The Orioles are losing again today, 1-0, on a Carlos Santana home run leading off the second inning.
They're in another early hole, though not as deep as we've seen in other games on this awful road trip.
Here's the good news: Brad Bergesen is mostly forcing the Indians to hit the ball on the ground.
Of the six outs he's recorded, five have come on ground balls. He also struck out Matt LaPorta to end the second.
When Bergesen makes hitters pound the ball into the ground, he usually wins...
Manager Buck Showalter told reporters in Cleveland that Brian Matusz is making progress in his throwing program in Sarasota, Fla., but there are no immediate plans to bring the left-hander to Baltimore.
There was early talk of Matusz throwing a bullpen session this week for pitching coach Mark Connor and bullpen coach Rick Adair, but he hasn't advanced enough to schedule one.
Showalter wouldn't commit to a date or speculate whether Matusz might remain at the minor league complex throughout...
Can Brad Bergesen be the stopper today? Someone has to apply the brakes on this six-game losing streak.
Here's the Orioles' lineup for the final game of their miserable road trip, which doesn't include Adam Jones:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Derrek Lee 1B
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Luke Scott LF
Mark Reynolds 3B
Felix Pie CF
Matt Wieters C
Cesar Izturis SS
Brad Bergesen RHP
The Indians activated Grady Sizemore from the disabled list. He'll bat leadoff and play center field...
Just once, I'd like for Tim Belcher to have a mound conference with Nick Bierbrodt. I think it would be a gas.
OK, sorry.
Jake Fox started a seventh-inning rally with a triple into left-center field. Taking third base was a huge gamble on Fox's part, considering that the Orioles were down by four runs.
If he's out, he may as well keep walking into the clubhouse. And make sure not to pass manager Buck Showalter in the dugout.
Fox made it safely on a close play and scored on Brian...
Luke Scott had no homers and one RBI before today. Now he has one homer and two RBIs.
Could this be the start of a hot streak? Indians starter Josh Tomlin might have fanned the flames, instead of the slugger, in the fifth inning.
Scott has a hit in four straight games and six of his last seven.
Scott is a former Indians farmhand, in case you forgot. The Astros acquired him in a 2004 trade.
Did you know that Scott spent his first professional season on the disabled list after undergoing...
Jake Fox provided the first run today and some comic relief.
Fox homered in the third inning to reduce the Indians' lead to 2-1 over the Orioles.
Fox stumbled as he rounded first base and had to go back to make sure he touched the bag and avoid an embarrassing appeal and out. Players were laughing in the dugout as he came down the steps.
You'll recall that Fox had 10 home runs in spring training, 11 if you count the interleague game. He was 0-for-7 before today's game.
Fox is making his...
The sun came out in Cleveland and then it disappeared again. Another bad storm moved through the area, but they're projecting a 3:05 p.m. start at Progressive Field.
How are the bats supposed to heat up in these conditions?
The Orioles rank 24th in the majors with a .226 average. They've scored 46 runs, more than only four teams.
Manager Buck Showalter told reporters earlier today that he doesn't have any immediate plans to juggle the lineup. He believes in track records and figures that...
Jeremy Guthrie will take the mound today as the Orioles attempt to halt a five-game losing streak.
Guthrie has got to play stopper today, and he seems the most qualified on the staff. He's allowed one run and seven hits in 14 innings, and he should have better stamina today.
Here's the Orioles' lineup, which includes Jake Fox behind the plate:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Derrek Lee 1B
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Luke Scott LF
Adam Jones CF
Mark Reynolds 3B
Jake Fox C
Robert Andino...
So much for sleeping in on a Saturday morning.
My daughter has her first SAT prep class today, which begins at 9 a.m. and lasts 4 1/2 hours. And honestly, what else would a teenage girl want to do on a Saturday morning? You can imagine her excitement. Bet she could barely sleep last night.
Manager Buck Showalter told reporters a few days ago that there was a 90 percent chance of rain today. The Orioles could be facing a doubleheader tomorrow because they don't come back to...
Oh sure, now Koji Uehara pitches.
Uehara took care of the eighth inning tonight, long after the Indians took care of the Orioles.
We're talking five straight losses and a .500 record. And it doesn't sting any less to me when it's a blowout.
There isn't as much to second-guess, but it's still painful.
Zach Britton is human. Pass the word. He allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings.
There were bound to be nights like this one. It just would have been more convenient if it...
