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Saturday, April 8, 2017

Game Stories:

Machado, Smith long balls carry Orioles from down four to 6-5 win over Yankees The

Sun 4/8

Machado HR cuts deficit, Smith's shot wins it MLB.com 4/7

Showalter on Britton, bullpen, Smith and a 6-5 win MASNsports.com 4/7

Jimenez fails to complete five innings (O’s win 6-5) MASNsports.com 4/7

Hart on his first win, Smith on his homer, Jiménez on his outing MASNsports.com 4/7

Seth Smith hits go-ahead homer, O’s beat Yankees to go to 3-0 MASNsports.com 4/7

Machado, Smith HRs rally Orioles past Yankees 6-5 MASNsports.com 4/7

Orioles Top Yankees Behind Blasts By Manny Machado, Seth Smith

PressBoxOnline.com 4/8

Machado, Smith HRs Rally Orioles Past Yankees 6-5 CBS Baltimore 4/7

Columns:

Orioles on deck: What to watch Saturday vs. Yankees The Sun 4/8

Tyler Wilson and the personal reality of life on the fringe of the Orioles' roster The Sun

4/8

Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez's splitter fails him against Yankees The Sun 4/8

Orioles go mining for gems with string of seemingly minor pitching trades The Sun 4/8

Orioles minor league report: Tides open with deep roster The Sun 4/8

Orioles' Zach Britton rolls right ankle, remains in game to convert 51st straight save The

Sun 4/8

5 hurlers add to O's scoreless relief streak MLB.com 4/8

Pitching-hungry O's add Castro from Rockies MLB.com 4/7

Jones, wife greet scholarship winner, finalists MLB.com 4/7

O's look to reward Gausman against Tanaka MLB.com 4/7

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees MASNsports.com 4/8

Gausman vs. Tanaka today at Camden Yards MASNsports.com 4/8

Showalter celebrating a baseball anniversary (O’s down 3-1) MASNsports.com 4/7

More notes before tonight’s game MASNsports.com 4/7

Chris Davis on moving up the club’s homer list (plus other notes) MASNsports.com 4/8

Orioles Continue To Add Pitchers, Acquire Miguel Castro From Colorado

PressBoxOnline.com 4/7

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-yankees-20170407-story.html

Machado, Smith long balls carry Orioles from down four to

6-5 win over Yankees

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

April 7, 2017

The Orioles didn’t acquire Seth Smith for his power stroke, but they obviously knew he had a

pretty good one.

Lest anyone forget, he was the guy who hit a home run for the Seattle Mariners in each game of

a four-game sweep of the Orioles at Safeco Field last season, so no one should've been surprised

when he hammered a two-run shot onto the flag court in the seventh Friday night to bring the

Orioles from behind in a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees at Camden Yards.

Smith was brought here because of his solid career on-base percentage, which is why he has

been in the leadoff spot in the two games he started so far. He has responded with three extra-

base hits in his first eight Orioles at-bats, two of them accounting for three runs in the series

opener against the Yankees (1-3).

“It’s just fun to be part of a lineup like this," Smith said. “I’ve been a part of some lineups and

this one is no different in that regard. It’s a really good lineup and it’s fun to hit around guys that

put together good at-bats and hit the ball really hard and a lot of times really far.”

Aside from his homer, he doubled in the bottom of the first inning and scored his team’s first run

of the game on an opposite-field single by Adam Jones. But the Yankees had built a four-run

lead against veteran starter Ubaldo Jimenez before the Orioles offense finally got in gear.

Manny Machado brought them most of the way back with a three-run homer in the fifth to spoil

a solid outing by right-hander Luis Severino. Smith came up in the seventh after Jonathan

Schoop reached second on a throwing error by third baseman Chase Headley and moved to third

on a perfect sacrifice bunt by J.J. Hardy.

Smith worked the count to 2-1 against former Washington Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard (0-

1) before hitting a towering fly ball that landed just beyond the railing that tops the out-of-town

scoreboard in right field.

“It was a good, professional at-bat," manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s a good guy to have up

in that situation.”

Setup reliever Brad Brach and closer Zach Britton did the rest as the Orioles improved to 3-0, but

the club got a scare when Britton rolled his ankle slightly fielding a comebacker by Gary

Sanchez. Britton remained in the game to get the final out and notched his second save.

Left-hander Donnie Hart was the pitcher of record when Smith put the Orioles ahead and earned

his first major league victory in his 23rd career relief appearance.

Ubaldo’s rough start: For anyone who came to Oriole Park expecting a new and improved

Jimenez, well, the old one showed up instead.

Jimenez struggled from the outset and could not get out of the fifth inning in his 2017 debut,

allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings -- four of them on a pair of long two-run home runs by

designated hitter Matt Holliday and power-hitting catcher Sanchez.

The right-hander entered the final year of his Orioles contract after showing signs last September

of a more consistent delivery. But Friday night’s performance was more of the on-again, off-

again command that has characterized his star-crossed O’s career.

Brett Gardner’s big night: Yankees leadoff man Brett Gardner hit safely in his first three at-

bats and scored three runs. He singled, stole second and scored on Holliday’s RBI single in the

first, singled ahead of Holliday’s home run in the third and doubled before Sanchez hit a

mammoth home run in the fifth.

Drake’s debut: Reliever Oliver Drake, who had to sweat out the final cuts a week ago, relieved

Jimenez in the fifth inning and started the sixth. He pitched a total of one inning and allowed a

walk and a single before giving way to veteran Darren O’Day.

O’Day’s OK: O’Day was held out of the first two games of the season because of a nasty case

of the flu, but he came on to pitch in the sixth inning and faced six batters over 1 1/3 innings. He

walked the first batter he faced and allowed a walk and a bloop single in the seventh inning, but

did not surrender a run. Left-hander Donnie Hart also made his 2017 regular season debut and

finished the seventh to earn the first win of his career.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/222982192/orioles-use-homers-to-rally-beat-

yankees/?topicId=27118142

Machado HR cuts deficit, Smith's shot wins it

By Brittany Ghiroli and Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

April 7, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Seth Smith delivered a memorable first homer with the Orioles, as the right

fielder's two-run blast in the seventh inning was the difference in Baltimore's 6-5 series-opening

win over the Yankees on Friday night.

The victory improved the O's to 3-0 to start the season, while dropping New York to 1-3.

"It's nice coming up with a runner on third, less than two outs and being able to come through,"

Smith said. "You've got a job to do there, especially late in the game, you want to make sure you

do something to score that run. It won't always happen like that, but that's certainly what you're

trying to do."

Smith sent a 2-1 pitch from Yankees reliever Tyler Clippard over the out-of-town scoreboard in

right field for a one-out homer that also scored Jonathan Schoop. The inning got started when

Yankees third baseman Chase Headley threw away Schoop's routine ground ball.

"It's never good to happen any time, but late innings against a team like that, there's a lot of

firepower in that lineup, so you've got to keep them off the bases," Headley said. "Unfortunately,

I made a mistake."

Gary Sanchez and Matt Holliday each delivered two-run homers -- their first dingers of the

season -- off Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez. Holliday went deep in the third and Sanchez -- who

also picked up his first RBI -- drove in two more in the fifth.

Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner went 3-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and two steals

off Jimenez, who ran up a high pitch count and exited after Sanchez's blast. The inconsistent O's

righty was charged with five earned runs on seven hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings.

"I think it was difficult for everyone," Jimenez said of pitching in some chilly April weather.

"I'm not the only one that had to go through that. Our pitching staff did, and they did well, and

the Yankee pitching staff had to go through that too. That's not an excuse. I just hung two

splitters and they made me pay for it."

Yankees righty Luis Severino went five innings and allowed four runs, three of which came on

Manny Machado's homer.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

O's unstoppable 'pen: Despite Jimenez's short stay, the Orioles were able to hang tough using

arguably one of baseball's best bullpens. Manager Buck Showalter went to setup man Darren

O'Day for key outs in the sixth, and 2016 All-Stars Brad Brach and Zach Britton finished things

off as Baltimore's bullpen once again was able to stifle the opponent. O's relievers have thrown

12 1/3 scoreless innings to start the season.

Yankees muscle up: After a forgettable offensive performance in their first series against the

Rays at Tropicana Field, the Yankees showed some pop on Friday night. Holliday's first homer

in a Yankees uniform traveled a Statcast-projected 412 feet, while Sanchez snapped a 1-for-15

skid to start the year with his two-run dinger. Sanchez's home run was his hardest-hit Major

League homer, carrying an exit velocity of 112.2 mph and traveling 426 feet, according to

Statcast™.

"I thought he was swinging the bat pretty good, he just wasn't running into a whole lot of luck,"

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He hit some really hard ground balls, he lined out. But you

hope it really gets him going."

QUOTABLE

"When you're throwing that many pitches early in the game, believe me when you're standing out

there in the cold and the wind chill, it's a real tribute to our guys. It verifies what we think of

them." -- Showalter, on the comeback win

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Orioles lefty Donnie Hart picked up his first career big league win by recording an out in the

seventh.

Donnie Hart induces a groundout from Starlin Castro to end the frame in the top of the 7th inning

"You can't really put that into words," he said. "It's something you work for all your life, and it's

pretty cool to have that under my belt."

Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka is hungry to bounce back after a rough Opening Day start, taking the

ball for the second game of three against the Orioles on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET. Tanaka lasted

just 3 2/3 innings while allowing seven earned runs in a 7-3 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Orioles: Kevin Gausman went 5 1/3 innings and held Toronto to two runs on five hits and four

walks, taking a no-decision in his Opening Day debut on Monday. He will take the ball in

Saturday's middle game against New York.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/showalter-on-britton-bullpen-smith-and-a-

6-5-win.html

Showalter on Britton, bullpen, Smith and a 6-5 win

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 7, 2017

Seth Smith hit his first home run tonight as an Oriole and Donnie Hart earned his first major

league win. Nice timing for a team that now sits alone in first place in the American League East.

Smith reached the flag court in right field with his two-run shot in the seventh and the Orioles

rallied for a 6-5 win over the Yankees before an announced crowd of 25,248 at Camden Yards.

Jonathan Schoop reached on third baseman Chase Headley’s second error of the night and

advanced to third base on J.J. Hardy’s sacrifice bunt. Smith followed with his second hit, a

double in the first inning trumped by a home run off reliever Tyler Clippard that provided the

final margin.

Smith was 0-for-5 with four walks and two strikeouts against Clippard before tonight.

Brad Brach struck out the side in the eighth inning and Zach Britton recorded his second save

while making his third appearance this week. He’s converted 51 save chances in a row to tie Jose

Valverde for the fourth-longest streak in baseball history, and his 122 saves tie Jim Johnson for

second on the club’s all-time list behind Gregg Olson (160).

Britton got a called third strike on Brett Gardner to start the ninth. He knocked down Gary

Sánchez’s comebacker and twisted his right ankle, but still managed to get back on his feet and

make the throw, with Chris Davis coming up with another scoop to save an error.

Britton stayed in the game after a few warmup tosses and retired pinch-hitter Chris Carter on one

pitch.

“Rolled his ankle a little,” said manager Buck Showalter. “I looked at the replay. Didn’t look too

bad, but we’ll see how it manages when the adrenaline kind of wears off.”

Hart didn’t get a decision in his 22 appearances last season. He was making his 2017 debut

tonight and picked up the win by recording one out.

Hart replaced Darren O’Day with one on and two outs in the seventh and Jacoby Ellsbury poked

a single into left field. Starlin Castro grounded to short and Hart was done.

The bullpen hasn’t allowed a run in 12 1/3 innings in the three games. Oliver Drake (one inning),

O’Day (1 1/3), Hart (one-third), Brach (one) and Britton (one) shut out the Yankees tonight.

“We had four guys I was hoping to use tonight in a perfect world,” Showalter said. “I wanted to

get Donnie out there, I wanted to get Darren out there. The only guy we didn’t get out there was

(Vidal) Nuño. Got Oliver out there. So we’ve got after three games just one guy that hasn’t

pitched.

“With the off-days and everything, it’s kind of been every other day with Brad and Zach, so

they’ve had a day’s rest between their outings. I was really glad to get Darren off the schneid, so

to speak. It’s been 10 days. To get through that game with some guys who hadn’t really been out

there in quite a while, it was good to get a W out of it.”

Smith was limited in spring training because of a hamstring injury, but he had no trouble circling

the bases in the seventh.

“The problem is, if you go up there trying to hit a fly ball, more times than not it’s really a bad

mentality over the years, I’ve found,” Showalter said. “But he was just trying to get something

he could put a good swing on with the infield in. They kind of had this shift on, so there was the

possibility on a slow-developing ground ball that Jon would have broke with the lead he had over

at third.

“It was a good, professional at-bat. He’s a good guy to have up in that situation.”

It sealed a comeback victory on a frigid night. A comeback that started with Manny Machado’s

three-run homer off Luis Severino in the fifth that reduced the Yankees’ lead to 5-4.

“When you’re throwing that many pitches early in the game, believe me when you’re standing

out there in the cold and the wind chill, it’s a real tribute to our guys,” Showalter said. “It verifies

what we think of them. They just refuse to ... Of course, Manny had the big blow of the night.

You’ve got to keep that in mind.

“Severino, thank goodness it’s early in the season where you have to protect him, because he had

the type of stuff to go real deep in that game. It was impressive. A guy throwing that hard and

commanding the baseball, it’s tough.

Ubaldo Jiménez threw 30 pitches in the first inning and left after 4 1/3 with his count at 94 and

the Yankees leading 5-1. Matt Holliday and Sánchez homered off him.

“Capable of better,” Showalter said. “You try to give guys a little pass with the weather. You’ve

got to have a feel for the split with that weather and I think both home runs were splits that didn’t

split properly. I think I’m right. He’s capable of better. Hopefully, when the weather warms up

he gets a better feel for it, because he had a good one in the spring.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/jimenez-fails-to-complete-five-innings.html

Jimenez fails to complete five innings (O’s win 6-5)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 7, 2017

The temperature was dropping and Ubaldo Jiménez’s pitch count was rising. Not a good

combination by anyone’s standards. Not in the first inning or any inning.

Forty-five degrees felt like 25 tonight with the wind. Thirty pitches felt like 60, but Jiménez got

out of the inning with only one run allowed.

More would come. Five in 4 1/3 innings before manager Buck Showalter called upon reliever

Oliver Drake.

The final blow was Gary Sanchez’s two-run shot to deep left field, the second home run allowed

by Jiménez. The Yankees collected seven hits and worked Jiménez for 94 pitches, including 58

for strikes.

The 30-pitch first inning was an omen.

The Orioles had time to acquire a long reliever before the second inning, but they refrained, their

binge-trading for arms temporarily put on hold. And Jiménez responded by retiring the side in

order on 14 pitches, but he served up a two-run homer to Matt Holliday during a 22-pitch third.

Jiménez ran the count full to the first two batters he faced, with Brett Gardner lining a single into

right field and Gary Sánchez walking. Greg Bird struck out on a 91 mph fastball, but Matt

Holliday poked a single into right field past a shifted Jonathan Schoop to give the Yankees an

early lead.

The Orioles tied the score in the first on Seth Smith’s leadoff double and Adam Jones’ single,

both balls shot between Bird and the bag. Chris Davis reached on an infield hit and third

baseman Chase Headley hit Jones with a throw while attempting to double him off second base,

but the Orioles couldn’t push across the go-ahead run.

Nice little pace at this point.

The Yankees took a 3-1 lead in the third on Holliday’s two-run shot to left field. The Blue Jays

scored three runs against the Orioles in 20 innings in the opening series and the Yankees equaled

that total in three innings.

Jiménez got a big 6-4-3 double play off Aaron Judge’s bat to close out the fourth inning after

Starlin Castro’s leadoff single and Headley’s strikeout. Drake began to warm in the fifth after

Gardner’s one-out double, the left fielder’s third hit of the night, and Sánchez followed with a

towering shot that ended Jiménez’s night.

Yankees starter Luis Severino has retired seven in a row since J.J. Hardy’s infield hit in the

second.

Update: Manny Machado hit a three-run homer into the Orioles’ bullpen in the fifth inning to

cut the lead to 5-4. The estimated distance was 394 feet.

Update II: Seth Smith hit his first home run as an Oriole, a two-run shot onto the flag court in

right field in the seventh. He connected off Tyler Clippard and gave the Orioles a 6-5 lead.

Update III: Donnie Hart retired one of the two batters he faced to register his first major league

win, and Zach Britton recorded his second save this week, as the Orioles held on for a 6-5 win

over the Yankees.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/hart-on-his-first-win-smith-on-his-homer-

ubaldo-on-his-outing.html

Hart on his first win, Smith on his homer, Jiménez on his

outing

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

April 7, 2017

On a night that right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez struggled and the club fell into a four-run hole, the

Orioles called on their bullpen and power to bail them out.

Manny Machado’s three-run homer pulled the Orioles within 5-4 in the fifth inning and Seth

Smith’s two-run shot gave them the lead two innings later. The bullpen recorded 4 2/3 scoreless

innings as the Orioles beat the Yankees 6-5 to go to 3-0.

Smith said Machado’s homer got his team back in the game. It was a laser to left-center off a 96

mph Luis Severino fastball.

“That was big. Kind of a turning point,” Smith said of Machado’s first homer of 2017. “Middle

of the game, down four at that point, 5-1. You can let it slip away pretty easily if they get another

run or two there. But he came through, pulled us close and at that point you kind of have a new

energy.”

When Smith batted against right-hander Tyler Clippard in the seventh, the score was still 5-4

New York and Jonathan Schoop was on third with one out. A fly ball would tie it - or put the

Orioles ahead if hit far enough. This one barely was, clearing the right-field wall at a 348-foot

distance.

“It is nice to come up with a runner on third and less than two outs and come through,” Smith

said. “You have a job to do there. Especially late in the game, you want to make sure you do

something to score that run. He’s a tough at-bat. A really good changeup and a sneaky fastball

off that changeup. Anytime you can barrel him up, it’s a good at-bat.

“You are hoping to hit a fly ball, but really, you are just trying to hit the ball hard. It’s too tough

to try to dictate exactly where the ball goes, but I was able to get that one in the air.”

In two starts with the Orioles, Smith is 3-for-8 (.375) with two doubles, a homer, three runs and

two RBIs. That was Smith’s first career hit in six at-bats off Clippard.

