good pitchers, too. We just have to compete all the time and focus

game by game.”

No matter how insane they turn in the late innings.

It will be hard to top yesterday for pure crazy.

“Yeah, it was a little bit,” Castillo said. “Keep battling, battling. We tried to make pitches. We

fell behind, but we’re proud that we never gave up. We continued to fight. That was the story of

the game.”

Logan Verrett deserves his own space in it. He created a jam in the 10th inning and wiggled out

of it, and retired the Yankees in order in the 11th to get the win.

“I saw him in spring training,” Castillo said. “He’s a strike thrower. He’s got so many weapons

we can work with, and he gave us the chance to win and he held the other team.”

“Yeah, it was awesome,” said reliever Darren O’Day. “It takes a special kind of guy. He believes

in himself and he came in there and made some big pitches after some exciting plays in the

infield. That says a lot about who Logan is, and he’s going to help us out.”

Verrett was the fifth reliever used behind starter Wade Miley, who held the Yankees to two runs

in five innings despite eight hits, five walks and 114 pitches.

“What Logan did right there, the 11th inning when he came in, bases loaded, and escaped that

jam ... That team over there is hot,” Miley said. “They’re swinging the bats well and laying off of

good pitches. What Logan did right there to get out of that jam, that was fun.

“That Verrett inning gave us the momentum back. It kind of knocked the air out of them a little

bit and gave us the momentum to score in the top of the 11th.

Miley was in full bend-but-don’t-break mode yesterday.

“I didn’t have good command of my fastball at all,” he said. “I threw a lot of breaking balls.

Welly kind of picked up early that, hey, the command of the fastball’s not there.

We kind of went straight to the breaking ball early. Not really a pitch I want to hang, so I had to

pick my spots where I could throw it for strikes.

“Somehow got out of it. I got two pretty key double plays and was able to wiggle my way

through it again. I need to stop doing that. Eventually, it’s going to break, I imagine.”

The Yankees chose to issue an intentional walk to Manny Machado in the 11th inning with Joey

Rickard on second base and two outs. Mark Trumbo stood on deck, the guy who led the majors

last year with 47 home runs.

I asked manager Buck Showalter whether Trumbo’s pride is at stake in this situation.

“Not really,” he replied. “You all go in there and he’ll say, ‘Heck, I would have done the same

thing.’ It’s the way it is. Some people thrive on that and take it personally and some just say,

‘Hey, it’s part of the game.’ When I walk somebody it doesn’t mean I don’t think the next guy’s

not a big league hitter. You’re just picking your poison there.”

It won’t be long before Showalter is picking Zach Britton to close games again. Britton, who

threw 11 pitches yesterday in a scoreless inning at Double-A Bowie, is meeting up with the team

in Boston and could be activated later today. Otherwise, look for him in the bullpen Tuesday

night.

“I’m not going to broadcast that,” Showalter said. “I just talked to Zach. He had a really good

outing. Felt good on the mound. I think you all got the line. Eleven pitches and everything.

“See how he feels in the morning. If he feels good in the morning, he’ll catch a flight to Boston

and we’ll make a decision there.”

Orioles pitchers have issued at least four walks in seven consecutive games, their longest stretch

since April 2013.

Jonathan Schoop has reached base in 17 consecutive games, five short of his career high from

June 18 to July 15, 2016. He’s batting .344/.368/.672 (21-for-61) during his streak.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/wrapping-up-a-7-4-11-inning-win.html

Wrapping up a 7-4 11-inning win

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK - Players were challenged to remember a stranger game in their careers. Reporters

were challenged to make sure every detail got into their stories, with so many key moments and

bizarre twists and turns that led to the Orioles’ 7-4 11-inning win over the Yankees.

Everyone inside the visiting clubhouse seemed to be in agreement that reliever Darren

O’Day didn’t commit a balk in the ninth inning, as ruled by plate umpire Stu Scheurwater. Logan

Verrett threw to the wrong base to complicate his 10th inning, then performed an impressive

escape act with the help of shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Welington Castillo, who combined

for a huge force out at home plate.

The Yankees used pitcher Bryan Mitchell in the ninth, moved him to first base in the 10th and

returned him to the mound in the 11th, where he surrendered three runs. Mark Trumbo broke a 4-

4 tie with an RBI single after Mitchell intentionally walked Manny Machado, gambling that last

year’s major league leader in home runs would make the final out. Castillo followed with a run-

scoring single and Trumbo raced home while the Yankees were figuring out where to throw the

ball.

Chris Davis, a late scratch due to a sore right elbow, replaced Trey Mancini at first base in the

11th inning and is expected to play Monday night in Boston. Craig Gentry, added to the lineup in

right field, had a hit, RBI, walk and two stolen bases. Of course he did.

Verrett flew into New York last night, worked two innings to pick up his first Orioles win in his

debut with the club, and could be the pitcher who’s optioned this week to make room for

closer Zach Britton. Britton is joining the Orioles in Boston on Monday after throwing 11 pitches

today in a scoreless inning at Double-A Bowie.

