While most – if not all – previous meetings between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals haven’t had much significance, this year’s Beltway series has all the makings of a heavyweight showdown.

With both teams surprisingly very much in contention, the Adam Jones-led Orioles open a three-game set with the Nationals looking to extend their longest road winning streak in 13 seasons Friday night.

After 14 consecutive losing campaigns, Baltimore (25-14) enters the weekend atop the AL East thanks in large part to an impressive power display. The Orioles have belted a major league-leading 61 homers – equaling their total through 62 games in 2011.

Washington (23-15), which finished third in the NL East last year after coming in fourth or fifth in each of the previous eight seasons, has also been formidable. Leading the majors with a 2.94 ERA, the Nationals have held on to the division lead for much of the season but currently sit one-half game behind Atlanta.

“As far as the Orioles go, both teams are climbing and still getting better,” Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman told MLB.com. “In previous years, it was tough to be a Nationals fan and an Orioles fan, so it’s nice to see both teams winning, and people in this area rooting for them.”

The Nationals and Orioles split six games in 2011, with each club taking two of three at home. Baltimore, 25-26 all-time in this series, hasn’t experienced much road success against the NL of late, dropping 15 of 21.

“The bottom line is, if it’s important to our fans, it’s important to us,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Initially, we are just busy trying to prepare three starting pitchers to play offense.

“We all know, this type of thing, that it’s obviously advantage to the National League team, they’ve got people (that) are going to be asked in our ballpark to do what they do all the time. But they are asking a lot of people (on our club) to do something they haven’t done before, and I don’t think it’s particularly fair.”

Coming off their third straight win overall and a two-game sweep at Kansas City, the Orioles have won seven in a row in opposing ballparks – their longest road winning streak since a 10-game run Aug. 29-Sept. 24, 1999. Baltimore took Thursday’s series finale 5-3 behind six solid innings from Brian Matusz and Jones’ third homer in as many days.

The center fielder has hit seven of his team-leading 13 homers over his last 13 games.

“Jones is having a great year and we’re proud of him,” Showalter added. “He doesn’t ever give in. You always feel that if he struggles, somebody is going to pay down the line. He’s a very competitive young man.”

Batting .389 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 24 career games against Washington, Jones is 3 for 14 with one home run against Nationals scheduled starter Edwin Jackson (1-1, 3.71 ERA).

Jackson, who’s gone 0-1 with a 4.25 ERA over his last five starts, yielded three runs and five hits over five innings of Sunday’s 9-6 walk-off loss at Cincinnati.

The right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.68 ERA in his last eight outings versus the Orioles, the most recent of which came while with the Chicago White Sox in August 2010.

Jackson will be opposed by Jake Arrieta (2-4, 5.21), who’s gone 1-4 over his last five outings. Aside from throwing eight innings of five-hit ball during a 5-0 victory at Yankee Stadium on May 2, Arrieta has compiled a 9.90 ERA over those other four starts.

The right-hander surrendered a season-worst seven runs and a career-high 10 hits over just 3 2-3 innings of Sunday’s 9-8 loss to Tampa Bay.

“Really the only thing I take away from it is, just I got to get the ball down,” Arrieta said.

Arrieta has struggled against Washington, giving up a combined 12 runs over two starts spanning just eight innings.

The Nationals lost 5-3 to Pittsburgh on Thursday, splitting a two-game set. Washington hasn’t dropped back-to-back home games since Sept. 16-17.

The victory was their seventh straight on the road. Their 13-6 road record is the best in the majors.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy — who fueled a ninth-inning rally to force extra innings in the Orioles’ 15-inning win Wednesday night — hit a two-out, broken-bat single in the seventh inning to break open a score tied at 3.

Hardy, who entered the day hitting .357 in May, took Aaron Crow’s pitch to right field for the game-winning hit. Wilson Betemit scored the tying run earlier in the inning when Chris Davis’s liner to center went past center fielder Jarrod Dyson, allowing Betemit to score from first.

“Everybody’s contributing,” said Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who hit his team-high 13th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. “We’re not leaning on one guy in particular. We’re just trying to win games as a team.”

And left-hander Brian Matusz (3-4) turned in his third quality start in his last five outings, yielding three runs on seven hits through six innings. He walked one and struck out two.