The Orioles will send out the following lineup tonight in Cleveland as they try to end a four-game skid at a ballpark where they've posted a 20-47 record:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Derrek Lee 1B
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Luke Scott LF
Adam Jones CF
Mark Reynolds 3B
Matt Wieters C
Cesar Izturis SS
Zach Britton LHP
For the Indians:
Michael Brantley CF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Shin-Soo Choo RF
Shelley Duncan LF
Travis Hafner DH
Orlando Cabrera 2B
Matt LaPorta 1B
Lou Marson C
Adam Everett...
As long as we're second-guessing and debating and looking back with one hand covering our eyes, I'll chime in regarding Felix Pie's "slide" into home plate in the eighth inning.
Here's a little reminder.
Joba Chamberlain bounced a pitch with Pie on third base and the Orioles clinging to a one-run lead. The ball went to the backstop and took a big bounce toward catcher Russell Martin, whose throw to the plate arrived ahead of Pie. Chamberlain applied the tag, and you know the rest.
At...
So is the honeymoon period over for manager Buck Showalter?
I've never seen him second-guessed to this extent since he was named manager Aug. 2. It was bound to happen. Earl Weaver would have been questioned and criticized during the blog and Twitter era. That's all part of the game.
I don't think anyone is jumping off the Showalter bandwagon, but he made two decisions last night that clearly irked readers of this blog. (And I'm trying to remember the last time I used the word...
Some losses are tougher to swallow than others.
This one should stick in the Orioles' throats.
They led, 5-0, and their starter hadn't allowed a hit through four innings. They hit for power, they advanced runners, they had quality pitching and at-bats, which should have been a recipe for success.
The back end of the bullpen is supposed to be a strength, but Jason Berken gave up a run in the seventh, Jim Johnson put two runners on base in the eighth before escaping the jam, and Kevin Gregg...
So much for my foot-on-their-throats suggestion.
The Yankees scored once in the fifth, twice in the sixth and once in the seventh to reduce the Orioles' lead to 5-4. You had to know what was coming next.
Kevin Gregg entered in the bottom of the ninth and lost the lead on one pitch. Jorge Posada, an all-or-nothing guy in the first two weeks of the season, homered to tied the game, 5-5.
Kevin Gregg talks about blowing his first safe of the season in a loss to the Yankees
A lost lead in...
I fired up my laptop after the top of the fifth inning - just in time for Jake Arrieta to give up a run on his first two hits.
I blame myself. Again.
Alex Rodriguez broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff double. Tears were shed, but I quickly pulled myself together.
The Orioles need a quality start from Arrieta after Chris Tillman lasted only 1 2/3 innings last night. Manager Buck Showalter has talked about the risks involved with having young starters go back-to-back. When I mentioned it...
Here's the Orioles lineup for tonight's series-finale against the Yankees:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Derrek Lee 1B
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Luke Scott LF
Adam Jones CF
Mark Reynolds 3B
Matt Wieters C
Cesar Izturis SS
Jake Arrieta RHP
Also, in case you missed it, the Orioles promoted Steve Johnson, son of former Orioles' pitcher Dave Johnson, to Triple-A Norfolk. And Double-A Bowie first baseman Joe Mahoney has been placed on the seven-day disabled list with an injured quadriceps...
Before you completely erase last night's game from your memory, you might want to pause and reflect on Brad Bergesen's effort.
The night wasn't all bad.
Bergesen gave the Orioles two scoreless and hitless innings, striking out two and lowering his ERA to 3.18 in two appearances.
I guess that wasn't two much to ask (see what I did there?)
Bergesen was officially recalled from Triple-A Norfolk earlier in the day, though he never wore a Tides uniform. I'm not sure he even washed one in...
I have only one question regarding the Barry Bonds verdict: Is this another intentional walk?
An Orioles-related question: Does it feel like they've lost three in a row? I have to remind myself because the first loss came in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader. Monday's open date and Tuesday's postponement have broken up the streak, but it does exist.
I walked away from my television numerous times last night, and not just because I was doing laundry, washing dishes, straightening up and...
This just in: Vladimir Guerrero swung at the first pitch with a runner on third base and two outs in the first inning.
He also swung at the third and fourth, striking out to strand Brian Roberts.
The Orioles came close to taking a 1-0 lead, but Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira made a leaping catch to rob Derrek Lee.
Lee hit another ball to the right side. It's been a fairly common occurrence over the first 10 games.
Say what you want about Matt Wieters' offense - and I'm also...