Notes and quotes after the Orioles' sweep of Kansas City

Notes and quotes after the Orioles' sweep of Kansas City
So, with an impressive three-game sweep of the hottest team in the league, the Orioles seem to have pumped some big-time life into their 2017 season. While they are still an under-.500 team at 53-54, they are now just 2 1/2 games back for the second American League wild card spot. It no longer looks out of reach and they still have 55 games to play. Their rotation, which once looked like it was going to set team records for being historically bad, suddenly has taken a turn for the better. In...
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Hellickson with seven scoreless, O's sweep K.C. (quotes added)

Hellickson with seven scoreless, O's sweep K.C. (quotes added)
Well, that was some debut. In his first game on the mound for the Orioles, right-hander Jeremy Hellickson pitched seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball as the Orioles blanked the Royals 6-0 at Camden Yards. This completes a stunning three days of pitching by the club, which gave up just three runs in this series. O's starting pitchers allowed just one earned run in 22 innings against Kansas City, as the Orioles moved to within 2 1/2 games of the Royals for the second American League wild...
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O's game blog: Jeremy Hellickson makes Orioles debut

O's game blog: Jeremy Hellickson makes Orioles debut
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson tonight joins an Orioles rotation that has pitched to an ERA of 0.94 the last four games and 3.18 the past eight. He will make his Orioles debut as the O's look to complete a three-game sweep of the Royals. At 52-54 and with four wins in a row and 10 wins the past 15 games, the Orioles could move to within 2 ½ games of the Royals with a win. The Royals (55-50) currently hold the second American League wild card spot, leading that by 1 ½ games over the...
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Givens on Britton staying, his big year and more

Givens on Britton staying, his big year and more
When the non-waiver trade deadline passed Monday and closer Zach Britton was still an Oriole, his teammates were certainly pleased that he was still among them. But not just because he is one of the best late-inning pitchers in the game. For 27-year-old right-hander Mychal Givens, Britton has been a mentor and a friend. Someone to help him with whatever he might need - on or off the field. "He's helped me deal with my transition (from position player to pitcher)," Givens said. "He had to...
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Notes on the rotation, Schoop chases Cruz, Santander rakes

Notes on the rotation, Schoop chases Cruz, Santander rakes
The Orioles rotation, much maligned this year for obvious and deserved reasons, is making a brief resurgence. Now we await the next few games and weeks to find out if it is merely a small sample of good pitching or a bigger turnaround. The Orioles have won four straight games. Over that stretch we've seen Kevin Gausman throw 8 2/3 scoreless innings. Then Wade Miley allowed two runs over five innings. Then Ubaldo Jiménez allowed one run over seven innings and last night Dylan Bundy gave up...
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Bundy on his outing, Schoop on the RBIs and the win

Bundy on his outing, Schoop on the RBIs and the win
The Orioles have not had a pitcher throw a complete game since Ubaldo Jiménez against the Rays on Sept. 5, 2016. Dylan Bundy had a real chance tonight. He was rolling with 93 pitches and with a big lead through eight innings. But manager Buck Showalter has to think long-term and went to Brad Brach to pitch the ninth to complete the Orioles' 7-2 win over the Royals. Bundy, as you would expect, would have liked the chance to finish the game. "Yeah, I did," he said. "But I understood. That...
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Dylan Bundy pitches a gem in the Orioles' 7-2 win

Dylan Bundy pitches a gem in the Orioles' 7-2 win
The Orioles offense had a good night. But right-hander Dylan Bundy had a better one. It added up to a lopsided win over a red-hot team, as the Orioles beat the Royals 7-2 at Camden Yards. Bundy went a career-high eight innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run in the win. He walked one and fanned five, throwing 93 pitches, 64 for strikes. Bundy is now 10-8 with an ERA of 4.24. At a time when the club is watching his season-innings limit closely, Brad Brach pitched the ninth and allowed...
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O's game blog: Dylan Bundy on the mound against K.C.

O's game blog: Dylan Bundy on the mound against K.C.
The Orioles came up with their seventh walk-off win of the year last night and it was also the Royals' seventh walk-off loss. The Orioles won 2-1 in the ninth inning, getting singles by Caleb Joseph, Rubén Tejada and Craig Gentry, whose hit ended the game. The win was the Orioles' third in a row and ninth in the last 14 games since they started the second half going 0-3 versus the Cubs. The Orioles are 1-3 versus the Royals and 31-21 at home. They are 51-54 for the season. Kansas City is...
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Tim Beckham looks forward to "new beginning" with Orioles

Tim Beckham looks forward to "new beginning" with Orioles
Just over 24 hours after the Orioles acquired Tim Beckham from the Rays, he will make his Orioles debut at shortstop, batting sixth. He joins a team that added at the trade deadline and is still gunning for a playoff spot despite being 4 ½ games back of the second American League wild card and 6 ½ games out in the AL East race. "I love it. Love it man," Beckham said in his first press session as an Oriole. "That is what we play the game for. To compete and win every game we touch the...
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O's get post-trade deadline win and now try to build on it

O's get post-trade deadline win and now try to build on it
The Orioles' first game after the non-waiver trade deadline came and went was a success. They won 2-1 in walk-off fashion over one of baseball's hottest teams, the Kansas City Royals. Coming into this series, Kansas City had won two of three in Fenway Park and was 10-1 in its last 11 games. The Royals' 33-18 record since June 1 was second-best in the majors to the Dodgers at 41-10 and the Royals were 14-8 versus American League East teams, including 3-0 against the Orioles. So, yeah, that...
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Zach Britton on trade deadline passing, plus other clubhouse quotes

