I wonder if it's out of habit today that first basemen Chris Davis and Jose Abreu have tossed the ball into the stands after the final out.
I'm guessing it's a joke.
Earlier today, catcher Caleb Joseph pretended to sign an autograph next to the dugout, then tipped his cap as he jogged onto the field.
It's so quiet inside an empty Camden Yards that Adam Jones heard one member of the media's booming voice from the on-deck circle, looked up, pointed and nodded his head. Careful what you say around here.
Manny Machado homered in the bottom of the fifth to give the Orioles an 8-2 lead after his throwing error in the top half led to two unearned runs off starter Ubaldo Jimenez.
Machado leads the club with five errors. He also ranks first in dazzling defensive plays.
The Orioles have posted 10 or more hits in four straight games and 10 overall this season.
Jimenez has thrown 89 pitches, 61 for strikes, in seven innings. He's allowed two unearned runs and three hits, walked one and struck out six.
White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija threw 87 pitches in five innings and allowed eight runs (seven earned) and 10 hits.
Earlier today, manager Buck Showalter said the adjustments in the schedule caused by the rioting isn't "a topic of conversation from a competitive standpoint in our locker room."
"We're citizens of this city," he said. "It's important, talking with Mr. Angelos, I was at his office yesterday morning at 9 a.m. til about 12:30. Everything he talked about was about what's best for the city of Baltimore and the safety of our fans and our citizens. Not once did anything about revenue or money (come up), it was all about that. It made me feel good to listen to.
"He loves this community and these people. It's sad were having to go through this. The other thing he wanted to make sure that all resources and we wanted to make sure that all resources that the city needs are in the city and not here at Camden Yards. I don't know how many people would have to be taken out of that to come over here for a game today. And you've got to keep in mind we had a curfew. I know you guys and ladies have been going to a lot of games, not many of them are done in 2 1/2 hours and you can file your stories and get out of here in time and beat that. They did talk about whether or not that was something. We don't want to adjust it.
"If people that are smarter than us are directly involved in this say that's what should be done, then we're not going to ask them to adjust that. That takes away any night games. When you really look at all the facts, it's kind of a decision that in a lot of ways gets made for you."
Showalter is uncomfortable talking about the challenges his team faces, considering what's happened in the city.
"To say something that we are going to go through on a baseball field playing in the big leagues is difficult is really insensitive to everything else that's going on," he said. "It's a small thing for us, comparatively speaking. One of the things that we all, not just me, tried to do when I came here was eliminate excuses. I don't want to hear about payroll, I don't want to hear about things like that.
"This is different. Some are self-inflicted and, quite frankly, I feel like the way I look at it, it is self-inflicted. Even though someone in our locker room didn't (cause problems), but we are citizens of this community and if something is going on here that creates this type of situation, it's a reflection on all of us and we should look at it that way."
Showalter talked about everything that went into moving the weekend series to Tampa and how the inconveniences can't be used as excuses. It's certainly not the first time that the schedule has challenged the Orioles.
"Hey, the game is going to start at 11:15 (a.m.) at Yankee Stadium instead of 7 (p.m.). You want to complain about it or do you want to go out and try to win a game?" he said. "In the whole scheme of life, compared to what other people are going through, I really don't want to hear it. Strap it on and let's play."
Today's game is historic, as Showalter was reminded, because it's the first time the public has been kept out.
"I'd rather not be doing that, for the right reasons," he said.
"I don't know yet. You all are grown men and women. I understand, why are we here, why are we at this point? Let's not lose sight of why we are at this point. Learn from a lot of things. I try to keep that in mind. That's a small ... I don't even consider it a price to pay. You tell us when and our players hopefully feed off that approach.
"This is what we do and it's a great honor to be able to try and do something that might help things a little bit is the way I look at it."
Update: Kevin Gausman and Zach Britton each tossed a scoreless inning and the Orioles defeated the White Sox 8-2.
Attendance was announced as "zero."
The Orioles have won three in a row and are 10-10. The game was played in 2 hours, 3 minutes.
Chris Davis' home run ball was the 80th to land on Eutaw St., the 31st by an Oriole and the sixth time Davis has accomplished the feat.
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