O's notes and quotes before the Cincinnati series begins

O's notes and quotes before the Cincinnati series begins
Even with a loss on Monday afternoon, the Orioles are having a pretty good homestand. They have gone 3-1 in both series and are 6-2 with three games left on the homestand. The Orioles have outscored their opponents 47-27 during these last eight games, with a team batting average of .279, scoring 5.9 runs per game and with a team ERA of 3.00. Monday's loss was just the 11th by the Orioles this year when they hit two or more homers. They are now 41-11 with a multi-homer game. Kevin Gausman had...
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Postgame comments from Gausman, Hundley and Davis

Postgame comments from Gausman, Hundley and Davis
Kevin Gausman had pitched a total of nine innings, allowing 12 hits and six runs in his previous two starts. But he took a step forward today. He took a shutout into the sixth and gave up four earned runs over a career-high 7 1/3 innings against Minnesota as the Twins won 6-4. "Thought I threw the ball where I wanted to," Gausman said. "A lot of their hitters are down hitters, so I think fastball up was a big pitch for me today. It (stinks) that I walked the leadoff guy in the eighth...
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Twins score three in eighth to beat O's, take series finale

Twins score three in eighth to beat O's, take series finale
The Orioles rallied once from three runs down, but they could not do it twice. Taking advantage of a Jimmy Paredes error, the Twins scored three in the eighth today to snap a 3-3 tie and beat the Orioles 6-4 at Camden Yards. Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer, his 36th, in the ninth to bring the Orioles to within two runs, but that was as close as they got in the final inning. The Orioles come up a win short in their bid for a four-game sweep and fall to 79-57. Kevin Gausman took the mound in the...
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O's game blog: Orioles look for four-game sweep of Twins

O's game blog: Orioles look for four-game sweep of Twins
The Orioles today play their final regular season game against an American League Central opponent. With a win today they will have a winning record over the Central at 17-16. Just as long as there is no pressure. The Orioles have won seven straight games against AL Central opponents dating back to Aug. 17 and Sunday's win evened their record against the division for the season. The Orioles also have a chance for their first home four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles did sweep...
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Joe Saunders and Kelly Johnson talk about joining the Orioles

Joe Saunders and Kelly Johnson talk about joining the Orioles
He was an Oriole for several weeks late in the 2012 season and he pitched the Orioles to a Wild Card playoff win over the Texas Rangers. Now 34-year-old left-hander Joe Saunders is back with the Orioles and will be added to the team as rosters can expand to as many as 40 players starting today. After being released this season by Texas and Kansas City, the Orioles signed him to a minor league deal Aug. 5 and sent him to Triple-A Norfolk to pitch out of the bullpen. "It's awesome,"...
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Flaherty and Lough score big off bench, plus Sisco pursues a batting title

Flaherty and Lough score big off bench, plus Sisco pursues a batting title
If you list a job description for Adam Jones it might include driving in runs and showing leadership. For Chris Tillman it might include anchor the top of the rotation. For other players that job description might be less clear cut, but for players like Ryan Flaherty and David Lough it must includes the words 'be ready.' That pair combined for five hits, four runs and three RBIs in the Orioles' 12-8 win over Minnesota on Sunday. Flaherty went 2-for-5 with a triple and three-run homer....
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De Aza talks about joining O's (plus clubhouse quotes after 12-8 win)

De Aza talks about joining O's (plus clubhouse quotes after 12-8 win)
Well, he did miss his first flight and didn't arrive until the fourth inning, but new O's outfielder Alejandro De Aza is now settling into the Orioles clubhouse. He talked briefly with reporters after today's game. "I did miss my first flight, but I'm happy to be here. Glad to be here," he said. "It's great, at the same time I get to know a lot of people there. This is part of the business. One day you're here, another day you can be somewhere else." De Aza was asked about jumping...
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Hardy with a grand slam, Flaherty with a three-run shot as O's top Twins

Hardy with a grand slam, Flaherty with a three-run shot as O's top Twins
The Orioles have not lost this year when they have hit three or more homers in a game. Today, they produced eight runs on three swings in a 12-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles have taken the first three games of this series that ends here tomorrow. Now at 79-56, they are a season-high 23 games over .500 and have opened a nine-game lead over the Yankees atop the American League East. The game featured a grand slam by J.J. Hardy, a three-run shot by Ryan Flaherty and a solo blast...
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O's game blog: It's Chen against Nolasco today at Camden Yards

O's game blog: It's Chen against Nolasco today at Camden Yards
Hosting the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards, the Orioles look for their 79th win of the season here this afternoon. They are currently 5-1 in the middle of an 11-game homestand. After last night's 3-2 win, the Orioles are 27-19 in one-run games including a 16-6 mark at home. Five of the last seven Orioles games have been decided by two runs or fewer. Darren O'Day pitched a scoreless eighth inning last night on just 10 pitches. O'Day has allowed one earned run over his last 27 games,...
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Trade winds and another game win for the Orioles

Trade winds and another game win for the Orioles
The Orioles are adding wins and players while reducing their magic number. Guess it's all good these days in Birdland. Who remembers that series sweep in Wrigley Field now? Last night's win puts the Orioles a season-high 22 games over .500 at 78-56, and their lead atop the American League East is eight games. The Orioles are 5-1 on this homestand and they are 20-6 in their last 26 home games. They also made two trades last night, one during and one after the game. The Orioles acquired...
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O's game blog: Chris Tillman has a 1.26 ERA in August