“Just fun to be part of a lineup like this. It is fun to hit around guys that put together good at-bats

and hit the ball really hard and far,” he said.

Smith’s homer made lefty reliever Donnie Hart a winning pitcher for the first time in the majors.

Hart got one out and gave up one hit in the top of the seventh.

In his 23rd big league appearance, he is in the win column for the first time.

“I wasn’t aware of that until I got in here and one of the veteran guys let me know,” Hart said.

“It’s nice. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s one of those things you will look back on and cherish

and enjoy it. It something you work for all your life and nice to have now.

“It is pretty cool. More or less, it felt better to get that first game out of the way. You are itching

to get out there and you finally do and that was fun.”

In three games, the Orioles bullpen has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings.

“It’s been good,” Hart said. “That is kind of our motto down there is give it to the next guy and

do your job so everyone else can do their job.”

Jiménez had two pitches wind up in bad spots and they went for two-run homers for Matt

Holliday and Gary Sánchez as the Yankees took the 5-1 lead. Jiménez allowed seven hits and

five runs in 4 1/3 innings. He has a 6.38 career ERA in 12 starts versus the Yankees.

“It was difficult for everyone,” Jiménez said of the 45-degree temperature at gametime. “That is

no excuse. I just hung two splitters and they made me pay for it. I threw a couple of good ones,

but those two just hung in there. It was a tough night to play but the guys picked me up. Our

hitters kept grinding.”

The Orioles are 3-0 for the second year in a row. They started 7-0 last year. They have won six

of their last eight games against New York and are 7-3 versus the Yankees in the last 10

meetings at Camden Yards.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/seth-smith-hits-go-ahead-homer-os-beat-

ny-to-go-to-3-0.html

Seth Smith hits go-ahead homer, O’s beat Yankees to go to 3-

0

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

April 7, 2017

Sometimes a sac fly will do. But a two-run homer is better. Needing a fly ball to tie this game in

the last of the seventh tonight, new Orioles outfielder Seth Smith instead delivered a go-ahead

two-run homer.

His first as an Oriole took the club from one run down to one up as they rallied from a four-run

deficit to beat the Yankees 6-5 in front of 25,248 chilled fans at Camden Yards.

The Orioles have a 3-0 start and New York to falls to 1-3 in dropping the opener of a three-game

series.

Down 5-4 and facing Tyler Clippard in the seventh, Jonathan Schoop reached second to start the

inning on third baseman Chase Headley’s throwing error. After a rare O’s sac bunt - this one by

J.J. Hardy - Smith delivered the homer for the 6-5 lead. He hit a 2-1 fastball and it just got onto

the flag court over the wall in right, 348 feet from the plate.

Earlier, Yankees designated hitter Matt Holliday, who was 2-for-11 with an RBI in New York’s

first three games, was 2-for-2 with three RBIs by the third inning.

His softly hit RBI single to right gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the first. It scored Brett Gardner,

who led of the game with a single and then stole second base. Two batters into the last of first,

the Orioles had tied it at 1-1. Smith led off with a double to right (giving him a 2-for-5 start) and

scored on Adam Jones’ single. Jones’ grounder up the first base line gave him his third RBI.

But in the New York third, Gardner singled again and scored on Holliday’s two-out, two-run

homer off starter Ubaldo Jiménez. Holliday hit a 2-2 splitter 412 feet for the 3-1 lead. It was the

first homer allowed on the season by the Orioles.

O’s pitching gave up three runs in 20 innings versus Toronto. But tonight they trailed 3-1 in the

third.

That got worse and became 5-1 when Gary Sánchez, who hit 20 homers in 201 at-bats last

season, hit his first of 2017. His two-run shot off Jiménez in the fifth gave New York the four-

run lead. Sanchez had gone 1-for-14 in the Yankees’ season-opening three-game series at Tampa

Bay.

Oliver Drake replaced Jiménez after the second homer. Jiménez went 4 1/3 innings, allowing

seven hits and five runs with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches.

Down 5-1, third baseman Manny Machado got the Orioles back in it. He blasted a three-run

homer - his first of the year - to make it a 5-4 game in the fifth. Machado’s liner left his bat at

109 mph and traveled 394 feet to left center. It scored Schoop, who had singled, and Jones, who

had walked.

The Orioles bullpen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings today with Zach Britton getting the final

three outs for his second save and 51st straight since Oct. 1, 2015. Donnie Hart relieved Darren

O’Day and got the final out of the seventh, registering his first major league win, and Brad Brach

fanned the side in the eighth.

In the second game of this series on Saturday at 4:05 p.m., Kevin Gausman (0-0, 3.38 ERA)

pitches against right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 23.63 ERA).

http://scores.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370407101

Machado, Smith HRs rally Orioles past Yankees 6-5

Associated Press

April 7, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Down by four runs, the Baltimore Orioles made up the deficit by employing

their most effective weapon: the home run.

Manny Machado hit a three-run shot, leadoff hitter Seth Smith got into the act with a two-run

drive and the Orioles rallied to beat the New York Yankees 6-5 Friday night.

Temperature at game time was 45 degrees, and a stiff wind made for a very chilly night at

Camden Yards.

Perhaps that's why it took Baltimore's big bats a while to heat up.

Stymied by 23-year-old Luis Severino for four innings, the Orioles began to stir in the fifth.

Machado's first home run of the season got Baltimore within a run at 5-4, and Smith completed

the comeback in the seventh with a drive off Tyler Clippard (0-1).

Smith was obtained in an offseason trade because of his ability to get on base, but in this game

he made the difference with the long ball.

Batting with a runner on third and New York's infield drawn in, Smith hit a 2-1 fastball over the

right-field wall.

"You have a job to do there, especially late in the game. You want to make sure you do

something to score that run," Smith said. "It won't always happen like that, but that's certainly

what you're trying to do."

The inning started with Jonathan Schoop reaching on a throwing error by New York third

baseman Chase Headley, a miscue that proved very costly.

"There's a lot of firepower in that lineup, and you've got to keep them off the bases," Headley

said. "Unfortunately, I made a mistake."

Donnie Hart (1-0) earned his first major league victory by getting the final out in the New York

seventh. Brad Brach struck out the side in the eighth and Zach Britton got three straight outs for

his second save.

After sweeping Toronto in their opening series, the Orioles are 3-0 and alone atop the AL East.

Matt Holliday homered and had three RBI for New York, Gary Sanchez hit a two-run drive and

Brett Gardner had three hits and scored three runs.

Signed as a free agent in December, Holliday hit his first home run with the Yankees with a

runner on in the third inning, and Sanchez connected in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. Both drives were

off Ubaldo Jimenez.

Machado's home run ruined an otherwise effective outing by Severino, who was seeking his first

win as a starter since September 2015. The right-hander was 0-8 with an 8.50 ERA in 11 starts

last year.

"It's a tough loss, because I thought Seve really threw the ball pretty well tonight," Yankees

manager Joe Girardi said. "He made the one mistake to a really good hitter and he hit it out. It

kind of changed the complexion of the game."

Severino was poised to get the victory until Smith went deep in the seventh. Those were the first

runs scored against the New York bullpen in 15 innings this season.

HOT AND COLD CORNER

Headley committed two errors, but he also made two nice back-to-back catches in the sixth

inning. After leaping to snare a drive by Welington Castillo, Headley dived to his left to rob Joey

Rickard of a single.

TANAKA STAYS FOCUSED

Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka can opt out of his contract after this season, but he says that

won't influence how he pitches in 2017 -- even though he gave up a career-high seven earned

runs on opening day.

"It doesn't affect me at all," he said through a translator. "I understand what the contract says, but

it has nothing to do with how I perform out there on the mound."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: Minor league pitcher James Kaprielian underwent an MRI and dye-contrast MRI on

his ailing right elbow and will be examined again in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

"You keep your fingers crossed," Girardi said of the team's 2015 first-round draft pick.

Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman left for Florida to continue his rehabilitation program for his sore

right shoulder. He won't be ready to come off the DL until May.

UP NEXT

Yankees: Tanaka (0-1, 23.63 ERA) gets his second start Saturday. He's 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA

lifetime versus Baltimore.

Orioles: Kevin Gausman (0-0, 3.38) seeks his first win after receiving a no decision on opening

day against Toronto.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/04/08/orioles-top-yankees-behind-blasts-by-manny-

machado-seth-smith

Orioles Top Yankees Behind Blasts By Manny Machado,

Seth Smith

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

April 8, 2017

BALTIMORE — If the Orioles are contending for the postseason five months from now, this

game will have been forgotten. The Orioles will play many more exciting games than this one,

but on a night when many don’t feel like playing, they fought through and came out with an

unlikely victory.

At game time, the temperature was 45 degrees and the winds made it feel much colder, and right-

hander Ubaldo Jimenez was far from his best. By the time Jimenez left in the top of the fifth, the

Orioles trailed 5-1.

For the third straight game, the Orioles bullpen held the opposition scoreless, and gave the

offense a chance to catch up.

Third baseman Manny Machado hit a three-run home run into the wind in the fifth, and right

fielder Seth Smith hit his first home run for the Orioles in the seventh in a 6-5 win over the New

York Yankees before 25,298 frigid fans at Oriole Park.