Zach Britton on trade deadline passing, plus other clubhouse quotes
Zach Britton's day began with him yet again at the center of trade rumors. He ended it yet again doing a solid job for the Orioles. He pitched a scoreless ninth tonight and was the winning pitcher in the Orioles' 2-1 walk-off win over Kansas City. It was a nice start to a three-game series and weeklong homestand on a day where Britton went through a range of emotions. "I just tried to treat it like a normal day," Britton said after his 10-pitch outing. "I understood there was stuff flying...
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Walk-off win: Craig Gentry's single in ninth provides 2-1 victory

Walk-off win: Craig Gentry's single in ninth provides 2-1 victory
This was a nice way to start a homestand. Ubaldo Jiménez gave his team an outstanding start. He didn't get the win, but his team did with a walk-off victory in the last of the ninth. The Orioles beat Kansas City 2-1 in front of 20,663 at Oriole Park in the opener of a three-game series. Joakim Soria came on for the ninth for Kansas City and Caleb Joseph singled to center with one out. He advanced to second on Rubén Tejada's two-out single, which snapped an 0-for-19 stretch. That brought...
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O's game blog: Tonight's game and trade notes

O's game blog: Tonight's game and trade notes
It appears the Orioles added a solid starting pitching prospect today when they acquired 23-year-old right-hander Yefry Ramírez from the New York Yankees for international bonus slots. From Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Ramirez is having a good year for Double-A Trenton, going 10-3 with an ERA of 3.41 in 18 starts. Ramirez was added by the Yankees to their 40-man roster last winter in advance of the Rule 5 draft. He ended the 2016 season ranked as New York's No. 23 prospect by Baseball...
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Jeremy Hellickson talks about joining the Orioles

Jeremy Hellickson talks about joining the Orioles
In his first interview since being acquired from the Phillies, right-hander Jeremy Hellickson said he was surprised that the Orioles were the team that traded for him on Friday night. "I was excited," he said of when he heard about the deal. "Didn't really hear Baltimore too much, so was kind of a little surprised. But just playing these guys for four years in Tampa, looked like a fun group to be a part of and I was excited. "I'm ready to help. Didn't really follow the American League...
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More on Schoop's RBIs, Castillo's bat and trade deadline talk

More on Schoop's RBIs, Castillo's bat and trade deadline talk
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who has been getting a lot of notice for his bat, and catcher Welington Castillo, who has gotten much less, both had big games Sunday in the Orioles' 10-6 win at Texas. Schoop's RBI surge continued. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth and singled in a run an inning later for a 2-for-4 three-RBI day. Over his last 13 games, Schoop has at least one RBI 11 times and six times has produced multi-RBI games. Four times in the last 13 games,...
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In final game before trade deadline, O's win road trip finale

In final game before trade deadline, O's win road trip finale
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles built an eight-run lead, then saw that turn into a Zach Britton save situation. They also watched the Texas Rangers celebrate Adrian Beltre's 3,000th hit, but they also won. After losing the series opener on Friday night, they got 8 2/3 scoreless innings from Kevin Gausman last night and a lot of offense today to beat the Rangers 10-6 and win this series. It was their last game before Monday's 4 p.m. trade deadline and, as of the game's end, the only deal the...
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Beltre gets No. 3,000, but O's get the win, take series

Beltre gets No. 3,000, but O's get the win, take series
ARLINGTON, Texas - On the day that Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre got his 3,000th hit, the Orioles hit two homers, scored double-digit runs and got the victory. The Orioles scored four in the fourth and five runs on a pair of homers in the fifth for a 10-6 victory. They lost the series opener Friday, but won the next two games to take this series. They head home now after a 3-3 road trip to Tampa Bay and Texas at 50-54 with eight wins over their last 13 games. They finish the season series...
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Adrian Beltre gets hit No. 3,000 (O's lead 10-3)

Adrian Beltre gets hit No. 3,000 (O's lead 10-3)
ARLINGTON, Texas - On his fourth attempt to achieve history, Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre got it done. He doubled to left in the fourth inning this afternoon off the Orioles Wade Miley to become the 31st member of Major League Baseball's 3,000 hits club. Beltre, who had struck out on a 3-2 pitch in the second, fell behind 3-0 in the count and then lined a two-bagger down the third-base line. He hit a 91 mph fastball and advanced Nomar Mazara to third with one out. Both runners...
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Pregame notes on Mark Trumbo, Jeremy Hellickson and more

Pregame notes on Mark Trumbo, Jeremy Hellickson and more
ARLINGTON, Texas - Mark Trumbo was scratched from the original Orioles lineup today. He was batting fourth as the designated hitter. But manager Buck Showalter said during his pregame media session that it was injury related and, no, Trumbo has not been traded. "He tweaked his back stretching in the weight room," Showalter said. "He's not playing today and hopefully it is not a DL thing. So I can put that one (rumor) to bed. That happened about an hour ago. Richie (Bancells, head athletic...
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O's game blog: Miley on mound in series finale

O's game blog: Miley on mound in series finale
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles started this road trip by losing two of three at Tampa Bay after winning the opening game of that series. They could end it today winning two of three in Texas after losing the opening game of this series. Chris Tillman gave up eight runs over 4 1/3 innings on Friday night as Texas routed the Orioles 8-2. Kevin Gausman pitched shutout ball through 8 2/3 innings and 118 pitches last night in the Orioles' 4-0 win. The Orioles had gone five straight games with just...
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