Hundley: "We lose a game because I didn't catch a ball"

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have lost back-to-back games for the first time since being swept at Wrigley Field. They've dropped their last five road games. Today brought a first, however. A walk-off passed ball. Nick Hundley missed Andrew Miller's fastball and Yunel Escobar raced home with the winning run. The Rays are assured of winning the series following today's 3-2 victory over the Orioles at Tropicana Field, a game that featured quality starts from both teams and some costly miscues. Adam Jones was unable to hold onto Wil Myers' sinking liner in the third inning, allowing the tying run to score. Ryan Flaherty bobbled Escobar's grounder in the ninth and bounced a throw for an error. Hundley stood at his locker afterward and shouldered the blame. He wasn't crossed up, the pitch wasn't tailing away from him and he wasn't going to field any excuses. "I didn't catch the ball," he said. "Probably a strike. Can't remember the last time that's happened where I've just flat-out missed it and it's unfortunate in that situation. I've got to do a better job. "It's tough. We lose a game because I didn't catch a ball. It's cut and dried right there. So, I've got to go back to working and keep trying to get better in every phase. You let your team down, so hopefully the next time you get out there, you can pick them up. "It's a fastball. That's on me. Nothing had to do with the pitch, the location. Just didn't get it done, didn't make a play." Hundley is fairly certain that he's never been involved in a walk-off passed ball. "I don't have the best memory of all time," he said, "but I can't remember that happening, for sure." Told that he's got to just put it out of his mind, Hundley replied, "Not right now." Manager Buck Showalter agreed that Hundley wasn't crossed up by Miller's pitch. "No, it was a fastball up and away right?" he said. "No, there wasn't any cross-up. Our catching, those guys have been great. I don't think it was anything other than the pitch was up and away." The ninth-inning mistakes will hang heavy in the air conditioned Trop, but Showalter never dwells on one or two plays. "No, there are a lot of things that go on before that," he said. "They've pitched very well the last two games and that's been the difference. I was really proud of us against one of the best relief pitchers (Jake McGee) in the league, scratching a run off him. And if Delmon (Young) doesn't hit a ball right at someone, maybe it's a different story. But they hit a couple balls hard at our shortstop, too." Drew Smyly has held the Orioles to two runs in his last two starts against them, both of which came on Chris Davis solo home runs. "Are they going to shut him down now?" Showalter asked. "I wish they would have done it a week earlier. He's good. It was a quality trade for both clubs. He's going to be a good one." What about Kevin Gausman, who allowed two runs and struck out seven in seven innings? "He's going to be a good one, too," Showalter said. "You got to see two really good pitchers and Gaus gave us seven solid innings. That was a real positive. "Brian (Matusz) gave us two-thirds and (Brad) Brach got back out there after a couple bumps and gave us some big outs." Davis wasn't in the original lineup until stopping by Showalter's office and insisting that he didn't need a breather. "He doesn't realize that I did that intentionally so that he'd come in," Showalter said. Gausman said he felt good except for the three walks issued to leadoff hitter Ben Zobrist. "A little bit sporadic, especially to Zobrist for some reason, but overall I felt good. I felt like I had good command other than the at-bats against Zobrist," he said. The walk with one out in the third burned him, as Zobrist later scored on Evan Longoria's sacrifice fly. "You never want to walk anybody, but there were a couple close pitches in that at-bat," Gausman said. "I finally got him out his last at-bat and of course it was a 3-2 count. He's a really good hitter and he'll lay off some really good pitches. I threw him some real good changeups, really good split-changes. But I think he's kind of realized he doesn't want to get beat swinging at my split." Gausman, pitching into September, has completed seven innings in his last two starts. He tied his career-high today with seven strikeouts. "I feel great," he said. "I think my last month, I kind of had to grind a little bit more than usual, but I feel like if I go through a bad month, I usually have a good one the next one. Physically, I feel great, my arm feels great and I feel like I get stronger as the game goes on." Rays manager Joe Maddon offered his unique take on the ninth inning. "Poom, poom, poom, poom, poom and a big woof at the end," he said. "We'll take it any way we can get it, man."