The bullpen has thrown 12.1 shutout innings to start the season, and left-hander Zach Britton has

converted 51 straight save attempts, tied for the fourth most in baseball history.

Britton rolled an ankle fielding the second out of the ninth, but later said through a team

spokesman he was fine. He got pinch hitter Chris Carter to ground out to third to end the game.

Manager Buck Showalter knew how cold it was, and was impressed with his team’s third

consecutive win.

"When you're throwing that many pitches early in the game, believe me when you're standing out

there in the cold and the wind and the wind chill, it's a real tribute to our guys. It verifies what we

think of them," Showalter said.

Jimenez threw two split-finger fastballs that didn’t split, and both were hit for two-run home

runs, by designated hitter Matt Holliday in the third and catcher Gary Sanchez in the fifth.

Sanchez’s home run brought Showalter out of the dugout, and in came the first of five relievers,

right-hander Oliver Drake.

Drake, side-armer Darren O’Day, left-hander Donnie Hart, right-hander Brad Brach and Britton

combined to allow just three hits. It was O’Day’s first outing since he contracted the flu in the

final days of spring training, and it was Hart’s first major league win. Brach struck out the side in

the eighth.

"To get through that game with some guys who hadn’t really been out there in quite a while, it

was good to get a W out of it," Showalter said.

Jimenez doesn’t like pitching in the cold because it doesn’t help his splitter.

"I think it was difficult for everyone. I’m not the only one that had to go through that. Our

pitching staff did and they did well and the Yankee pitching staff had to go through that too.

That’s not an excuse, I just hung two splitters and they made me pay for it," Jimenez said.

"It’s hard to get a grip on it. If you don’t get a good grip, it’s not going to break. That’s what

happened. I threw a couple good ones, but those two, they just hang there."

The Orioles are 3-0. A year ago, they set a franchise record with seven straight wins to start the

season.

"It was huge. Those kind of games are something that you’re gonna take for the whole season.

Those games mean a lot, especially coming from behind. It was a tough night to play and the

guys just battled, picked me up and the bullpen did the job that they usually do every night. And

the hitters, they just kept grinding and they scored a lot of runs," Jimenez said.

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop began the seventh by reaching on a two-base error by third

baseman Chase Headley. He moved to third on shortstop J.J. Hardy’s sacrifice, and Smith, who

has begun the season as the leadoff hitter against right-handed starting pitchers, was looking to

tie the game on a fly ball.

"It's nice coming up with a runner on third, less than two and being able to come through. You've

got a job to do there, especially late in the game, you want to make sure you do something to

score that run. It won't always happen like that but that's certainly what you're trying to do,"

Smith said.

“You hope to hit a fly ball, but really you're just trying to hit the ball hard. It's too tough to try to

dictate exactly where the ball goes, but I was able to get that one in the air."

Smith acknowledged the conditions weren’t exactly ideal.

“It's different [when] it's cold but ultimately from pitch-to-pitch, you're able to kind of lock in,

and it's kind of no different really. As the game gets on, you're ready to get warm, but as far as

the game played, it's pretty normal,” Smith said.

COMING UP: The Orioles host the New York Yankees on April 8 at 4:05 p.m. Kevin Gausman

(0-0, 3.38), who pitched on Opening Day, faces Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 23.63).

Machado, Smith HRs Rally Orioles Past Yankees 6-5

CBS Baltimore

April 7, 2017

BALTIMORE (AP) — Manny Machado and Seth Smith homered, and the Baltimore Orioles

rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees 6-5 Friday night.

Machado hit a three-run drive in the fifth inning to make it 5-4, and Smith completed the

comeback in the seventh with a two-run shot off Tyler Clippard (0-1).

Donnie Hart (1-0) earned his first major league victory by getting the final out in the New York

seventh. Brad Brach struck out the side in the eighth and Zach Britton got three straight outs for

his second save.

After sweeping Toronto in their opening series, the Orioles are 3-0 and alone atop the AL East.

Matt Holliday homered and had three RBIs for New York, Gary Sanchez hit a two-run drive and

Brett Gardner had three hits and scored three runs.

Signed as a free agent in December, Holliday hit his first home run with the Yankees with a

runner on in the third inning, and Sanchez connected in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. Both drives were

off Ubaldo Jimenez.

Machado homered off Yankees starter Luis Severino, who was seeking his first win as a starter

since September 2015. The 23-year-old was 0-8 with an 8.50 ERA in 11 starts last year.

Severino was poised to get the victory until Smith went deep in the seventh following a throwing

error by third baseman Chase Headley. Those were the first runs scored against the New York

bullpen in 15 innings this season.

Smith was obtained in a trade during the offseason for his ability to get on base, but in this game

the leadoff hitter provided the power-laden Orioles a pivotal home run.

Temperature at game time was 45 degrees, and a stiff wind made for a very chilly night at

Camden Yards.

HOT AND COLD CORNER

Headley committed two errors, but he also made two nice back-to-back catches in the sixth

inning. After leaping to snare a drive by Welington Castillo, Headley dived to his left to rob Joey

Rickard of a single.

TANAKA STAYS FOCUSED

Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka can opt out of his contract after this season, but he says that

won’t influence how he pitches in 2017 — even though he gave up a career-high seven earned

runs on opening day.

“It doesn’t affect me at all,” he said through a translator. “I understand what the contract says,

but it has nothing to do with how I perform out there on the mound.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Minor league pitcher James Kaprielian underwent an MRI and dye-contrast MRI on

his ailing right elbow and will be examined again in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“You keep your fingers crossed,” manager Joe Girardi said of the team’s 2015 first-round draft

pick.

Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman left for Florida to continue his rehabilitation program for his sore

right shoulder. He won’t be ready to come off the DL until May.

UP NEXT

Yankees: Tanaka (0-1, 23.63 ERA) gets his second start Saturday. He’s 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA

lifetime versus Baltimore.

Orioles: Kevin Gausman (0-0, 3.38) seeks his first win after receiving a no decision on opening

day against Toronto.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-on-deck-what-to-watch-saturday-

vs-yankees-20170407-story.html

Orioles on deck: What to watch Saturday vs. Yankees

By Josh Land / The Baltimore Sun

April 8, 2017

Orioles (3-0) vs. Yankees (1-3)

Where: Camden Yards

First pitch: 4:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: MASN/105.7 FM

Starting pitchers: Orioles RHP Kevin Gausman (0-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. Yankees RHP Masahiro

Tanaka (0-1, 23.63 ERA)

1. Second coming of the Boss. During Kevin Gausman's sprint to the finish last season, he

absolutely owned the Yankees. In three starts against them from August on, Gausman allowed

two runs in 20 1/3 innings (0.89 ERA). He pitched seven scoreless innings on Aug. 28, six

scoreless on Sept. 3 and allowed two runs in 7 1/3 on Oct. 2.

2. Seth Smith. Seth Smith's start with the Orioles has been pretty ideal. The right fielder has three

hits in eight at-bats, with all three going for extra bases. On Friday, he doubled and hit the

eventual winning two-run homer. Can the newest addition to the lineup keep up that pace this

afternoon?

3. Tanaka time. Masahiro Tanaka has faced the Orioles five times in his three seasons, somewhat

low for a division rival but he has done well against them (1-1, 2.39 ERA). In his one start

against them last season, he pitched eight scoreless innings. He allowed seven runs in 2 2/3

innings in his first start this season. It will be worth watching if that's cause for concern.

Orioles lineup

RF Seth Smith

CF Adam Jones

3B Manny Machado

1B Chris Davis

DH Mark Trumbo

C Welington Castillo

LF Hyun Soo Kim

2B Jonathan Schoop

SS J.J. Hardy

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-yankees-0409-20170408-story.html

Tyler Wilson and the personal reality of life on the fringe of

the Orioles' roster

Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

April 8, 2017

Opening week of a baseball season is often one of great excitement, but there's more to it than

just settling back into a regular baseball routine.

For some players who are still finding their major league footing and might not have a place to

call home in Baltimore, the first week of the season is a hectic time, when off-field functions, a

stop-and-start game schedule, and the need to find a home all collide in what's one of the most

unusual weeks of the year.

Tyler Wilson is one of those players. In less than a week's time — and all of it with the

knowledge that his time in Baltimore could be fleeting — Wilson, his wife, Chelsea, and dog,

Lacy, have all had to use the brief interludes between baseball to settle their lives.

His past week provides a glimpse at the uncertainty that hangs over players into the season, but

also the character that has made Wilson such a trusted and relied-upon swingman for the club

since he debuted in 2015.

"It's impossible to predict, and it's something that I've done for the last couple of years," Wilson

said. "And it is what it is. It's part of the game and I can't control that. Like I've said time and

time again, I come to the game time and time again, excited to be here and improve in any way I

can and help the ballclub in any way I can.

"As far as living arrangements and where Chelsea and I are going to be, we both trust in a plan

that's greater than our own and trust and know that we're cared for, and everything is a lot bigger

than where we're playing baseball and where we're living on a given day."

An understanding companion has made balancing life at the ballpark and life away from it easier.

Chelsea played basketball at their alma mater, Virginia, and is used to the athlete's lifestyle.

