Orioles push aside their losses to post win over Yankees (with quotes)

NEW YORK - A sense of loss stayed glued to the Orioles this morning, hours before they registered a rare win on the road.

Dylan Bundy spoke of how much he's going to miss Kevin Gausman, his former teammate and a close friend who was traded yesterday to the Braves. Third base coach Bobby Dickerson wiped tears from his cheeks, fought to regain his composure and recounted his days in the minors with second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who was shipped to the Brewers.

Players are regarded as "trade chips" in the media, but that's not how they're viewed inside the clubhouse, on charter flights and in each other's homes.

"He's one of my better friends and we kind of thought it was coming but weren't sure if it was actually going to happen," Bundy said before the Orioles' 7-5 victory at Yankee Stadium. "He's with a new team now and he's going to concentrate on winning with a new team. We've just got to move on and try to get better for the future here."

The changes came in rapid succession following the All-Star break. Manny Machado and Zach Britton were the biggest names removed from the roster, but they weren't the last. Brad Brach was traded to the Braves on Sunday after the final game of the homestand, and Gausman and Schoop made it under yesterday's non-waiver wire.

Guys like Bundy, under team control through 2021, are left to pick up the pieces and find motivation at least through the early part of a rebuild that will continue to exclude them from postseason play.

"I think we all saw it coming and we realize, especially after we traded Manny that other trades were going to be coming soon," Bundy said. "You can kind of see what the front office is doing here and what they want to accomplish here in the future."

A lasting image from yesterday was Gausman with watery eyes cutting short his answers to the media and finally lifting his T-shirt to his face with no tissues handy.

The emotions were shared with Bundy, of course. That's what friends are for.

"We both did," Bundy said. "We were able to hang out again last night because I think the Braves are coming up here to New York one more time and say our goodbyes and wish each other luck and we'll be in touch again this offseason."

The sadness wasn't one-sided. Bundy, typically monotone and stoic, had to hold down his emotions.

"He was one of my better friends," said Bundy, chosen in the first round one year behind Gausman. "I could lean on him in 2016. Me and him have been together for it seems like five or six years now."

Bundy wasn't immune to the trade rumors and the uncertainty over his future with the Orioles. Executive vice president Dan Duquette fielded offers for him. The interest kept building and the Orioles ultimately held onto him.

"I didn't know anything," Bundy said. "Traded or not traded, I didn't really know. I was just waiting until 4 and if I didn't hear anything, I'd go about my day.

"If you get called in the office or get a phone call, you're probably getting traded. That didn't happen and I'm going to concentrate on getting better for this team and be here for these guys."

Dickerson sought a modicum of privacy while talking to a couple members of the media before today's game. He leaned against a wall outside the clubhouse and grappled for the right words, trying to choke them out and apologizing for the tears.

He joked about putting good thoughts in his head to spin his emotions. Otherwise, we were going to be standing in that hallway all morning.

It wasn't just the goodbye that tugged at Dickerson's heart. He had no idea if he'd ever be reunited with Schoop, who's playing in the National League.

"He's like a son," Dickerson said, unable to continue. More time passed. He fought through it, his words halted at times.

"A little boy on a dirt field," Dickerson said. "For me, he's the epitome of what you look for. He's a smart baseball player. His organization matters to him, people matter to him and he's a super talent. Power-hitting middle infielder with great makeup. I don't know ...

"You dream of those players. You really do. You dream of getting them and you get them and you get close to them. I've been doing this a long time. I've had some really good defensive players. I've had some really good offensive players. But good defense, great makeup. It's tough.

"To get so close to him through the years, the finality of it that he's gone. Truthfully, potentially, I may never see him again. Lives change. I'm sure I'll see him, vacation in Curacao or something like that. But I'm talking about, if he's in the National League and we don't play them, I may not see him. Careers change, my career changes and goes in a different direction.

"There's a human element here, not just professional. It's a rough day."

