Koji Uehara picked up his 11th save tonight to preserve a 2-0 victory over the Rays, striking out two more batters while retiring the side in order.
Since allowing Alex Rodriguez's three-run homer on Sept. 17, Uehara hasn't given up a hit, run or walk in five appearances covering five innings. He's struck out 11 batters, many of them with the splitter that he abandoned in that game against the Yankees.
Uehara has walked five and struck out 52 in 42 innings this season.
I'll say it again:...
Kevin Millwood made it through the first inning without allowing a run and decided to keep going.
Millwood has surrendered only one hit through five scoreless innings, walking one and striking out four. Matt Joyce reached on a two-out error on left fielder Corey Patterson, but Millwood fanned B.J. Upton.
What is it about pop ups and shallow fly balls that perplex the Orioles?
In his previous start, Millwood gave up six runs and seven hits over five innings at Fenway Park. A week later,...
"IT'S RAINING!"
"Thanks, Roch."
I know there's some curiosity over tomorrow's dreadful forecast and how it could impact the game against the Detroit Tigers that kicks off the final homestand of the season.
It's too early to provide any definitive answers, but after checking around earlier today, I've learned that the two teams would likely play a doubleheader on Friday. Tomorrow night's tilt, meaningless as far as the playoff picture is concerned, wouldn't simply disappear from...
Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon had his suspension reduced from three games to two, and he'll begin serving it tonight.
Simon appealed the original ruling from Bob Watson, MLB's vice president of rules and on-field operations, which stemmed from Sunday's incident in Toronto when Simon was ejected after hitting Jose Bautista with a pitch. Both benches had been warned after Bautista and Luke Scott were hit earlier in the game.
The Blue Jays accused Simon of intentionally throwing at Bautista,...
For the Orioles:
LF Corey Patterson
3B Ty Wigginton
DH Nick Markakis
1B Luke Scott
C Matt Wieters
CF Adam Jones
RF Felix Pie
2B Robert Andino
SS Cesar Izturis
RHP Kevin Millwood
For the Rays:
C John Jaso
2B Ben Zobrist
LF Carl Crawford
3B Dan Johnson
1B Carlos Pena
RF Matt Joyce
CF B.J. Upton
DH Brad Hawpe
SS Jason Bartlett
RHP Jeff Niemann
Kevin Millwood will make his final start tonight, and his last as an Oriole. At least, that's the assumption.
You know what happens when you assume, but there's virtually no chance that the Orioles attempt to re-sign him over the winter.
Millwood will try to avoid his 17th loss. He's been his own worst enemy, but the Orioles haven't exactly rushed to his aid.
These aren't excuses, just facts:
Millwood receives the second-lowest run support of any pitcher in the American League at...
Last night's game can be slipped into the "forgettable" file. Not much to review after this one.
David Price dominated and the Rays celebrated. Brad Bergesen wasn't sharp, Brian Roberts wasn't feeling well and Julio Lugo wasn't on the bench at the end after being ejected.
Good times.
Josh Bell made a rare start, his first since Sept. 20, and I'm sure he appreciated that manager Buck Showalter waited until Price was on the mound. What could have possibly gone wrong?
Bell went...
Brad Bergesen walked three of the first six batters that he faced tonight, and the lapse in control cost him a run.
Bergesen issued free passes to Matt Joyce and Carlos Pena leading off the second inning, and Joyce scored when B.J. Upton lined an 0-2 pitch into center field.
Fortunately for the Orioles, Adam Jones caught Reid Brignac's fly ball and cut down Pena advancing to third base.
Bergesen didn't issue a walk over nine innings in a Sept. 15 victory over Toronto, but he walked four...
Brad Bergesen has posted a 2.31 ERA in his last 10 starts covering 70 innings, and he's left nine of those games with a lead or the scored tied.
Bergesen has allowed three runs or fewer in nine of his last 10 starts and has worked at least seven innings in six of them. He's also won his last three decisions on the road, and seven of his 12 outings away from home have been quality starts, including the last five.
In his last five road starts, Bergesen is 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA over 36 1/3...
It's raining, it's Tuesday and I'm fighting the urge to crawl back into bed.
Last night's 4-0 win over the Rays improved my mood, but a little sunshine would be nice, too.
It also improved the Orioles' record on Mondays to 6-0 after an 0-8 start. Too bad we've run out of Mondays this season.
One more victory and the Orioles will avoid losing 100 games, which didn't seem possible last month.
They also might have set a record for most wins under a different manager in one...