The Orioles’ bullpen, fresh off eight innings of work Wednesday night, tossed three scoreless innings to preserve the win, with Luis Ayala, Pedro Strop and Jim Johnson tossing scoreless frames in the seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Johnson earned his 14th save.

— Baltimore Sun

CHICAGO (AP) — Kevin Hickey, who pitched in six major league seasons with the White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles before taking a coaching job with Chicago, has died. He was 56.

The team said Hickey died Wednesday at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He had been in intensive care following his transfer from a Dallas hospital last month after missing the team’s workout before Opening Day. A cause of death was not disclosed.

He had been the White Sox’s pre-game instructor since 2004.

Hickey, a left-hander, pitched with the White Sox from 1981-83 and the Orioles from 1989-91, compiling a 9-14 record, 3.91 ERA and 17 saves in 231 relief appearances.

A Chicago native, Hickey didn’t play high school baseball. But after competing in 16-inch softball and semipro baseball, he was invited to a Comiskey Park tryout and offered a minor-league contract. He pitched three minor league seasons before making his major league debut.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Adam Jones seems to do his best work as a one-man wrecking crew, and that’s fine with the Baltimore Orioles.

Jones and the Orioles seek to extend their longest road winning streak in more than 12 years Thursday when they wrap up a two-game series at Kansas City against the Royals.

Jones’ 12 homers are good for a third-place tie in the AL, but still far behind the 18 hit by Josh Hamilton of Texas. While most teams know to pitch around the Rangers’ slugger, challenging Jones with no one on base has been a dicey proposition.

He is batting .365 (31 for 85) with the bases empty with nine homers, including the go-ahead shot in the top of the 15th inning of Wednesday’s 4-3 Orioles victory. It marked the ninth time a home run by Jones either gave the Orioles (24-14) the lead or moved them into a tie, and they improved to a major league-best 12-5 on the road.

“I had three opportunities earlier with men in scoring position that I did not succeed in, which is by far the most frustrating thing for me,” Jones said. “I was 0 for 3. I did not give one of my seven at-bats away. I can live with myself when I do that.”

Jones is hitting .314 (11 for 35) during a current eight-game hitting streak with four homers – all solo shots – and seven RBIs.

“I know Jonesy was a little frustrated there with some previous at-bats, but he got back under control and hit a mistake,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Jonesy is having a great year. Jonesy doesn’t ever give in. You always feel like if he struggles at some point someone is going to pay down the line… He’s a very competitive young man.”

Baltimore has won six straight on the road, its longest such streak since reeling off 10 in a row Aug. 29-Sept. 24, 1999. Remarkably, three of the games during the current streak have lasted at least 13 innings.

Jones has enjoyed facing Royals scheduled starter Luke Hochevar (3-3, 7.20 ERA), going 6 for 15 with three doubles. Additionally, the right-hander has rolled out the welcome mat to all opponents at home this season, going 0-2 with an 11.91 ERA in three starts – giving up 15 runs and 18 hits in 11 1-3 innings.

Hochevar, though, bounced back from a horrid home outing his last time out, scattering three hits and one walk in seven innings of Saturday’s 5-0 road victory over the Chicago White Sox.

“I just tried to stay within my approach and continue to battle like crazy and make good pitches. Just try to go out and execute quality pitches and stay the course,” said Hochevar, who got his first win in five career decisions versus the Orioles on Aug. 3, also the last time he faced them.

While Hochevar is trying to shake his home struggles, Baltimore counterpart Brian Matusz (2-4, 5.50) is seeking his third win in four starts. The left-hander yielded three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings Saturday, which was enough to get credit for a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay.

While Matusz is 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA in three road outings in 2012, he did limit the Yankees to one run over 6 1-3 innings May 1 to win his last start outside Baltimore. He did not factor in the decision of his lone start at Kansas City in 2010, his only career appearance against the Royals.

Kansas City (15-21) is a major league-worst 4-14 at home, but has won six of eight overall despite Wednesday’s defeat.

Before the game against the Kansas City Royals, the team was minus Manager Buck Showalter, who arrived at the ballpark less than an hour before the first pitch of Wednesday’s game. Showalter was sent to see a doctor by team trainers after he complained of not feeling well, but checked out fine and managed the game.