Manager Buck Showalter, who was ejected for arguing a balk call that initially was ruled

obstruction on Hardy, indicated that Britton could be activated Monday or Tuesday. He doesn’t

want the world to know.

Richard Bleier would be a candidate for demotion after arriving with Verrett, but Showalter likes

having a left-hander to back up a right-handed starter and the Orioles are sending Alec Asher to

the mound on Tuesday night. Showalter made it official.

But back to today’s madness…

The Orioles averted a sweep and moved into a first-place tie in the American League East. The

bullpen let them down and then picked them up.

Wade Miley allowed eight hits and walked five batters in five innings, but he held the Yankees

to two runs before exiting at 114 pitches.

“It’s very much like the (Monday) game at home with nobody there, the rain, the weather,”

Showalter said. “It’s one of those things you do. Our guys refused to lose.

“They let us hang around a little bit there early. They had a chance to open some things up and

Wade didn’t let it happen. That will not go forgotten. He didn’t implode and let the game get

away from him. They kind of let us hang around there and our guys got back in it.

“Mychal (Givens) had a real big outing. I thought Jonathan Schoop had an unbelievable day

defensively at second base. Those are hard plays. Real glad we got Logan here. Stepped up and

gave us some things in time of need.”

Verrett began the 10th inning by allowing a single to Austin Romine. He fielded Brett Gardner’s

bunt and threw late to second base instead of taking the easy out at first. Another bunt moved up

the runners and Verrett hit Greg Bird to load the bases. With disaster looming, Verrett induced a

ground ball from Starlin Castro that Hardy charged before throwing home for the force. Castillo

played the ball on the hop, an extremely difficult maneuver.

Verrett struck out Aaron Judge, also an extremely difficult maneuver.

“I haven’t beat him up on that yet,” Showalter said when asked about Verrett’s throw to second

base. “I’ll ask about it. He was one of our best in the spring at that with some of the bunt plays

you have on there. They work on them down in Norfolk, so very similar stuff.

“You get on a plane last night and you get here and you’re pitching in that situation, but that’s

why they do what they do.”

Verrett pitched for the Mets last season and gets the whole New York vibe. It carries between the

two ballparks.

“I was standing on the mound there in that jam and kind of thinking, at Yankee Stadium

everyone has a big moment sometime,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘This is my opportunity to

have a big moment at Yankee Stadium and put a stamp on my Orioles debut.’ I thought it was a

lot of fun out there. It was a long game, but glad we came out on top.

“I just told myself to keep making pitches. The first guy got on with a perfectly placed little pop

fly and the next one I messed up on a bunt play. It is what it is. That’s how the inning started, but

you’ve still got to pitch out of it. Those guys still have to put the ball in play and find holes. It’s

me versus them out there and I have a pretty good defense behind me, so it’s easy to make

pitches when that’s the case.”

The force out at home was one of those plays.

“Exactly,” Verrett said. “Example A. J.J. making that play, that’s a slow roller and that’s not an

easy throw. And Welington digging it and hanging on and avoiding the collision on that ball.

That’s a huge play. Obviously saved the game, but also it just gets that momentum going and

gives you that confidence that, ‘Hey, let’s go, let’s make a pitch right here and these guys are

going to make a play.’ “

An insane game and a crazy 24 hours for Verrett.

“About this time yesterday, I was scrambling to get my stuff packed and get on a plane,” he said.

“It’s been a fun 24 hours. I was glad I made the flight and able to fly in last night. Got to the park

today and just kind of said what’s up to all the guys and went about our business, just like any

other day.”

Hardy praised Castillo for saving him from an error by playing the short hop. Castillo called it

“instinct.”

“I just tried to play it as first baseman, but as soon as I see the throw, I’ve got to make sure that I

hold the ball and that’s what I did,” Castillo said. “The throw turned into the line and I just went

down there and grabbed the ball and tried to get one out.

“That (ninth) inning, with all that stuff happened - the balk and all that stuff - after we get in

there, we say, ‘Here we go, we can win this game.’ We kept fighting with our bats and our

players and we never give in. We never give up. We put everything together and that’s how we

get the win.”

The balk in the ninth was a sore subject. It allowed two runners to move up and they scored on

Didi Gregorius’ bases-loaded single off Donnie Hart.

“I thought it was a good move, honestly,” Castillo said. “That’s the way that he pitches. I don’t

know what they’re seeing honestly. That’s the way they saw it.”

Showlater was furious, of course, and said later that he didn’t really get an explanation.

“Not a whole lot,” he said. “I don’t know. There wasn’t a lot of give and take. Same thing he’s

been doing for eight or nine years. One out of four saw something that wasn’t there. I think we

call it over-officiating in basketball. He had a pretty good game going until that.”