In years past, they lived apart during the season. Wilson was fortunate to have a family friend

with a condo near Camden Yards when he was up with the big club, so he stayed there and

would host his wife when the schedules aligned. Otherwise, she stayed at their home in

Charlottesville. This year, she left her job with the Virginia Athletics Foundation, and her

permanent job as a women's basketball analysts means they're spending the whole year together.

Where they'd call home was in question until very late in the spring, so they made early plans for

both Norfolk and Baltimore for when camp broke.

He found out Thursday, March 30, that he'd be opening the season in Baltimore the following

Monday. That day, the coaching staff told him he'd be one of the many pitchers to stay in

Sarasota, Fla., to pitch one last time there before coming north. He used the union-mandated day

off Saturday to go to his offseason home in Charlottesville and gather what he needed to be in

Baltimore on Sunday.

Then began a process that anyone in any profession can relate to — settling into work and

establishing your life away from it in mere days. While Tyler was at the ballpark for a team

workout Sunday, Chelsea bopped around the city looking for their new home. The requirements

weren't many, but it still wasn't easy, with the addition of golden retriever Lacy into the equation.

By Tuesday, they had everything decided.

"Pet-friendly really limits your options, but we found a place that we're really comfortable in,"

Wilson said. "We want a little extra space, and mainly it's just that. A comfortable area where

Chelsea was happy, and somewhere for Lacy to run around — that there's grass nearby and some

of the little stuff. We're pretty — simpleton is not the word, but minimalists. We really just need

one another and a place that's serviceably large enough to handle us."

That it's just 10 minutes from the park makes the work equation easier for him, too. There's only

so much routine you can get into when half of the season is spent on the road, but Wilson said

they're already in the process of finding the important things on their grid. Breakfast is a sacred

meal, and they're mapping out the coffee spots and late-night meal offerings.

The uncertainty that painted the spring hasn't gone away, though. Wilson pitched well in his

inning on Opening Day, but having minor league options in an organization that values them

over nearly anything else means giving up your professional fate to the team. The Orioles need

two roster spots to add starting pitchers in the next week, and Wilson is one of several players on

the club whose options could be used against them.

Wilson's friends in the clubhouse look at how he handles all the uncertainty that comes with

being in his situation and can only admire it. As someone who now has options of his own the

team could use this season, outfielder Joey Rickard says there's a lot to take away from Wilson's

approach for any player.

"It just says a lot about his character — how he came up," Rickard said. "He never panics. He

always has a plan. He's always prepared for the highs and the lows, which I think just being

around him, I try and take some of that. Hopefully part of him will rub off on me a little bit."

Part of that steadiness, it seems, comes from Wilson's sound understanding of his life off the

field. He's not the only one affected by the organization's choices for where he pitches, but he

knows any trips on the proverbial Norfolk shuttle won't be made alone.

"Chelsea and I have been really fortunate to have been going through it for seven years now

together, minor leagues apart and making weekends work as she pursued her career," Wilson

said. "The level of support she's always given me is what made this a possibility. If she wasn't as

committed to this dream and this career as I was, we wouldn't be doing it, because ultimately my

marriage is most important.

"So she has been a saint through it all, and we've been really fortunate to have an approach that

we just trust in a plan that's greater than our own, and we trust that we're going to be where we're

supposed to be. And as long as we can try and hold things with an open hand, our happiness will

take care of itself. Everything else has fallen into place."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-right-hander-ubaldo-jimenez-s-

splitter-fails-him-against-yankees-20170407-story.html

Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez's splitter fails him

against Yankees

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 8, 2017

As Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez’s career has progressed, he has leaned on his splitter

more often to get opposing hitters out.

But in the raw chill that Jimenez faced in the Orioles’ 6-5 comeback win over the New York

Yankees, he struggled getting a grip on the pitch.

The Yankees made Jimenez pay, hitting both of their home runs – Matt Holliday’s two-run

homer in the third and Gary Sanchez’s two-run shot in the fifth – on Jimenez splitters that didn’t

break.

“It’s hard to get a grip on it,” Jimenez said. “If you don’t get a good grip, it’s not going to break.

That’s what happened. I threw a couple good ones, but those two, they just hang there.”

Jimenez failed to get out of the fifth inning, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk while

striking out five over 4 1/3 innings.

“[He’s] capable of better,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “You try to give guys a little

pass with the weather. You've got to have a feel for the split with that weather. Both home runs

were splits that didn't split properly. I think I'm right. … Hopefully when the weather warms up

he gets a better feel for it because he had a good one in the spring.”

In part because of the cold, Jimenez relied mostly on his four-seam fastball, throwing it 36 times

out of his 94 total pitches, leaning away from both his sinker (15 pitches) and splitter (23). One

clear sign he was struggling with the feel of his splitter: Out of his 23 splitters, only 11 were

strikes (47.8 percent).

Last season, opponents hit just .232 against Jimenez’s split. On Friday, the Yankees were 2-for-

4, with both hits being home runs.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-yankees-0408-20170407-story.html

Orioles go mining for gems with string of seemingly minor

pitching trades

By Eduardo Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 7, 2017

At first glance, the Orioles' bevy of minor acquisitions over the past week might seem like

dumpster diving. However, the club sees the moves as an instrumental part of building the depth

necessary to maintain a competitive club.

On Friday, the Orioles acquired hard-throwing right-hander Miguel Castro from the Colorado

Rockies for a player to be named later or cash. Also, a minor league deal with veteran right-

hander Edwin Jackson, which was agreed to Tuesday, became official after Jackson passed his

club physical Friday. And on Thursday, the team acquired left-hander Andrew Faulkner from the

Texas Rangers for future considerations.

In the cases of Castro and Faulkner, the Orioles could offer them what their previous clubs could

not: a 40-man roster spot, which are always scarce in the first days of the regular season as fluid

rosters start solidifying. Just before or during spring training, the Orioles also acquired pitchers

such as right-handers Alec Asher, right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, left-hander Vidal Nuno and left-

hander Richard Bleier through trades, and the club's 40-man roster now has 25 spots taken by

pitchers.

All six of the aforementioned pitchers still hold minor league options, which give them immense

value to the Orioles, who have long used the Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie rosters to

replenish their pitching staff when needed, particularly for a fresh bullpen arm.

But the moves are moreover a signal of the way the Orioles currently operate. They pluck

promising but unproven players in need of polishing — pitchers in particular — from other

organizations and make them their own projects with patience and player development. It is a

way for the Orioles to compensate for some recent slow-developing draft classes and for trading

from their minor league inventory to make deadline acquisitions the past several years.

The pitchers won't all pan out. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette acknowledges that,

but said the ones that do are worth the risk.

"I look for players who can help us win, so that's the bar," Duquette said. "We're always looking

for players who have the capabilities to help us win. Some of the projects we take on, or invest

time and money in, they're not always going to work. But hopefully enough of them will work so

we have a good team and have a competitive team. That's really part of the fun of the job

actually."

At this time last year, the Orioles made a similar minor move by acquiring left-hander Jayson

Aquino from the St. Louis Cardinals for cash. The Orioles liked what they had seen from

Aquino, a 2.94 ERA in the minors and a strong sinker-changeup combo, and they thought the

then-23-year-old could become a major league contributor if he refined his breaking ball.

Aquino made the steady ascent from Double-A Bowie to a brief stint in the majors last season.

And after a strong spring training that opened many eyes — he posted a 1.20 ERA in 15 spring

innings —he is a front runner to fill in as the Orioles' fifth starter with right-hander Chris Tillman

opening the season on the disabled list.

"He was durable, young and strong," Duquette said about Aquino. "… We knew we had

something to work with … so we went to work with him on the breaking pitch and [former

Bowie pitching coach and current Orioles bullpen coach] Alan Mills worked with him in

Double-A, went to Triple-A, pitched a little bit in relief, came to the big leagues and got his feet

wet and now is in a position to help the team this year."

Orioles left-hander Chris Lee, who was acquired from the Houston Astros for international bonus

slots in May 2015, and right-hander Jesus Liranzo, who signed as a minor league free agent in

2013, are other prime examples of unheralded acquisitions who have joined the 40-man roster.

Both are among the group atop the list of potential call-ups when the team needs pitching help

this season.

"I know when we first acquired Liranzo or Aquino or Chris, everyone said, 'Oh, a minor league

deal,'" Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "But guess what? Here we sit. There's a long way

from where they are now to contributing consistently, but where else are you going to get them

from? We haven't been too fortunate yet in some of the other programs. …. We'll see. We've got

a big June draft coming up again, a lot of picks early again."

improving stockpile of optionable arms, many of whom have been acquired through minor deals.

"Like I've said before, it's kind of who we are and who we've been," Showalter said. "That's the

commodity that is a separator, and when you can acquire it, I think it's really a great. It shows

you how much confidence Dan and all of us have in our player development system. I think our

instructors down there are the best in baseball. … I feel real comfortable about putting those

guys in the environment that I know they're going to be put in.

"They're going to find players that come in here, not that it didn't happen otherwise, but they're

going to in some cases be in an environment they haven't been in. So I think they'll be as good as

they're capable of being. ... But let's face it, if they didn't have options, we probably wouldn't be

doing this."

The club will have patience with its two most recent projects. Castro was a well-regarded

Toronto Blue Jays prospect and a part of the deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto. But he

struggled when fast-tracked from High-A to opening the 2015 season in the majors.

