Showalter on O's All-Stars, plus other notes (Orioles win 4-1)

LOS ANGELES - Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent a good portion of his pregame meeting with reporters today talking about his club getting five players chosen for next week's All-Star Game.

"Real proud of them, for the organization, for the fans," he said. "It's good to see that they got there by different ways. Somebody asked me which one meant more. I think they all mean something. The fans, the players, the managers picked. All are very deserving."

Showalter said Chris Tillman, who is starting tonight, will also start the Orioles' last game before the break on Sunday. Tillman did not make the All-Star team.

"I think maybe three or four starts ago, Chris probably had a good shot," Showalter said.

Showalter was asked about reliever Brad Brach making the team for the first time.

"I know if I was managing the game, I would want Brad down there," he said. "He's had a very deserving All-Star (resume). Last year, they took Darren (O'Day). Brad's competition was probably as thick as any of them. You look at some of the guys I'm sure they were considering.

"That was fun today, because I don't get to deliver much good news. That was fun talking to ... Actually, I called Brad's wife and let her do it. Anytime you've been together and things weren't necessarily rosy, that means a lot. They're able to share it. I had a tough time getting her away from Brad so that I could talk to her on the phone. She snuck away to the bathroom."

As for injured reliever O'Day, when reporters met with the skipper before today's game, he had not yet talked with O'Day for an update.

"There's nothing negative as far as setbacks. I can tell by his face he's progressing," he said.

Showalter was asked if it is possible that O'Day could pitch in a minor league game during the All-Star break.

"Anything's possible," he said. "We haven't gotten that far to make those plans. This is not a good injury. It's something that takes time. If you push it, you could miss a whole year. I was talking to Jim Palmer about it. His wife has had it and she ended up having to have surgery."

Showalter said Triple-A reliever Ashur Tolliver, who has had two stints with the Orioles, is now out with a hamstring injury.

"That is one of the reasons why he wasn't considered to come up here," Showalter said. "Obviously, we need a left-hander. I don't know if they have placed him (on the minor league DL) yet. But it doesn't seem like it is going to be something that is quick and get right back out there."

O's and Dodgers are tied: Tonight's game is tied 1-1 through three innings. Corey Seager doubled and scored on an Adrian Gonzalez single in the first as Los Angeles took the 1-0 lead on Tillman and the Orioles. Seager is now 3-for-6 in this series and extends his hitting streak to 18 games.

The O's matched that in the second. Mark Trumbo led off with a walk against Kenta Maeda and advanced to third on Matt Wieters' single to left. Jonathan Schoop blooped what looked like a single to right field. But Yaisel Puig threw Wieters out at second. A run scored and Schoop got an RBI on the 9-6 fielder's choice. Tillman is at 38 pitches through three.

Machado for the lead: Manny Machado's 19th home run should have landed by the time you read this. His 453-foot blast to left field in the fifth was a three-run shot for a 4-1 lead. Machado was robbed of extra bases his first time up by center fielder Trayce Thompson. But only a fan had a chance at this one.

Tillman with a strong outing: The O's needed a long outing from Tillman tonight and got one. He has pitched through the seventh inning on 100 pitches with a 4-1 lead. Tillman has allowed five hits and one run. O's starters had worked just 11 1/3 combined innings over the last three games. Before Tillman's outing, the O's had just one outing of seven or more innings from a starter over the last 17 games: Kevin Gausman's 7 2/3 innings on June 25 versus Tampa Bay. Tillman is now out of this game after Nolan Reimold pinch-hit for him in the eighth. Brad Brach is coming in for the last of the eighth.

O's end losing streak: The Orioles ended their five-game losing streak tonight, beating the Dodgers 4-1 at Dodger Stadium. They improved to 48-35 and lead the American League East by 2 1/2 games over Toronto and by three over Boston.

The Orioles also ended the Dodgers' five-game win streak and the Dodgers' 10-game home win streak. Los Angeles was 17-3 in its previous 20 games at home.

Tillman did not allow a run after the first and improves to 11-2 with an ERA of 3.55. The Orioles are 15-3 in his 18 starts this year. Brad Brach struck out the side in the eighth and Zach Britton pitched the ninth for his 24th save in 24 chances.

Kevin Gausman faces Bud Norris here on Wednesday afternoon.

I'll file an entry later with clubhouse quotes from the O's victory.