Said O’Day: “Yeah, I’ve been doing the same move my whole career and nobody’s every called

it a balk, so it’s a bit surprising that he could see that from there. He called a balk, it would have

been interesting if I had made a good throw and picked him off because that would have been the

game. Yeah, this is what, my 10th season and it’s never been called before. I guess I’ll continue

to do it. I don’t know, but yeah, it was a good opportunity there to steal an out and win the game.

It didn’t work out.”

Well, at least they won. It just took 11 innings.

“It would have been tough having two leads and leaving with no wins, so the guys bailed out the

bullpen tonight,” O’Day said. “They did a great job. Logan did a great job in extras. It was a

good win.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/elbow-issues-roster-moves-and-more.html

Elbow issues, roster moves and more (extra innings)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK - Jonathan Schoop is hit on the elbow yesterday and remains in today’s

lineup. Chris Davis is hit on the elbow Friday night, plays yesterday and is scratched from

today’s lineup.

This is today’s elbow news.

Schoop came out of yesterday’s game, but he’s batting seventh today against Yankees rookie

left-hander Jordan Montgomery.

“Where is hit him right above the elbow, it compresses the nerve and he had a lot of weakness

there,” said manager Buck Showalter. “I just didn’t like it. He tried to hit in between and it just

didn’t work out, so we got him out of there. But he’s going to be fine today.”

Showalter will provide an update on Davis following the game. We’re told that Davis wanted to

play, but Showalter made the decision to remove him.

The outfield defense improves with Craig Gentry in right field. Trey Mancini replaces Davis at

first base.

Showalter isn’t ready to reveal his starter for Tuesday night in Boston, but it figures to be Alec

Asher if he isn’t needed today in relief. Logan Verrett can serve as the right-handed long man

behind starter Wade Miley.

“Depends on how we get through the game today, but we have some options,” Showalter said.

“You can tell who it isn’t. I’d rather not (broadcast it). You can probably figure out who our

options are. None of the guys who just came here are options.”

The Orioles also recalled left-hander Richard Bleier.

“We had a lot of options,” Showalter said. “I really want to leave Chris Lee alone. He’s starting

to come into his own. He only had three days off after throwing 69 pitches. He’s right where he

needs to be. (Jesus) Liranzo is right where he needs to be. We’ll leave him alone. Some of the

10-day stuff isn’t up. (Gabriel) Ynoa is starting to pitch well. He actually pitched well last night.

We want to leave him alone and get him going there.

“Logan has major league experience, as does Bleier, and we like both of them. And obviously,

(Jayson) Aquino and (Vidal) Nuño were going to be down for a while.”

In a perfect baseball world, the Orioles can leave their younger starters at the Triple-A level to

continue their development.

“The need of the major league club will always (be first), but if there’s a tiebreaker it will be

what’s best for their development, as well. Sometimes, coming up here is what’s best for their

development,” Showalter said.

“We had some other options. I know Edwin Jackson is leaving (extended spring training) soon

and he’s pitching well. I think he will present himself as an option. And a guy like (Jimmy)

Yacabonis is throwing the ball real well down there. The roster isn’t an issue. We’re trying to let

those guys try to establish some things before we go get them, but we’re going to take the best

options. The roster doesn’t figure too much into it. We’re always going to have room.”

The Orioles mainly view Jackson as a reliever, but the role is subject to change depending on

how he’s throwing and their needs.

“I know what I think, but we’ll see where they are with starters and everything when he’s ready

to go,” Showalter said. “He’s close. They actually had to take him to the bullpen yesterday

because he wasn’t getting challenged as much as he probably needs to at that level.”

Bleier said he didn’t anticipate joining the Orioles. He was told about his promotion yesterday

and flew into New York last night from Norfolk.

“I just don’t really pay attention to those types of things,” he said. “I just pitch where you’re at,

and hopefully things work out. Checking box scores and stuff like that, it’s really tough to focus

and get people out.

“As long as I’m here, I’d like to do whatever I can to help the team and whatever they want me

to do, I’m willing to do.”

Bleier and his Norfolk teammates keep tabs on the Orioles. The games are on the clubhouse

televisions.

“I know they’re playing really well,” Bleier said. “They’re playing good baseball. You see guys

going up and down quite often in Norfolk. You see that aspect of it. You can’t ignore it there

because guys are there and then they’re not. You see that there’s been quite a bit of movement so

far and the season’s just started. I’m just trying to pitch and get people out regardless of where I

am.”

Bleier allowed only one earned run (three total), walked none and struck out 11 in nine innings

with the Tides. He’s pitched twice since coming off the disabled list following a hamstring

injury.

“Just executing pitches,” he said. “Really, that’s what it comes down to, at least for me, just

making pitches and keeping the ball in the park.

“Just being on the 40-man roster, it was assumed that I had a chance to be called up, just like

anybody else on the roster or anybody else in Triple-A for that matter. I think with the

experience I have, the last 10 years playing, be ready at any point to go and try and help the team

if they need me to.”

