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TB@OAK: Price strikes out 11 A's over seven innings

A pillar of consistency all season, Rays left-hander David Price has been nearly unhittable for much of the past two months.

Posting a 6-0 record and 2.07 ERA since his last loss -- on June 13 against the Mets -- Price is tied for the Major League lead in wins with 14. On Sunday against the Orioles at Tropicana Field, he'll try to become the first to 15 victories.

"I get out there and just try to throw strikes," Price said. "I'm trying to force as early of contact as I can. I don't get a lot of first-pitch outs, but I try to attack that zone, get as many hitters as I can 0-1, 0-2, 1-2 and put the pressure on them."

Price lasted seven innings his last time out, in Oakland, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits in a no-decision. In command of his pitches, the left-hander walked two and struck out 11.

"I feel good," Price said. "My game in Oakland, I feel like I threw the ball pretty well there. I just had one inning that kind of cost me. I still feel like I made pretty good pitches to those guys, but that's what hitters do."

Looking to build on his gutsy outing against the Yankees in New York, Miguel Gonzalez will be on the hill for Baltimore, which is tied with Tampa Bay for second place in the American League East, 6 1/2 games behind the Bronx Bombers.

The right-hander, in the most pressure-packed start of his young career, allowed four runs on six hits but secured his third win of the season. Gonzalez also struck out a season-high eight batters.

"I thought he was outstanding," manager Buck Showalter said of Gonzalez, who improved to 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA in three road starts. "We talked a little bit [on Sunday] about attacking them and just being aggressive. If you fiddle around with the strike zone, you're going to have some problems, but he showed [catcher Matt Wieters] that he had command of some other pitches that he could slow them down a little bit, and they couldn't sit on one pitch."

Orioles: Chavez designated; McLouth added to roster
Hoping to bolster their outfield, the Orioles selected Nate McLouth's contract from Triple-A Norfolk, with the 30-year-old starting in left field for Saturday's 4-0 win over the Rays. He went 2-for-4 with a double in his O's debut.

"Nate's been doing well down there [at Triple-A Norfolk]," Showalter said of the move, which also involved designating veteran Endy Chavez for assignment. "Endy will end up on his feet shortly. I know [executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette] is going to explore some things with him, and we'll go from there.

McLouth hit .244 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 47 games at Norfolk and was informed of the promotion on Friday afternoon, which allowed him to join the O's in St. Petersburg later that evening.

Chavez batted just .190 with a .222 on-base percentage in 47 games this season with Baltimore, his fourth club since 2008.

Rays: Zobrist meets fans to promote wife's CD
While Ben Zobrist signed baseballs, his wife, Juliana, signed CDs on Saturday at the Rays Team Store at Tropicana Field.

"We signed a lot of autographs and sold a lot of CDs," Ben said. "It was a great event and great to just connect with some people, too."

The Rays veteran said that for 2 1/2 hours, there was a steady line of fans who wished to meet the two and have their memorabilia signed. The album's hit single "Behind Me" plays before each of Ben's at-bats and is starting to gain airtime on the radio.

Worth noting
• The Rays have sold out of tickets for their first "Bark in the Park" event, to take place during Sunday's 1:40 p.m. ET game. Fans can bring their dog to a special seating area, and the game will also feature a DJ Kitty bobblehead giveaway and a postgame concert by The Wiggles.

• O's right-hander Jason Hammel is about a week and a half from throwing off a mound, according to Showalter. Hammel has been throwing off flat ground at home in Rhode Island. Hammel, who is recovering from right knee surgery and hopes to be back in early September, is slightly ahead of schedule and will be at the O's Spring Training complex in Sarasota, Fla., once he's ready to throw off a mound.

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