"He went from first grade to fourth grade," Duquette said. "He skipped second and third and he

probably needed to go back and finish second and third to be a really good major league pitcher.

That's what it looked like to me, but he has excellent talent, good size, a good arm and a good

pitcher."

"They're both young and they bring something to the party that we need," Duquette said. "… We

have something to hang our hat on. ... If your scouts like them, then they've identified the skills

they have and then your player development people have to finish them off; not finish them off,

but get them the experience they need to be able to contribute to the major league team.

"These deals that we make, we always have in mind that they're going to help the big league

club. But there's a process where they need to develop the skills and get the seasoning required to

help in the big leagues. I mean, there's not a lot of time to develop ballplayers in the American

League East. When you come up here, you better be ready to play ball."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-minor-leagues-0409-20170408-

story.html

Orioles minor league report: Tides open with deep roster

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

April 8, 2017

Triple-A Norfolk

With so much depth that has major league experience, the Tides should be in for a good season.

The rotation features plenty of names that could end up in Baltimore at some point, including

Mike Wright, Chris Lee, Jayson Aquino, Gabriel Ynoa and Alec Asher. And the lineup will be

plenty potent, as their season opener showed. Slugger Pedro Álvarez had two home runs on

Opening Day on Thursday in Charlotte. On the prospect front, catcher Chance Sisco will be

monitored closely, as the only young position player in the everyday lineup.

Double-A Bowie

A pair of promising outfielders — DJ Stewart and Cedric Mullins — highlight a Baysox roster

that hopes to build on a tough 2016 season. Both began their seasons well Thursday. Mullins led

off their game in Akron with a home run, and ended the day 4-for-5 with a triple and four runs

scored. Stewart, the Orioles' 2015 first-round draft pick, also homered, as did the mayor of

Bowie, longtime Baysox infielder Garabez Rosa. Left-hander Tanner Scott is the highlight of the

rotation, though he'll pitch three-inning outings every five games.

High-A Frederick

The Orioles have aggressively placed three of their top draft picks from 2016 — right-hander

Cody Sedlock, left-hander Keegan Akin and outfielder Austin Hays — in Frederick after they

made their professional debuts at Short-A Aberdeen a year ago. The left side of the infield will

also feature two promising prospects in shortstop Ryan Mountcastle and third baseman Jomar

Reyes, though they're much more valued for what they do in the right-handed batter's box than

on the field.

Low-A Delmarva

The Shorebirds roster is heavy on promise, but low on experience. The rotation is anchored by

left-hander Alexander Wells, a 20-year-old Australian whose three-pitch mix is precocious. The

organization is also high on 19-year-old right-hander Jhon Peluffo, who joins Wells in the

rotation. Outfielder Ryan McKenna was someone whose improvement this spring earned him

acclaim in the organization, and 20-year-old shortstop Irving Ortega is something of a sleeper as

he makes his full-season debut.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-closer-zach-britton-rolls-right-

ankle-but-remains-in-game-to-convert-51st-straight-save-oppo-20170407-story.html

Orioles' Zach Britton rolls right ankle, remains in game to

convert 51st straight save

By Eduardo Encina / The Baltimore Sun

April 7, 2017

Closer Zach Britton rolled his right ankle in the ninth inning of the Orioles’ 6-5 comeback

victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night at Camden Yards.

In the process of converting his second save of the season, Britton fielded a comebacker off the

bat of Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, but awkwardly stumbled to the ground on the edge of the

mound. He threw to first for the out, but was visibly favoring the ankle.

After testing the ankle with several warmup pitches in front of head trainer Richie Bancells,

manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Roger McDowell, Britton remained in the game

and recorded the final out to close out a perfect ninth.

Showalter did not want to diagnose the injury any further after the game.

“I looked at the replay,” Showalter said. “Didn’t look too bad, but we’ll see how it manages

when the adrenaline kind of wears off.”

The injured ankle was not the same one that Britton hurt last year while attempting to field a ball

on April 30. Britton avoided a trip to the disabled list for a left ankle sprain and returned to

action five days later.

The save was Britton’s 51st straight consecutive converted opportunity, tying Jose Valverde for

fourth place on the all-time consecutive save list.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/223011718/orioles-relievers-extend-scoreless-streak/

5 hurlers add to O's scoreless relief streak

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 8, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Just how good is this Orioles bullpen? Friday night's 6-5 win over the Yankees

showcased its true depth.

After starter Ubaldo Jimenez couldn't complete five innings, manager Buck Showalter pieced

together the final 14 outs with five pitchers and one result: no runs scored.

"It's kind of our motto down there: Give it to the next guy and do your job so everyone else can

do their job," said lefty Donnie Hart, who picked up his first career Major League win.

Donnie Hart induces a groundout from Starlin Castro to end the frame in the top of the 7th inning

The bullpen, which has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings to start the season, has certainly lived up

to its motto early on. A group that was Baltimore's strength all of last season, leading the

American League with a 3.40 ERA, is expected to once again be relied on heavily. And the

relievers were up for the challenge again Friday, dispatching Yankee hitters in key situations all

night.

"Those kind of games are something that you're gonna take for the whole season," Jimenez said.

"Those games mean a lot, especially coming from behind. It was a tough night to play, and the

guys just battled, picked me up, and the bullpen did the job that they usually do every night."

Righty Oliver Drake got three outs following Jimenez, with setup man Darren O'Day coming in

for a rare middle-inning appearance and pitching around two walks. Hart recorded an out to end

the seventh inning, while Brad Brach -- a first-time All-Star last year -- struck out the side in the

eighth.

Brad Brach comes in for relief and strikes out the side against the Yankees in the 8th inning

"I was really glad to get Darren off the schneid, so to speak. It's been 10 days [since he's been in

a game]," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "To get through that game with some guys who

hadn't really been out there in quite a while, it was good to get a 'W' out of it."

Zach Britton, perfect in save opportunities all of last season, picked up his second save of the

year to cap things off. Britton opened by striking out Brett Gardner, got a groundout -- which he

collected while falling -- before remaining in the game and getting the final groundout.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/222922738/orioles-trade-for-rockies-miguel-castro/

Pitching-hungry O's add Castro from Rockies

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 7, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles made their third pitching acquisition in two days, acquiring right-

handed reliever Miguel Castro from the Rockies on Friday night and optioning him to Double-A

Bowie.

Castro joins pitchers Edwin Jackson and Andrew Faulkner as new O's arms, with Baltimore

adding some more pitching depth to its Minor League system with hopes of giving itself a lot of

options to bring back and forth.

"We are talking about controllable, optionable, not on the roster guys. And all three are

different," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "It's kind of who we are and who we've been.

That's the commodity that is the separator, and if you can acquire it, I think it really shows you

how much confidence Dan [Duquette] and all of us do in our player development system. ... I

feel real comfortable putting those guys in the environment I know they'll be put in.

"These guys all have dents in their armor, just like everyone does, and it's about smoothing those

out while giving great respect to those people who tried to do the same thing."

Castro battled shoulder injuries and inconsistency last year, and after a difficult Spring Training

(0-1, 15.75 ERA, five walks in four innings), he was designated for assignment.

When healthy, Castro can throw a four-seam and two-seam fastball in the 95-97 mph range.

Castro is in his final year of having Minor League options, and he was a candidate to make the

Rockies' squad before this spring, when he could not right himself once flaws crept into his

delivery during an outing.

Castro began the 2015 season, at age 20, as the Blue Jays' closer, and he went 0-2 with a 4.38

ERA and four saves in 13 games. But he spent time in the Minors before being sent to the

Rockies, for whom he finished the year with five relief appearances (0-1, 10.13 ERA).

Last year, Castro yielded just one run in six April appearances but was placed on the 15-day

disabled list April 22 with right shoulder inflammation. He bounced between the Majors and

Triple-A Albuquerque for the rest of the year, and he had problems being available for an

extended period or throwing consistent strikes.

To clear room on the 40-man roster for Castro, the Orioles designated pitcher Joe Gunkel.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/221915386/mlbtv-is-back-for-15th-year-with-new-

features/

Jones, wife greet scholarship winner, finalists

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

April 7, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Orioles center fielder Adam Jones and his wife, Audie, were on hand on Friday

for a special pregame ceremony that honored 17-year-old Ananda Cromwell as the recipient of

the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore's Youth of the Year Scholarship.

The award -- designated to help give deserving Boys & Girls Club members financial aid as they

pursue higher education -- was for $10,000 and is part of a $75,000 donation made by Jones and

the Orioles Charitable Foundation. Cromwell is a senior at Western High School who plans to

use her scholarship to study nursing and pursue a career in the health care industry.

Friday's ceremony prior to the Orioles-Yankees game kicked off a weekend full of events geared

toward Baltimore's youth, most notably Sunday's Kids Opening Day.

The O's will honor Birdland Hero Thomas Moore prior to that Sunday series finale. Moore is a

middle-school student from Bowie, Md., who grew out his hair to donate it to cancer patients.