Dylan Bundy remains the starter for Monday night’s series opener in Boston after the Orioles

toyed with the idea of giving him an extra day of rest.

“The innings and stuff, that’s not near the issue some people may perceive,” Showalter said. “It’s

the stress and how he feels physically and the work days. With what Dylan’s been through, he’s

pretty frank and honest with us. He doesn’t want to go back there.

“I had a good conversation with Dylan yesterday about his last outing, what he felt, didn’t feel.

His last work day. I usually wait until after his work day.”

Update: Matt Holliday homered with two outs in the first to give New York a 1-0 lead. Orioles

pitchers have surrendered 10 homers in the series.

Update II: Adam Jones tied the game in the second inning with a two-out RBI single to right

field, but the Yankes took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half on Chase Headley’s RBI single after

back-to-back one-out walks.

The Yankees loaded the bases with one out, but didn’t pad their lead.

Update III: The Orioles scored three runs in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. They loaded the bases

with no outs, and Mancini hit into a force to tie the game, Schoop followed with an RBI double

and Gentry had an RBI grounder.

Wade Miley allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings, with five walks, six strikeouts and a

home run. He threw 114 pitches, 61 for strikes.

Update IV: The Orioles blew another late lead, with Didi Gregorius’ two-out, two-run single off

Donnie Hart in the ninth inning tying the game.

Darren O’Day loaded the bases on a single and two walks. He was called for a balk with runners

on first and second, leading to manager Buck Showalter’s ejection.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/05/thoughts-on-wade-miley-the-al-east-and-

os-boston-series.html

Thoughts on Wade Miley, the AL East and O’s-Boston series

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

May 1, 2017

The Orioles played just two extra-inning contests among their first 19 games this year. Now they

have gone extras in three of the past four games, winning two of the three.

Last year, Zach Britton went 47-for-47 in save chances. But over the weekend, with Britton

pitching on a rehab assignment with Double-A Bowie, the Orioles blew two ninth-inning leads.

At least the one yesterday was only a blown save and not also a blown game.

The Orioles beat the Yankees 7-4 in 11 innings to tie New York atop the American League East

at 15-8.

Here are a few notes and thoughts from a wild weekend in the Bronx, one in which O’s pitchers

allowed 10 homers and 30 runs. The Baltimore bullpen, which allowed 14 runs in eight innings

Friday and Saturday, allowed just two over six innings on Sunday. But those two runs tied the

game in the ninth and forced yet another extra-inning game.

A good start: The Orioles end April at 15-8 and tied for first. This record is tied for the sixth best

opening month or combined opening months of March/April in team history.

Best March/April in club history by win percentage:

.917 (11-1 in 1966)

.696 (16-7 in 1969, 1997 and 2005)

.684 (13-6 in 1970)

.652 (15-8 in 1994 and 2017)

Miley was solid again: When he had an ERA of 8.41 after his first eight starts with the Orioles,

no one saw this coming from left-hander Wade Miley. But he has become, along with Dylan

Bundy, the club’s most reliable starter.

He had a wild ride on Sunday.

Miley walked five batters and gave up a homer in the first inning. He needed a staggering 114

pitches to get 15 outs. However, Miley bent but didn’t break against a Yankees offense that had

scored 26 runs on 24 hits with nine homers the previous two days.

He kept getting into and then out of jams. In the second, with runners on second and third and no

outs, he struck out Kyle Higashioka, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks for a big early escape. Over

five innings, he gave up eight hits, two runs, five walks, six strikeouts and one homer. New York

went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring positon against him and left nine runners on base.

The team that exploded for all those runs Friday and Saturday had a chance to blast Miley and

open up a big early lead, but he didn’t allow it. We shouldn’t overlook that.

Miley has an ERA of 2.32 through five starts. He has allowed three runs or fewer each time and

two runs or fewer in four of those games. Over his past eight starts - dating to the middle of last

September - he is 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA. The Orioles are 5-3 in those outings.

At a time when Chris Tillman has still not made his season debut and Kevin

Gausman and Ubaldo Jiménez are struggling, where would the Orioles be without Miley?

The Yankees look good: The Yankees were 10-1 at home and 9-4 versus American League East

teams until Sunday’s loss. They entered that game with the best run differential in the major

leagues at plus-46. Now at plus-43, they still easily lead the AL, with Houston next-best at plus-

23. The Orioles have an identical won-loss record to the Yankees, but with a run differential of

plus-1. Of course the Orioles are also 11-2 in games decided by one or two runs.

New York has the look of a surprise team. Aaron Judge has been tremendous and Starlin Castro

is off to a fast start. Catcher Gary Sánchez had played just five games. They have a tremdous

bullpen, a team ERA of 3.35 and a rotation that has been mostly solid.

What happens at Fenway?: Does it seem like about three months have passed since Boston right-

hander Matt Barnes threw a pitch behind the head of Manny Machado? It was one week ago

yesterday. It feels like the Orioles have played about 30 games since then, but it has only been

six.

