Ripken's return serving as much-needed distraction for Orioles

The Orioles will turn back the clock tonight. Not to 2012 or 2014. We're not talking playoffs.

Not to the Winter Meetings or the start of spring training or opening day. Those ships have sailed as the Orioles take on water.

They're going back to 1995 to reminisce with Cal Ripken Jr. about the night he broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive-games streak. The actual date is Sept. 6, but the Orioles will be in Toronto, so Ripken has been invited tonight to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and choose whether he wants to start at shortstop or third base.

The last part may not be accurate. I'm still working to get confirmation.

Fans also can be transported to that historic night by watching a video tribute on the big screen. Don't be late.

Catcher Steve Clevenger grew up in Pigtown and attended 2,131. He was 9, so the memories are a bit fuzzy.

"I don't remember too much," he said. "At the time, I was too young to realize what it really meant and everything like that. It was a great feat for Cal. Now I look back on it and just think about how many consecutive games that is in a row, how tough that really is to grasp. It's an unbelievable achievement by him and to play that many games in a row and being on some winning teams.

"It was me and my cousins. We had some cheap seats all the way up in the nosebleed section. We used to go to games when we were kids and we got down there and kind of snuck in with some cheap tickets.

"I always played ball, but that was one of the games I got to go to that I actually remember."

Ripken removed himself from the lineup with The Streak at 2,632.

"I don't think that record's going to be broken," Clevenger said. "That's a lot of games to play in a row. It's an unbelievable feat that he accomplished and I just don't think it will be broken."

Third baseman Manny Machado has played every game this season, and his streak of 131 in a row is the longest active in the majors.

No one said it would be easy to play in 162, let alone challenge Ripken.

"It's hard because of the schedule and because of the grind," said manager Buck Showalter. "And I think the start times, the discipline it requires to basically sacrifice a lot of your time to be in here and work on things. The work that goes on after a game. The sleep habits, the eating habits. All the things that have to go on. It's a challenge.

"I was looking at the number of people we have here who haven't even had 200 at-bats yet this year. And I think sometimes because they're here and playing, you don't realize how much of the season we've played without them, which is a tribute that nobody's really talked about because it's just part of the gig. But you're talking about five, six, seven of our guys."

Chris Tillman is making his 25th start tonight, as the Orioles try to break a five-game losing streak. He was 6-7 with a 5.40 ERA in the first half, but he's 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA in the second.

There are always two sides. Tillman was 2-0 with a 1.31 ERA in five July starts, but he was 1-2 with a 5.73 ERA in four starts last month.

Tillman is 1-2 with a 3.20 ERA in four starts against the Rays this season, with 10 runs (nine earned) and 18 hits in 25 1/3 innings. Evan Longoria is the biggest thorn in Tillman's side with a career .372 (16-for-43) average with four doubles and six home runs.

It's not as much of a thorn as it is a railroad spike.

John Jaso is 4-for-19 with two doubles against Tillman, James Loney is 4-for-30 with a home run and Kevin Kiermaier is 2-for-14.

Kiermaier left last night's game with a mild sprain of his right ankle and is day-to-day. He stuck around long enough to rob Machado of a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first.

Rays left-hander Drew Smyly, making his seventh start of the year, is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in six career games (three starts) against the Orioles. He's allowed three runs and struck out 29 batters in 27 innings. Smyly has allowed two runs in 15 innings over three games (two starts) at Camden Yards.

Chris Davis is 2-for-11 with two home runs against Smyly, Adam Jones is 2-for-12 with a home run, Steve Pearce is 1-for-8 with three strikeouts and Jonathan Schoop is 0-for-6 with three strikeouts.

Gerardo Parra was 2-for-25 in his last six games before his single last night in the seventh inning.

The Orioles scheduled an MRI today for pitcher Miguel Gonzalez, whose disappointing 2015 season may have gotten worse.

This team is desperate for some good news. Dylan Bundy receiving clearance yesterday from Dr. James Andrews to start a throwing program was a step in the right direction, but the Orioles continued to fall as day turned to night.