SAN DIEGO - The Orioles are getting on a serious roll, one that manager Buck Showalter can both appreciate and keep in its proper perspective.
The club has won six games in a row to move 16 above .500, collecting 17 hits tonight in an 11-7 win over the Padres that was marred only by the bullpen's failings toward the end.
"We haven't even played half the season," Showalter said. "That's for people that ... You've got to stretch out the good times, shorten the bad ones. It's going to happen in every season. I've been with clubs that won 100 games and you had parts of the season when you didn't think you were going to win another game. You've got to keep a sense of reality.
"We're having a lot of things bounce our way right now and just trying to keep it going. We got a good start tonight from our starting pitcher and held on at the end."
Oliver Drake surrendered a three-run homer to Wil Myers in the seventh inning and T.J. McFarland gave up three runs with two outs in the ninth that caused closer Zach Britton to begin warming. Showalter expressed his disappointment afterward.
Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run over five innings, but he also walked four batters. Good enough on a night like this one.
Here's a sampling from Showalter and the clubhouse for anyone who's still awake:
Showalter on Jimenez:
"The finished product, one run, three hits. I thought he had good command of his fastball, I liked the way he went back up there and got some outs after the leadoff home run. So, that's a little different than ... we'll take it. He had 87 pitches. I thought about leaving him back out there. We had two really good run scoring innings.
"I thought he might throw one more inning at the most. We had a rested bullpen before we created some problems there at the end. We've got to a little better job there. But the good guys won. We'll take it. Tough winning on the road."
Showalter on Hyun Soo Kim offering production from the eighth spot:
"That's a big thing in the National League. Really, it's American League in the ninth hole. He leads our club in on-base percentage and I thought he was a good candidate for it. I do look at stats now and then. I wasn't surprised that he led our club in on-base. He's had a lot of good at-bats. He had a great night. Probably had a good Korean contingency here, I bet. He's been a great addition for us."
Showalter on Jonathan Schoop's hot streak:
"Just keep it quiet. No, how about the play he made on the line drive. You know how hard that play is? Golly, that's some play. But Jonathan's swinging the bat well. He's covering a lot of the zone and not getting himself out as much.
"You have a game like tonight, you got to see some plays made and you go, 'These guys are some kind of talented.' What's better, the (Melvin Upton) catch or the throw? Stand out there tomorrow and see if you can get a ball to be that accurate to first base from that distance, let alone the catch. He made about as good a one coming in. It's fun to watch."
Jimenez on his outing:
"I was able to compete, I was able to give the team a chance to win."
Jimenez on overcoming four walks:
"Just forget about it. I think that was kind of the approach that I had. I don't want to walk guys, especially my last inning. I got two quick outs and then for some reason I allowed those two walks. But we were able to make a good pitch, down on (Matt) Kemp and get out of the inning. That's the thing. You have to find a way to forget about the walks and go get the next guy."
Jimenez on the offensive support each night:
"There's no doubt the way we're swinging is great. Those guys go up there every at-bat looking to put up big numbers on the scoreboard. As a starting pitcher you just have to go out there and compete and give them a chance."
Schoop on his hot streak:
"You know, I feel good. When you keep getting hits, things go your way. The main thing is keeping to my routine, keep believing in myself. I'm hitting in the cage a lot early. Keep believing in my routine and keep trying to get better."
Schoop on whether he enjoys batting high up in the order:
"I just like to be where I can help. High in the lineup, low in the lineup, I just want to help the team win because winning is fun."
Schoop on how the offense passes the baton:
"That's the thing we've been focusing on this year, passing the baton and getting good at bats. Get good at bats and trust each other and pass the baton for the other guy to do it. Jonesy (Adam Jones) had a great at bat, I got a double, Manny (Machado) got a base hit. Those are the things we're really looking forward to doing."
Schoop on getting contributions up and down the lineup:
"Yeah, you know, from one through nine, ever since spring training the lineup one through nine, everyone can do damage, everyone can contribute. One day someone will step up and another guy will step up in another way."
Schoop on being part of this lineup:
"It's fun. It's fun being around my teammates. They are fun guys. We have fun, but we play the game hard and we play the game the right way. But we have fun with the game. We keep it loose. Jonesy is the captain and J.J. (Hardy), he knows how to keep it loose, but when the game starts, we still have fun a little bit, but we focus on playing the game the right way."
Schoop on Jimenez contributing his last two starts:
"It's nice. Whenever you see somebody do good on your team, it's nice. He threw really good tonight and he got the W."
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