Gonzalez maintains ties to Adenhart

NEW YORK -- Miguel Gonzalez will start for the Orioles on Wednesday in the series finale against the Yankees. The date marks the five-year anniversary of friend and former teammate Nick Adenhart's passing.

Gonzalez and Adenhart played together in the Angels' Minor League system. After Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver, Gonzalez used his glove during his first career Major League start in 2012. He used to carry it with him until it got too worn out; he plans to get the glove framed. 

Gonzalez has pitched well against the Orioles' divisional rivals, particularly at Yankee Stadium, though he gave up seven runs in four innings in his last outing there on Aug. 30, 2013. Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA in five career starts in the Bronx. Overall, he is 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA in seven games against New York.

"I like pitching here. They have a lot of lefties," Gonzalez said on Tuesday. "And my [split-fingered fastball] works off of that. I think the confidence, also -- you have that confidence when you know you pitch well against a team you face a lot. That helps."

Gonzalez is coming off a disappointing 2014 debut in which he allowed seven earned runs over 3 1/3 innings amid freezing rain in Detroit. The key to making sure that doesn't happen again?

"Fastball command," he said. "I think that's more important right now, and the offspeed [pitches] will work with that, and I'll be fine."