O's have six homers, Chen tweets disappointment, Gausman update

No wonder Orioles manager Buck Showalter wants to keep Manny Machado in the leadoff spot. And no wonder the Phillies have lost 17 of their last 20 games.

The Orioles scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning tonight and Phillies starter Jerome Williams left the game with an injury with two outs after throwing back-to-back wild pitches.

Machado hit his second career leadoff home run tonight, both coming this season, to give the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead over the Phillies. He jumped on an 0-1 pitch from Williams, a 90 mph fastball, for his 12th homer of the season.

Travis Snider and Chris Davis walked, and Chris Parmelee singled into right field with one out to load the bases. Parmelee was batting for the first time as an Oriole after they selected his contract today from Triple-A Norfolk.

J.J. Hardy followed with an RBI single to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead and extend his hitting streak to nine games. He's 10-for-30 with six RBIs.

The Orioles weren't done with Williams. Ryan Flaherty lined a two-run single into right field for a 4-0 lead. Caleb Joseph flied to right field for the second out, but the runners moved up on Williams' first wild pitch and both scored on the second.

Williams did the splits while covering the plate and trying to tag Flaherty. He rolled over in pain and limped off the field, with Dustin McGowan replacing him. David Lough, the ninth batter of the inning, struck out to end the inning.

Williams threw 30 pitches before exiting the game.

The six runs matched the Orioles' season high for an inning for the fourth time.

Parmelee began tonight batting .333/.375/.476 with a home run and six RBIs in nine career games at Camden Yards.

Orioles starter Chris Tillman walked Phillies leadoff hitter Cesar Hernandez, but he retired the next three batters. Tillman is averaging 4.6 walks per nine innings.

Earlier today, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Wei-Yin Chen understood why he was being optioned to Single-A Frederick for one start. Chen had complained of "overall body fatigue," Showalter said, adding that pitching coach Dave Wallace noticed how the left-hander looked uncomfortable during a June 10 start against the Red Sox.

"I know after the first inning on the 10th, he was down in the runway and Wally was saying to me, 'Boy, this doesn't look (good).' He was bent over," Showalter said. "He just felt overall fatigued. But he said he felt great last night. I've got a feeling what's coming up next time."

Well, it just got more interesting. Check out the tweets sent out by Chen about 45 minutes ago:

"The club is concerned I am in excellent physical shape. I feel great and I am ready for my next start. I just pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball."

"I am disappointed my routine is being interrupted. I will continue to work hard and do my best to perform. Thank you for all the support!"

Chen has only sent out 38 tweets, the most recent before tonight on May 13. He's not prolific at it. And unlike the others, he tweeted in English tonight.

Down on the farm, Kevin Gausman served up a leadoff home run to Sean Godfrey on his first pitch of the night at Single-A Frederick.

Update: Machado homers again leading off the second inning and the Orioles lead 7-0.

This is Machado's fifth career multi-homer game and his third this season, the most recent before tonight coming on May 31 vs. the Rays.

Jimmy Paredes hit his seventh home run with one out in the second for an 8-0 lead. Parmelee just hit his first as an Oriole with two outs for a 9-0 lead - his first since Sept. 6, 2014.

The Orioles already have matched their season high in home runs and we've played two innings.

This just in: The Phillies are really bad.

Update II: I mean, really bad.

Flaherty walked to lead off the third inning, Joseph reached on an error and Lough homered to right field for a 12-0 lead. That's a season-high five home runs for the Orioles in three innings.

McGowan isn't any better than Williams.

Update III: Make that six home runs tonight for the Orioles, with Davis getting into the act leading off the fourth to give the Orioles a 13-1 lead.

Davis has 14 home runs this season. Tonight's blast was the 81st to land on Eutaw St. in the history of Camden Yards and the 32nd by an Oriole. Davis' seven career Eutaw St. homers are the most ever, surpassing Luke Scott's six.

Williams exited the game with a strained left hamstring. McGowan was seen trying to strain his own in the dugout tunnel.