Jones, Davis and Norris comment after O's win over Toronto

Jones, Davis and Norris comment after O's win over Toronto
During a day that produced some big hits, big plays and big outs recorded by pitchers in key spots, there were some hustle plays that paid off big for the Orioles, too. After a stirring 3-2 win over Toronto, Adam Jones cited one of those plays. In the fourth inning, Delmon Young singled and scampered from first to third with one out on Ryan Flaherty's bloop single. Young then scored on a Nick Hundley sac fly. Jones also was involved in a hustle play when he was running hard up the line on a...
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Norris gets the win, Davis homers as O's edge Jays 3-2

Norris gets the win, Davis homers as O's edge Jays 3-2
With a seventh-inning assist from Darren O'Day and an eighth-inning assist from his defense, Bud Norris pitched another strong game for the Orioles today. Norris gave up just one run over 6 2/3 innings as the Orioles edged Toronto 3-2. The Orioles improved to 35-32 and moved back to within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Blue Jays. Following up on his eight scoreless innings against Boston, Norris gave up seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 112 pitches, one shy of his...
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O's game blog: Bud Norris on the mound for Game 3 against Toronto

O's game blog: Bud Norris on the mound for Game 3 against Toronto
Four of the last five Orioles games have ended with the losing team being shut out. The Orioles are 2-2 in those games. The Birds pitching staff is on a five-game roll: * The team ERA is 1.20 with 26 hits allowed over 45 innings. * The starters' ERA is 1.09 with five consecutive quality starts, a season-high. * The bullpen ERA is 1.50 with four hits allowed in 12 innings. Today, Bud Norris (5-5, 3.94 ERA) faces R.A. Dickey (6-4, 4.20 ERA) as we enjoy day baseball on a beautiful afternoon at...
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Machado on his offense, Showalter on facing a knuckleballer

Machado on his offense, Showalter on facing a knuckleballer
Is Manny Machado's bat beginning to heat up? After a five-game stretch where he went 0-for-17, Machado is 4-for-7 with two doubles the last two games. He had three hits last night. He has been moved back to the second spot in the batting order for today's game. When asked if his bat is starting to get going after last night, Machado was honest to say he needs to see more evidence. "No, not yet. Not yet," he said. "Just because I got three hits doesn't mean anything. Just a good day....
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Bud Norris can bring the heat, but changeup has become big pitch for him

Bud Norris can bring the heat, but changeup has become big pitch for him
After Bud Norris pitched eight scoreless innings Monday night against Boston, a lot of the postgame talk was how effective the right-hander's changeup was that night. Norris gave up just three hits in that win. After he gave up a leadoff single to start the game, he retired the next 13 Red Sox hitters. He was rolling. Even though Norris estimates he threw just 12 or 15 changeups out of 98 pitches, the pitch gives him another weapon in his arsenal. "It is something I've always worked on,"...
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Jimenez, Joseph and Machado talk after O's loss to Toronto

Jimenez, Joseph and Machado talk after O's loss to Toronto
After pitching to an ERA of 7.04 over his last five starts and coming off an outing in which he got just seven outs, Ubaldo Jimenez felt like he took a step forward tonight. "Yeah, I had a really tough game before this one so this is a good sign," he said after the Orioles' 4-0 loss. "I was able to be there for the team and forget about my last start. "Was able to hang in there for the team and at least get a quality start. I still had a lot of walks and still need to work on that. But I...
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O's get fifth straight quality start, get blanked by Toronto 4-0

O's get fifth straight quality start, get blanked by Toronto 4-0
The Orioles got another quality start tonight and a decent outing from Ubaldo Jimenez, but they could not back him with any offense and lost 4-0 to Toronto in front of the season's fourth sellout of 44,031 at Camden Yards. The Orioles got shut out for the sixth time on the year and second time in the last four games. Toronto starter Drew Hutchison pitched well against the Orioles for the third time in three starts this year. He gave up six hits over seven innings to improve to 5-4 with an...
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O's game blog: It's Jimenez against Hutchison tonight at Camden Yards

O's game blog: It's Jimenez against Hutchison tonight at Camden Yards
Over the last four games, the Orioles pitching staff has allowed zero, one, zero and two runs. That's three runs over the last four games for an ERA of 0.75 to lead the majors in that time. Can Ubaldo Jimenez keep that run going tonight? The right-hander is 2-7 with an ERA of 5.01 in 13 starts. The Orioles are 3-10 in those games, losing five of his last six starts. Jimenez lasted just 2 1/3 innings Sunday, giving up six runs and five walks against Oakland. He has given up five runs or more...
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Hardy on turning double plays with Schoop; Aberdeen's lineup and more

Hardy on turning double plays with Schoop; Aberdeen's lineup and more
Given the chance to turn a double play these days, the Orioles are turning it. J.J. Hardy at short and Jonathan Schoop at second have become a formidable combination in the middle of the diamond for the club. This afternoon, Hardy threw some praise Schoop's way. "From the first time I saw him turn a double play from second base, I thought he was extremely quick. He has good hands," Hardy said. "After I feed him or Manny (Machado) feeds him, he turns the ball well with a strong arm. He's...
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Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season tonight (O's release Clark)

Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season tonight (O's release Clark)
The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season in the New York-Penn League tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Hudson Valley. Coming off the first playoff appearance in the 12-year history of the franchise, the IronBirds will play their first seven games on the road and open at home a week from tonight against Brooklyn at Ripken Stadium. Former big league catcher Matt Merullo, who led the club to a 40-32 record last season, returns as manager. Justin Lord is the pitching coach and Scott...
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The pitching roll continues, Markakis and Young speak, plus a take on Gausman