His donation helped to provide three wigs for cancer patients who had lost their hair while

undergoing treatment.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/222954262/tanaka-seeks-rebound-against-gausman-

os/?topicId=26688732

O's look to reward Gausman against Tanaka

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

April 7, 2017

The Yankees had difficulty masking their surprise at Masahiro Tanaka's third-inning exit on

Opening Day, when the ace right-hander surrendered a career-high seven earned runs in a 7-3

loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Tanaka said that he was hungry for an opportunity to correct the issues that spoiled that

afternoon, and he is motivated to produce a better showing on Saturday as the Yankees and

Orioles play the second game of a three-game weekend series at Camden Yards.

"Mentally, you want to go out there as quick as possible, get some positive results and move

forward," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "In terms of some of the mechanical flaws that you

need to sort of fix and adjust, I probably needed this time to make that adjustment, as well. I feel

like I'm able to do that. I'm ready to do it next time out."

Baltimore Opening Day starter Kevin Gausman will take his second turn in the rotation.

Gausman went 5 1/3 innings and held Toronto to two runs on five hits and four walks, taking a

no-decision in his debut on Monday.

• Through the Orioles' first three games, Mark Trumbo already has a memorable walk-off homer

to his credit, which he struck with a 105.5-mph exit velocity. But his two hardest-hit balls -- also

the two hardest by any Oriole -- were both outs despite exit velocities of 112.4 and 112.3 mph.

That's because both were ground balls, which have a much lower chance of doing damage than

liners or fly balls. In 2016, Trumbo only had three harder-hit outs all season.

• Brett Gardner collected hits and scored in each of his first three at-bats on Friday night, and the

Yankees' leadoff hitter has solid career numbers against Gausman. In 29 previous at-bats,

Gardner has stroked nine hits (.310), with two doubles, a homer and two RBIs.

• Yankees reliever Adam Warren has retired all 14 batters he has faced this season, striking out

six over 4 2/3 innings. He is the second Yankees pitcher since 1913 to throw at least two innings

without allowing a run or a hit in each of his first two appearances of a season, joining Luis

Arroyo, who did so in 1960.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/orioles-lineup-vs-yankees-32.html

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 8, 2017

The Orioles are bringing back the same lineup today that they’ve fielded with a right-hander

starting for the opposition.

Seth Smith leads off and Hyun Soo Kim bats seventh against Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka.

Chris Davis mans the cleanup spot, with Mark Trumbo batting fifth.

For the Orioles

Seth Smith RF

Adam Jones CF

Manny Machado 3B

Chris Davis 1B

Mark Trumbo DH

Welington Castillo C

Hyun Soo Kim LF

Jonathan Schoop 2B

J.J. Hardy SS

Kevin Gausman RHP

Here are the starters for the two-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park:

Tuesday: Dylan Bundy vs. Drew Pomeranz

Wednesday: Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Steven Wright

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/gausman-vs-tanaka-today-at-camden-

yards.html

Gausman vs. Tanaka today at Camden Yards

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 8, 2017

The first order of business today at Camden Yards is to check on closer Zach Britton’s right

ankle, which he rolled while knocking down Gary Sánchez’s comebacker in the top of the ninth

inning. He’s going to insist again that he’s fine, but the disturbing sight of Britton on the ground

and scrambling to pick up the ball continues to linger.

It’s not the same ankle that he sprained on April 30, 2016 while trying to field an Adam Eaton

bunt. Britton limped to the clubhouse that night. He stayed in last night’s game and retired pinch-

hitter Chris Carter on one pitch.

Britton threw one of his nasty sinkers to first after gathering Sánchez’s ball, and Chris Davis

scooped it out of the dirt to prevent an error because that’s what he always does.

I’m beating a dead horse here, but Davis makes it look ridiculously easy.

Britton worked two innings on opening day, threw 24 pitches on Wednesday and retired the side

in order on nine pitches last night. The two off-days have provided rest for him. Manager Buck

Showalter might rest Britton today.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette stopped by the press box for a few minutes, and a couple

of reporters, myself included, immediately wondered whether he had made another trade. It was

a false alarm. He was just visiting.

What’s the record for most pitchers acquired for cash considerations?

Duquette should be applauded for pumping so many promising young arms into the system.

Manny Machado hit his 13th career home run against the Yankees last night, tying his record

against the Blue Jays. They’re the teams he’s homered most off of in his time in the majors.

Kevin Gausman is preparing today to make his second start while left-hander Wade Miley must

wait until Sunday to debut as the fourth member of the rotation.

Gausman took the ball on opening day against the Blue Jays and allowed two runs and five hits

in 5 1/3 innings, walking four batters and striking out four in a 3-2, 11-inning win. He’s 6-3 with

a 1.92 ERA in 17 career games (11 starts) versus the Yankees, posting a 1.029 WHIP in 79 2/3

innings.

Jacoby Ellsbury is 6-for-31 (.194) against Gausman, but Brett Gardner is 9-for-29 (.310) with

two doubles and a home run.

Masahiro Tanaka lasted only 2 2/3 innings against the Rays on opening day, surrendering seven

runs and eight hits and walking two batters. Tampa Bay hit two home runs off him.

Tanaka is 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in five career starts against the Orioles. He’s walked only four

batters and struck out 40 in 37 2/3 innings, and the current group is batting .198 (18-for-91)

against him.

Jonathan Schoop is 3-for-15 with two home runs, Davis is 3-for-14 with a home run and five

strikeouts and Machado is 3-for-15 with a double and home run.

Showalter must decide whether to stick with the same lineup he’s used against two other right-

handed starters - the Jays’ Marco Estrada and the Yankees’ Luis Severino - or mix it up a little

bit. He spoke yesterday of wanting to give catcher Caleb Joseph a start this weekend and also

make certain that infielder Ryan Flaherty and outfielder Craig Gentry don’t sit for too long.

Gentry has been used only as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

Left-hander CC Sabathia starts on Sunday, which could present an opportunity for Gentry,

though Showalter may want to take another look at Trey Mancini in right field.

Only two fly balls were hit to Mancini on Wednesday in his first professional game in the

outfield. He joked at his locker yesterday that he was expecting at least one sinking liner.

“I was looking at both plays (yesterday), just the comfort level and everything,” Showalter said.

“It’s a start. Who knows? It’s a start. Like I said, there’s only one way to find out. Run him out

there and it’s step one.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/showalter-celebrating-a-baseball-

anniversary.html

Showalter celebrating a baseball anniversary (O’s down 3-1)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 8, 2017

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Buck Showalter managing his first game in the majors. And

by pure coincidence, he’s facing the team that got him started.

Showalter was in the home dugout at Yankee Stadium on April 7, 1992 for a 4-3 victory over the

Red Sox. Scott Sanderson got the win, Roger Clemens the loss and Steve Farr the save. Former

Oriole John Habyan struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth inning for the Yankees.

The anniversary must not have been marked on Showalter’s calendar today.

“Seriously?” he said.

“I have memories of it. That’s one of the things I haven’t forgotten as I’ve gotten older. Yeah, I

remember Jody Reed popping the ball up for the third out. And I remember (coach) Clete Boyer

trying to get me to take a drag off a Picayune cigarette in case I was nervous. Don’t do that. That

was a mistake. Took me about three hours to come down from that one.

“I said, ‘Clete, I’m really not nervous. Am I supposed to be?’

Showalter said he also remembers the “phone calls” during the game. I’m guessing that they

came from the owner’s box.

“I got a lot of help,” he said, drawing laughter from the room. “I needed it, I needed it.”

Showalter is in his eighth season with the Orioles after stints with the Yankees (1992-95),

Diamondbacks (1998-2000) and Rangers (2003-06). His 549 wins as Orioles manager are the

second-most in club history behind Earl Weaver’s 1,480.

Showalter’s 1,431 career victories rank 25th all-time in baseball history and are fourth among

active managers. He needs 49 more to tie Weaver for 24th place, which surely will be an

uncomfortable moment for him.

Ubaldo Jiménez makes his regular season debut tonight after being sent to the minor league

complex at Twin Lakes Park for his last two spring outings. It’s been a while since he’s faced

major league hitters, but Showalter doesn’t expect new challenges to develop because of it.

“His delivery was good,” Showalter said, “but the Yankees will tell me tonight. If there’s a fight

at the bat rack, there’s a problem.”

Update: Jiménez threw 30 pitches in the first inning and allowed one run on two hits and a walk.

He also struck out two.

The Orioles tied the game in the bottom half on a leadoff double by Seth Smith and RBi single

by Adam Jones. Chris Davis reached on an infield hit and the Yankees committed an error, but

the Orioles didn’t take the lead.

Update II: Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer with two outs in the third to give New York a 3-1

lead. Jimenez’s pitch count rose to 66.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/04/more-notes-before-tonights-game-5.html

More notes before tonight’s game

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

April 8, 2017

If you’re trying to keep track at home, Edwin Jackson is at extended spring training in Sarasota,

left-hander Andrew Faulkner is on Triple-A Norfolk’s roster and Miguel Castro, today’s

acquisition from the Rockies, has been optioned to Double-A Bowie.

Jackson eventually will be assigned to Norfolk, where he’s expected to work out of the bullpen.

He could be used as a starter later if he stays in the organization, his contract including a June 1

opt-out clause, but for now he’s viewed as a reliever.