Barnes has already served the resulting suspension and is eligible to pitch for Boston tonight. It

was on Friday of that Boston-Orioles series when Manny Machado’s slide into Dustin Pedroia

injured Pedroia and seemed to anger most in a Boston uniform except ... Pedroia. The Red Sox

second sacker returned to the lineup last Thursday. He threw his team under the bus last Sunday,

telling Machado on the field at Camden Yards, “Its them, not me” when it came to head-hunting

Machado.

On Monday, Barnes was hit with a four-game suspension for “intentionally throwing a pitch in

the area of the head.” He appealed the suspension, then last Wednesday dropped the appeal and

missed games Wednesday through Saturday, returning to the active roster for last night’s game

with the Cubs.

The Orioles took two of three games in that series at Oriole Park and are 3-2 this year versus

Boston. When asked last weekend if the clubs could see any lingering bad blood carry into a

four-game series at Fenway Park that starts tonight, the O’s Chris Davis essentially said no.

“You have to do your best to put that aside. There’s more at stake, obviously. We weren’t happy

with the way things went (last Sunday). Not only with what happened late in the game but with

losing the game. I think, for us, it’s more important to win the game. You can’t get caught up in

that stuff,” Davis said.

So another O’s-Boston series is set to begin and Machado, Pedroia and Barnes will all be on the

field tonight at Fenway Park.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/a-look-at-the-orioles-crazy-improbable-

and-dramatic-win-in-the-bronx.html

A look at the Orioles’ crazy, improbable and dramatic win in

the Bronx

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

April 30, 2017

The Orioles escaped Yankee Stadium with a win today. They avoided getting swept in the three-

game series. They did it the hard way. The real, real, real hard way.

Once a team with a closer than almost never blew a ninth-inning lead, today the O’s blew a lead

in the ninth for the second time in this series.

But right-hander Logan Verrett escaped a major jam in the 10th and the Orioles scored three in

the 11th to beat the Yankees 7-4. The teams are once again tied atop the American League East

at 15-8.

Wade Miley once again pitched a solid game for the Orioles. But he walked five in five innings,

was in constant trouble and needed 114 pitches to get 15 outs. Still, the Orioles scored three in

the sixth and at one point Miley was in line for the win.

But a 4-2 Baltimore lead in the last of the ninth would not hold up. There was a balk call

on Darren O’Day that advanced two runners and led to manager Buck Showalter’s ejection.

When Didi Gregorius singled in two runs off Donnie Hart, the game was tied at 4-4.

In the last of the 10th, the game seemed seconds from being over but Verrett, recalled today from

the minors, would not let the Yankees walk it off.

He got into instant trouble on a bloop single and then his own poor decision. He threw late to

second on a sac bunt attempt and New York had first and second with none out. After a

successful sac bunt and a hit by pitch, the Yankees had them loaded with one out. Verrett got

Starlin Castro to ground a slow roller to short. J.J. Hardy’s off-balance throw home short-hopped

catcher Welington Castillo at the plate, but he hung on for the force. Then Verrett struck out the

very dangerous Aaron Judge. That was impressive, indeed.

Provided momentum by Verrett’s escape act, the Orioles scored three in the 11th. Joey Rickard

singled, stole second (the O’s third steal of the day) and scored the go-ahead run on an RBI

single by Trumbo, who began today in a 3-for-30 slump. Castillo singled in another run and a

botched rundown by the Yankees led to the O’s seventh run.

Verrett pitched a 1-2-3 last of the 11th and it was over. After only 4 hours, 37 minutes, the

Orioles had a victory. So did Verrett, in his first regular season game with the club.

The Orioles went 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. New York went

3-for-13 with RISP and left 16 on base.

The O’s improved to 13-7 (.650) versus the AL East, 7-5 on the road, 3-3 against the Yankees

and 4-1 in extra innings.

Now it’s onto Boston after a wild, wild game in the Bronx - one that ended in an epic Orioles

victory.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/os-game-blog-orioles-look-to-salvage-

series-finale.html

O’s game blog: Orioles look to salvage series finale

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

April 30, 2017

After losing 14-11 in 10 innings on Friday and 12-4 on Saturday afternoon to the New York

Yankees, the Orioles have lost their first series of the season. They need a win today to avoid

being swept three in a row.

The Yankees’ last three-game sweep of the Birds in New York was from July 21-23, 2015.

The teams entered the second game of this series tied for first in the American League East. Now

New York (15-7) leads the Orioles (14-8) by a game atop the division. The Orioles are 12-7

(.632) in division games, while the Yankees are 9-4 (.692). The Yankees have a four-game

winning streak, taking two against Boston and two against Baltimore. They allowed just one run

in two games to beat the Red Sox and have scored 26 runs in two games to beat the Orioles.

Pretty impressive.

A veteran left-hander and a 24-year-old rookie left-hander square off today in the series

finale. Wade Miley (1-1, 2.08 ERA) pitches for Baltimore and Jordan Montgomery (1-1, 3.78

ERA) for New York.

