Miguel Gonzalez didn't have a bad outing today, but for the first time since Aug. 2, he did not record a quality start.
He gave up two solo homers and three runs over 5 2/3 innings as Boston beat the Orioles 3-2.
"I thought it was better than last outing," Gonzalez said. "I felt good. Couple more days of rest. Everything looked good, just a couple of bad pitches, mistakes, and they were able to capitalize on that.
"I'm a flyball pitcher and that is going to happen. Wasn't truly happy...
It was not a great ending to the Orioles 2014 regular season home schedule. The Orioles were held to six hits in a 3-2 loss to Boston.
Of course, there will be more baseball here in October.
This was just the fifth series loss in 22 this season by the Orioles to an American League East team. The O's finished 11-8 against Boston and are 44-25 in division games.
The Orioles concluded a 7-3 homestand where they allowed just 21 runs.
The game drew a crowd of 38,329, making the O's season home...
Miguel Gonzalez (9-8, 3.28 ERA) gets the start this afternoon as the Orioles host Boston in the final 2014 regular-season home game.
Over his last four starts, Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 1.27 ERA. In 11 starts since July 5, he is 5-3 with a 2.03 ERA.
Gonzalez has recorded six straight quality starts since Aug. 7, the longest run by an O's starter this season. His career-best is eight in a row from June 6-July 20, 2013.
During these six starts, Gonzalez is 4-2 with a 1.55 ERA.
Right-hander Joe...
He got off to a fast start this season and now he is enjoying a strong finish. Today it culminated in Nelson Cruz being named the Most Valuable Oriole.
Cruz is batting .269 with 32 doubles, 39 homers, 105 RBIs, a .527 slugging percentage and .862 OPS.
"I have to thank my Lord for the help, and, you know, my teammates," Cruz said. "Without them this wouldn't be possible. Also to you guys (the press), you've been very kind.
"I think the most important thing is where we are right now....
With their 93rd win last night, the 2014 Orioles matched the 2012 Orioles. The current club has eight games left to make a run at 100 wins.
The last O's club to win 100 or more games was the 1980 Orioles, who went 100-62 - and missed the playoffs.
The Orioles have five 100-win seasons in club history and this team still has a shot at one.
It is looking now like Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez are lined up to pitch the first two games of the American League Division Series. Tillman is...
Chris Tillman pitched a strong game after a shaky start. The Orioles hit three home runs. And order was restored at Camden Yards with the O's back in the win column.
Adam Jones homered twice and Christian Walker hit the first of his career as the Orioles beat Boston 7-2 to improve to 93-61 with eight games left.
The 93 wins matches the total of the 2012 Orioles.
Tillman recorded his 20th straight start, allowing three earned runs or less. He ties Steve Barber for the second-longest streak...
Chris Tillman has a lot to pitch for tonight.
Besides getting the Orioles even in this series and keeping them in range of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, there are some other factors as well.
If Tillman allows three earned runs or fewer tonight, he will have 20 straight such starts to tie for the second-best streak by an Oriole. Also he needs to pitch at least 5 2/3 innings to reach the 200-inning mark for the second straight season.
Over this 19-start run, which started June...
Kevin Gausman gave up two homers. Darren O'Day gave up one. The Orioles made three errors and allowed two unearned runs. The Orioles lost.
Yeah, it was not their best night.
Should we be concerned? Only if... oh never mind.
Buck Showalter gave some players the night off and they lost. Are the two related? Maybe, but I repeat my point. This team needs to rest up for the postseason. Playing guys every day to push for a goal of home-field advantage is not smart. Time to gear up to try to get...
It was a rare sight at Camden Yards most of this season, but it happened tonight for the third time this month.
Darren O'Day gave up a home run.
David Ortiz hit a two-run shot to right off O'Day in the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Orioles tonight.
O'Day has given up just six homers on the season, but three have come over his last eight appearances. Ortiz connected after Xander Bogaerts reached on a one-out error by third baseman Kelly Johnson. It was his...
Kevin Gausman can achieve an Orioles first for this season tonight. No Orioles starter has had four straight starts of seven innings or more and Gausman has three straight heading into his outing against Boston.
Gausman (7-7, 3.57 ERA) pitches against Boston's 24-year-old right-hander, Allen Webster (4-3, 6.02 ERA).