The Baltimore offense also arrived late, needing a ninth-inning rally to force extra innings after being shutout by Royals starter Felipe Paulino for seven innings.

The Orioles played their third extra-inning game in their past four road games here at Kauffman Stadium.

The victory, which was the Orioles’ fourth straight extra-inning win — all on the road — kept Baltimore (24-14) tied for first place in the AL East with the Rays.

The Orioles bullpen provided six scoreless extra-innings. Long-reliever Dana Eveland retiring nine of 10 batters he faced and winning pitcher Kevin Gregg did not allow a hit in two innings of work. Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless 15th to end the four-hour, 10-minute marathon for his 13th save. Counting their sleep-deprived three-game series in Boston, the Orioles have played 54 innings in their last four road games.

Jones, who hit in game-winning homer in Baltimore’s 17-inning win at Fenway two Sundays ago, hit the game-winning blast again, taking reliever Nathan Adcock’s delivery an estimated 431 feet.

Nine of Jones’s 12 homers this season have either tied the game or given the Orioles the lead.

 The Orioles came to Kauffman Stadium — having arrived to their hotels in Kansas City about 2 a.m. Baltimore time early Wednesday morning — boasting one of the best road records in baseball.

Trailing 3-1, the Orioles tied the game in the top of the ninth against Royals closer Jonathan Broxton. Wilson Betemit teed off on a 1-2 pitch from Broxton, sending it an estimated 409 feet just in front of the fountains in right-centerfield.

Chris Davis and Xavier Avery singled and J.J. Hardy hit a run-scoring single to center as Jarrod Dyson’s throw home was slightly off and pinch runner Ryan Flaherty just beat the sweeping tag of catcher Humberto Quintero.

Right-hander Tommy Hunter gave the Orioles a quality start, allowing just two runs over seven innings, his best start in nearly three weeks. It was also his first start in seven starts that he hasn’t allowed a homer.

The Orioles  managed just five hits off Paulino, who struck out nine Baltimore batters in his seven innings of work.

Hunter, who allowed the leadoff man on in four of his first five innings, yielded two runs in the fifth. Leadoff batter Jeff Francoeur doubled down the right-field line, and two batters later Hunter pegged shortstop Alcides Escobar with a pitch.

Chris Getz hit a sharp grounder to first that Chris Davis couldn’t scoop cleanly. He got the out at first, but might have been able to get the runner at second.

That play, which put runners at second and third, cost the Orioles when Quintero, the Royals No. 9 hitter, took a 1-2 Hunter delivery up the middle just past Hardy to score both runs.

Hunter was helped by three double plays early, each negating the leadoff runner in the first, third and fifth innings.

The Orioles rallied in the eighth, making the score 2-1 after back-to-back doubles by Hardy and Nick Markakis to lead off the inning.

But reliever Kevin Herrera struck out Jones swinging on a fastball that registered at 101 mph on the stadium radar gun. And Markakis was thrown out trying to steal third with catcher Matt Wieters hitting from the left side of the plate.

The  Royals (15-21) made it 3-1 on Alex Gordon’s double off Troy Patton in the eighth. Kansas City mounted a rally off Patton with two outs with a Billy Butler single and Gordon’s double.

