01-16-2020, 05:48 AM
BALTIMORE -- For much of the first half of the season, the Baltimore Orioles were selective and cautious with their use of rookie Kevin Gausman. Now that things are getting serious, Gausman has become a fixture in a starting rotation that has thrust the Orioles into first place in the AL East. Gausman pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Adam Jones homered and the Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Wednesday night for their seventh win in nine games. From April through mid-July, Gausman bounced between Baltimore and the minor leagues to keep his innings-count down. Those restrictions are no longer in place, and the 2012 first-round draft pick looks rather comfortable being part of a pennant push. Gausman (5-3) retired the first 14 batters he faced and ended up allowing three runs and three walks in his first career start against the Angels. "I was just establishing my fastball in and out," he said. "I think they had a little bit of trouble with that, especially (when) I was getting some pitches down in the zone that I loved, which was great for me. I just felt in rhythm and in control and I was able to slow it down when I needed to and speed it up when I wanted to." Angels leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun said of Gausman: "He threw his pitches well. He obviously has electric stuff. Hes got some good off-speed pitches to complement the good fastball. He threw the ball well, he kept the ball down and they made some great plays behind him too." Darren ODay struck out two in a perfect eighth and Zach Britton gave up a single in the ninth before earning his 21st save. The victory lifted the AL East-leading Orioles to 14 games over .500 (60-46) for the first time July 22, 2013. "Weve been able to stay where we are because of the pitching," manager Buck Showalter said. Garrett Richards (11-4) gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. It was his second straight defeat following a seven-game winning streak. Jones put the Orioles up 2-0 with a two-run homer, his second in two nights. It was his 21st of the season and 11th in the first inning. In the Baltimore fourth, David Lough picked up his first RBI since June 7 with a double and scored on a single by Ryan Flaherty. Gausman got some early help from his defence. Right fielder Nick Markakis made a sprawling catch in the third and third baseman Manny Machado snared a grounder down the line and staggered deep into foul territory before throwing out Albert Pujols in the fourth. The Angels first hit was a two-run single by Chris Iannetta in the fifth inning after Gausman walked the bases loaded. Calhoun followed with an RBI double. TRAINERS ROOM Angels: Left-hander C.J. Wilson (right ankle sprain) threw in the Camden Yards bullpen and remains on course for a possible return from the 15-day DL this weekend. Orioles: First baseman Chris Davis missed a second straight game with a stomach virus. ... Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (right ankle sprain) will likely make his final rehabilitative start Sunday or Monday for Triple-A Norfolk. After his rehab start for Class A Aberdeen on Tuesday, he paid for a postgame spread of steak and lobster. ON DECK Angels: Left-hander Tyler Skaggs (5-5, 4.49 ERA) will make his first career start against the Orioles on Thursday night. Skaggs has not walked more than one batter in each of five starts since coming off the disabled list with a right hamstring strain. Orioles: Bud Norris seeks to continue his mastery of the Angels. In three career starts against LA, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA. NOT SO FAST C.J. Cron thought he had just taken ball four leading off the third inning. He flipped the bat toward the Los Angeles dugout and began jogging in the direction of first base. But it was only ball three. So, after umpire Kerwin Danley waved him back to the plate, Cron grounded out on a 3-2 pitch. Thurman Munson Jersey . Both sides of the deal have formally announced acquisitions: TFC introduced Jozy Altidore as a designated player on Friday, while their counterparts announced a three-and-a-half-year deal with Jermain Defoe. Scott Brosius Jersey . FIFA said the suspension was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, making Beckenbauer the first person to be punished as a result of the case. Beckenbauer refused "repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German," FIFA said in a statement. http://www.customyankeesjersey.com/custo...-454i.html . Nick Young scored 17 points for Los Angeles, which lost five of its last seven before trouncing the Pelicans, who beat them handily last week in New Orleans. Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry scored 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who led by 20 points in the first half before coasting to their 12th win in their last 13 regular-season meetings with New Orleans. Cheap Custom Yankees Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Mike Ford Jersey . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor.NEW YORK -- Jose Bautista decided it was time to take charge, not with his bat but with his feet. The Toronto slugger stole second base without a throw with two outs in the ninth inning and scored when Dioner Navarro hit a go-ahead single, lifting the Blue Jays over the New York Yankees 5-4 Sunday for their first series win in the Bronx in nearly two years. "I just took a chance and said Im going to try and take a hop step when he comes set, and if he doesnt fake, Im going to run," said Bautista, who chose to run on his own against David Robertson. "He went to the plate, and I had the easiest stolen base. I got in scoring position early in the at-bat for Dioner." Robertson (1-3) blamed himself for letting Bautista run just ahead of Navarros liner to centre field. "I just let him slip. I didnt think hed be going, Robertson said. "I just didnt have my sharp stuff." After snapping a 17-game skid at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Toronto did not relent in the humidity even when it wasted three leads. The Blue Jays won for the seventh time in 10 games following the All-Star break -- the same record as the Yankees. But their first series win in New York against the AL East rival since Aug. 27-29, 2012, sent Toronto to Boston with a one-game lead over the Yankees for the second AL wild card. "Within our team, its more of a statement that we wont accept losing to anybody, because we are known as a team that doesnt give up and always battles and tries to come back from any game that were in," Bautista said. Aaron Sanchez (1-0) gave up Carlos Beltrans tying RBI hit in the eighth. Munenori Kawasaki had put Toronto ahead with a sacrifice fly that followed Dellin Betances two-base error on a pickoff attempt. "My cleat got stuck," Betances said. "As soon as that happened I had a feeling I was going to throw it away." Juan Francisco homered off Shane Greene leading off the fifth to put Toronto up 2-0. But Chase Headley hit his first homer with the Yankees, a drive off J.A. Happ, and two pitches laater Francisco Cervelli hit his first homer in 15 months to tie it in the sixth.dddddddddddd Casey Janssen pitched the ninth for his 16th save. Derek Jeter made two nice stops at shortstop and Brendan Ryan, a shortstop playing second base, also flashed some impressive leather while playing in Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The injured star was on the East Coast for a second opinion on his hip flexor from a doctor in Philadelphia. Bautista had a run-scoring grounder to first base after Jose Reyes led off the game with a single and Melky Cabrera doubled. Francisco led off the fifth with a drive into the second deck in right field for a 2-0 lead. But Happ gave it all back in a three-pitch span in the bottom half. First, Headley hit a drive deep to left. With a 1-0 count, Cervelli sent a shot to right-centre that glanced off a leaping Cabreras glove and hit the top of the right-field wall. Cervelli hadnt homered since April 25, 2013, a span of 65 at-bats. Rausmus put Toronto back up with a double to left-centre in the sixth, chasing Greene after 5 1-3 innings. "I got to have a short memory, but that one hurt," Greene said of the pitch to Rasmus. Greene allowed eight hits and three runs in his second straight difficult outing after beginning his career as a starter with two outstanding outings. Brian McCann evened it when he beat out a hit to Kawasaki, the second baseman who was playing in right field as part of a shift. NOTES: The Yankees have given up 43 unearned runs this year. They allowed 38 all last season. ... The Blue Jays designated RHP Esmil Rogers for assignment for second time this year. He did not make an appearance since his recall Tuesday from Triple-A Buffalo. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (back strain) hit off a tee and soft toss, and fielder grounders. Manager Joe Girardi said Teixeira is still day to day. ... Up next: The Blue Jays are at the Boston Red Sox. R.A. Dickey (8-10) will start Monday. The Yankees head to Texas for three games. David Phelps (5-4) pitches for New York. ' ' '