masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles kept chipping away tonight at the Tigers’ substantial early lead. They were reduced to mining for anything positive while losing a game and valuable ground in the wild card chase.
Miguel Castro was outstanding in relief of starter Chris Tillman, working a career-high six scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. Tim Beckham had a costly fielding error, but he also went 3-for-4 with a double and his first Orioles home run.
Craig Gentry had two hits, twice stole third base and…

The Orioles kept chipping away tonight at the Tigers’ substantial early lead. They were reduced to mining for anything positive while losing a game and valuable ground in the wild card chase.

Miguel Castro was outstanding in relief of starter Chris Tillman, working a career-high six scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. Tim Beckham had a costly fielding error, but he also went 3-for-4 with a double and his first Orioles home run.

Craig Gentry had two hits, twice stole third base and scored two runs – the first time he’s done the latter since 2014.

It’s not enough collectively to erase a 7-5 loss to the Tigers at Camden Yard, with its two rain delays and announced crowd of 17,157, but the ugliness certainly was tamed.

The Orioles fell to 53-55, their five-game winning streak history, and are 3 1/2 back for the second wild card.

Tillman was charged with seven runs, five earned, in two-plus innings. Two solo home runs in the first inning set a disturbing tone. Nine batters coming to the plate in a five-run third ultimately decided the outcome.

Manager Buck Showalter said Tillman, now sporting an 8.10 ERA, didn’t indicate that anything specific was bothering him. In other words, no complaints of cramping or another physical ailment.

“Command,” Showalter said. “He came out there after the short rain delay, or long, or about medium I guess, got a quick out and went out and put up a zero after that and command just wasn’t there.

“You keep waiting for him. It’s tough because you’ve got a guy who’s really got a track record of pitching well for us over an extended period of time and he’s just not doing it right now.”

Tillman blamed “execution,” or the lack of it.

“It’s killing me right now,” he said. “It really is. But you can’t dwell on that.”

The triple play in the second inning had a chance to launch Tillman deep into his start, but he never recorded another out.

“It usually does, but that gives you an indication of how much Chris is struggling with his command right now, because usually on paper that’s what happens,” Showalter said.

“I know it’s real frustrating for him. It’s like people talk about guys who strike out along with a lot of power. Can you imagine the frustration of having that type of power at your fingertips and not being able to get to it? Can you imagine having the ability to pitch successfully up here and not being able to execute it? So it’s tough.”

Beckham’s opposite field shot, which barely cleared the out-of-town scoreboard, made him 7-for-12 with the Orioles, including three doubles and a triple. The ground ball through his legs with the bases loaded in the third was brutal, but he tried to make up for it at the plate.

Beckham’s home run was the 2,500th hit by the Orioles at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992.

Welington Castillo singled with two outs in the eight, but Gentry struck out.

Gentry stole two bases for the first time since April 30 at Yankee Stadium.

Castro-Throws-White-Sidebar.jpgCastro retired the last 12 batters he faced. He let an inherited runner score in the third on Mikie Mahtook’s sacrifice fly that completed Tillman’s line. No one reached base against him after Jim Adduci walked with two outs in the fourth and was caught stealing.

Richard Bleier retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth to extend the streak to 14 in a row. James McCann singled to end it.

Tillman’s hasty exit could have burned up the bullpen, but Castro wouldn’t allow it. Does the young right-hander get sent down for a fresh arm? The battery in the Triple-A shuttle may need a jump.

“I’ve said it several times, when a guy pitches well I’m going to do everything not to send him out,” Showalter said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to work. He’s going his job. There’s a time and place for it, but we haven’t had to do that this year. Maybe once. He’s pitched well enough to deserve to be here.”

He seems deserving of a start. If not soon, at least next spring.

“We’ve considered that all along,” Showalter said. “That’s why he was starting at Bowie. That’s what he started out as before they did some experimenting with him in Toronto. So, there’s always that background because of the third pitch.

“You understand the environment which you come in there in that come to the rescue mode. We kept waiting. He had thrown 70-72 at one point down in Bowie, so it’s been a while and I didn’t want to push it past that too much. Kept waiting to see him maybe need some help out there. If we win or are competitive the next three or four days, a lot of it has to do with the people we didn’t have to use tonight because of what Miguel did.”