Quick Tillman update and more on Phillips (O's win 4-0)

Quick Tillman update and more on Phillips (O's win 4-0)
The Orioles are in the process of scheduling an MRI for Chris Tillman, who left yesterday's start at Yankee Stadium after three innings because of an "achy" and "dead" feeling in his right elbow. With today's holiday, it's more likely that Tillman will undergo the MRI on Tuesday morning at the earliest. Tillman retired the last four batters he faced yesterday and left with the Orioles trailing 2-0. He was 6-1 with a 3.67 ERA and five quality starts in his last eight outings. The...

Machado moves up to sixth today (Berken designated for assignment)

Machado moves up to sixth today (Berken designated for assignment)
Manny Machado is batting sixth today for the first time in his major league career. Machado has hit seventh, eighth and ninth, but he's moving up against Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ. He went 6-for-12 in the Yankees series. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Manny Machado 3B Nate McLouth LF Lew Ford DH Robert Andino 2B Joe Saunders LHP For the Blue Jays: Rajai Davis LF Colby Rasmus CF Edwin Encarnacion 1B Adam Lind...

Orioles pass another test (Gonzalez starting Wednesday)

Orioles pass another test (Gonzalez starting Wednesday)
I really wish that I had kept track of my road record this season, because it's got to be impressive. I'd go back and count up the games, but that would require doing math and, well, I was told there wouldn't be any math. Yesterday was gut-check time in the Bronx. It also was a game that measures a team's heart, its resiliency, its bounce-back ability. The Orioles had coughed up a two-run lead in the seventh inning Saturday, knocking the wind out of them while simultaneously breathing...

Reynolds continues to leave his mark

Reynolds continues to leave his mark
NEW YORK - Just another multi-homer game for Mark Reynolds today. Nothing to see here. Actually, there's been plenty. As I wrote earlier, he's batting .320 with five doubles, eight homers and 17 RBIs in his last 23 games. Reynolds homered off Phil Hughes in the fifth and sixth innings, his second shot driving in three runs and giving the Orioles a 5-3 lead. "The first one, I think it was a 2-2 fastball," he said. "He was trying to go away with it like he did in my first at-bat and...

Hearing from Showalter and Wolf after 8-3 win

Hearing from Showalter and Wolf after 8-3 win
NEW YORK - Let's first get the fun facts out of the way. The Orioles improved to 37-29 on the road, 28-21 vs. the American League East, 25-13 in day games and 11-5 in the rubber game of a series. The six road wins in the Bronx are the most since they went 8-1 at the original Yankee Stadium in 1976. Mark Reynolds became only the second Orioles player with more than one multi-homer game in a series against the Yankees, joining Doug DeCinces, who hit two on May 25 and 27, 1981 at Memorial...

Tillman to undergo MRI on elbow

Tillman to undergo MRI on elbow
NEW YORK - Instead of accompanying his teammates to Toronto later today, Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman will fly back to Baltimore and undergo an MRI on his right elbow. The MRI most likely will take place on Monday while the Orioles open a three-game series against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Tillman lasted only three innings today before manager Buck Showalter, concerned by a drop in his starter's velocity, summoned left-hander Randy Wolf from the bullpen. Tillman said the elbow felt...

The rotation and Reynolds (Wolf with solid debut, O's win 8-3)

The rotation and Reynolds (Wolf with solid debut, O's win 8-3)
NEW YORK - So much for the Orioles having too many starters for their rotation. Manager Buck Showalter has mentioned the need for depth in case a pitcher is knocked out of a game with an injury. He usually talks about a line drive up the middle, not stiffness in an elbow, but his point is made. We won't know the severity of Chris Tillman's injury until later today or after the team arrives in Toronto, but the timing is both good and bad. The good: The roster has expanded this month, with...

Tillman off to slow start, leaves game with elbow stiffness

Tillman off to slow start, leaves game with elbow stiffness
NEW YORK - Chris Tillman is struggling with his command in the early innings, having thrown only 18 of his 34 pitches for strikes through the second. Tillman has walked two batters and thrown two wild pitches. Worse, he's also served up a two-run homer to Chris Dickerson that's given the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Dickerson is starting in center field because Curtis Granderson injured his right hamstring during yesterday's game. Dickerson didn't have a major league at-bat this season before...

Andino starting at second base today (updated)

Andino starting at second base today (updated)
NEW YORK - Robert Andino is starting at second base in today's series finale against the Yankees. So much for a platoon at second base. Andino is 2-for-5 lifetime against Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes. Omar Quintanilla is 1-for-4 with a home run, but he's mired in an 0-for-24 slump. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Nate McLouth LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Chris Davis DH Manny Machado 3B Robert Andino 2B Chris Tillman RHP Robinson Cano is 8-for-14...

Giving the rotation another spin (updated)

Giving the rotation another spin (updated)
NEW YORK - I'm heading to Yankee Stadium for the finale of this three-game series, with Chris Tillman looking to exorcise his Bronx demons. Or exercise them, if that's an easier task. Tillman has an 8.42 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees, and it jumps to 10.69 in four starts in New York. He surrendered five runs (four earned) and eight hits in five innings back on July 31. Tillman is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA in five road starts this season. Maybe he can lean on that statistic for...

