Jason Hammel: "Zero intent there to hit him"

Jason Hammel was ejected from a game for the first time in the big leagues today. He didn't think he should have been tossed after he hit Detroit's Matt Tuiasosopo one pitch after yielding three straight homers in the top of the fourth inning. "I'm not going to make a big deal of - I hit him with a slider. Zero intent there to hit him," Hammel said. "Obviously I gave up the three home runs, but I'm not the guy that answers getting hit around with hitting somebody. That is bush league if you ask me. "It was a mistake, a slider that got away. I did not have command today," Hammel added with emphasis on the words did not. "The three walks before that in the two innings with zero put-away pitches today should have told him the story. "Obviously very frustrated. Cost the bullpen a lot of innings and you know, it sucked. "I understand his position. I still don't understand why he threw me out. That was the quickest toss I've ever seen. It was almost immediate, so he didn't have time to assess the situation. "Yeah, three home runs in a row and the batter gets hit by the next pitch. But it depends on what pitch is being thrown. There is zero intent there. That is all I have to say about that. We can move onto something else." Hammel gave up five hits and five runs with the three homers over three-plus innings. On a steamy day at the Yard, he never could harness his command. "It was hot. I sweat pretty good when it's hot out and had an inconsistent grip on the ball," Hammel said. "It's hard to throw something with conviction if you don't have a grip on it. But, you know, Justin (Verlander) didn't have problems with it, so I'm not going to make excuses. Just wasn't good today. "I warmed up pretty well, but I sweat like a stuck pig when it comes to these hot days. You have to find a way to manage the moisture and I just wasn't able to do it today. Went to the rosin plenty and tried to slow down, but it's no excuse. Still have to find the bottom of the zone. When you don't hit the glove like you are expecting to, that is what happens against good hitting ballclubs." A few postgame notes: * J.J. Hardy hit homers 11 and 12 today for his 10th career multi-homer game and first since Sept. 11, 2012 against Tampa Bay. * The Orioles and Tigers are even 1-1 in the weekend and season series after splitting six games in 2012 and 10 games in 2011. * The Orioles have now hit two or more homers 23 times this year. They entered the day tied with Toronto for the most multi-homer games in the majors. They are 17-6 when they hit two or more. * The Orioles have homered 11 times in their last five games, 27 times in the last 12 and 38 in the last 19 games. * Chris Davis had an RBI single in four at-bats. Over his last 22 games, he is batting .412 with nine doubles, 10 homers, 21 runs and 21 RBIs. He is 21-for-41 (.512) over his last 11 games.