masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgMIAMI – The Orioles were discussing late last night whether to rush a pitcher from Triple-A Norfolk to Marlins Park for today’s series finale. They’re fortunate that Oliver Drake ate up three innings in his major league debut, but he doesn’t figure to be available for the next few days. And who knows what’s happening to Brian Matusz, who was ejected for having a sticky substance on his right arm and could be facing a suspension?
Marlins manager Dan Jennings probably should avoid swinging by…

MIAMI – The Orioles were discussing late last night whether to rush a pitcher from Triple-A Norfolk to Marlins Park for today’s series finale. They’re fortunate that Oliver Drake ate up three innings in his major league debut, but he doesn’t figure to be available for the next few days. And who knows what’s happening to Brian Matusz, who was ejected for having a sticky substance on his right arm and could be facing a suspension?

Marlins manager Dan Jennings probably should avoid swinging by the visiting clubhouse today on his way to the field, unless he’s willing to undergo a full cavity search.

Matusz-Ejected-Leaves-Field-.jpgMatusz’s ejection brings up the issue of pitchers throughout baseball using some type of substance to get a better grip on the ball, something most hitters want them to do. Beats taking a fastball to the head.

Also, manager Buck Showalter could talk all day about the slippery baseballs in the majors and how the ones in Japan come with a tacky substance that works a heck of a lot better than the mud used in the United States.

You could argue that Jennings’ tactics worked. T.J. McFarland was rushed into the game and the Marlins broke an eight-game losing streak. But Jennings doesn’t come out of this one looking good, at least not from the opposing dugout.

What’s unfortunate to me is how so much attention was taken away from rookies Mike Wright and Drake, who combined for 10 scoreless innings. They should have been the primary subjects last night, but they almost got lost in the controversy surrounding Matusz, who probably was smart to politely decline comment afterward. There’s no point in saying something that he might regret later.

He chose his words more carefully than his skin care product.

Meanwhile, I’m coming to the ballpark today lathered in rosin, sunscreen, bug spray and tobacco juice. If anyone wants to eject me, I’ll get an early start on my drive to the Fort Lauderdale airport.

Miguel Gonzalez set a goal over the winter that he wanted to pitch 200 innings this season. Chris Tillman has done it in back-to-back years. Gonzalez hasn’t exceeded 171 1/3.

It was time to join an exclusive club. Time to destroy the notion that he’s too soft to push through the later innings of a game.

Gonzalez, who resumed his workouts in the offseason with vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson, is making his ninth start today as the Orioles close out their interleague series. He’s 5-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 50 innings and has completed the seventh in four of his outings. He’s twice logged 7 2/3 innings.

Last season, Gonzalez made it through the seventh in six of his 26 starts.

gonzalez-miguel-pitch-grey-sidebar.jpgGonzalez has never faced the Marlins and Tom Koehler has never faced the Orioles.

Ichiro Suzuki is 6-for-22 (.273) with three doubles and two home runs against Gonzalez. Martin Prado is 0-for-6 and Adeiny Hechavarria is 1-for-3. That’s it for the Marlins.

The Orioles are 2-for-16 vs. Koehler. Travis Snider is 0-for-6, Everth Cabrera is 1-for-3, David Lough is 1-for-2, Alejandro De Aza is 0-for-3 and Delmon Young is 0-for-2.

Koehler is 2-3 with a 3.70 ERA in nine games (eight starts) this season. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last twi appearances, including three scoreless innings against the Braves on May 16. He’s surrendered two earned runs or fewer in five starts.

Right-handers are batting .213 against Koehler and left-handers are hitting .267.

Cabrera was activated from the disabled list on Friday after going 5-for-24 with a double, RBI and three runs scored in six games with Triple-A Norfolk. Cabrera, hitless in his last 17 at-bats and in a 5-for-37 slump over 11 games, said he needed to “calm down a little bit, just relax more and see things.”

To Cabrera, that stint on the disabled list was exactly what he needed. More than a foot needed to be healed.

“I hope so,” said manager Buck Showalter. “We’ll see. If you just base things on statistically, you wouldn’t think a whole lot happened in Norfolk, but there are some other things that can happen mentally and emotionally. It worked out good.”

Young picked up his fifth outfield assist last night, tops on the club. He overran the ball on Christian Yelich’s single in the second inning and threw him out at second. Yelich was ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a review that lasted almost three minutes.

The Orioles began the night tied with the Cubs and Indians for the major league lead in outfield assists with 11.

Manny Machado has multiple hits in three of the last four games, and he’s got at least one hit in 14 of the last 15.

Adam Jones doesn’t have a home run in his last 10 games, the most recent coming on May 11. He’s got two RBIs in that span. Jones has one home run since April 19.

Chris Davis went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts last night to lower his average to .210. He’s 3-for-36 in his last 10 games, with no home runs, no RBIs and 12 strikeouts.