Chris Davis on Adrian Beltre (O's blank Rangers 4-0)

Chris Davis on Adrian Beltre (O's blank Rangers 4-0)
ARLINGTON, Texas - It has become very apparent in two days during this series at Globe Life Park that Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre has a room full of admirers in the visiting clubhouse. Beltre enters tonight's game two hits shy of becoming the 31st player in the Major League history to reach 3,000 hits. He had two hits last night and is at 2998 to start this game. Beltre has gone 9-for-14 with a homers, two doubles, 5 RBIs and 2 walks during this Rangers homestand to raise his season...
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Showalter on the addition of Jeremy Hellickson

Showalter on the addition of Jeremy Hellickson
ARLINGTON, Texas - Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson's entry into the clubhouse with his new team will have to wait a couple of days. On his way to the airport to fly to Texas, Hellickson and his girlfriend were in a car accident that briefly sent her to the hospital. "I think Jeremy is OK, but his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room," manager Buck Showalter said before tonight's game. "I know Roger (McDowell) has talked to him a couple of times. If everything stays...if she gets cleared,...
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Chris Davis, Chris Tillman talk adding Hellickson and losing Kim

Chris Davis, Chris Tillman talk adding Hellickson and losing Kim
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis feels the club's acquisition of pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is a good move for the team. But what if the Orioles also began to look toward the future and dealt one of its key relievers? What if a team 6 ½ games out of the wild card race started to look more toward the future than the present? "For me, it is hard to look that far down the road," Davis said. "Six and half is, I mean, it can change quickly. I don't remember what the exact...
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O's game blog: Kevin Gausman faces Texas in Game 2

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman faces Texas in Game 2
ARLINGTON, Texas - This Orioles road trip began well. Right-hander Kevin Gausman pitched six scoreless innings on Monday in a 5-0 shutout of Tampa Bay, but the Orioles have lost three straight since then by a combined score of 18-7. They lost the series opener at Texas 8-2 last night and are 48-54 heading into tonight's second game of the series. A loss would drop them to a season-high tying seven games under .500, a mark they hit when they were 42-49. Right-hander Chris Tillman gave up nine...
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A look at the Orioles trade for Jeremy Hellickson

A look at the Orioles trade for Jeremy Hellickson
ARLINGTON, Texas - On a night when starter Chris Tillman gave up eight runs and his ERA increased to 7.65, the Orioles added veteran right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson in a trade with Philadelphia. Hellickson should provide some level of upgrade to the Orioles rotation, but the bar has not been set high by a rotation with a combined ERA of 5.98 after last night. Some fans became very nervous at news of the trade last night. The Orioles did not add a top starter here, and they didn't give...
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Chris Tillman allows eight runs as Texas rolls (quotes added)

Chris Tillman allows eight runs as Texas rolls (quotes added)
ARLINGTON, Texas - When Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman faced the Texas Rangers in Baltimore last week, he gave up two hits and one run over six innings. But it was very different for Tillman and his team tonight. After pitching to an ERA of 3.31 his past three starts, Tillman tonight got torched for nine hits and eight runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Rangers hammered the Orioles 8-2 in front of 36,270 at steamy Globe Life Park. Tillman hasn't won since his season debut on May 7. He falls to...
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Showalter on Beltre's upcoming milestone hit (plus a game update)

Showalter on Beltre's upcoming milestone hit (plus a game update)
ARLINGTON, Texas - An Orioles pitcher could throw the pitch that leads to a milestone hit this weekend. Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre has 2,996 hits and needs four to become the 31st member of Major League Baseball's 3,000-hit club. Beltre is coming off a series against Miami where he went 7-for-10 with two walks in the three-game series. The seven hits matched the second-most by a Ranger in a three-game series this season. Beltre went 5-for-15 in the four-game series at Camden Yards last...
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Showalter with a solid report on Santander's first rehab game

Showalter with a solid report on Santander's first rehab game
ARLINGTON, Texas - The rehab assignments at Double-A Bowie for utilityman Ryan Flaherty and outfielder Anthony Santander got off to strong starts last night - at least for three innings. Bowie took an early 9-0 lead over Akron before the game was suspended by rain. Due to be completed today and then followed by another game, that got rained out, too. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter got a positive report on Santander, a player the Orioles took in the December Rule 5 draft who has been on the...
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O'Day on trade talk: "More speculation than I've ever heard before"

O'Day on trade talk: "More speculation than I've ever heard before"
ARLINGTON, Texas - As the non-waiver trade deadline approaches at 4 p.m. on Monday, we could soon have a clearer indication of the thinking of Orioles management. Are they looking to make trades to acquire prospects and build for the future? Are they looking to add to the current team, despite its 48-53 record? Are they looking to do some of both or maybe none of the above? Orioles reliever Darren O'Day is one of the longest-tenured team members. He's been an Oriole since 2012. He said the...
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O's game blog: Chris Tillman starts Texas series opener

O's game blog: Chris Tillman starts Texas series opener
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles begin the second leg of their two-city, six-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series against Texas at Globe Life Park. The Orioles (48-53) won the opener of their series at Tropicana Field and then lost the next two games to Tampa Bay. Texas (49-52) got hammered 22-10 by Miami on Wednesday night but is 4-2 since getting swept four straight in Baltimore last week. The Orioles swept that series by a 34-11 score. The Orioles won the opening game 3-1 and...
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A look at Schoop's longest home runs as O's play final series before trade deadline