— The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE — Adam Jones homered and J.J. Hardy drove in two runs to support another strong start from Wei-Yin Chin as the Baltimore Orioles scored a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. The victory before 24.055 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards gave Baltimore (23-14) a split of the two-game series with New York (20-16) and its first win over the Yankees at home this season. New York had taken the first four meetings in Baltimore. Jones gave the Orioles a lead with his second-inning solo homer, and Hardy got an RBI double in the fifth and a run-scoring infield single in the sixth. He didn’t get an RBI when his double-play grounder scored a run in the third. All of that was enough for Chen (4-0), a pleasant surprise for the Orioles in his rookie season. He lasted seven innings, giving up just a two-run homer to Curtis Granderson in the seventh that cut the Orioles’ lead to 4-2. Granderson may have gotten a break on that homer when a fan wearing a Yankees jacket reached out of the seats and appeared to either knock the ball away from left fielder Xavier Avery or possibly deflect it into the stands. The Orioles scratched out an insurance run in the bottom half of the seventh. Jones scored on catcher Chris Stewart’s second passed ball of the night. Chen allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. He kept the Yankees off-balance by often speeds, especially using a good changeup as the game went on. Pedro Strop relieved Chen and escaped a jam in the eighth. Closer Jim Johnson finished it for his 12th save. He’s now converted 20 consecutive save opportunities dating back to last season. The Orioles beat CC Sabathia (5-1), who had a 16-2 record against them coming into the game. Baltimore took a 1-0 lead when Jones homered to lead off the bottom of the second. Jones sent a 1-0 pitch from Sabathia into the left field seats for his 11th homer this season. The Orioles added a run in the third but could have done more. Steve Tolleson doubled to start the inning and went to third on Avery’s bunt single. Sabathia plunked Robert Andino to load the bases with no outs. However, the New York starter got Hardy to ground into a double play. Tolleson scored, but the Orioles couldn’t do anything else in the inning and settled for a 2-0 lead. They made it 3-0 in the fifth when Hardy’s RBI double scored Avery, who had walked. NOTES: The Yankees received some bad news before the game when it was announced that closer David Robertson is going on the 15-day disabled list with a strained ribcage muscle. Robertson hasn’t pitched since Friday and felt pain since then. He underwent tests Tuesday, and the DL decision was made. New York called up Cody Eppley from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Rafael Soriano will be the new closer. He saved Monday’s 8-5 win over the Orioles. … Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold, sidelined for two weeks due to a bulging neck disk, might need a second epidural injection. Reimold said he has been dealing with left thumb and forearm tingling and left shoulder soreness, and he doesn’t know whether to expect gradual or immediate improvement. … Baltimore reliever Matt Lindstrom was diagnosed with a partially torn ligament in his right middle finger, and he plans to see a specialist. He went on the disabled list Friday due to soreness in the finger. … Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova said his sprained right ankle felt better Tuesday, leaving him hopeful that he would be able to make his start Saturday against the Reds. Nova might push his bullpen session back from Wednesday to Thursday or skip it altogether, but it wouldn’t impact his ability to start Saturday.

The Baltimore Orioles’ first three
batters each hit a home run to open the bottom of the first
inning against the Texas Rangers, setting an American League
record.

Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis gave the
Orioles a 3-0 advantage in the first inning. Baltimore held on
to win the first game in a double header 6-5.

Hardy also was the second batter the last time a first
inning began with three straight homers, on Sept. 9, 2007, when
he was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, the third National
League team to record the feat.

After 18 batters were retired, the Orioles came back in
the seventh inning with a solo homer by Adam Jones and a two-run
homer by Wilson Betemit. All the home runs were off Rangers’
pitcher Colby Lewis (3-2), who also had a career high 12
strikeouts.

The Orioles lost 7-3 in the night game as Josh Hamilton hit
his Major League Baseball-leading 15th home run. Hamilton hit
four homers in a 10-3 win May 8 against Baltimore to tie a major
league record.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

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BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles began their game against the Texas Rangers unlike any AL team in major league history, hitting three homers in their first three at-bats.

That might have been good enough to beat most clubs. As it turned out, the Orioles needed two other long balls to mount enough of a cushion to squeeze out a 6-5 victory in a doubleheader opener Thursday.

Ryan Flaherty , J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis opened the bottom of the first inning with homers off Colby Lewis to give Baltimore a lead it did not relinquish. The previous team to homer in its first three at-bats was the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 9, 2007. Hardy was also the middle man in that barrage.

Milwaukee was the third major league team to accomplish the feat, all from the NL.

After the three consecutive home runs, Lewis retired his next 18 batters before Adam Jones homered leading off the seventh to make it 4-1. Lewis walked Matt Wieters , and Wilson Betemit hit a drive to right for a 6-1 lead.

“I’ve known Colby for a long time. I knew it was only a matter of time before he settled in,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “We were fortunate to take advantage of it early. We didn’t mount much after that. … I thought the tack-on runs after the home runs were even bigger.”