I'm reminded again that young pitchers don't get stronger this time of the year. Some of them just don't tire as much.
Left-hander Brian Matusz is wide awake tonight.
Matusz is shutting out the Rays on three hits over seven innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts. He just made it look ridiculously easy in the bottom of the seventh.
One knock on Matusz has been his inability to keep his pitch count down. He's thrown 94 pitches so far, so the bullpen is getting a break.
The Orioles...
Buck Showalter will serve a one-game suspension tonight after being ejected from yesterday's game. Bench coach Jeff Datz will run the show. Showalter also was fined an undisclosed amount.
Alfredo Simon was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount for throwing at Toronto's Jose Bautista. However, he's appealing the suspension and is available to pitch tonight.
Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum was fined an undisclosed amount for throwing at Luke Scott.
As far as I know, I...
For the Orioles:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Ty Wigginton 3B
Luke Scott 1B
Corey Patterson DH
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Felix Pie LF
Cesar Izturis SS
Brian Matusz LHP
For the Rays:
B.J. Upton CF
Jason Bartlett SS
Carl Crawford LF
Willy Aybar DH
Ben Zobrist RF
Kelly Shoppach C
Carlos Pena 1B
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Dan Johnson 3B
Wade Davis RHP
It's Monday, it's raining and the Orioles have lost four in a row.
That'll put a bounce in your step.
The Rays are poised to clinch a playoff berth, needing one more victory or a Red Sox loss. Manager Buck Showalter has suggested that it might do his players some good to watch another team celebrate, providing a reminder of what everyone strives for in this game. Well, he'll probably get his wish at Tropicana Field, unless you've got something else in mind.
The Orioles get Wade Davis...
Pretty strange that there seemed to be more controversial hits in the Orioles-Blue Jays game than the one that took place at M&T Bank Stadium.
Reliever Alfredo Simon and manager Buck Showalter were ejected in the fifth inning today after the right-hander drilled former Oriole Jose Bautista with a pitch. Bautista had been hit earlier in the game by Orioles starter Rick VandenHurk - also on the left arm - and Toronto starter Shaun Marcum grazed Luke Scott's ribs in apparent retaliation,...
Manager Buck Showalter just met with the media in Toronto and indicated that he'll stay with the current rotation for the rest of the season, which concludes on Oct. 3 at Camden Yards.
The way it's presently constructed, Rick VandenHurk will start today, followed by Brian Matusz tomorrow, Brad Bergesen on Tuesday, Kevin Millwood on Wednesday, Chris Tillman on Thursday, Jeremy Guthrie on Friday, VandenHurk on Saturday and Matusz on Sunday.
Tillman was a candidate to be shut down, but he's...
For the Orioles:
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
1B Ty Wigginton
DH Luke Scott
LF Felix Pie
CF Adam Jones
C Matt Wieters
3B Robert Andino
SS Cesar Izturis
RHP Rick Vandenhurk
For the Blue Jays:
LF Travis Snider
2B Aaron Hill
RF Jose Bautista
CF Vernon Wells
1B Lyle Overbay
C John Buck
DH Adam Lind
3B Edwin Encarnacion
SS John McDonald
RHP Shaun Marcum
The Toronto Blue Jays have hit 241 home runs.
Much to my surprise, I just discovered that they haven't all come against the Orioles.
Lyle Overbay hit No. 4 today for Toronto leading off the bottom of the 11th inning. He fell behind, 0-1, against left-hander Mark Hendrickson and ended the game on the next pitch.
Koji Uehara cruised through the 10th inning on only 12 pitches, but manager Buck Showalter called upon Hendrickson for the lefty vs. lefty matchup.
It didn't last long.
Plenty of...
The Orioles gave the Blue Jays a taste of their own medicine in the top of the seventh inning.
Ty Wigginton lined a home run to left field with one out and nobody on base to break a 3-3 tie. He's homered twice on this road trip, increasing his season total to 22.
The Orioles wasted 16 hits last night, stranding 14 runners in the process. They've stranded eight today and twice left the bases loaded, failing to take full advantage of the generosity of Toronto's pitchers.
Jeremy Guthrie gave...
Brandon Snyder has collected his second RBI double in two games, lining a ball over the head of Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider in the top of the second inning to score Adam Jones and give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
Snyder is getting a look in back-to-back games because the Blue Jays started left-handers Brett Cecil and Ricky Romero. He needs to take advantage of any opportunity.
Manager Buck Showalter was asked before the game about the Orioles' need to add more power to their...