Miley has three straight quality starts. For the season he has pitched 26 innings allowing 12 hits

and six runs with 14 walks and 32 strikeouts. His overall batting average against is .140, as lefty

batters are 1-for-18 (.056) against him and right-handed batters are 11-for-68 (.162).

Over his last seven starts dating to Sept. 18, Miley is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.01 and .185 average

against. In 44 2/3 innings in that span, he has walked 16 with 55 strikeouts.

Montgomery is ranked as the Yankees’ No. 13 prospect by Baseball America. He was a fourth-

round draft selection out of the University of South Carolina in 2014. New York signed him to a

bonus of $424,000. Last season, between Double-A and Triple-A, he went 14-5 with an ERA of

2.13 and a 1.20 WHIP.

Not a hard thrower, with a fastball in the 88-92 range, he has thrown 16 2/3 innings for the

Yankees in three 2017 starts. He has yielded 19 hits and eight runs (seven earned) with six

walks, 16 strikeouts and a .306 average against. He has done well when in jams, allowing just

two hits over 17 at-bats (.118) when pitching with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles today added pitchers Richard Bleier and Logan Verrett from Triple-A Norfolk. They

take the roster spots of lefties Jayson Aquino and Vidal Nuño, who were optioned to Norfolk

after Saturday’s game.

These pitchers have already appeared on both the Orioles and Tides rosters this season:

Aquino, Alec Asher, Bleier, Stefan Crichton, Paul Fry, Verrett and Tyler Wilson.

http://www.masnsports.com/orioles-buzz/2017/05/andrew-stetka-baseball-fandom-is-

difficult.html

Andrew Stetka: Baseball fandom is difficult

By Andrew Stetka / MASNsports.com

May 1, 2017

Being a baseball fan is very hard. If you are devoted to a specific team in the way many readers

of this website are devoted to the Orioles, it can be even harder. This is something I’ve written

about in length over the years, but it deserves to be repeated. Especially after what we just saw.

You live and die with every game and react to every play. That couldn’t have been more on

display this weekend in New York City, as the O’s battled the Yankees.

Over the past three days, the Orioles experienced just about every emotion possible over the

course of a hard-fought series with a division rival. Fans felt a lot of that, too. As some schmoe

who simply sits on his couch and watches the games while following social media, I’ve seen this

up close. There’s no question that as the Birds were suffering a gut-punching loss on Friday

night, fans were feeling that pain. Blowing leads of 9-1 and 11-4 exposed an Orioles bullpen that

many fans came into the season feeling pretty strong about. That, coupled with Saturday’s

debacle of epic proportions from starting pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez, didn’t have O’s fans feeling

great. The Birds had just suffered their first series loss of the season and were on the verge of

being swept by a red-hot Yankees team that looks like a potential contender in the division. Then

came yesterday’s wild affair, a back-and-forth victory that packed just about everything into 11

innings of fun. It showed off the O’s own Houdini of a starting pitcher in Wade Miley, who

somehow managed to allow just two runs despite giving up 13 baserunners in five innings. Miley

has managed to churn out a 2.32 ERA this season despite 19 free passes in 30 innings. That’s

walking a tightrope. Then there’s the tightrope Logan Verrett walked during the 10th inning,

getting out of a bases-loaded one-out jam to preserve the tie. Emotions ran high throughout, but

at that point, O’s fans had given in and just wanted to live with the sweep and move on to

Boston. The ups and downs were enough at that point for many. Yet, after a victory, all was once

again right with the world. Things were how they should be in the eyes of many.

This back-and-forth nature of fandom is so interesting to me. It’s fascinating because baseball is

such a unique sport with such unique circumstances. After a loss in football, it’s easy for a player

to say it’s “just one game” or that it’s “a long season.” But the truth is that it’s not. In the NFL,

teams only play 16 games and back-to-back losses can be devastating to a team’s playoff

chances. Even in the NHL and NBA, teams play about half the number of games as in baseball.

For fans, each game is do or die. There’s no in between. I’m guilty of it, you’re guilty of it. It’s

hard to turn that “fan gene” off. The reason it’s so fascinating for me is that I still don’t know

how players do it. Athletes are captivating for their physical skills and mental prowess. But it’s

even more mesmerizing to me how they bounce back after devastation. For the Orioles, Friday

must’ve seemed like a funeral. Having two large leads and letting them fade away had to be

tough. On Saturday, it looked like that was the case. The O’s had their brains beat in and there

was every single reason to roll over and die again on Sunday. But that didn’t happen, even after

blowing the lead in the ninth inning. The mental fortitude was somehow there to battle back and

win that game, avoiding a completely lost weekend in the Bronx. The mental side of baseball can

be grueling and brutal at times. It’s a game that can kick you while you’re down.

