The Orioles keep refuting reports that their season is over and they should have been sellers and they may as well pack up their belongings and go home early.
The deficit in the American League East is back down to two games. They're no longer tied with the Tigers for the second wild card. Twenty-seven games are left in the regular season.
Buckle up.
According to STATS, this is the first time that the Orioles have shut out the Yankees in three consecutive meetings. The last club to do it was the 1973 White Sox.
Zach Britton is 40-for-40 in save opportunities to start a season. According to STATS, he ranks fourth all-time behind Brad Lidge, who started the 2008 season by going 41-for-41.
Adam Jones' six seasons with 25 home runs or more are the third-most in Orioles history. Eddie Murray had 10 seasons and Cal Ripken Jr. had eight.
Jones has hit safely in 19 of his last 23 games since Aug. 5, batting .344 (32-for-93) with three doubles, four home runs, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Jones has 1,425 career hits as an Oriole to trail Paul Blair (1,426) for ninth place on the club's all-time list.
Kevin Gausman has held the Yankees to three runs this season in his five starts against the Yankees, which leads us to a sampling of postgame quotes following tonight's 2-0 victory:
Manager Buck Showalter on how Gausman has been able to dominate Yankees:
"Kevin's a good pitcher. He's had a great look in his eye for about a month. Not that he hasn't before. It's just there's a real driven look and presence about him. Felt like he's really kind of hit his stride. He's been solid for us for a while. He's in a good place in the process, so to speak."
Showalter on importance of Gausman stepping up with Chris Tillman out:
"It's not just him. We play four other days. I know he had an extra day this time, potentially an extra day next time out. You're thinking about that as you're going through the games. But guys have got enough, I don't want to say 'pressure,' but need to pitch well. It's always somebody step up. You're No. 1 starter is the guy pitching that night. I've said it many times.
"They don't get involved in those types of things. I think privately, who knows? They've responded real well to it if that's the case, but it's not something we gather them together and say, 'One of our better starters is not going to be pitching, so we want you to pitch better now.' That would fall underneath the Captain Obvious again. But they get it. This time of year, if you're reciting the obvious to them, it's really to me almost a slap in their face."
Showalter on Machado's defensive gem in the fifth to rob Brett Gardner:
"There's a lot of good third basemen in the league. Nobody makes that play. The arm strength, the throw, to have that type of velocity across the diamond and throwing on the move. I do not take it for granted. None of his teammates do and none of us do. It's a huge play.
"We did a lot of things defensively. To throw a zero there two nights in a row, that's been a key. I hear people talk about, 'What about this guy, what about that guy, what about this guy?' And I go, 'Yeah, he's really good, but not as good as Manny.' "
Showalter on passing Miller Huggins for 25th place on all-time wins list:
"It means I'm old. If you pass somebody, the teams you've been allowed to manage allow you to. And you've played in fields that were named after those guys, you know how old you are."
Gausman on success versus Yankees: "I don't know. Just trying to mix in all my pitches and keep them off balance. I think a lot of their guys are obviously looking for a fastball against me, so if I can throw my off-speed pitches for strikes and kind of put that thought in the back of their minds, I can have success.
"I don't know what it is. Tonight it was just kind of more about our defense. We made some unreal plays behind me. Schoopy (Jonathan Schoop), Manny, all those guys, everyone was making good plays behind me."
Gausman on having a great look in his eye: "I think maybe it's just feeling a little bit more confident. Just confident with everything I'm doing in between starts. And so I think that's something as a young starter you kind of learn in due time. I don't know what it is, but just throwing the ball well right now and just trying to go out and compete."
Gausman on whether Tillman injury forced him to step up: "I don't know if that did it. I've just been a little bit frustrated until about a month ago with how my season's been going. I felt like I was pitching great and things just didn't go my way. Now it's kind of on the other side, the other flip side of it.
"Like I said, I'm just confident, feeling good. I think this is the first time I've got into August and September and felt this good physically with this amount of innings under my belt. I think that also has something to do with it, too."
Gausman on importance of everyone stepping up in Tillman's absence: "It's big. We all want to step up. We all want to be that ace, and if you don't, I don't know what your goal is then. We're all trying to go out and throw shutouts every night we go out there. Every time I take the mound, I'm thinking of throwing a complete game. You just kind of have to have that attitude, especially with Tilly being down we know we have one less guy that's going to be a big innings eater for us and has been for a lot of years. So, we know we have to step up and compete, especially this time of the year."
Jones on Gausman: "He's pounding the strike zone. You go out there and get strike one, it's not easy to get these guys out anyway, but it's a little easier when you get ahead of guys. When you get behind, that's where hitters make their money."
Jones on the Orioles still being in the AL East race: "We were in the thick of things against Toronto, too. Lot of games left. I don't think the final standings are over Aug. 31. That's why they make this last month and call it the September push."
Jones on Bundy and Gausman back-to-back: "I've said it before, man. The first time they're going to throw some meaningful pitches in their professional career and it's coming in a playoff race. It's coming at an important time in their lives. I just think that they're both grabbing it by the rein, and taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity to showcase, not just to the players inside here, but all the players across Major League Baseball, everybody watching baseball that these guys are pretty good pitchers."
Jones on 25 home runs for six straight seasons: "Just thank the Lord that I've been able to stay healthy. That's the biggest thing. I believe if I'm healthy and I'm on the field, something's going to happen, and just been fortunate enough to have great teammates to push me every day. Lord willing, it continues to maintain my health to where I can go out there and play a lot of games each season and do something."
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