The five home runs yielded by Lewis (3-2) were a career high. They also were the only hits he allowed over seven innings, and he also set a career high with 12 strikeouts. That made him the first pitcher since 1918 to give up five home runs and have at least 10 strikeouts in the same game.

“I can’t justify that game,” Lewis said. “It seemed like one of those days where you have really good stuff and then you miss your spot or something and it’s just not a hit, it’s a homer. You can’t really look at it any other way. It was just kind of weird game.”

Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen (3-0) gave up two runs and six hits in 7 2-3 innings, striking out five and walking one. The 26-year-old Taiwan native has allowed two runs or fewer in five of six starts and has a 2.68 ERA in his rookie season.

“Definitely, this is my best outing this year,” the left-hander said through a translator.

“Wei-Yin was a difference-maker today, to get that deep in the game, and against obviously a good lineup,” Showalter said. “He was outstanding. He was sharp with his breaking ball, the extra days’ rest. It seems like he had a little bit more finish on his fastball. He was a difference-maker for us today and it won’t be forgotten.”

Coming off a four-homer game Tuesday, Texas slugger Josh Hamilton went 1 for 4 with a single and two strikeouts. He came in with five home runs and a double in his previous six at-bats.

The teams were rained out Wednesday night, setting up the doubleheader.

After Chen left in the eighth, Adrian Beltre hit an RBI single to make it 6-2. Pinch-hitter David Murphy added a three-run homer in the ninth off Jim Johnson , who got three outs for his ninth save.

With Chen leading the way, the Orioles snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Rangers. Texas won the first two games of the series 14-3 and 10-3 and outscored Baltimore 70-18 during its seven-game run.

After Texas went down in order in the first, Flaherty hit his first major league homer, driving a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall to give Baltimore its first lead in the series. Three pitches later, Hardy homered to left, and Markakis followed with his fifth home run on an 0-2 pitch.

It was the first time since June 1999 that Baltimore hit three homers in the first inning.

Lewis then retired Jones on a fly ball, struck out the next six batters and did not allow a runner to reach until Jones homered.

“It was one of the unfortunate things,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Lewis’ performance. “They put three runs on the board and they just happened to be homers. He kept us in the ballgame. After that first inning, you didn’t know what to expect. But he settled down and gave us a chance.”

After Hamilton flied out to left with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth, the Rangers closed to 3-1 in the fourth. Michael Young doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Yorvit Torrealba .

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles began their game against the Texas Rangers unlike any AL team in major league history, hitting three homers in their first three at-bats.

That might have been good enough to beat most clubs. As it turned out, the Orioles needed two other long balls to mount enough of a cushion to squeeze out a 6-5 victory in a doubleheader opener Thursday.

Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis opened the bottom of the first inning with homers off Colby Lewis to give Baltimore a lead it did not relinquish. The previous team to homer in its first three at-bats was the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 9, 2007. Hardy was also the middle man in that barrage.

Milwaukee was the third major league team to accomplish the feat, all from the NL.

After the three consecutive home runs, Lewis retired his next 18 batters before Adam Jones homered leading off the seventh to make it 4-1. Lewis walked Matt Wieters, and Wilson Betemit hit a drive to right for a 6-1 lead.

“I’ve known Colby for a long time. I knew it was only a matter of time before he settled in,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “We were fortunate to take advantage of it early. We didn’t mount much after that. … I thought the tack-on runs after the home runs were even bigger.”

The five home runs yielded by Lewis (3-2) were a career high. They also were the only hits he allowed over seven innings, and he also set a career high with 12 strikeouts. That made him the first pitcher since 1918 to give up five home runs and have at least 10 strikeouts in the same game.

“I can’t justify that game,” Lewis said. “It seemed like one of those days where you have really good stuff and then you miss your spot or something and it’s just not a hit, it’s a homer. You can’t really look at it any other way. It was just kind of weird game.”

Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen (3-0) gave up two runs and six hits in 7 2-3 innings, striking out five and walking one. The 26-year-old Taiwan native has allowed two runs or fewer in five of six starts and has a 2.68 ERA in his rookie season.

“Definitely, this is my best outing this year,” the left-hander said through a translator.

“Wei-Yin was a difference-maker today, to get that deep in the game, and against obviously a good lineup,” Showalter said. “He was outstanding. He was sharp with his breaking ball, the extra days’ rest. It seems like he had a little bit more finish on his fastball. He was a difference-maker for us today and it won’t be forgotten.”

