Showalter on Parmelee and All-Star selections (O's lose 8-6)

The Orioles have won four games via shutout at Camden Yards over the last 21 days. According to Elias, June is the first month that the Orioles have registered three shutouts or more at home since August 2006.

Chris Parmelee has become a regular in the Orioles' lineup, starting again tonight at first base.

Parmelee was a career .249/.317/.392 hitter in parts of four seasons with the Twins before the Orioles signed him as a minor league free agent. He's 13-for-43 (.302) with four doubles, a triple, four home runs and six RBIs since his contract was purchased.

"You find out more times than not that teams that had a guy four, five, six years, they've usually got a pretty good idea," said manager Buck Showalter. "I do think Chris is probably in the best shape of his life. He had a lot of opportunities in the offseason to go places. The first time a club tells you, 'OK, we're not bringing you back,' it kind of ... it's not a wakeup call, but he came into spring on a mission to really make himself, I don't want to say 'noticed,' but present himself well. And he did. Then we got close to his out in his contract and he had two or three opportunities there. Glad we did.

"He's been a contributor. We'll see how it plays out as we go forward as an organization, to have a guy who can play left, right, first base well, left-handed bat. We'll see. Sometimes guys bloom a little later in their career."

Parmelee has been solid in right field, but he's shifted to first base, where he's impressed since spring training. Chris Davis is making his fourth start in right field.

"All our guys embrace wherever the clubs needs them to play," Showalter said. "It's not like, 'Gosh, OK, I've got to play out here.' I think that's a real attribute to our guys. I never had one guy come up and (complain). Stevie (Pearce), 'You need me to go play second base? Let's go figure it out.' He turned into a good one.

"Still kind of lament not being able to play him at third base in the spring. I really wanted to, but we brought in so many guys we had to look at over there, it was tough. I really think he'd be able to play third base. And I think he'd be able to present himself at shortstop for a couple of innings."

Showalter said Royals manager Ned Yost, at the helm of the American League All-Star team, hasn't reached out to get his opinion on possible All-Stars on the Orioles' roster.

"He contacted me about something else, but not the All-Star Game," Showalter said. "We should have at least eight."

Showalter grinned while offering that total. He was serious about having no issue with center fielder Adam Jones playing if selected. Jones probably could use the break after being sidelined with a sore right shoulder.

"I would like for him to go and he deserves to go. It's as simple as that," Showalter said. "We wouldn't be playing him if we thought the All-Star Game one day out of four would get in the way. We'd like for him to go if he's deserving and I think he is. I can't imagine an All-Star team without Adam on it.

"I'd make a case for a bunch of guys. We're all biased. I get to see these guys play every day. Manny (Machado), Zach (Britton), Darren (O'Day). Who am I missing? (Jimmy) Paredes. You guys realize this guy might lead the league in hitting? I thought about that.

"Who am I leaving out? Miguel (Gonzalez), (Wei-Yin) Chen without a doubt, Ubaldo (Jimenez). I told you eight. We know Kansas City's going to have a few."

Update: Jones reached on second baseman Rougned Odor's two-out error in the first and Davis followed with a home run to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead.

Davis has hit safely in 10 straight games. He leads the club in strikeouts (98), but also home runs (17) and RBIs (47).

Update II: Josh Hamilton singled with one out in the second inning and Mitch Moreland followed with his third home run in two nights. Orioles 2, Rangers 2

Update III: Gonzalez gave up two runs in the fourth after loading the bases with no outs. Prince Fielder had an RBI single and Adrian Beltre grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Rangers 4, Orioles 2

Gonzalez has thrown 55 pitches in three innings.

Update IV: Davis did it again. Jones reached on a two-out single in the third and Davis belted his second home run of the night to tie the game 4-4.

Davis has nine multi-homer games in his career and two this season, the first coming May 27 against the Astros.

Update V: Robinson Chirinos and Shin-Soo Choo homered in the fifth to give Texas a 6-4 lead.

Gonzalez ties his career high with three homers allowed. Orioles starters have surrendered seven in the first two games of this series.

Manny Machado led off the bottom of the fifth with his 16th home run. Rangers 6, Orioles 5

Machado has a 12-game hitting streak.

Gonzalez allowed a season-high six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, with three walks, one strikeout and three home runs. He threw 85 pitches before Brad Brach replaced him.

Update VI: Moreland strikes again. His two-run shot off Chaz Roe in the eighth gives Texas an 8-5 lead.

Moreland has four home runs in two nights. The latest looked like a fairly routine fly ball to left that kept carrying.

Brach tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Update VII: The Orioles lost their second straight game, falling to the Rangers 8-6 before 27,370 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles (41-36) hadn't lost two in a row since June 18-19.

Travis Snider had an RBI single with two outs in the ninth after J.J. Hardy walked. Rangers pitchers had retired 14 in a row.

The Rangers have totaled 16 runs in two games. They've hit eight home runs.