Adam Jones, 2010 Topps Chrome #10

It has been a pretty good Sunday in Birdland, as a strong Kevin Gausman start and a clutch relief outing from Brad Brach (three scoreless innings, four strikeouts) were enough to negate the horrors of a five-run, four-pitcher disaster inning by the other members of the O's middle relief corps. David Lough's leadoff triple in the twelfth inning forced the Red Sox to draw in their infield, and J. J. Hardy chopped a grounder through the left side to finally bring home the winning run. The Orioles took two of three in Boston, padding their American League East lead to a full two games over Toronto and shunting the Sawx into a tie with Tampa Bay for last place. Very sweet.

Also sweet was the news that the Birds were the only AL team to have multiple starters chosen for the All-Star Team. Baltimore's Vote Orange campaign resulted in not one, not two, but three members of the home team getting their tickets punched to Minnesota. Of course, Matt Wieters can't play due to his elbow surgery, but it's nice to know that he'll be introduced during pregame festivities at Target Field. Nelson Cruz and his league-leading 27 homers lapped the field at designated hitter, which probably caused David Ortiz to take out his frustrations on another dugout phone. Adam Jones also made a late push in the balloting to capture the third outfield slot in the junior circuit, marking his second straight All-Star appearance via fan vote and his fourth Midsummer Classic selection overall. It's always nice to see some black and orange at the All-Star Game.