Bundy goes distance in 4-0 win (with quotes)

Dylan Bundy brought his ace stuff again tonight, mixing an assortment of pitches that kept the Mariners off-balance and off the scoreboard.

The strikeouts were piling up, but not the runs to support him. Jonathan Schoop's solo homer in the first inning off Erasmo Ramirez had to suffice until the game moved through the middle innings.

Manny Machado led off the sixth with a home run, his 29th, matching Schoop's season total. Welington Castillo greeted reliever James Pazos with a homer in the seventh. Machado passed Schoop with a leadoff shot in the ninth for his fourth multi-homer game of the season and 13th of his career.

Bundy had a cushion. All he really needed, though, was his arsenal.

Kyle Seager's bunt single with one out in the fourth was the only hit surrendered by Bundy, who struck out a career-high 12 batters while going the distance - also a career high - in a 4-0 victory over the Mariners before an announced crowded of 13,736 at Camden Yards.

Bundy retired 12 in a row before Tim Beckham's second throwing error of the night with one out in the eighth inning. He got a fly ball and foul pop up and headed back to the dugout at 105 pitches.

With Zach Britton still warming in the bullpen, Bundy sprinted to the mound for the top of the ninth, got ahead of Robinson Canó 0-2 and hit him. Nelson Cruz bounced to Machado, Seager grounded out and Danny Valencia struck out on Bundy's 116th pitch. Bundy never had gone more than eight innings before tonight.

Jason Hammel was the last Orioles pitcher with a one-hitter, on June 16, 2012 in Atlanta. The Orioles have 40 one-hitters, seven of them combined efforts.

Bundy has struck out 40 batters in his last four starts - 10, 10, eight and 12. Mike Zunino was his 11th victim tonight leading off the eighth to give Bundy a career high.

Jean Segura reached on Beckham's error to open the game and Bundy issued his two walks in the third. Seager's bunt accounted for the only other baserunner until Guillermo Heredia reached in the eighth.

The 17th delay at the ballpark this season lasted 32 minutes. There's no telling how far they can carry this hot spell.

The Orioles have won six games in a row and seven of eight while improving to 67-65, the first time they've been two above .500 since June 10. The winning streak matches their longest of the season, May 4-May 9.

They were 22-10 at the time, lost a late lead the following night in D.C. and went in the other direction.

This is a team on the rise, assured of winning its third series in a row for the first time since taking four straight April 13-April 26.

Schoop's home run gave him 500 career hits. His 97 RBIs this summer leave him behind only close friend Nelson Cruz in the American League. Cruz stayed at 101 tonight.

The Orioles came within a few inches or a slight breeze blowing out of tacking on three runs in the third inning. Seth Smith and Beckham singled with one out and Machado flied to the left field fence, with Ben Gamel's back pressed against the padding as he made the catch.

Schoop walked to load the bases, but Adam Jones struck out.

Beckham has at least one hit in 25 of his 27 games with the Orioles.

Gamel couldn't get a glove on Machado's liner in the sixth that landed in the first row of seats, the lead expanding to 2-0 while Bundy had retired eight in a row. Only the foul pole could have denied Machado in the eighth.

Bundy, off the bereavement list after attending his grandmother's funeral, struck out the side in the third and also walked two batters. A slider and fastballs clocked at 94 and 95 mph accounted for the outs. His slider also disposed of Valencia in the second and Zunino leading off the fifth.

Zunino saw consecutive curveballs in the at-bat, swinging through one and fouling off another before whiffing on the slider.

Bundy had the Mariners guessing and flailing.

Heredia struck out on a 95 mph fastball in the fifth and Segura appeared to break his bat on a 95 mph fastball while grounding weakly to Bundy for the final out. Bundy had thrown 74 pitches in five innings and the Orioles still led by the slimmest of margins.

Valencia and Gamel struck out consecutively on sliders in the seventh.

No one seemed to know what was coming. From Bundy tonight and the Orioles in the last six games.

Update: Bundy is the second Orioles pitcher to throw a one-hitter and strike out 12 or more batters. Mike Mussina fanned 15 against the Twins on Aug. 1, 2000.

Manager Buck Showalter on Bundy having everything working: "He was outstanding, obviously. That was fun to watch. Especially when you think about everything that was at stake for both clubs. Everybody's operating ... Also, he flew in late last night and landed about midnight. Had to work through the rain delay, too. There were a lot of things that could have been a challenge for him and he doesn't let it be, he's so strong mentally. That was outstanding, obviously."

Showalter on debating whether to send Bundy out for the ninth: "Well, you're always debating everything. Whether you pinch-hit Trumbo for Smith, what your batting order is. You debate things. I was going to let him have hitter to hitter, unless he had some deep counts. The stressfulness, it's easy for me to say, but he had some real short innings and felt good physically. He was working on extra day's rest, he's working on extra day's rest next time. Physically, he's fine. Like I say a lot of times, a lot of moves are made for you by the other team and I didn't really see anything - I'm sure you all didn't - that made me think he was ... They squared up a couple balls the inning before, but you're also careful about changing, I don't know, the culture or karma of a game. Obviously, it was pretty good with Dylan in there. It would have been good with Zach in there."

Showalter on Bundy's resolve at his age: "I don't think a lot of people have been through what Dylan's been through. And to battle back through it. Sometimes, you forget that Dylan lost his mother and his grandmother at a young age and sometimes life forces you to grow up. This was a guy who was as good a high school prospect as a lot of people ever saw, and then all of a sudden that's taken away from you with elbow surgery, and you've got to make some decisions whether you're going to push through it. Sometimes, it makes us a lot stronger when you get through those things."

Showalter on Bundy's demeanor: "I talk a lot to the young pitchers about your presentation to the opposition. Dylan, obviously wasn't trying to hit (Canó) , and just reached up for another baseball. That's what you can do. Control what you can do and move on. I don't think Dylan lets his surroundings, whether it's win, rain, tragedy like he had in the family. He's got a job to do and he's very professional about it."

Showalter on whether he sensed it would be a special game: "You look at really good hitters that don't look particularly comfortable. I think that's when it kind of makes you think ... when he shows ability to throw all his pitches over the plate, then all of a sudden, third or fourth inning, I know he threw a curveball, I know for a strike, and I know if I'm in the dugout, I'm going, 'Really? That, too?' I usually watch the better hitters. That kind of gave me a feel the second time around the order that he had some pretty competitive stuff."

Showalter on Bundy's slider: "That little 86, 87, I don't want to start broadcasting what he's doing, but he's got a lot of different looks. That's why he's able to defend himself on nights when he's not carrying the type of stuff he had tonight. He's got a lot of different ... He can manipulate the ball and he's got a good hand."

Showalter on Schoop/Machado home run race: "We needed every one of them. Jon and Manny are having a lot of fun, and that's always proud for me, and it's always fun to watch them."

Bundy on whether he was surprised to pitch the ninth: "Yeah, a little bit. Grateful, humbled, to get a chance to go out there in the ninth and then also get a chance to complete it."

Bundy on how close he came to making play on bunt single: "I just bobbled it, and you know, even if I caught it cleanly I don't even know if I had a chance there, I wasn't sure. I bobbled it, so I didn't have a chance."