Dickerson watched Schoop grow up, assisted his transition to other positions while Manny Machado started at shortstop. Manager Buck Showalter insisted that Dickerson tell Schoop about his selection to the 2017 All-Star team. More hugs, more tears.

"Again, again, his makeup is ..." Dickerson said. "There were times when he was lazy out in the field and I had to jump him and we fought for four or five days because of it, but he never had a bad day. He's such a positive guy. He picked me up half the time. If something would be bad, he'd have something positive to say.

"Just the finality of it, the human part of it. That's why my emotions are driven by this person. First of all, I coach with my heart, I always have. I care about players, but you get close to a good one, a good person, brutal."

The one way that Dickerson's spirits can be lifted is by the work that awaits him each day, particularly in a rebuild. Tim Beckham is groping to find his comfort zone at shortstop. Third baseman Renato Núñez brought a reputation to Baltimore as a good hitter with below-average defensive skills. The second baseman will be new to the organization.

"A hundred percent," he said. "I was pretty horse(crap) yesterday. My mind was going all over the place. I just went and told Tim today. I went up to him and said, 'I apologize. I wasn't really locked in like I can be.'

"Talked about the play he made yesterday. Coached a little this morning. Talked about his options, talked about what he could have did differently, and I've got a new second baseman (Breyvic Valera) that just got here yesterday, so I definitely have to change gears and do my job right and hopefully get the Baltimore Orioles another Jonathan Schoop. Help them develop a player that is an impactful player that is also as a human being.

"Back to Jonathan, I'd like to think that I had some say in the person that was developed through the years, telling him right from wrong and trying when he first came to the States, and that's another thing I try to do as a coach. I don't just talk about, 'This is how you backhand, this is how you throw a ball.'

"I can remember talking to Manny back in the day about the Josh Donaldson (bat throwing) thing years ago, telling him how to handle it. Don't use, 'You know.' Say 'I did it.' Things like that, just as a young player trying to mature. And that's what I've got to do now."

It's the father figure coming out and Dickerson doesn't try to hide it.

"I've got young players," he said. "Who knows where we go from here? But my job right now the next two months is to make sure whoever they bring here ... And again, I've said it all the time, whoever they bring here is to try to give Buck the best options to make out the lineup and develop some more players for the Baltimore Orioles."

They're in a full rebuild and Dickerson knows and understands the business part of it. Machado wasn't staying. Schoop hadn't been approached about a contract extension and could have left after the 2019 season.

Dickerson said he knew "deep down in my heart" that it would be possible for Machado and Schoop to become ex-Orioles. But not with one walking out the door so quickly after the other.

"Like I said, I coach with my heart and I care about this organization I care about the people in it," he said. "No, in my heart I didn't think that he would be gone and Manny would be gone, both in a two-week period, but I do understand the fact that it does happen.

"That's the direction that we've decided to go in and now it's roll up our shirtsleeves and go to work and try to develop some more players and continue to give Buck options to make out a good lineup and develop players."

The task is daunting. On back-to-back plays today, Núñez reached down and whiffed on a ground ball from Miguel Andújar and Valera let one from Austin Romine go under his glove, deflect off his knee and roll toward shortstop. Alex Cobb induced a 6-4-3 double play from Shane Robinson to preserve a 7-1 lead.

Núñez had a two-run double, single and another double for his first career three-hit game. Trey Mancini hit his 14th home run, Sonny Gray was charged with seven runs in 2 2/3 innings and heard more booing, and Cobb allowed one run with no walks in six innings for his third win as an Oriole and first since June 5 at Citi Field.

Gleyber Torres hit a three-run homer off Mike Wright Jr. with two outs in the ninth inning, his second home run of the day. Wright replaced Paul Fry with two on and two outs.

The Orioles have won four of their last five games and are 33-75 overall and 13-40 on the road. They endured a 39-minute rain delay after the top of the third inning.