A look at Schoop's longest home runs as O's play final series before trade deadline
Jonathan Schoop took a swing and blasted another baseball. This one carried well over the fence for a homer to produce the only Orioles run in a 5-1 loss Wednesday at Tampa Bay. The season of Schoop continues. The 25-year-old from Curacao who often tells reporters how much he just "wants to get better" continues to do just that. Schoop is now three homers from his career high set last year of 25 and 10 RBIs from a career high of 82, also established last season. Through 99 games, he is...
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The coach working with Ryan Mountcastle, plus other notes

The coach working with Ryan Mountcastle, plus other notes
When the Orioles recently moved prospect Ryan Mountcastle up to Double-A Bowie, and also moved him from shortstop to third base, the coach that has been with him a lot this year was there again. Dave Anderson, the Orioles' minor league infield coordinator, is well-versed on Mountcastle and his defense. He was there with him in Sarasota, Fla., at minicamp in Janauary when the Orioles developed a throwing program for the 20-year-old Mountcastle. He has been with Mountcastle often this season at...
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O's game blog: Ubaldo gets the start in series finale (O's lose 5-1)

O's game blog: Ubaldo gets the start in series finale (O's lose 5-1)
After winning 5-0 on Monday and losing 5-4 last night, the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays play a third and deciding game of their series this afternoon. The Orioles have split the first two games of a three-game series seven times this year, and they have gone 6-1 in the decisive third game, including winning four straight such games. The Orioles are 27-21 in American League East games and 12-12 in AL East road games. They have won three, lost two and tied two road AL East series. The Orioles...
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A rally falls short and some prospects talk

A rally falls short and some prospects talk
We've seen the script play out a few too many times in the 2017 season. O's fall behind by a lot of runs early. O's battle back. But the rally comes up short. It did again last night when Tampa Bay scored five runs off left-hander Wade Miley in the second inning and got nothing after that. The Orioles rallied, and when Welington Castillo singled in two runs with two outs in the eighth they were down by just 5-4. But the Orioles left two runners on in the eighth and two on in the ninth, and...
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O's game blog: Looking for two in a row at The Trop

O's game blog: Looking for two in a row at The Trop
Behind Kevin Gausman and three relievers, the Orioles blanked Tampa Bay 5-0 last night to start their six-game road trip. Tonight they play the second game of the series at Tropicana Field. The Orioles (48-51) will play their 100th game. They are 3 1/2 games out of the second wild card, which is held by Kansas City (51-47) right now. But there are seven teams, including Tampa Bay (51-49), within 3 1/2 games of that playoff spot. Since going 0-3 versus the Chicago Cubs to start the second half,...
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Notes on Kevin Gausman, Jonathan Schoop and more

Notes on Kevin Gausman, Jonathan Schoop and more
Pitching, defense and a three-run homer. OK, the Orioles didn't get all three last night, but they did hit a solo homer. It was a nice and tidy 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays and a good start to an important road trip. At least in recent days, the Orioles certainly don't seem to be unnerved by the oncoming non-waiver trade deadline. Since being swept by the Cubs to start the second half, they are 6-2. Still under .500 at 48-51, the Orioles win did knock the Rays, at least for now, out of the...
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O's game blog: Kevin Gausman on mound in road trip opener

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman on mound in road trip opener
For the first time since July 2, the Orioles play an American League East opponent tonight. On that date, they played Tampa Bay and the Rays are the opponent tonight at Tropicana Field to begin a three-game series and six-game road trip. The Orioles are 26-20 against AL East opponents and 5-4 versus the Rays, including a mark of 2-1 at The Trop. Right-hander Kevin Gausman (6-7, 6.11 ERA) will make his team-leading 22nd start. Gausman gave up just one run over six innings last Wednesday against...
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O's minor league playoff contenders and other farm notes

O's minor league playoff contenders and other farm notes
With about six weeks to go in the minor league regular season, five of the seven Orioles minor league teams are either leading for a playoff berth or are within four games of one. Double-A Bowie (53-47) is leading its division in the Eastern League by one game over Erie, two games over Altoona and 2 1/2 over Akron. The top two teams will make the playoffs. Single-A Delmarva (17-12) is leading its division in the South Atlantic League by 1 1/2 games. They play two halves in that league. Single-A...
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Notes on the homestand, Britton's saves and Schoop's RBI tear

Notes on the homestand, Britton's saves and Schoop's RBI tear
It was a strange homestand for the Orioles. They won five. They lost five. There were two sweeps. Orioles pitching gave up 27 runs in getting swept three straight by the Cubs. Then they allowed just four runs in a three-game stretch versus Texas. But then they allowed 30 runs the last four games of the homestand. Yet they won two of those last four games thanks to a resurgent offense that has produce 51 runs the past six games with a .333 average and 13 home runs. "What did we end up, 5-5?"...
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Zach Britton sets an AL record and more from today's win

Zach Britton sets an AL record and more from today's win
On a day when the Orioles scored nine runs on 14 hits, a pitching performance was pretty noteworthy as well. In the Orioles' 9-7 win over Houston, closer Zach Britton set an American League saves record. Britton converted his 55th straight save to break a tie for the most consecutive in the AL at 54 with Tom Gordon. It is a streak that began Oct. 1, 2015. The major league record is a staggering 84 in a row by the Dodgers' Eric Gagne that went from Aug. 28, 2002 to July 3, 2004. It also could...
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