Trumbo talks Trout and Machado, plus other notes and quotes

Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo played two seasons with Mike Trout. In 2012 and 2013 they were teammates on the Los Angeles Angels. Trumbo is now playing with Manny Machado. In the clubhouse after the Orioles' 11-3 win over Oakland on Sunday, Trumbo made a brief comparison of the two young stars.

"They wow you, each and every day," Trumbo said. "Just when you think that they've done enough for that game, they do something crazy like hit a grand slam or make a play in the field. The sky is the limit for these type of players. Manny is obviously a huge contributor for us."

Manny has been wowing Orioles fans for a while now. He is now batting .350 with nine homers and 22 RBIs.

Machado's numbers in home games are crazy. In 18 games this year at Camden Yards, he is batting .425/.475/.863 with 11 doubles, seven homers, 15 runs and 19 RBIs. Machado has a home OPS of 1.338.

Why is he tearing it up these days at Camden Yards?

"I mean, it's home," he said. "It is always good to be home. You sleep in your own bed and see your family. You stick to a routine each day. Hope I keep this going on the road."

In road games, Machado is not nearly as great so far this year, batting .240 with two homers and three RBIs. I'll guess those numbers are going to get better for Machado.

On April 28 against the White Sox, Machado hit a grand slam and drove in what was then a career-high five runs. Yesterday, Manny hit another granny and produced a new career high with six RBIs.

Strangely, in the eight games between April 28 and yesterday, he did not homer or drive in a single run. He still hit .375 in that span with six doubles.

Machado's huge game Sunday somewhat overshadowed the fact the Orioles mashed a season-high six homers in all. It was the most homers since they hit a team-record eight last June 16 against Philadelphia at Camden Yards.

Trumbo and Machado are tied for the team lead in homers with nine, and Chris Davis has eight. Trumbo blasted a two-run shot yesterday in the third inning and went 3-for-5.

The Orioles recently had a four-game stretch where they scored six total runs. Yesterday they hit six homers.

"I like the approach we had," Trumbo said. "I think we capitalized when we got some pitches to hit. The wind was blowing today but most of the ones we got were hit pretty solid. Lately it has kind of been tough to score some runs. So to have something like this is a lot of fun. The fans, with a packed house, that was great today. Really fed off the energy they brought and that helped us get that win."

Chris Tillman's pitching after the first inning Sunday should not be overlooked. He gave up the three runs then and no more through 6 1/3 innings to improve to 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA.

What does Tillman do to regroup if and when he has a shaky opening inning?

"Just continue to try and make pitches," he said. "I didn't make a lot of bad pitches in the first inning, but you have to give them credit. You make some adjustments on the fly and let your defense work. You get in trouble if you start trying to strike everyone out. Keep using your defense and make them put the ball in play."

Tillman recorded his fourth straight quality start yesterday and is 3-0 with an ERA of 2.08 in that stretch. In five home starts, he is 3-0 with an ERA of 2.39.

Here is perhaps the best stat of all for Tillman: When he starts this year, the Orioles are 6-1. Last season the Orioles were 15-16 in Tillman's 31 starts.

Tonight, the Orioles begin a three-game series at Minnesota against a Twins team with the worst record in the American League at 8-23. The Orioles swept three straight over the Twins to start this season and that sweep began what turned into an 0-9 start for the Twins. Now they are scuffling badly again, losing five in a row and nine of their last 10 games.

In the 2015 season, Minnesota went 7-0 against the Orioles and outscored them 43-18 in the season series.

Great event for a great cause: The Orioles Mother's Day Catch on the Field event Sunday was not only awesome to see in person, but the event raised $20,000 for the Orioles Charitable Foundation.

The Father's Day Catch on the Field will be held on Sunday, June 19, prior to the 1:35 p.m. game against the Toronto Blue Jays.