Right-hander Cody Carroll, acquired from the Yankees in the Zach Britton trade, made his major league debut in the seventh and retired the side in order. Mychal Givens retired only one batter in the eighth, surrendering Andújar's RBI single, and left with the bases loaded and one out, but Fry threw one pitch to Neil Walker and got a 6-3 double play.

Showalter on Cobb: "Good, real good, especially with the rain delay. He threw a couple times, just like throwing nine innings. I thought he was actually good, if not better, after he came out. He had three pitches he had command of and they had to think about and you saw that. Anytime you got through a batting order like that multiple times with how many left-handed hitters they have, you've got multiple pitches at your disposal."

Showalter on Cobb dealing with all the losses: "You know what? He's handled it so well and I'm sure there's some sarcastic response to that. But he's a pro and he's pitched better than that. Little things. I've said it many times, he's going to be a good pitcher for us looking back on it when it's all said and done. He's a pro. He's got a lot of ways to get you out."

Showalter on Carroll: "He's a confident kid in a good way. I think he's glad to get that behind him, but not in a nervous, anxiety type of way. He was kind of wondering why we took so long. I like him. His presentation is very confident."

Cobb on being sharp after delay: "You know, it went by pretty quick for me. The pace of the game, just the flow of it early on, was just terrible. I'm not going to complain about it. We were putting up good runs, but there was a lot of sitting around. You just try to make sure you don't tighten up and lose that energy that you worked to gain. The rain went by pretty quick, so it really didn't affect me too much."

Cobb on getting a win: "At a certain point of that stretch I'm just hoping not to get a loss. I'm not even hoping for wins at that point. I'm just hoping not to lose. To walk off the mound first off knowing I can't lose that game and then having a pretty good chance to get a win, it's going to take a lot of clawing and fighting for wins right now. We get the point of where we are as an organization, it's going to be some bumps and bruises along the way and we're going to have to fight for everything we get. But if you understand that and you embrace it, kind of go with the journey that we're on, then it makes it a little easier. But wins haven't been easy to come by and they aren't going to be that easy, so it's going to take a lot of hard work to get those."

Cobb on last two days: "It's been tough. I think when I was younger, I remember talking to veteran players. They would tell me how fortunate I am to be in the system when we were winning ballgames. They would say stories of being on losing teams, just how miserable it really is. I'm getting a little taste of reality on that with seeing all these good players that we have being shipped off and just the overall, the way the season's going.

"Seeing it come to a head these last couple of days with the trade deadline, it's not fun. You're saying goodbye to guys that you've become friends with and not only that, you see what the future's going to have in store for us with a lot of young players. With that, usually you have a lot of losses that come your way, too. I think you have to embrace it and know that we're going to have to do our part as older players, some of us veteran guys on the team, and go with the lumps along the way and really help the younger guys out."

Mancini on needing feel-good win after yesterday: "It was big. Yesterday was a strange day to say the least. Saying goodbye to all those guys was tough. But like we've been saying, that's how the business works. The year hasn't gone our way, it hasn't gone how we wanted it to. You have to move on. But it was a tough day. Tough to say goodbye to guys that you're really good friends with and see every day."

Mancini on four wins in five games: "It shows that we've kind of turned the page a little bit since the All-Star break. I just noticed a difference in energy and we're all just starting to hit and play as a team a lot better. I don't know really what the reason is, but it's been pretty fun."

Mancini on whether he feels better at plate: "Yeah, I'd say so. Having four days off is huge physically and mentally. You have an opportunity to reset your mind and just kind of rest up and maybe set some goals for the rest of the season. We still have a long way to go, so you can turn things around if you just keep the right mindset."

Mancini on whether he feels like he needs to step up: "You try not to put too much pressure on yourself, but, yeah, those are humongous voids that can't be filled immediately, obviously. But, yeah, it's tough to lose those guys, but it's a chance for some of those other guys to kind of step in and contribute."