I do my best to figure out how the players deal with this roller coaster ride on a day-to-day basis,

and mock that. Rather than living with so many ups and downs, personally I like to look ahead to

the next day. I’m not just talking about being a fan, either. It’s something I try to let encompass

my life. Take the good as it comes and get rid of the bad by moving on to the next day. It’s

something baseball players have to do each day. It’s something the Orioles made a heck of a

display of doing this weekend.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/04/30/orioles-win-strange-game-at-yankee-stadium

Orioles Win Strange Game At Yankee Stadium

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK -- As the Orioles seemingly closed in on a rather uneventful win, strange things

began happening at Yankee Stadium.

It was the ninth inning, and the Orioles had a 4-2 lead. With Darren O’Day on the mound, the

sidearming right-hander was looking to quickly end the game and send his team on Boston for

four games.

With two outs and runners on first and second, O’Day was called for a balk by home plate

umpire Stu Scheurwater.

An enraged manager Buck Showalter ran out to protest and was quickly ejected.

"There wasn’t a lot of give and take. Same thing [O’Day has] been doing for eight or nine years.

One out of four saw something that wasn’t there. I think we call it over-officiating in basketball.

He had a pretty good game going until that," Showalter said.

With Starlin Castro on third and Aaron Judge now on second, O’Day walked Chase Headley to

load the bases.

Left-hander Donnie Hart entered and was in line for his first major league save, but allowed a

two-run single to Didi Gregorius to tie the score.

More ridiculousness ensued in the 10th when New York pitcher Bryan Mitchell, who worked the

ninth, moved to first base. He immediately muffed a foul pop by catcher Welington Castillo, but

the Orioles didn’t score.

With a tired Yankees bullpen, closer Aroldis Chapman pitched the 10th, but Mitchell was back

on the mound for the 11th when the Orioles scored three runs to win 7-4 in 11 before 41,022

fans.

Logan Verrett, who was recalled earlier in the day, worked two innings, the 10th and 11th, to

pick up the win.

"It would have been tough having two leads and leaving with no wins, so the guys bailed out the

bullpen tonight. They did a great job. Logan did a great job in extras. It was a good win," O’Day

said.

Twenty-four hours before, Verrett had heard he was coming to New York.

"I was standing on the mound there in that jam and kinda thinking, at Yankee Stadium everyone

has a big moment sometime. I thought to myself, ‘This is my opportunity to have a big moment

at Yankee Stadium and put a stamp on my Orioles debut.’ I thought it was a lot of fun out there.

It was a long game, but glad we came out on top," Verrett said.

The right-hander allowed a leadoff single to Austin Romine in the 10th, but when Brett Gardner

tried to sacrifice, Verrett held the ball too long, and both runners were safe. After a sacrifice by

Aaron Hicks, Verrett hit Greg Bird with a pitch to load the bases. Castro, who pestered the

Orioles all weekend, grounded to short, and J.J. Hardy fired home to Castillo for a force out.

"It’s instinct," Castillo said. "As soon as I see the throw, and I got to make sure that I hold the

ball, and that’s what I did, so the throw turned into the line, and I just went down there and

grabbed the ball and tried to get one out."

Verrett struck out Judge to end the inning.

THREE-RUN RALLY: Outfielder Joey Rickard singled and stole second in the 11th. With two

outs, third baseman Manny Machado was walked intentionally. Designated hitter Mark Trumbo

singled to score Rickard and Castillo singled for a second run. A third scored on the throw.

ORIOLES RUN: Outfielder Craig Gentry had two stolen bases, and Rickard had a third. The

Orioles, who had 19 stolen bases last season, already have seven.

MILEY NEARLY GOT THE WIN: Wade Miley is perhaps the hardest Orioles pitcher to get a

read on. In three of his five starts this season, the left-hander has walked five or more batters. A

year ago, he didn’t walk five in any of his starts.

Miley looked as if he would be knocked out of the game early, but despite allowing eight hits

and five walks in five innings, he somehow limited the New York Yankees to two runs.

Miley threw 114 pitches in five innings, and didn’t have a 1-2-3 inning, but only one of the five

batters he walked scored.

For the first time, manager Buck Showalter paired Miley with Castillo. In Miley’s first four

starts, Caleb Joseph caught him.

"We kind of went straight to breaking ball early. Not really a pitch I want to hang, so had to pick

my spots working through it for strikes. Somehow got out of it. I got two pretty key double plays

and was able to wriggle my way out of it again. I need to stop doing that. Eventually it’s going to

break, I imagine," Miley said.

TOUGH SCHEDULE: The Orioles are completing a stretch of 27 games, of which all but three

are against the American League East. From here, the Orioles go on to Boston for four more.

In the first two games of the series, the Orioles allowed 26 runs, and lost both. Even though they

dropped their first series of the season, they’ve managed not to lose three straight for the first

four weeks of the season.

The Orioles end the season’s first month with a 15-8 record and are 12-7 against the AL East.

In May, they’ll play just seven games within their division, the four this week to start the month

and three at home against the Yankees to end it.

