Marte again leads Cleveland to victory

Marte again leads Cleveland to victory
This time Andy Marte hit his game-winning homer in the 6th inning, not in the 9th. Not long after the game resumed after a rain delay of one hour and 37 minutes, Chris Ray took the mound in the 6th replacing starter Chris Tillman. Marte came up with Cleveland trailing 2-1. With two men on, he hit a pitch from Ray over the left field wall for a 4-2 lead and Cleveland went on to a 5-3 win on Saturday night in front of 24,358 at Camden Yards.Dave Trembley talks with the media after the O's 5-3...
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Post-game Notes: Tribe tops O's

Post-game Notes:  Tribe tops O's
Another key big fly - For the second time in three nights, Andy Marte hit a homer that led directly to an Indians win. His two-run homer in the 9th Thursday led the Tribe to a 5-4 win. His three-run shot in the 6th tonight put Cleveland ahead 4-2 in a game the Indians won, 5-3. In this series, Marte is 5 for 11 with two homers and 6 RBI. He now has a ten-game hitting streak going and during the streak is 15 for 36 with three homers and 12 RBI. Matt LaPorta went 4 for 4 on the night and...
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Sunday afternoon baseball: Cleveland at Orioles

Sunday afternoon baseball:  Cleveland at Orioles
Game Preview Cleveland (58-71) at Orioles (53-77) After dropping two of three vs. Cleveland, the Orioles will need a win this afternoon at 1:35 p.m. to split this four-game series with the Indians. Andy Marte hit a three-run homer in the 6th inning Saturday night to put Cleveland ahead 4-2 and the Tribe went on to a 5-3 win. Marte's two-run homer in the 9th Thursday lifted Cleveland to a 5-4 win. The Orioles are 1-2 this year vs. Cleveland and 39-43 all-time vs. the Tribe at Camden...
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Today's pitchers: Matusz vs. Masterson

Today's pitchers:  Matusz vs. Masterson
LHP Brian Matusz (2-2, 6.46) today will make his 6th start of the Major League season, his 2nd at home and the 1st of his career vs. Cleveland. Matusz, whose longest outing so far is 5 2/3 innings, has posted wins over Detroit and Tampa. In his only previous home start, he allowed 11 hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings August 15th vs. Los Angeles. The Orioles are 2-3 when he starts. Right-handed batters are batting .402 with four homers off Matusz while lefties are hitting just .176. ...
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Matusz pitches O's past Cleveland, 5-2

Matusz pitches O's past Cleveland, 5-2
In his best outing yet as a Major Leaguer, Brian Matusz shut down the Cleveland Indians over seven innings today as the Orioles beat the Tribe 5-2 at Camden Yards to split the four-game series. Matusz, who retired the first 11 batters he faced today, had a no-hitter through four innings and a shutout through five. He allowed just four hits and one run over seven frames, throwing 96 pitches. Matusz improves to 3-2, 5.28. This was his longest outing in the Majors and his eight strikeouts is a...
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Post-game Notes: Matusz pitches O's past Tribe

Post-game Notes:  Matusz pitches O's past Tribe
Matusz was the Man - In just his 6th Major League start, Brian Matusz pitched a gem to win his third game. He limited the Indians to four hits and one run over seven innings. He is now 3-2, 5.28. He set season highs for innings, strikeouts with eight and fewest hits allowed with four. Matusz threw 96 pitches, 67 strikes. In his last inning, the top of the seventh, he got three outs on just five pitches. Matusz threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of 26 batters. Over his last four starts,...
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A very uplifting day for the Orioles

A very uplifting day for the Orioles
Call it a look at the Orioles future, Brian Matusz's coming out party or just a very well pitched game by a rookie left hander. I think what Matusz did yesterday is lift an entire organization - of course those shoulders aren't really broad enough to do that yet. But he did it in a symbolic way. The Orioles are trying to produce pitchers like Matusz. Find real talent in the draft, polish it up in the minors and turn them loose on the American League. Brad Bergesen got it all started this...
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O's not worried about Britton

O's not worried about Britton
Frederick Keys lefty Zach Britton, one of the O's top pitching prospects, left his start after just two scoreless innings on Sunday, but the Orioles aren't too worried at this point. "He said he just didn't feel right," O's pitching co-ordinater Dave Schmidt, who was at the game in Frederick, said today. "He said there wasn't any pain or tightness, he just didn't quite feel right, so the staff did the right thing and took him out as precaution." Britton is 9-6, 2.70 this year in 24...
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Roberts on trying to avoid another September swoon

Roberts on trying to avoid another September swoon
As the calendar turns to September on Tuesday, the Orioles will have 30 games remaining in their season. Of the 30, they will play Boston and New York five times each, Texas three times and Tampa eight times. Can the O's avoid another September swoon, like last season's club that went 5-20 in the month? With the young starting pitching now here, and the Oroles winners of six of the last 11, is the club better positioned to win this September? "I mean I hope so," Brian Roberts said. ...
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Tonight's pitchers: Guthrie vs. Pettitte

Tonight's pitchers:  Guthrie vs. Pettitte
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (9-12, 5.26) tonight is set to make his 27th start of this season, his 14th at home and the 10th of his career vs. the Yankees. Guthrie is trying to do something tonight he has not done all year - win three starts in a row. Over his last two starts, vs. Chicago and Minnesota, Guthrie is 2-0, 1.29. He has won back-to-back starts three times this year. Guthrie did not issue a walk in his last start for the fourth time on the year and he allowed 2ER or less for the sixth...
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Oriole killer

