Showalter: "This isn't a situation for the weak of knees"

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter had to enjoy the seventh-run outburst today in the top of the seventh inning. It ended an 18-inning scoreless drought. It made all the difference in the outcome. The Orioles sent 10 batters to the plate, with J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones hitting three-run homers, and a sweep was averted with a 7-3 victory over the Yankees. "I think it's a little frustration there. They didn't want it to end," Showalter said. Here's more from Showalter's post-game session with the media: Where there was a sense of relief in the dugout after Matt Wieters' RBI single: "I don't know about relief, because that doesn't mean the floodgates are going to open. That's like people talk about a blown save. You can't blow something you don't already have." I'll pause here to consider the T-shirt possibilities. "I don't think that means this," Showalter added. "There's always another challenge - the next hitter, the next situation. Another challenge in Cleveland tomorrow. It's not for the faint of heart. This isn't a situation for the weak of knees. And our guys aren't." On whether the big inning allowed his hitters to relax: "We've got (Justin) Masterson tomorrow. You think we'll be relaxed and confident? That's why people are playing meaningful games this time of the year, because they've got good pitchers you're going to see every day. Scoring seven runs in one inning on Sept. 1, we hope it bodes well for a good September because we're going to need it. It's a good way to start the month." On the importance of avoiding a sweep vs. the Yankees: "That wasn't a topic of conversation. You go play games. I thought the key innings were probably when (Kevin) Gausman kind of got it going. Took Gaus about as long as I wanted to take him, having him pitch last night. But no, I don't look at that. The season's not over today one way or the other. We understand the games are dwindling. I've said it a lot of times that September is an eternity, and from experience, you line it up every day and grind it and see where it takes you." On Wei-Yin Chen: "Velocity-wise, if you're just looking at that, and life, it's not like they were centering him up or anything. You see all the foul balls. When a guy fouls a ball straight back, he's missed the whole width of the ball. He's got the timing of the pitch, but not the location where it is. There's a fine line. A lot of close pitches. He had 80-some pitches in four innings. I thought about letting him go back out there, but I just felt like he was spent there. It was a really sticky day, too. We've been so lucky with the weather. You've got three day games in a row. We've got another one tomorrow." On the bullpen: "One, because we got a great outing from (Scott) Feldman, and that's why Joe (Girardi's) bullpen is rested, because of (Ivan) Nova. And the night before we got some meaningful innings in a losing cause from (T.J.) McFarland. So, just because you're getting beat, the guys come in and give innings and make the rest of the guys stronger, and that's why the bullpen has to perform as a group." On Gausman as a reliever: "It's a process. He's been through a lot of things that he's learning from. He's got good aptitude. He sees, he watches, he looks at it. When you have the type of stuff that Kevin does, it makes you confident. What comes first? I've been down the process a lot with guys like him and (Chris) Tillman and (Andy) Pettitte and different guys. There's a process and I like where he is in the process. It's just a matter of how much you want to give him."