Orioles' winning streak ends at seven games with 6-5 loss

Darren O'Day was so confident today that he struck out J.D. Martinez to end the top of the eighth inning, he took a couple of small steps toward the Orioles dugout while waiting for confirmation.

First base umpire Mark Wegner, on the appeal, ruled that Martinez checked his swing. Two pitches later, the Tigers had the lead.

Martinez and Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back home runs off O'Day, who's been scored upon in only two of his 17 appearances. He allowed only one homer before today.

O'Day and manager Buck Showalter clearly disagreed with Wegner's ruling, which was followed by pitches deposited into the Orioles bullpen and the left field seats to give the Tigers a 6-5 victory before 37,890 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles' winning streak ended at seven games and the Tigers avoided the sweep, winning for only the third time this month. The Orioles are 23-13 going into Monday's off-day.

The Orioles were 17-1 when leading after the seventh.

Manny Machado hit a two-run homer to right-center field in the fifth inning to erase the Tigers' 4-3 lead. Mychal Givens tossed two scoreless innings after replacing starter Kevin Gausman, who struggled to get through the fifth. O'Day was cruising until being capsized.

Gausman threw 98 pitches in five innings and allowed four runs and a career-high 10 hits. His only strikeout came against his last batter, Mike Aviles, before Givens took over in the sixth.

Gausman had registered three straight quality starts, but he labored today from the outset.

Givens' two innings are a season high. He had to escape a jam in the seventh after a walk and double put two runners in scoring position. James McCann struck out to end the inning.

Dylan Bundy retired all four batters that he faced.

Machado and Mark Trumbo are tied for the team lead in home runs with 11.

Adam Jones had an RBI double, a single and a walk. His average has jumped from .196 on Tuesday to .267

Jonathan Schoop singled twice and drove in two more runs, giving him seven RBIs in the last two games. He also lined to right and hit a scorching ground ball that third baseman Nick Castellanos smothered before firing to first base for the out.

Down on the farm, the Orioles are transferring outfielder Henry Urrutia from Triple-A Norfolk to Double-A Bowie, as first reported by The Virginian-Pilot.

I've heard rumblings that Mike Yastrzemski could move up to Norfolk. This appears to be half of the transaction. Look for Yaz to be wearing a Tides uniform.

Urrutia's average is down to .245 with six doubles, no home runs and 11 RBIs in 32 games.

Jimmy Paredes went 1-for-3 with a walk and stolen base. He later told Virginian-Pilot reporter David Hall that he was headed back to Baltimore to await his fate.

Sammy Ellis, who served as Orioles pitching coach under manager Mike Hargrove in 2000, passed away Friday night in Temple Terrace, Fla. He was 75.