The pitching roll continues, Markakis and Young speak, plus a take on Gausman
The Orioles' pitching roll continued last night, even though they gave up twice as many runs in the game against Toronto as they had the previous three games. They gave up two last night and had allowed just one in the three-game series against Boston. That is a team ERA of 0.75 over the last four games for Orioles pitchers. After the win last night, Nick Markakis talked about the recent run of solid pitching and how Kevin Gausman kept it going against Toronto. "It's big," Markakis said....
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Kevin Gausman: "I feel good about what I've done" (plus Markakis and Young quotes)

Kevin Gausman: "I feel good about what I've done" (plus Markakis and Young quotes)
If there are some rotation decisions coming for the Orioles, Kevin Gausman has certainly stated his case. He has given up just two runs over 13 innings on this homestand, pitching the Orioles past two first-place clubs in Oakland and Toronto. "I feel good about what I've done," Gausman said. "I feel comfortable right now. It's not my decision, so whatever happens will be for the club's best interest. "Any time we win against the team that is leading the AL East, it's always good for...
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Gausman gets win, Young homers as O's take series opener

Gausman gets win, Young homers as O's take series opener
Kevin Gausman pitched well against another division-leading team and Delmon Young hit a two-run homer in the first inning as the Orioles beat Toronto 4-2 in the opener of a key AL East series at Camden Yards. With the win the Birds moved to within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Blue Jays. They are 15-7 at home against Toronto since the start of the 2012 season. Baltimore pitchers have allowed three runs total the past four games. Meanwhile, Toronto (39-29) lost for the fifth time in six...
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O's game blog: Gausman against Buehrle in series opener

O's game blog: Gausman against Buehrle in series opener
The Toronto Blue Jays are leading the American League East by 4 1/2 games and play 10 of their next 13 games against the Orioles and Yankees, the two teams currently tied for second place. The division race could get real interesting over this stretch. This game is set to start on time following an afternoon of rain that has kept a lot of fans away. It's a small crowd with the possibility of more rain later. The Blue Jays' run against their closest pursuers begins as the O's are set to...
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O's sign five draft picks, introduce top picks at Camden Yards

O's sign five draft picks, introduce top picks at Camden Yards
The Orioles are well on their way to signing the large majority of their 38 picks selected in the recent First-Year Player Draft. The club today announced the signings of five players: * Third-round pick left-handed pitcher Brian Gonzalez from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. * Fourth-round pick, right-handed pitcher Pat Connaughton from Notre Dame. * Fifth-round pick right-handed pitcher David Hess from Tenessee Tech. * Eighth-round pick second baseman Steve...
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Miguel Gonzalez updates his status and talks about pitching in Bowie

Miguel Gonzalez updates his status and talks about pitching in Bowie
Currently on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, O's right-hander Miguel Gonzalez was back in the Baltimore clubhouse today after pitching a rehab outing last night at Double-A Bowie. Over 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the Baysox, he gave up four hits against New Hampshire on Wednesday night at Prince George's Stadium. He walked one, fanned five and threw 70 pitches. He said he feels fine today. "At first I was a little timid, first inning, just trying it out. After that I got...
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Dylan Bundy talks about his comeback and joining the IronBirds

Dylan Bundy talks about his comeback and joining the IronBirds
ABERDEEN, Md. - As the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery approaches, Dylan Bundy's comeback is about to take a significant step forward when he pitches for short-season, Single-A Aberdeen on Sunday at Hudson Valley. After pitching in several games in Florida at extended spring training, Bundy is about to pitch in a game that counts for the first time since Sept. 25, 2012 when he threw a scoreless inning for the Orioles against Toronto. He had hoped to make it to a minor league...
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Chen on his outing, Davis on his bat after O's beat Boston

Chen on his outing, Davis on his bat after O's beat Boston
Wei-Yin Chen went seven innings for the third time this season tonight. For the first time, he did not allow any runs as the Orioles beat Boston 6-0. Now 7-2 with an ERA of 3.76, Chen gave up just four singles in his 87-pitch outing. "I felt great out there pitching," Chen said through his interpreter. "I was glad to help the team get a win. In previous outings, I could not go deep in the game, but today I was able to do that. I'm happy about that, especially against the Red Sox. I gained...
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Chen tosses seven scoreless innings as O's beat Boston in series finale

Chen tosses seven scoreless innings as O's beat Boston in series finale
Wei-Yin Chen retired the first 11 batters he faced tonight and pitched seven scoreless innings as the Orioles beat Boston 6-0 in a rain-delayed win over the Red Sox in front of 25,886 at Camden Yards. The game was halted by rain before the last of the seventh at 9:11 p.m. It resumed after a 1-hour, 38-minute delay with just a few hundred hearty fans remaining to see the end as the O's took two of three in the series. Orioles pitchers gave up just one run this entire series over 27 innings,...
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Kevin Gausman got some major props for recent outing against Oakland

Kevin Gausman got some major props for recent outing against Oakland
Kevin Gausman's best start as a major league pitcher was last Saturday night against Oakland. Now he'll try to do that two times in a row. Gausman went seven innings, allowing just four hits and one run against the A's. He walked one, fanned six and threw 102 pitches. After Sunday's game he got a great compliment from the Oakland clubhouse. The A's are one of the American League's highest scoring teams and Branden Moss is one of their middle of the order hitters. "That guy, I got to...
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