Jones graded on the curve tonight (Jones homers, O's win 4-1)

Padres starter Edinson Volquez was determined to retire Orioles center fielder Adam Jones on a curveball tonight. Maybe he was following the scouting report. Maybe he was being stubborn. Volquez threw six curveballs to Jones in the first inning, including four in a row to begin the at-bat. He mixed in a changeup, threw another curve, tried a 94 mph fastball and went back to the curve. Jones didn't have trouble with the curve, grounding an RBI single up the middle to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Jones was 1-for-6 with a home run lifetime against Volquez before tonight. Nate McLouth doubled on the first pitch of the game and stole third base with one out. Nick Markakis struck out looking before Jones came to the plate. McLouth is now 5-for-10 against Volquez. The inning ended with Jones getting caught in a rundown between second and third after Chris Davis reached on an infield hit, again hustling down the line. Executive vice president Dan Duquette made the trip and is at Petco Park tonight. Six Orioles have strong California ties. Jones was born in National City in San Diego County and attended Morse High School. Brian Matusz attended the University of San Diego. Miguel Gonzalez resides in Pacoima. Chris Tillman was born in Anaheim and attended Fountain Valley High School. Scott Feldman attended Burlingame High School and the College of San Mateo. Bud Norris, who has escaped jams in the first and second innings tonight, is from Greenbrae and attended Cal Poly. Speaking of Feldman, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters that the right-hander will start Monday or Tuesday in Arizona. He's being pushed back with two off-days this week. Down on the farm, left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada allowed four hits, walked one and struck out seven in five scoreless innings for Triple-A Norfolk. He threw 88 pitches, 60 for strikes. In his last two starts, Wada has walked two and struck out 17 in 11 2/3 scoreless innings. Update: Volquez started off Jones with a changeup in the top of the fourth inning, and Jones launched it to left field for his 23rd home run this season. Jones has an extra-base hit in his last four games, including three doubles. The Orioles are 50-37 when they hit a home run. Update II: The Padres strung together three singles, the last by Yonder Alonso, to cut the Orioles' lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Norris has allowed three runs and nine hits in two starts covering 12 innings since the Orioles acquired him from the Astros. He's walked four and struck out 13. Tommy Hunter has replaced Norris in the seventh inning. Update III: Jones has his first four-hit game of the season, tying his career high. Jones stole second base in the top of the eighth inning and scored on Chris Davis' two-out double, giving the Orioles a 3-1 lead. Jones is 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts this season. Update IV: Manny Machado singled with two outs in the top of the ninth to score Brian Roberts, and Jim Johnson picked up his 39th save in a 4-1 victory over the Padres. The Orioles are 51-21 when scoring four or more runs. They're 51-5 when leading after seven innings and 53-7 when leading after eight.