eric sogard

Steve Clevenger, who was the designated hitter for the second consecutive game, hadn¿t homered since he was with the Chicago Cubs in 2012. That was shortly before he was sent to the Orioles, along with Scott Feldman, in the deal the shipped Jake Arrieta to Chicago.

The recent numbers aren¿t encouraging, but the Orioles believe right-hander Miguel Gonzalez¿s uneven performances recently are not a concern despite another abbreviated outing in Tuesday¿s 5-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics.

Given the rallies and momentum swings in the Orioles' series opener against the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, it became a game the Orioles needed to win to not only gain ground in the playoff chase but also boost a team¿s psyche.

When things spiral out of control for Hunter, it is often because of his tendency to give up home runs. That was the case again Saturday night when the Athletics used a pair of two-run blasts to beat the Orioles, 6-1.

Kevin Cowherd: Let's not spoil Orioles' fun by looking ahead to tough stretch

The Orioles rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth against A¿s closer Grant Balfour, keyed by catcher Matt Wieters¿ two-run double off the left-field wall and capped by Wilson Betemit¿s first career walk-off homer, to give them a 5-2 win.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter half-joked recently about how the Orioles never seem to get much publicity on ESPN's Web Gems.

In Friday's 5-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics, Orioles starter Jake Arrieta stumbled early and couldn't pitch deep, the second consecutive time he has failed to get through the sixth. But it was plate umpire Jeff Kellogg's tackle of a fan that was the biggest hit of the night.