Gausman has an ERA of 2.53 in 21 1/3 innings over those three starts with eight walks, 21 strikeouts and a .221 batting average against.
In his first 15 starts, Gausman averaged...
We can laugh about it now.
It was the afternoon of Aug. 24 and the Orioles lost 2-1 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Orioles were swept three straight and their American League East lead was down from nine games to six.
There was panic coming from some circles.
One poster wrote commented with this on that Sunday:
* "As NO ONE sees us as a true threat despite being in first place. We are a mirage. So many think we still fold and blow this season.
This is what others mean by run...
With just 10 games remaining, the Orioles' pursuit of the best record in the American League and top seed in the playoffs may not be very realistic.
Sure, they'd like to catch and/or pass the Los Angeles Angels for the top record, but they are three games behind with just 10 to play.
To me, the bigger goal now in these final games is setting up the team to make a run at 11 postseason wins and a World Series title rather than pushing to gain one additional home playoff game.
Buck Showalter...
After he hit two homers tonight, Steve Pearce almost got hit. Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez threw a pitch high and tight toward Pearce in the seventh inning. It hit his bat and not him, but it was curious to say the least.
Pearce was asked if he thought Sanchez threw at him.
"I don't know. You have to ask him that. No idea," he said.
Was it somewhat scary considering the Orioles are now just 10 games away from the postseason?
"It's baseball," Pearce said. "It's scary as a hitter....
In their first game as official American League East champions, the Orioles did what they've been doing a lot of lately - they won.
Steve Pearce hit a pair of homers and Bud Norris pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings as the Orioles beat Toronto 6-1 in front of 37,537 at Camden Yards.
The Orioles improved to 92-60 and swept the three-game series. They are a season-high 32 games over .500, the most they've been over that mark since the 1997 Orioles finished the year 98-64.
The Orioles are 6-1 on...
It is always fun to see a player make his major league debut and Christian Walker will do that tonight as he bats seventh and plays first base for the Orioles.
The club's minor league Player of the Year figures to see a lot of action in the remaining 11 regular-season games.
This season, his power numbers increased while he continued to hit for a high average. In 2013, Walker batted .300 with 11 homers and 56 RBIs. In 2014, he hit .288 with 26 homers and 96 RBIs between Double-A Bowie and...
The Orioles clubhouse was a much quieter place today but there were still plenty of smiles and the usual loose atmosphere.
I asked Adam Jones about his lap around the stadium last night where he interacted with fans, high-fived many of them and was hugging some.
"They haven't celebrated here in Baltimore since '69," Jones said. "Sure most of the people that stayed around weren't born yet. Some were. That was pretty cool to share with the city that supports you. You could see the...
Well, what a special night at Camden Yards and what a special team. It was a night 17 years in the making, and the Orioles and their fans can claim supremacy again in the American League East.
It was pretty much perfect, wasn't it?
The Orioles players deserve credit for so many reasons. For overcoming injuries and adversity. For playing so hard and bringing their best every night. For taking charge of this division out of the All-Star break which began with a tough West Coast trip. For...
Here are some Orioles clubhouse quotes compiled amidst the celebrating:
J.J. Hardy on winning the American League East: "Starting in spring training you work for this and this is the first goal. Now the next goal is to continue playing for a long time."
Hardy on Ubaldo Jimenez tonight: "We all feel for Ubaldo. He's been working hard. He's been doing everything and team has asked and he's gone through a tough stretch. For him to throw the way he did tonight and get the win is awesome....
The Baltimore Orioles are the 2014 American League East champions.
The Orioles picked up two early home runs and got five effective innings from Ubaldo Jimenez tonight to beat Toronto 8-2 in front of 35,257 screaming fans at an electric Camden Yards.
This is the Orioles' ninth AL East title in team history and first since 1997.
They improved to 91-60 for the season and clinched a berth in the American League Division Series with 11 games to play.
The Orioles have won nine of 10 and 18 of...
Nick Markakis is in his ninth season with the Orioles and he's finally going to get to play in the postseason, it appears. With the Orioles magic number at one, their next win will give the Orioles their ninth division title.
Markakis has played for losing Orioles teams, and was on the 2012 squad, but his season ended when he got hit by a pitch a few weeks shy of that postseason.
"I think it means a little more to me because this is all I know," Markakis said this afternoon. "This is the...