Tolleson makes another trip to the majors (Hammel and Hunter updates)

Tolleson makes another trip to the majors (Hammel and Hunter updates)
NEW YORK - Jason Hammel gave up an infield hit and walked a batter in his first inning tonight at Single-A Frederick. The Orioles want him to go five innings and to get his pitch count to 70-75 before they decide whether to activate him. If Hammel stays on the disabled list, he'll be assigned to Double-A Bowie and pitch in the Eastern League playoffs. Otherwise, he could make a Sept. 6 start for the Orioles at Camden Yards. UPDATE: Hammel shut out the Carolina Mudcats on three hits over five...

Strop talks about his outing

Strop talks about his outing
NEW YORK - Pedro Strop faced three batters today and didn't retire any of them. A walk, another walk and an error on shortstop J.J. Hardy turned a 3-2 lead into a 4-3 deficit. Strop wasn't charged with a run, but he was saddled with his fifth blown save. Before today, he had allowed three runs and five hits in his last two appearances, covering 1 1/3 innings. He can add two walks to that line. "I didn't bring the stuff I usually bring command-wise," he said. "I felt like my command was...

Showalter and Chen speak after 4-3 loss

Showalter and Chen speak after 4-3 loss
NEW YORK - The first inclination is to dwell on the seventh inning of today's 4-3 loss to the Yankees, when the Orioles couldn't find the plate and a two-run lead disappeared. However, they couldn't build a bigger lead against a pitcher, David Phelps, who was willing to walk the ballpark. Opportunities were lost, and so was a game. "A lot of people bend but don't break," said manager Buck Showalter. "Our guys have done that in the last couple of games, too. They've had some...

Orioles can't find plate, lose lead in 7th (lose game, 4-3)

Orioles can't find plate, lose lead in 7th (lose game, 4-3)
NEW YORK - The Orioles are 8-54 when they trail after the seventh inning. That's the task facing them today after a 3-1 lead went up in smoke. The Orioles walked three batters in the bottom of the seventh, with Pedro Strop losing Derek Jeter to force in the tying run with two outs. Shortstop J.J. Hardy committed an error on Nick Swisher's bouncer with the count full, allowing Eduardo Nunez to score and give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. Hardy committed his sixth error on a ball that appeared to...

Updating Patton, Hammel, Thome and the defense (O's lead 3-1)

Updating Patton, Hammel, Thome and the defense (O's lead 3-1)
NEW YORK - Troy Patton threw on flat ground from 60 feet on Thursday, and the Orioles will check on his right ankle today before confirming the next phase of his rehab schedule. "First time he's gotten the ball in his hand and able to put pressure (on the ankle). First time he's thrown and landed on the ankle," said manager Buck Showalter. "That was a good first step. I haven't gotten the report today. We should get something a little after noon today, with him and (Stu)...

Orioles and Yankees lineups

Orioles and Yankees lineups
NEW YORK - Matt Wieters is catching a day game after a night game this afternoon. Omar Quintanilla gets another start at second base. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Nate McLouth LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Chris Davis DH Mark Reynolds 1B Omar Quintanilla 2B Manny Machado 3B Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Yankees: Derek Jeter DH Nick Swisher 1B Robinson Cano 2B Andruw Jones RF Curtis Granderson CF Russell Martin C Jayson Nix 3B Eduardo Nunez SS Ichiro Suzuki...

Leftovers from Showalter and today's roster additions (and pregame notes)

Leftovers from Showalter and today's roster additions (and pregame notes)
NEW YORK - We have a 1:05 p.m. game in the Bronx today. I hope you slept fast. I wanted to give you something to read with your morning coffee before I post the lineup. Here's a quote yesterday from manager Buck Showalter, which came after a reporter asked whether he tends to look up or down at the standings. In other words, is he more focused on the Yankees or the teams he's trying to stay ahead of in the wild card race. Showalter fired off his answer without hesitation, and he repeated...

More clubhouse chatter in the Bronx

More clubhouse chatter in the Bronx
NEW YORK - Miguel Gonzalez hadn't pitched in 11 days before taking the ball tonight at Yankee Stadium. Some pitchers would be too strong, would lose their feel and their command. Others, like Gonzalez, simply dominate. Gonzalez tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out a career-high nine batters and lowering his ERA to 3.31. "We had a couple changes," he said. "We have some new guys on our ballclub. I think that's what set me back a little bit more. They told me they were going to...

Showalter speaks after 6-1 win

Showalter speaks after 6-1 win
NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with reporters outside the visiting clubhouse following tonight's 6-1 victory over the Yankees, and Miguel Gonzalez was the hot topic, as you would expect. Gonzalez seems to enjoy the pressurized settings. The better the opposing pitcher, the more he dials it up. "Obviously, when you're facing one of the best pitchers in the league, you've kind of got nothing to lose," Showalter said. "Nobody expects anything. But he's pitched here before...

Reynolds second-decks Kuroda (Reynolds homers twice in 6-1 win)

Reynolds second-decks Kuroda (Reynolds homers twice in 6-1 win)
NEW YORK - Manager Buck Showalter pointed out yesterday that the Orioles weren't going to New York to soak up the atmosphere. He mentioned today that he looks "up" at the standings, not down to check on the teams giving chase. Message received. The Orioles have taken a 3-0 lead over the Yankees in the second inning on Chris Davis' sacrifice fly and Mark Reynolds' two-run homer. Reynolds' ball landed in the first row of the second deck in left field, just above the red Modell's...