The Orioles have 25 pitchers on their 40-man roster. All 15 position players are on the major

league roster, with Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander assigned to the 10-day disabled list.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette continues to seek out young, controllable pitchers who

can be developed in the system and perhaps become cost-efficient pieces on the major league

staff. Recent deals for Chris Lee, Jayson Aquino and Jesus Liranzo didn’t create a ripple in the

industry, but the trio is evolving into legitimate prospects.

The Orioles don’t assume that the previous teams completely missed on these pitchers, but they

want the opportunity to develop these arms.

“You can identify most of them and you go, ‘OK, I’d like to attack that,’ ” said manager Buck

Showalter. “I can’t make him be 6-5, I can’t make him throw 97 with a plus slider, but I can

attack the things that ... see if you can get lucky. They might have run out of time. They may

have a full roster.

“I know when we first acquired Liranzo or Aquino or Chris, everybody went, ‘OK, minor league

deal.’ Well, guess what? Here we sit. We’ll see. There’s a long way from where they are now to

contributing consistently, but where else are you going to get them from? We haven’t been too

fortunate yet in some of the other programs that people are, so we’ll see.

“We’ve got a big June draft coming up again and we’ve got a lot of picks early again.”

The Orioles designated pitcher Joe Gunkel for assignment today to make room for Castro on the

40-man roster.

“Joe doesn’t have a prior outright,” Showalter said, “so hopefully that gets through and he

rejoins our club.”

Chris Tillman’s first extended spring training start on Tuesday will consist of two innings or 30

pitches.

Relievers Darren O’Day, Donnie Hart, Vidal Nuño and Oliver Drake each pitched one inning

yesterday morning in simulated games at Camden Yards. They didn’t pitch in the Blue Jays

series.

Showalter wants to get catcher Caleb Joseph, infielder Ryan Flaherty and outfielder Craig Gentry

into the lineup as soon as possible. Joseph definitely will be behind the plate this weekend.

“We’ll keep moving around until everybody gets their feet wet,” he said.

Ramón Martinez, the Orioles’ special assignment pitching instructor, will be inducted Saturday

into the Albuquerque Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, along with brothers Pedro and Jesus.

Ramon (1988-89), Pedro (1991-93) and Jesus (1995, 97) combined for a 33-15 record, 3.85 ERA

and 424 strikeouts in 83 games with the Albuquerque Dukes.

“Anybody who’s been to Albuquerque and watched a game there, there’s not a whole lot of

pitchers being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Albuquerque. I could hit a home run there,”

Showalter said.

“We played an exhibition game there one time and we ran out of balls halfway through batting

practice. Ran out. I’ve never seen balls carry like that.”

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/04/chris-davis-on-moving-up-the-clubs-

homer-list-plus-other-notes.html

Chris Davis on moving up the club’s homer list (plus other

notes)

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

April 8, 2017

When first baseman Chris Davis hit a solo homer off Toronto Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ in the

fourth inning Wednesday, he became the eighth player in Orioles history to hit 200 or more

homers for the club.

Davis joined teammate Adam Jones in that club. Jones homered in the third inning Wednesday,

and that longball moved him into a tie for fifth on the club’s all-time homers list.

431 - Cal Ripken Jr.

343 - Eddie Murray

303 - Boog Powell

268 - Brooks Robinson

223 - Rafael Palmeiro and Adam Jones

209 - Brady Anderson

200 - Chris Davis

Davis said yesterday that getting No. 200 and being in the top eight in club history in homers is

quite meaningful to him.

“Of course it means something to me,” he said. “That is a pretty incredible list, when you think

about the guys that have played here. Especially the power hitters that have played here. Do I

pay attention to it? Probably not as much as people would think. I knew I was close to 200 as an

Oriole. I didn’t know the one I hit the other night was the 200th, but the scoreboard let me know.

It’s an honor to be in that group of guys and hopefully I can hang around long enough to get

closer to the top.”

Time flies when one is bashing homers. Davis became an Oriole in a trade on July 30, 2011.

Reliever Koji Uehara went to Texas as Davis and Tommy Hunter joined the Orioles.

Davis has seasons of 47 and 53 homers with Baltimore, and his 198 homers since the 2012

season ranks first in MLB.

“Time flies by, no doubt about that,” he said. “It is definitely something to be proud of. But I

think something that I’m even more proud of is we have kept pretty much the same group of

guys here the entire time I’ve been here and we’ve been able to consistently win. I think that is

something that a lot of people don’t really understand how hard it is to do. To have a good team

year in, year out, a playoff contender, that is tough to do.”

While he has hit more Orioles homers in fewer games than Jones, Davis said that is not a big

deal, and he threw some props Jones’ way.

“He’s got a different skill set than I do. He is probably one of the most well-rounded baseball

players that I’ve ever played with as far as talent is concerned. He does something every night.

Whether it is running a ball down or just running a ball out, a hard groundball or something. That

is something I always appreciate. I may have done it a little bit faster (gotten to 200 homers with

the club) but he’s a little more decorated as a player.”

Meanwhile, the Orioles are 3-0 after Friday’s 6-5 win over the New York Yankees. The Orioles

are the only unbeaten in the AL East and sit atop the standings this morning.

A few notes on that victory and the club’s winning start:

* The Orioles’ three wins have come by four total runs with a pair of one-run wins.

* Closer Zach Britton recorded his second save of the year and his 51st straight since Oct. 1,

2015. That streak ranks tied for fourth most all-time with Jose Valverde. He recorded his run of

saves from Sept. 4, 2010-Sept. 28, 2011.

* The Orioles first three opponents have batted just .154 (4-for-26) with runners in scoring

position. The O’s are 5-for-14 (.357) with RISP.

* Manny Machado’s three-run homer pulled the Orioles within 5-4 last night in the fifth inning.

That was his 13th career homer versus the Yankees. That ties him with 13 against Toronto for his

most against any team. He is now 4-for-11 with three career homers off New York’s Luis

Severino and that was his 16th career three-RBI game.

* The Orioles have won six of their last eight against the Yankees. New York is 7-21 at Camden

Yards since 2014 and has lost 10 of its last 13 at the ballpark.

* The O’s bullpen has combined for 12 1/3 scoreless innings to start the year, allowing 12 hits

with six walks and 12 strikeouts.

Orioles Continue To Add Pitchers, Acquire Miguel Castro

From Colorado

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

April 7, 2017

BALTIMORE — The Orioles continue to stockpile pitchers. They’ve acquired three pitchers in

the last two days. The latest addition is 22-year-old right-hander Miguel Castro, who was picked

up from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later or cash considerations April 7.

Castro is 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in 37 games with Toronto and Colorado in 2015 and 2016.

On April 6, the Orioles acquired left-hander Andrew Faulkner from the Texas Rangers, also for a

player to be named later or cash considerations.

Faulkner, who is 24, has a 4.41 ERA in 20 games with Texas in 2015 and 2016.

Neither player will be joining the Orioles. Faulkner was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and Castro

was optioned to Double-A Bowie.

"Our scouts like Castro’s size, his youth, his arm. He just needs a little seasoning," Orioles

Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette said.

"He’s got the pitches and he’s very aggressive. If he’s going to be a successful big league

pitcher, he needs to brush up on a few things."

Castro was a starter in Class-A ball, but a reliever by the time he cracked the big leagues.

"He’s got the tools to be a good major league pitcher,” Duquette said. We have him start in the

minors to build up some innings."

The Orioles also announced the previously reported signing of veteran right-hander Edwin

Jackson to a minor league deal. He’s reporting to minor league spring training in Sarasota, Fla.

Right-handed pitcher Joe Gunkel was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man

roster for Castro. Dariel Alvarez, who the Orioles were trying to convert from the outfield to

pitching and is likely headed for Tommy John surgery, was released April 6 to make room for

Faulkner.

Alvarez had been assigned to Class-A Delmarva and could be re-signed to a minor league deal.

If Gunkel passes through waivers, the Orioles would be able to outright him to the Tides.

Manager Buck Showalter said it’s a matter of the Orioles accumulating players with options who

can be freely sent to the minor leagues.

"It’s something that’s been going on. We’re talking about controllable, optionable, not on the

roster guys," Showalter said. "These guys all have dents in their armor, just like everybody does

and just trying to smooth some of those out while giving great respect to the people that had

them that tried to do the same thing. If they didn’t have options, we probably wouldn’t be doing

this."

In the last two months, the Orioles have acquired left-handers Vidal Nuno, Richard Bleier and

right-handers Alec Asher and Gabriel Ynoa as well as Faulkner and Castro. All have options

remaining, and only Nuno cost the Orioles a player, right-handed pitcher Ryan Moseley, who

played for entry-level Aberdeen last year.

In the last two years, the Orioles acquired three other pitchers who are in the minor leagues -- but

considered prospects -- in right-handers Jayson Aquino and Jesus Liranzo and left-hander Chris

Lee.

"There’s a long way from where they are now to contributing consistently, but where else are

you gonna get them from? We haven’t been fortunate yet in some of the other programs that

people are. So, we’ll see. We’ve got a big June draft coming up, again, A lot of picks early

again," Showalter said.

TILLMAN ON THE MOVE: Right-hander Chris Tillman is on his way to Sarasota where he’s

scheduled to throw batting practice on April 8. He’s scheduled to pitch in an extended spring

training game April 11. Tillman’s outing is scheduled for two innings and 30 pitches. His second

outing will probably also come in an extended spring game.