Showalter expects nice ovation for Britton (tied 4-4)

Tonight's series opener against the Yankees provides reliever Zach Britton with a chance to visit friends and former teammates and at some point over the weekend receive an ovation from appreciative Orioles fans who didn't get the chance to honor him prior to the July 24 trade.

Britton showed up at Camden Yards around 2:30 p.m. today and made his first walk to the visiting clubhouse. He knew its location but hadn't been inside of it until today.

The first order of business, however, was hugging head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, a man who was so instrumental in Britton's recovery from Achilles surgery. Changing into Yankees attire would have to wait until later.

What kind of reception is he expecting tonight?

"I don't know," he said while meeting with the media in the Yankees dugout. "They've been great to me, so I'm sure it's going to be nice. But they obviously don't like the Yankees either, so it's going to be a mixture of some boos and some cheers, I think."

Manager Buck Showalter anticipates a warm greeting for Britton.

"Great, great," he said. "We have great fans, very knowledgeable, and they know what Zach did here and will continue to do for quite a while in his career. He's in a good place. He's strong as a horse, he's healthy. He's going to be a real weapon for them as they go forward.

"I don't think anybody looks forward to Zach coming in against them, but they've got a lot of weapons down there."

Closer Aroldis Chapman has been subtracted due to a hamstring injury, which could give Britton some opportunities to close. But he's also been told to stay ready for earlier portions of the game. It's a new role on a new team.

Britton was booed at Yankee Stadium, but he's strung together three consecutive scoreless outings with only one hit allowed in three innings.

The name on the back of Britton's jersey for Players' Weekend was chosen to honor his grandmother, whose maiden name is Anglada. It's also a nod toward the rest of his Dominican family.

Showalter had an easy time with his own nickname Everyone already knows him as "Buck."

Asked about some of the players' choices, Showalter favored the one belonging to rookie center fielder Cedric Mullins.

"I really like Cedric the Entertainer," he said. "I didn't think they'd let him go that far across the back."

Coach Einar Díaz also earned props for Caballete, translated as "The Stallion."

"That's actually an under-the-radar good one," Showalter said. "I agree. I thought the same thing. I was getting ready to go with Swaggy but I didn't. Swiggy. What is it? It was already taken.

"I don't think they really care what coaches and managers do. I don't know why we're included. People don't really care."

Jimmy Yacabonis will start Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, with Andrew Cashner taking the mound in the nightcap. In case you were curious about the order.

Update: The Orioles loaded the bases against CC Sabathia in the first inning and Chris Davis drove in two runs with single to give them a 2-0 lead.

Update II: Luke Voit hit his first Yankees home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning to tie the game 2-2.

Update III: Jonathan Villar's two-run homer off David Robertson in the seventh gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead.

Update IV: Gleyber Torres' two-run single off Mychal Givens in the eighth tied the score 4-4, with one run charged to Mike Wright Jr. and one to Paul Fry.