Showalter on Chen, Miller and a 2-1 win
By Roch Kubatko
In case you missed it in my last entry, the Orioles tied the franchise record tonight with their seventh consecutive one-run game.
You have to go all the way back to June 21-29, 1956.
The Orioles have won five of those games during the current stretch, including tonight's 2-1 victory over the Mariners at Camden Yards.
Wei-Yin Chen is riding a career-high five-game winning streak. His 12 victories this season tie his career-high.
Chen has gone eight and 7 1/3 innings in his last two starts, both against the Mariners.
"He was working on some extra rest and we've always got a real good return for that," said manager Buck Showalter. "I'll tell you, it's tough when you have as good an outing as he had in Seattle to come back against that same team and have another good outing. That's tough. It's legit stuff.
"He was real crisp tonight. I thought his breaking ball had some depth. He's been solid for us. The results have been good from a team standpoint and that's what matters. But we're going to enter a stretch here where he threw almost 110 last time out and because of some things we looked at and factored, we wanted to give him a couple extra days and it worked out tonight."
The Orioles are 18-2 when Chen goes seven or more innings.
"I think you could say that about a lot," Showalter said. "If you get seven innings out of your starter, you're going to win your share of games. Shortens up a lot of things in the bullpen and really allows you to put people in situations that they prosper in. But regardless of the analysis of the game, it starts and most of it is with Wei-Yin. He's really solid for us here lately in a time of need, obviously standings-wise."
Chen appears to be stronger than during his first two seasons in Baltimore.
"I can't tell you what a challenge it is to pitch every fifth day for seven or eight months sometimes," Showalter said. "We're hoping to not only be full strength the rest of this month and September, but you hope..."
Yes, through October, as well.
"So, you manage your innings, you manage your days when you can get them and match-ups," Showalter continued. "Fortunately, we have talented guys who give you a return if you can do that. There used to be a certain pitch count, and he's kind of graduated a little bit beyond that. He was pretty crisp that last inning."
Chen's streak of striking out at least one batter in all 76 major league starts ranks sixth in club history. Mike Mussina is fifth with 81 straight games from July 18, 1995 to Sept. 2, 1997.
The franchise record is 128 held by... wait for it... Daniel Cabrera from July 30, 2004 to Aug. 19, 2008.
The Orioles rotation has posted a 3.05 ERA in 47 games since June 9.
Nick Markakis passed Brian Roberts for third place on the all-time list for games played at Camden Yards with 663. Brady Anderson is first with 703 and Cal Ripken Jr. is second with 674.
Left-hander Andrew Miller pitched in his first game in Baltimore as a member of the Orioles organization, sandwiching two ground balls around a walk. He received a huge ovation as he took the mound, similar to the one that accompanied Chen to the dugout.
"Our fans are very intelligent," Showalter siad. "I think as much of it was for Wei-Yin's outing. I know who it wasn't for.
"It depends on who you are. If you're Wei-Yin, you take it in. It's for Andrew the other way. I think both of them are true. You come off the grind we had on the West Coast and know there's a safe haven where you've got friendly faces and people that are pulling for you, and especially the number that are coming out here to support us, and you know you're doing something that's very important to them."
How did Miller look to Showalter?
"Good," he replied. "You think about all the emotion. Good for him. You've got a trade like that, you've got a guy that's been in the American League East for a time. You've got some concern if you bring somebody in that hasn't been in that atmosphere. It's not necessarily that we have more than somewhere else. It's just that he's used to the ballpark. He's used to when we go into some other American League East cities - you do it 700 times a year, it seems like.
"That's the thing to like about the trade, too. There's not that period he goes through where he has to adjust to a lot of that, like somebody for, say, the Padres or something."
Wei-Yin Chen is riding a career-high five-game winning streak. His 12 victories this season tie his career-high.
Chen has gone eight and 7 1/3 innings in his last two starts, both against the Mariners.
"He was working on some extra rest and we've always got a real good return for that," said manager Buck Showalter. "I'll tell you, it's tough when you have as good an outing as he had in Seattle to come back against that same team and have another good outing. That's tough. It's legit stuff.
"He was real crisp tonight. I thought his breaking ball had some depth. He's been solid for us. The results have been good from a team standpoint and that's what matters. But we're going to enter a stretch here where he threw almost 110 last time out and because of some things we looked at and factored, we wanted to give him a couple extra days and it worked out tonight."
The Orioles are 18-2 when Chen goes seven or more innings.
"I think you could say that about a lot," Showalter said. "If you get seven innings out of your starter, you're going to win your share of games. Shortens up a lot of things in the bullpen and really allows you to put people in situations that they prosper in. But regardless of the analysis of the game, it starts and most of it is with Wei-Yin. He's really solid for us here lately in a time of need, obviously standings-wise."
Chen appears to be stronger than during his first two seasons in Baltimore.
"I can't tell you what a challenge it is to pitch every fifth day for seven or eight months sometimes," Showalter said. "We're hoping to not only be full strength the rest of this month and September, but you hope..."
Yes, through October, as well.
"So, you manage your innings, you manage your days when you can get them and match-ups," Showalter continued. "Fortunately, we have talented guys who give you a return if you can do that. There used to be a certain pitch count, and he's kind of graduated a little bit beyond that. He was pretty crisp that last inning."
Chen's streak of striking out at least one batter in all 76 major league starts ranks sixth in club history. Mike Mussina is fifth with 81 straight games from July 18, 1995 to Sept. 2, 1997.
The franchise record is 128 held by... wait for it... Daniel Cabrera from July 30, 2004 to Aug. 19, 2008.
The Orioles rotation has posted a 3.05 ERA in 47 games since June 9.
Nick Markakis passed Brian Roberts for third place on the all-time list for games played at Camden Yards with 663. Brady Anderson is first with 703 and Cal Ripken Jr. is second with 674.
Left-hander Andrew Miller pitched in his first game in Baltimore as a member of the Orioles organization, sandwiching two ground balls around a walk. He received a huge ovation as he took the mound, similar to the one that accompanied Chen to the dugout.
"Our fans are very intelligent," Showalter siad. "I think as much of it was for Wei-Yin's outing. I know who it wasn't for.
"It depends on who you are. If you're Wei-Yin, you take it in. It's for Andrew the other way. I think both of them are true. You come off the grind we had on the West Coast and know there's a safe haven where you've got friendly faces and people that are pulling for you, and especially the number that are coming out here to support us, and you know you're doing something that's very important to them."
How did Miller look to Showalter?
"Good," he replied. "You think about all the emotion. Good for him. You've got a trade like that, you've got a guy that's been in the American League East for a time. You've got some concern if you bring somebody in that hasn't been in that atmosphere. It's not necessarily that we have more than somewhere else. It's just that he's used to the ballpark. He's used to when we go into some other American League East cities - you do it 700 times a year, it seems like.
"That's the thing to like about the trade, too. There's not that period he goes through where he has to adjust to a lot of that, like somebody for, say, the Padres or something."
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