A look at Chris Davis' hot streak and a few questions for O's fans

A look at Chris Davis' hot streak and a few questions for O's fans
In the first inning of the first game of this important road trip, Chris Davis hit a three-run homer to get the Orioles started on a win. In the last inning yesterday, he hit a grand slam to provide another win. Davis leads the major leagues in strikeouts. Think anyone is still harping on that at this point? His bat is red-hot and the run production, which some of us said was there early in the year when he was striking out often, is even more apparent now. Over his last 15 games, Davis is...
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Chris Davis hits a grand slam in 10th as Orioles beat Oakland

Chris Davis hits a grand slam in 10th as Orioles beat Oakland
With one big swing, Chris Davis turned a tense extra-inning game into an Orioles victory. Tied 3-3 in the 10th, Davis hit a grand slam on a 3-2 pitch from Oakland right-hander Arnold Leon to provide the Orioles a 7-3 lead. They won by that margin to take two of three in the series at Oakland. In winning for the ninth time in the last 12 games, the Orioles improved to 55-52 for the season. They are 27-18 on the West Coast since 2012. The 10th began with a Caleb Joseph single off Leon. He went to...
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O's game blog: Chen faces Graveman in series finale at Oakland

O's game blog: Chen faces Graveman in series finale at Oakland
Since 1999 the Orioles have had a winning record in their season series at Oakland just three times. Most of those years involved just one series, but most of those years the Orioles lost that series. But they did go 2-1 at Oakland in 2002, 2-1 in 2007 and 3-1 in 2013. They will go 2-1 this year if they get a win this afternoon at Oakland. In Monday's win, the Orioles scored nine runs with 14 hits including four doubles and two homers and went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position. In last...
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O's offense remains inconsistent as they look for series win today at Oakland

O's offense remains inconsistent as they look for series win today at Oakland
It seems strange, but while the Oakland A's have the second-worst record in the American League at 48-60, they have the best team ERA and best starting pitching ERA. Yeah, that offense and defense both must be pretty bad for the A's, who have lost eight of 12 and are 7-10 since the All-Star game. But Oakland's unheralded, yet talented right-hander Chris Bassitt blanked the Orioles on five hits over seven innings last night as Oakland beat the Orioles 5-0. So 24 hours after a feel-good start...
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Oakland scores four in the sixth, blanks Orioles 5-0

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

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

For O's catchers, a fresh bat may be a more productive bat
At a position that is demanding physically and mentally and one where a player could easily wear down, the Orioles timeshare at the catcher spot right now is producing some benefits. They are playing Caleb Joseph and Matt Wieters behind the plate every other day only because Wieters is not yet able to handle catching back-to-back days after coming off Tommy John surgery. Because each guy is not behind the plate each day, both are fresher during a long season. It seems to be showing up on...
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Wilson with strong start, Davis and Joseph homer as O's top Oakland

Wilson with strong start, Davis and Joseph homer as O's top Oakland
Chris Davis got it started for the Orioles with a first-inning homer. Then, his teammates joined in on offense while rookie right-hander Tyler Wilson had things under control on the mound. The Orioles hammered Oakland 9-2 on Monday night to start their nine-game West Coast trip. They improved to 54-51 with their eighth win in the last 10 games. With the victory, the Orioles moved into a three-way tie with Minnesota and Toronto for the American League's second wild card playoff spot. Making a...
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O's game blog: Orioles are 7-19 at Oakland since 2008

O's game blog: Orioles are 7-19 at Oakland since 2008
As the Orioles begin a three-city, nine-game West Coast road trip tonight, they do so with a chance to tie for the second American League wild card spot with a win. Toronto beat Minnesota 5-1 this afternoon as David Price allowed three hits and one run over eight innings. The Twins are 54-51 and the Blue Jays are 55-52. The Orioles would be 54-51 with a win. The Orioles have won seven of their last nine games to improve to 53-51. But tonight they look to begin to improve on a 21-31 road record....
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Bridwell to seek opinion from Dr. Andrews, minor league rotation notes and more

Bridwell to seek opinion from Dr. Andrews, minor league rotation notes and more
Double-A Bowie right-hander Parker Bridwell was placed on the disabled list Sunday with elbow tendinitis. Bridwell, who turned 24 yesterday, will seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, and the Orioles are working to schedule that appointment. Ranked as the organization's No. 22 prospect by Baseball America after the 2014 season, Bridwell is 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 Baysox starts. He has pitched to an ERA of 3.36 over his last eight starts. Meanwhile Bowie pitcher Branden Kline, out...
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The candy man can in the O's pen, plus a look at the road trip

The candy man can in the O's pen, plus a look at the road trip
In an Orioles bullpen that features two All-Stars, he can get overlooked. But right-hander Brad Brach is having another solid season for the Orioles, giving them another late-inning weapon. Brach is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.72 and a .211 batting average against. He has not been scored on over his last 11 games, covering 15 innings. It is the second longest scoreless run of his career, behind a 12-game stretch from July 31-Aug. 28, 2014. "I would actually like my fastball command to be a little...
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Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Davis comment after O's loss to Detroit

Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Davis comment after O's loss to Detroit
Ubaldo Jimenez has suddenly lost the form that allowed him to pitch to an ERA of 2.81 before the All-Star break. He took the loss today against Detroit, allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings as the Tigers won 6-1 at Camden Yards. He gave up just one run in 20 innings in his last three first-half starts. Now, in four games since the All-Star break, Jimenez has given up 22 runs and 25 hits in 18 2/3 innings. In each game since the break, he has allowed first-inning runs. He gave up two at Detroit,...
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Ubaldo Jimenez allows six runs as O's lose series finale

Ubaldo Jimenez allows six runs as O's lose series finale
The 2015 season has taken a bad turn for Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. After ending the first half with an ERA of 0.45 over his last three starts, he has struggled in three of his four second-half starts. Today, Jimenez allowed six runs or more for the third time in four games as the Detroit Tigers beat the Orioles 6-1 at Camden Yards. The teams split the four-game series. For the Orioles, it was their second loss in nine games, and they fall to 53-51. They went 5-2 on this homestand and...
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O's game blog: Ubaldo Jimenez on mound in homestand finale

O's game blog: Ubaldo Jimenez on mound in homestand finale
As the Orioles host Detroit this afternoon in the final game of this series and homestand, their bats have finally started to heat up. In this three-game series against the Tigers, the Orioles have scored 22 runs on 31 hits with a .298 average. They have hit six homers in the series and have hit two in a game the last five games. The Orioles have now scored 43 runs over their last eight games, scoring five or more in a game six times in that span. Some O's hitters recently: * Matt Wieters...
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Tyler Wilson arrives in Baltimore, could start Monday night

Tyler Wilson arrives in Baltimore, could start Monday night
Right-hander Tyler Wilson was in the Orioles clubhouse this morning. For now he is on the taxi squad, but it is clear he is a strong candidate to make a start for the Orioles at Oakland tomorrow night, replacing the injured Chris Tillman. After a couple of stints earlier this season with the Orioles, Wilson said it gets a little easier each time you make that trek on the shuttle between Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore. "I think so. The familiarity of it more than anything. To know the process....
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For now, Manny Machado batting first and Gerardo Parra second looks good for O's

For now, Manny Machado batting first and Gerardo Parra second looks good for O's
Well, as Buck Showalter might say, our curiousity was satisfied. When the lineup came out yesterday, we found out that new Orioles outfielder Gerardo Parra was batting second and Manny Machado first. For one game, that sure worked fine in a 6-2 win over Detroit, and there may be no reason to change that for a while. Parra went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. Parra had good numbers for Milwaukee when batting both first and second: Parra at leadoff: .384/.432/.632 in 31 games....
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Parra on his welcome, Gausman and Joseph on the win over Detroit

Parra on his welcome, Gausman and Joseph on the win over Detroit
Gerardo Parra's first night as an Oriole was eventful. Get a standing ovation. Get a double in your first at-bat. Get a win. Become the 1,000th player in team history. Yes, it went pretty well for him as the Orioles beat Detroit 6-2 and he went 1-for-3 with a walk. "I want to say thank you to the fans for giving me a good welcome," Parra said. "I feel happy and like this is my house, too. That felt great. Big for me when you come to a new team and see the fans welcome you. I feel great,...
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Kevin Gausman gets first win as a starter since last August as O's top Tigers

Kevin Gausman gets first win as a starter since last August as O's top Tigers
It had been a while between wins as a starting pitcher for Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman. Coming into this outing, he was 0-5 with a 3.65 ERA over his last 12 starts. But the Orioles had scored three runs or less in nine of those games. Tonight, the Orioles reversed the script of the last two nights - this time they took a big early lead - and beat Detroit 6-2 at Camden Yards. The attendance was 45,968, the seventh sellout of the year. Gausman pitched seven strong innings, allowing four...
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O's game blog: Adam Jones on Gerardo Parra, Jorge Rondon on joining O's

O's game blog: Adam Jones on Gerardo Parra, Jorge Rondon on joining O's
After splitting a pair of high-scoring, one-run games in this series, the Orioles host Detroit again tonight at Camden Yards. The Tigers won 9-8 Friday and the O's posted an 8-7 win last night. They came from 6-0 behind in their largest comeback win of 2015. The Orioles (52-50) will try to go three games over .500 tonight for the first time since they were 43-40 on July 6. The Orioles are 6-1 in their past seven games. Buck Showalter now has 1,311 career managerial wins. He needs two more to...
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As seen again Friday, Orioles win with defense

As seen again Friday, Orioles win with defense
Last night, when the Orioles rallied from six runs down to win and scored eight runs, one of the biggest plays may have been one they made on defense. The Orioles seem to out-execute their opponents on defense just about every night, and it has been big for this team. In the seventh inning Friday night, Ian Kinsler of the Tigers doubled to right-center and Jose Iglegias tried to score from first. Adam Jones made a slide to stop the ball from going to the wall. He then fired a strike to Jonathan...
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