Oriole killer
Robinson Cano leads all Yankees players this year with 13 RBI vs. the Orioles. Who is second? Not A-Rod, he has 8. Not Teixeira, he has eight also. How about Damon? No he has nine. It's Nick Swisher, who has been ripping O's pitching this year and hit a solo homer in the third tonight to give New York a 1-0 lead. With that blast, Swisher is now 11 for 28 (.393) with four homers and 12 RBI on the season vs. O's pitching. He has 22 homers on the year and hit that one 386 feet to right...
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It's never happened (and it will not tonight)

It's never happened (and it will not tonight)
No Oriole has ever pitched a perfect game, nor has a perfect game ever been pitched vs. the Orioles. Andy Pettitte lost a perfect game bid tonight with two outs in the last of the 7th when third baseman Jerry Hairston booted Adam Jones' grounder for an error. On his 81st pitch of the night, Nick Markakis singled to left for the O's first hit. Pettitte got out of that two on jam by getting Nolan Reimold to ground to short on a 3-2 pitch. He has a shutout and 2-0 lead after seven...
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Pettitte pitches NY to series opening win vs. Birds

Pettitte pitches NY to series opening win vs. Birds
It didn't turn out to be a magical night for Andy Pettitte, but still a pretty good one as he pitched the Yankees past the Orioles 5-1 at Camden Yards. Pettitte took a perfect game bid into the 7th and retired the first two batters of the inning. His run of retiring 20 straight ended there when third baseman Jerry Hairson booted Adam Jones' grounder for an error. Nick Markakis followed with a single to left to break up the no-hit bid. Melvin Mora led off the 8th with a homer to deny...
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Post-game notes and quotes: Yankees top O's

Post-game notes and quotes:  Yankees top O's
Winning pitcher Andy Pettitte improved to 12-6, 4.03. He is 2-0, 1.17 in two starts this year vs. the Orioles and improved his career numbers vs. Baltimore to 26-6, 3.56 in 39 career games, 37 starts. The win was his 190th all-time, moving him into third on the all-time Yankee wins list. He pitched a season-high eight innings tonight. Pettitte is tied with Catfish Hunter for second most wins all-time vs. the Orioles with 26, trailing leader Whitey Ford, who had 30. Not tonight - The O's...
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Next for Hobgood: Delmarva

Next for Hobgood:  Delmarva
Right-hander Matt Hobgood reported to the O's minor league camp several weeks early this year and his goal was to make the Delmarva starting rotation this season. Mission accomplished. The 19-year-old that the O's selected with the fifth pick in round one of the draft last June, will head north this weekend with the rest of the Shorebirds. "I'm really excited about my first year of long season ball," Hobgood said. "We should have a really young team and I'd like to think a lot of us...
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Tillman feeling strong as season winds down

Tillman feeling strong as season winds down
The Orioles have discussed possibly limiting the innings of their rookie pitchers in September or maybe even shutting them down at some point during the month. O's 21-year-old right hander Chris Tillman could understand if that happens, but he says right now, it's not really necessary for him. After throwing about 135 innings each of the last two seasons, Tillman is at 131 now between Norfolk and Baltimore. "I feel great, other than that last start, it was weird, I felt drained. But...
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Tuesday baseball: Yankees at Orioles

Tuesday baseball:  Yankees at Orioles
Game Preview Yankees (83-48) at Orioles (54-78) Despite a tough schedule coming up, the Orioles hope that September will be a better month for them than August was. The O's finished the month playing and pitching a little better and won six of the final 12 games in the month. But overall, the Orioles lost 20 of 30 games in August. Tonight they begin September by hosting the Yankees in game two of a three-game series. David Hernandez (4-6, 4.24) will pitch vs. the Yankees A.J. Burnett...
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Minor League transactions (and updates)

Minor League transactions (and updates)
There were a flurry of roster moves made today around the O's farm system. OF Dave Krynzel from Bowie to Norfolk OF Ambiorix Concepcion from Bowie to Norfolk IF Miguel Abreu to Bowie inactive list IF Paco Figueroa to Bowie inactive list OF Danny Figueroa to Bowie inactive list RHP Zach Clark from Frederick to Norfolk OF Matt Angle from Frederick to Bowie IF Pedro Florimon from Frederick to Bowie RHP Brian Parker from Frederick to Bowie IF Brandon Waring from Frederick to Bowie LHP Brett...
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MacPhail on Matusz, Tillman and Bergesen

MacPhail on Matusz, Tillman and Bergesen
O's manager Dave Trembley today said he expected Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman to each make "three starts maximum" before being shut down for the remainder of this season. O's president Andy MacPhail also spoke about limiting appearances and innings for the rookie pitchers. "With Brian you have to remember this is his first year of pro experience. He doesn't have the innings built up that even Chris Tillman or Berken or Hernandez have that have been pitching professionally. You...
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Tonight's pitchers: Hernandez vs. Burnett

Tonight's pitchers:  Hernandez vs. Burnett
RHP David Hernandez (4-6, 4.24) tonight makes his 14th start of the season, his 7th at home and his 2nd of the year vs. New York. Hernandez did not get a decision in his last start vs. Cleveland when he gave up two runs over six innings. Hernandez, 2009 season: In July: 2-0, 2.45 in four starts In August: 1-4, 5.83 in six starts Right-handed batters hit .283 off Hernandez while lefties bat .271 and he gives up an average of just .156 when pitching with runners in scoring position. The...
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