Showalter talks about Tillman and 1-0 loss

The Orioles have allowed one run in the last 18 innings. They've split the two games. They defeated the Red Sox last night after Bud Norris tossed eight scoreless innings, but were shut out 1-0 tonight at Camden Yards. "To give up one run in 18 innings," said manager Buck Showalter, "I'm real pleased with the way our guys have pitched the last couple nights." Chris Tillman endured two rain delays lasting 15 minutes and 1 hour, 18 minutes to work through the sixth inning. The only run scored on Mike Napoli's soft single with two outs in the third inning. "I would have taken it," Showalter said. "It was a challenging situation for Chris, as it was for (Brandon Workman) and they both handled it well. Because of the facility, (Tillman) took two ups inside off the mound and about a 15 or 20 minute rest in between, trying to simulate pitching. So, he was fine physically. "It's one of the tougher decisions I think you have to make as a manager when there's rain delays. The first one wasn't bad. The second one was a little tough. Tough call for weather people. But I was real pleased with Chris, and we got a good job done out of the bullpen by everybody and gave us a chance there. But unfortunately, they pitched just a little bit better than we did." Showalter thought Tillman's stuff improved after the delays. "I don't know if better's the word, but command," Showalter said. "He made a big pitch on the double play ball. It's unfortunate because the run he gave up was a flare to right. He didn't give up many hard-hit balls. "Probably the toughest call was the sixth inning. We were going hitter to hitter there." Workman didn't give up a hit until Ryan Flaherty singled with two outs in the sixth. He walked one and struck out four over 6 2/3 innings. What made him so tough? "I think the curveball," Showalter said. "He had a cutter and enough fastball. But a lot of cutters. Curveball he had command of, which we knew coming in that was what we knew we were going to see. Hoped he didn't have command of both of them, but he did." Did the rain adversely impact the hitters? "That would be easy to say," Showalter replied. "We've had some rain delays before. That's part of playing up here that we scored a bunch of runs in. I tend to tip my hat to Workman and their bullpen. They've got some really good people there. Last part of the game you're trying to stay away from that. They're pretty deep down there." Nelson Cruz walked in the fifth inning to give the Orioles their first baserunner, but he was doubled off first base on J.J. Hardy's pop up. Cruz appeared to forget the number of outs. "I think so," Showalter said. "That's the way it looked to me. I looked away. There's a time and place. We'll review it." The Red Sox were 0-18 this season when scoring three runs or fewer. The loss snapped the Orioles' six-game winning streak in the American League East. Tonight's game marked only the fourth time in Orioles-Red Sox history where neither team recorded an extra-base hit. It also happened Sept. 2, 1974 in Game 2 of a doubleheader, July 26, 1961 and May 31, 1956. The Orioles have turned 74 double plays to lead the majors, but they've also committed at least one error in six of their last seven games. Nick Markakis' 14-game hitting streak ended.