Coming off a four-homer game Tuesday, Texas slugger Josh Hamilton went 1 for 4 with a single and two strikeouts. He came in with five home runs and a double in his previous six at-bats.

The teams were rained out Wednesday night, setting up the doubleheader.

After Chen left in the eighth, Adrian Beltre hit an RBI single to make it 6-2. Pinch-hitter David Murphy added a three-run homer in the ninth off Jim Johnson, who got three outs for his ninth save.

With Chen leading the way, the Orioles snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Rangers. Texas won the first two games of the series 14-3 and 10-3 and outscored Baltimore 70-18 during its seven-game run.

After Texas went down in order in the first, Flaherty hit his first major league homer, driving a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall to give Baltimore its first lead in the series. Three pitches later, Hardy homered to left, and Markakis followed with his fifth home run on an 0-2 pitch.

It was the first time since June 1999 that Baltimore hit three homers in the first inning.

Lewis then retired Jones on a fly ball, struck out the next six batters and did not allow a runner to reach until Jones homered.

“It was one of the unfortunate things,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Lewis’ performance. “They put three runs on the board and they just happened to be homers. He kept us in the ballgame. After that first inning, you didn’t know what to expect. But he settled down and gave us a chance.”

After Hamilton flied out to left with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth, the Rangers closed to 3-1 in the fourth. Michael Young doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Yorvit Torrealba.

NOTES: The prior time Baltimore hit five homers in a game was on June 30, 2010, against Oakland. … Derek Holland was slated to pitch the second game for the Rangers, who were 6-0-5 in doubleheaders since dropping a pair to the Yankees in May 2007. … Texas SS Elvis Andrus extended his hitting streak to nine games. He has reached base by hit or walk in 27 straight games. … Baltimore put OF Endy Chavez (oblique) on the 15-day disabled list to make room for second-game starter Tommy Hunter.

In Thursday’s first game, the Orioles hit home runs in their first three at-bats of the game — getting back-to-back-to-back solo shots from Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis in the first inning — part of a five-homer game for Baltimore in its 6-5 win.

Another home run by Josh Hamilton, who hit four on Tuesday, helped Texas post a 7-3 victory in the nightcap. Despite dropping three of four to Texas here, the Orioles (20-12) still ended the night tied for first in the AL East with the Rays, who arrive in Baltimore for a three-game series this weekend.

The early barrage in the opener marked the first time in American League history that a team opened with three consecutive homers and the fourth time overall, the last time coming when the Brewers did it on Sept. 9, 2007. Ironically, Hardy hit the middle home run on that day as well. The 2003 Braves and 1987 Padres also opened games with three consecutive homers.

“Nothing surprises me when you’re dealing with this level of skill,” Orioles Manager Buck Showalter said. “These are the best players in the world, but they’re also human beings who are susceptible to things and capable of doing great things. It’s always an honor to sit there and watch them. There’s not a day that goes by that something doesn’t happen.”

Adam Jones also hit his team-high ninth homer in the seventh, followed by Wilson Betemit’s two-run shot later that inning, capping the Orioles’ first five-homer game since June 30, 2010 against Oakland.

Baltimore would need every run, as the Rangers received a three-run, pinch-hit homer from David Murphy in the ninth inning off of closer Jim Johnson, who struggled to his ninth save.

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen gave the Orioles the best start of his brief major league career, shutting down a Texas offense that scored 24 combined runs in the first two games of the series.

Chen, the 26-year-old Taiwan native signed this offseason after four seasons pitching in Japan, held the Rangers to two runs on six hits over a career-high 7²/
₃ innings, the Orioles’ best start in six games. It was his third quality start in his last four outings.

After allowing the trio of homers in the first, Texas starter Colby Lewis went on to retire 18 straight Baltimore batters — 11 of them via a strikeout — before Jones led off the seventh with a mammoth shot to left.

In the second game, the Rangers took the lead for good on a two-out RBI single by Elvis Andrus in the fifth inning, overcoming Baltimore’s three-run second inning that resulted from three Texas errors.

— Baltimore Sun