More pregame notes before first pitch (Gonzalez strikes out 10, O's win 4-3)

The tarp is off the field at Camden Yards. Players are getting loose, relievers are walking to the bullpen and lineup cards are being exchanged at homeplate. It's almost time for the anthem and first pitch.

The AC/DC song "Let's Play Ball" is blaring on the PA system. Sounds like a good idea.

Wei-Yin Chen is the 11th left-hander in Orioles history to record 400 or more strikeouts.

Who can name the other 10?

Andrew Miller threw 28 pitches in 1 2/3 innings last night, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter wouldn't be surprised if the left-hander is available again tonight.

Miller recorded the save by getting the last five outs and striking out three. The Orioles could have used him last night, but sticker shock prevented them from re-signing him.

Though the Orioles wanted to keep Miller, they never jumped into the bidding for him over the winter. They weren't going to come close to the Yankees' final offer of four years and $36 million.

What ran through manager Buck Showalter's mind as he watched Miller pitch last night?

"God bless him and them," he said. "It's an excuse if we want to embrace it, but you don't see the Yankees and the Red Sox and the Dodgers doing Rule 5 picks, do you? That's how we got (T.J.) McFarland and (Ryan) Flaherty and we might end up with (Jason) Garcia. But it's a process. You can't just all of the sudden bring (Garcia) in to certain games at this time. And with your closer, that means you operate with five guys down there for a little while until you figure out what you've got.

"We might like it. We might like T.J. McFarland a lot if he's in our rotation next year. Ryan has already done some good things for us. So that's OK. We have to do those things. So instead of sitting around wallowing in self pity, play better, figure out a way, draft better. Six-year (minor league free agents) better, out-opportunity people, the Rule 5 draft.

"Nobody wants to hear about the excuses. Get better."

The Orioles' reluctance to pursue Miller as a free agent extended beyond the money.

"I think with Andrew, there are things you have to consider. There's a lot of things you have to consider, not just financial," Showalter said without elaborating.

"We've got more than enough money and our ownership's been more than supportive. I think we have maybe the highest payroll ever here. You kidding? We've got more than enough. If you don't believe me, ask Tampa. So that's a very convenient excuse that I don't want to hear. But you've got to be careful about robbing from Peter to pay Paul. So we have to be innovative and try to get as ahead of things as we can.

"It was a given when we traded for Andrew that it was going to be hard to keep him, but it was worth rolling the dice last year and we'll do it again. We can't be in the business of paying four years to get two."

Here are the pitching matchups for the four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park:

Friday: Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Joe Kelly
Saturday: Chris Tillman vs. Clay Buchholz
Sunday: Miguel Gonzalez vs. Rick Porcello
Monday: Wei-Yin Chen vs. Justin Masterson

Update: Adam Jones is on fire.

Jones hit another home run in the first inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. He's 11-for-15 with four homers in five games on the homestand.

Jones is 18-for-57 (.316) with four home runs and 13 RBIs lifetime against CC Sabathia.

Update II: Jones lifted a sacrifice fly to right field in the third inning to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead and increase his RBI total to 11.

Everth Cabrera led off with a walk and Manny Machado singled.

Miguel Gonzalez has thrown 58 pitches in three innings.

Update III: Caleb Joseph collected his first RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly in the fourth after Delmon Young reached on an infield hit and advanced on Sabathia's wild pitch. Young is 2-for-2 tonight and the Orioles lead 3-0.

Update IV: Gonzalez lost his shutout bid in the sixth on Mark Teixeira's RBI double with two outs.

Kevin Gausman began to warm in the Orioles bullpen and Gonzalez figures to be done at 94 pitches, 65 for strikes. He's allowed one run and four hits in six innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Update V: Gonzalez came back out for the seventh and struck out the side. Guess he had more in the tank.

Gonzalez allowed one run and four hits in seven innings, with one walk and a career-high 10 strikeouts.

Joseph produced his first career triple leading off the bottom of the seventh and he scored on Cabrera's sacrifice fly to give the Orioles a 4-1 lead.

Update VI: The Yankees scored twice off Gausman in the eighth on Carlos Beltran's grounder and Alejandro De Aza's error in left field. De Aza raced back on Teixeira's fly ball and dropped it.

Zach Britton retired Brian McCann on a ground ball. He's going for a four-out save.

The Orioles bullpen has been scored upon in all eight games.

Update VII: Britton retired all four batters he faced to record his second save in a 4-3 victory over the Yankees.

The Orioles are 4-4 through eight games.

Britton induced four ground balls, the last by pinch-hitter Alex Rodriguez.