O's game blog: Chris Tillman has a  1.26 ERA in August
It is a distant memory now, but from May 21 to June 5, Chris Tillman had an ERA of 12.56 over a four-start stretch that twice included him not getting a single out in the second inning. Looking at how well Tillman is pitching now and with his current stats, it is hard to believe that actually happened. But it did. On June 5, Tillman's ERA was 5.20 and now he is 11-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 28 starts. Heading into tonight's start against Minnesota, Tillman is riding a streak of 15 straight starts...
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Caleb Joseph on Miguel Gonzalez's strong outing, plus other notes

Caleb Joseph on Miguel Gonzalez's strong outing, plus other notes
For the second time in five games, the Orioles posted a 9-1 win last night. They have certainly bounced back well from the Cubs series, where they were swept three straight and scored four total runs. In five games since then, they are 4-1, outscoring their opponents 28-11. Chris Davis hit a grand slam, Delmon Young hit a disputed two-run homer and Steve Pearce got hurt. With all of that happening, it was easy to overlook Miguel Gonzalez. But there he was pitching well again for the Orioles....
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Pearce updates his abdominal issue, with Gardenhire's postgame reaction

Pearce updates his abdominal issue, with Gardenhire's postgame reaction
The Orioles' Steve Pearce will have an MRI in the morning. He left tonight's game before the top of the fourth inning with a right abdominal strain. Pearce said it was not that painful, and he felt it could be a very short-term injury. The Orioles want to try and resolve this before it gets any worse. When did Pearce first become aware of this issue? "Yesterday," he said. "Taking some swings felt some discomfort. Was hoping it was just cramps. Felt it again today, so right now it's just...
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Tough day for May: Davis' grand slam leads O's over Twins

Tough day for May: Davis' grand slam leads O's over Twins
For the Orioles, no double steal was needed tonight. The longball returned to the offense. Twins' starter Trevor May opened the door and the O's kicked it in with a couple of big swings in a 9-1 romp over Minnesota in the opener of a four-game series. The Orioles are 77-56 and tie their season high in moving 21 games over the .500 mark. Making his fourth major league start, the 24-year-old May sailed through the first three innings on just 43 pitches. But his control eluded him in the...
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O's game blog: Miguel Gonzalez on mound as Twins-O's series begins

O's game blog: Miguel Gonzalez on mound as Twins-O's series begins
After taking three of four from Tampa Bay, this long Orioles' homestand continues here tonight as the Orioles begin a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles lost two of three May 2-4 at Target Field and were outscored 11-6. Twins pitchers posted an ERA of 2.00 in that series. Minnesota is approaching a milestone home run in the history of its franchise. The Twins (since 1961)/Senators (since 1901) franchise has hit 9,999 home runs, needing one to reach 10,000 and become...
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Cruz talks about possibility of contract extension with the Orioles

Cruz talks about possibility of contract extension with the Orioles
The Orioles' Nelson Cruz said there is a lot to like about his situation with the team. A free agent at the end of this season, the major league's home run leader said that the Orioles have approached him about a possible contract extension. Cruz signed a one-year deal for $8 million, which has turned into a bargain for the Orioles, on Feb. 24. He is batting .256 with 34 homers, 88 RBIs, a .510 slugging percentage and an .834 OPS. "Just means they are interested," Cruz said this...
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Jones on scoreboard watching and the Orioles' bullpen, plus other notes

Jones on scoreboard watching and the Orioles' bullpen, plus other notes
After the latest Orioles' win last night over Tampa Bay, Adam Jones said the players do indeed check out the standings sometimes. Right now, it shows them leading the American League East by seven games over the New York Yankees. "We'd be lying if we said we aren't looking," Jones said. "That is just human nature. But we also know that we have to take care of our business. It doesn't matter what the Yankees or Toronto do if we don't take of ours, it all goes for nothing." The series...
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Jones on steal of home, Miller on first O's win and more from the clubhouse

Jones on steal of home, Miller on first O's win and more from the clubhouse
In the first inning tonight the Orioles got two runs - one with power and one with speed. We don't always see the Orioles get a run on the bases, but after a Steve Pearce homer, the O's had Nelson Cruz on first and Adam Jones on third and one out. The Orioles then pulled off a double steal. It led to Jones stealing home, the O's first steal of home since Robert Andino against Atlanta on June 14, 2009. "Just a play we don't use often but we know it's in our little bag of tricks. No...
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Hardy's single in seventh gives Orioles a 5-4 win over Rays

Hardy's single in seventh gives Orioles a 5-4 win over Rays
Sometimes you need a bloop and a blast and sometimes a bloop alone will do. J.J. Hardy's bloop RBI single in the seventh inning drove in the tiebreaking run as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 5-4. The Orioles win the series, three games to one, and are 76-56 for the season. They gained a game on New York after the Yankees lost this afternoon and now lead the AL East by seven games. Tied 4-4 in the seventh, Nelson Cruz doubled to left with two outs off Kirby Yates. Then Tampa Bay elected to...
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O's game blog: Birds aim for series win in finale

O's game blog: Birds aim for series win in finale
The Orioles need a win tonight against Tampa Bay to extend a four-series winning streak in American League East games. The O's lead this series two wins to one. In fact, the Orioles have lost just one of their last 13 AL East series, winning 10 and tying two others. They are 11-3-2 in division series for the season. The Orioles have gone 32-20 (.615) against the East this season, posting the best in-division winning percentage in the AL and the second-best in the majors. Per STATS, the O's...
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