masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgPitcher Kevin Gausman took special interest in the two-homer day by Yankees first baseman Greg Bird. And not because the teams are division rivals and the Orioles are trying to catch them.
Gausman and Bird were teammates at Grandview High in Aurora, Colo., their families living a few minutes apart. Bird was a catcher, so the relationship only grew stronger.
The Yankees called up Bird, their fourth-rated prospect, on Thursday, which prompted Gausman to send him a congratulatory text message….

Pitcher Kevin Gausman took special interest in the two-homer day by Yankees first baseman Greg Bird. And not because the teams are division rivals and the Orioles are trying to catch them.

Gausman and Bird were teammates at Grandview High in Aurora, Colo., their families living a few minutes apart. Bird was a catcher, so the relationship only grew stronger.

The Yankees called up Bird, their fourth-rated prospect, on Thursday, which prompted Gausman to send him a congratulatory text message. Bird was destined to hear from him again yesterday after belting a pair of two-run homers in a 4-3 win over the Twins.

“It was pretty cool,” Gausman said. “When he got his first hit in Toronto, they showed his parents. I know his parents pretty well.

“He actually moved from Nashville and made our varsity team as a freshman. He could always hit. He was a catcher, but he’s a pretty big guy. He kind of had some health issues in the minors when he first started catching and that’s why they moved him to first. But yeah, he used to hit some mamos in Colorado.”

Translated: Mammoth home runs.

gausman-gray-specs-sidebar.jpg“Two guys from Colorado, that’s pretty rare,” Gausman said. “I think there’s only been two other guys who have been from the same high school and made it to the big leagues who played together.”

Gausman could face Bird next month, since the Orioles have six games remaining with the Yankees.

“I always told him, even when we were in high school, if we’re ever in the big leagues together, I told him I was going to hit him,” Gausman said with a smile.

“I’m anxious to see what his reaction is if I pitch against him. That first pitch, if I throw him a fastball in, what his reaction is going to be. It’s going to be pretty funny.”

* Showalter had a little fun with Gausman after finding out that the right-hander took some heat for wearing a Saints jersey to the exhibition game at M&T Bank Stadium.

“I told him, ‘If you really want to get the fans who are mad at you back on your side, the next time they play, just wear a Steelers jersey,'” Showalter said. “He goes, ‘Really?’ And I said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘We’ll give you a pass in the preseason. Just wear black next time without a number.’

“I had him sweating. I said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to pitch you next time out. You better pitch good.'”

* Adam Jones was kind enough to remove Henry Urrutia’s MASN headset last night before delivering a pie to the face.

What flavor was the pie?

“I don’t even know,” Urrutia said following his walk-off home run. “I can feel the pie in my ear and everywhere. When I saw Jonesy put the pies in the faces of the other players, I never think he threw too hard. Now I have pie everywhere.”

* The Orioles have three catchers on their roster before September call-ups, which is a bit unusual. But all three players can move to other positions, which also is a bit unusual.

And speaking of unusual…

“All three of them bring a threat offensively, which is unusual as a whole for 30 teams,” Showalter said. “I think Stevie (Clevenger) can play first, third, outfield, give us some good coverage there. He’s swinging the bat well. Take advantage of it.”

Could Clevenger, Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph be in the same lineup?

“I probably don’t see that happening, but it could,” Showalter said. “Who is the best first baseman of the three? I don’t think we have enough sampling really to feel that. Matt’s the biggest target. I imagine Stevie is the most experienced at it.”

* It probably won’t surprise you to know that Showalter attended a game at Double-A Bowie during the off-day Thursday. But imagine his surprise when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder, turned around and saw reliever Mychal Givens.

It says a lot about the kid that he showed up to watch his former teammates after being called back up to the majors. He feels an attachment to them and wanted to offer his support.

* Gerardo Parra extended his hitting streak to six games last night with a single in the first inning, his 12th hit in his last 24 at-bats.

Parra is batting .358 in 60 games since June 11.

“I wish we could get his numbers as a group up there. Tells you what kind of a year he’s having,” Showalter said.

“He’s a very competitive guy. He brings a lot of the table, more than one phase of the game. That’s why we like him.”

Parra also one of the more enthusiastic players in the dugout. It’s fun to watch him react to a home run.

* Jonathan Schoop, coming off a rough night in the field, drilled a game-tying, two-run homer last night in the sixth inning. He began the night batting .302 in 45 games and 149 at-bats.

“I’m really proud of him,” Showalter said before the game. “He hasn’t had 200 at-bats yet this year. He’s at the infant stage of a season. But I see all the work he and Manny (Machado) do every day in the weight room and with the trainers. Because of Manny’s two knee surgeries and Jon’s injury, they have to do certain things to stay on the field.

“They’ve been great about it, but we have people who aren’t going to let that happen. That’s their job every day to make sure they do that. It’s important for them to stay on the field, to do this to stay on the field.”

* Single-A Delmarva manager Ryan Minor and his coaching staff are drawing a considerable amount of praise from within the organization for the job they’ve done with a team that’s not considered to be flush with prospects – especially after third baseman Jomar Reyes sprained his thumb in June.

* Center fielder Jaylen Ferguson, the Orioles’ ninth-round pick this year out of Arlington (Texas) High School, had a double and triple yesterday for the Gulf Coast League team.

Showalter’s son, Nathan, scouted Ferguson. The Orioles hired him in February as an area scout working in North Texas and Southern Arkansas.

* Former Orioles reliever Tommy Hunter is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA and one save in eight games with the Cubs. He’s allowed three runs and seven hits, walked one, struck out five and served up two home runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Zach Davies, traded to the Brewers for Parra, is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts with Triple-A Colorado Springs. He’s allowed eight runs and 19 hits in 16 innings, with nine walks and 13 strikeouts.

* Twins right-hander Tyler Duffey, 24, is making his third major league start tonight. He’s 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two August starts, allowing six runs and six hits in eight innings, with seven walks, eight strikeouts and two home runs.

Don’t judge him too harshly. Duffey, a fifth-round draft pick out of Rice University in 2012, shut out the Indians on one hit over six innings in his last outing. The Blue Jays battered him for six runs over two innings in his debut in Toronto.

Duffey’s middle name is Blinn. I just felt the need to share it.

Miguel Gonzalez hadn’t worked more than 5 1/3 innings in eight of 10 starts before making it through the seventh Saturday night against the Athletics. He’s 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two career starts against the Twins, with four runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings.

The current Twins are batting .323 (10-for-31) against Gonzalez. Trevor Plouffe is 2-for-5 with a double and home run, Torii Hunter is 2-for-5 with a home run and Brian Dozier is 2-for-5.