"Our team is really good. This is a competitive team with really good pitchers and really good

players. The division is not easy," Castillo said.

BRITTON SCORELESS: In his second rehab outing, Zach Britton threw a scoreless sixth for

Double-A Bowie. The left-hander who is on the 10-day disabled list with a sore left forearm,

gave up a hit and struck out one.

"I just talked to Zach. He had a really good outing. Felt good on the mound," Showalter said.

“See how he feels in the morning. If he feels good in the morning, he’ll catch a flight to Boston

and we’ll make a decision there."

COMING UP: The Orioles play a four-game series in Boston with the Red Sox beginning May

1. Right-handers Dylan Bundy (3-1, 1.65) and Rick Porcello (1-3, 4.75) are the starters.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/04/30/orioles-recall-richard-bleier-logan-verrett-for-

bullpen-help

Orioles Recall Richard Bleier, Logan Verrett For Bullpen

Help

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

April 30, 2017

NEW YORK -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter looked at the back of his lineup card, and

explained that he had many choices for a pair of new relief pitchers.

Following the Orioles' 12-4 loss to the Yankees April 29, left-handers Jayson Aquino and Vidal

Nuno were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and replaced by left-hander Richard Bleier and right-

hander Logan Verrett.

"We had a lot of options," Showalter said. "Logan has major league experience, as does Bleier,

and we like both of them. And obviously, Aquino and Nuno were going to be down for a while,

two or three days."

Showalter said that the club didn’t want to rush left-hander Chris Lee or right-hander Jesus

Liranzo. Lee is starting regularly at Norfolk and Liranzo is relieving at Bowie.

Right-handed starter Gabriel Ynoa pitched for Norfolk on April 29, and right-hander Tyler

Wilson who was sent to the Tides 10 days ago, was scheduled to pitch on April 30.

While the Orioles prefer to keep some of their young pitchers in the minors for an extended time,

that isn’t always the case.

"The need of the major league club will always [be first], but if there’s a tiebreaker, it will be

what’s best for their development as well. Sometimes coming up here is what’s best for their

development. We had some other options," Showalter said.

"I know Edwin Jackson is leaving [extended spring training] soon, and he’s pitching well. I think

he will present himself as an option. And a guy like [Jimmy] Yacabonis is throwing the ball real

well [at Norfolk]. The [40-man] roster isn’t an issue. We’re trying to let those guys try and

establish some things before we go get them, but we’re going to take the best as [we have]

options. The roster doesn’t figure too much into it. We’re always going to have room."

BLEIER AND VERRETT HERE: Bleier spent part of last season with the Yankees, when he

had a 1.96 ERA in 23 games. With Norfolk, Bleier has a 1.00 ERA in five games. He missed

some time with a hamstring injury.

He’s not been closely following the Orioles, but knows that many of his teammates in Norfolk

have been called up.

"I just don’t really pay attention to those types of things. I just pitch where you’re at, and

hopefully things work out. Checking box scores and stuff like that, it’s really tough to focus and

get people out," Bleier said.

"I know they’re playing really well. They’re playing good baseball. You see guys going up and

down quite often in Norfolk. You see that aspect of it. You can’t ignore it there because guys are

there and then they’re not. You see that there’s been quite a bit of movement so far and the

season’s just started. I’m just trying to pitch and get people out regardless of where I am," Bleier

said.

Verrett, who was selected by the Orioles in Dec. 2014 Rule 5 draft, and eventually found his way

back to the New York Mets, from whom he was picked, is finally making his debut with

Baltimore.

In 53 games with the Mets and Texas Rangers, Verrett is 4-10 with a 4.65 ERA. Verrett has a

6.57 ERA in seven games with Norfolk.

"It kind of seemed like a long time coming since 2015, but it’s nice to be here. It’s somewhat

ironic, I guess, that it’s New York, a familiar city. But nonetheless, I’m glad to be here," Verrett

said.

DAVIS SCRATCHED: First baseman Chris Davis was a late scratch with a sore right elbow.

Davis was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning on April 28 thrown by New York left-hander CC

Sabathia.

Davis was in the original lineup and lobbied to stay in, but Showalter decided to sit him as a

precaution.

Trey Mancini plays first in Davis’ absence, and Craig Gentry will play right field.

Davis is hitless in eight at-bats in this series, and has struck out five times.

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who was hit above the right elbow on April 29, is in the

lineup. He was removed from the game as a precaution.

JIMENEZ TO START IN BOSTON: Despite four bad outing in five starts, right-hander Ubaldo

Jimenez is scheduled to pitch on May 4 in Boston, Showalter said.

Showalter hasn’t named a starter for May 2, but right-hander Alec Asher seems to be the likely

choice. He said Verrett was not an option.

TILLMAN LEAVING: Right-hander Chris Tillman will leave after the game to join Norfolk in

Charlotte, N.C. Tillman is scheduled for a rehab start on May 2 against Charlotte. He could pitch

for the Orioles on May 7.