masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe worst part about this game is it started.

Brian Matusz gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. I omitted the hit batter when passing along his line in my last entry. It wasn’t pretty.

Felix Pie took another poor route on a fly ball to left, allowing it to bounce on the warning track and over the fence for a ground-rule double. He looked tentative chasing it. He certainly has the speed to run it down.

Nick Markakis and Scott Moore couldn’t catch up to Vernon Wells’ fly ball down the right…The worst part about this game is it started.

Brian Matusz gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. I omitted the hit batter when passing along his line in my last entry. It wasn’t pretty.

Felix Pie took another poor route on a fly ball to left, allowing it to bounce on the warning track and over the fence for a ground-rule double. He looked tentative chasing it. He certainly has the speed to run it down.

Nick Markakis and Scott Moore couldn’t catch up to Vernon Wells’ fly ball down the right field line, then stood frozen while waiting for the other one to pick it up. Moore finally reached down for it as Yunel Escobar hustled to third.

Moore fired the ball to third, risking Wells taking the extra base (which he didn’t). It also appeared that he stepped on Markakis’ foot.

Escobar raced home when Ty Wigginton fielded Adam Lind’s grounder and double-clutched before throwing to second. He appeared to have a play at the plate. His hesitation produced only one out, at the wrong base.

Jake Fox has struck out twice on sliders, which is pretty much all that he’s seeing from Toronto starter Shaun Marcum. He’s swinging through all of them.

The Orioles are 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position through four innings.

Cesar Izturis has two more hits, so we’ll probably engage in another debate over letting him bat in the late innings.

Then again, the Orioles will need to rally or it won’t even matter.

Updated: The Orioles are 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They’ve left nine men on base through the eighth.

They collected nine hits against Marcum in five innings, but scored only once.

Fox is 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Matusz and Jeremy Guthrie are tied for the American League lead with 10 losses.

Markakis’ 31 doubles lead the majors. Finally, some good news.

Today’s attendance: 14,032.