masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgAre the Orioles slumping or surging? I can’t keep it straight.

The rotation is a concern because the starters aren’t working deep enough in games, except for Chris Tillman tossing a nine-inning shutout last night in a 4-0 victory over the Royals.

The offense is ice cold, except for Chris Davis homering last night, Nelson Cruz producing two more RBIs and the Orioles actually scoring in three different innings.

This is a hard team to figure out.

Zach Britton still appears to be the closer,…Are the Orioles slumping or surging? I can’t keep it straight.

The rotation is a concern because the starters aren’t working deep enough in games, except for Chris Tillman tossing a nine-inning shutout last night in a 4-0 victory over the Royals.

The offense is ice cold, except for Chris Davis homering last night, Nelson Cruz producing two more RBIs and the Orioles actually scoring in three different innings.

This is a hard team to figure out.

Zach Britton still appears to be the closer, though he wasn’t needed last night. Tommy Hunter and Brian Matusz warmed in the eighth and Britton was getting loose in the ninth, but Tillman took care of business.

I understood why the Orioles had no interest in Heath Bell over the winter, but there’s nothing wrong with signing him to a minor league deal to provide some relief depth in Triple-A. They can cut him loose if it doesn’t work out. He can opt out if a better offer comes along.

bell-pitching-RAYS-sidebar.jpgI’m not as clear on the decision to send down Evan Meek after one day and bring up Brad Brach. Absolutely nothing against Brach. I’m just not sure why Meek wasn’t given a second chance. But again, it speaks well of the pitching depth at Norfolk.

I ran Bell’s name past executive vice president Dan Duquette yesterday afternoon and he would only say that the Orioles continued to search for ways to improve. A few hours later, news broke that they agreed to terms with Bell.

Time will tell whether Bell is an improvement.

So, what about the catching situation while Matt Wieters is on the disabled list?

“We want to give Matt a little more time and see if he’s able to come back and contribute to this season,” Duquette said. “In the meantime, (Steve) Clevenger and Caleb (Joseph) are doing a fine job. Both of them are doing fine. They know the pitchers and they work well with the staff. It looks like both of them are ready for an opportunity in the big leagues.”

That’s not to suggest that Duquette is no longer checking around for available veteran backups. He’s just satisfied with Clevenger and Joseph while Wieters remains an option for later this season.

Shameless plug alert: I’m on “Wall to Wall Baseball” from noon to 2 p.m. on MASN. Let’s talk Orioles.