Orioles manager Buck Showalter believed that starter Jake Arrieta had good stuff tonight. "Command was a challenge for him," Showalter said. That pretty much sums it up. Arrieta allowed only one run and three hits in five-plus innings, but he walked five and threw 112 pitches in a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. "Very similar to his first two outings," Showalter said. "Someone reminded me today, we've won all three games he's started in. But there's better there." Arrieta...

Matt Wieters hit his first homer since opening day and Jake Arrieta picked up his first win of the year tonight as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 5-4 in front of 14,670 at Camden Yards. The Orioles improved to 7-6 in the opener of a three-game series and nine-game homestand. The Rays fall to 4-9 with their seventh loss in the last eight games. Arrieta gave up a homer to Desmond Jennings on the first pitch he threw, but wasn't scored on after that. It was not a pitch-efficient night, but he went...

Do you focus on the walks and the pitch count, or do you focus on the runs allowed and strikeouts? Jake Arrieta worked five-plus innings tonight against the Tampa Bay rays, and the only run against him came on Desmond Jennings' leadoff home run in the top of the first inning. He has a chance to win his first game of 2013 after two no-decisions. Arrieta came back out for the top of the sixth and walked Evan Longoria on five pitches, raising his total to 112 (63 strikes). He walked five...

Dan Haren was cruising through his first three innings of work. The veteran right-hander had allowed just one batter to reach, he'd struck out two and was working quickly, clearly feeling like he was in a zone. A Ryan Zimmerman throwing error with one out in the fourth brought an end to that momentum and eventually led to four Marlins runs, all of which were unearned. With one out in the fourth, Zimmerman moved to his left to glove a Placido Polanco grounder, but his three-quarters throw to...

For Matt Wieters, it had been a while between home runs. It had been a while between extra-base hits. Wieters homered off Roberto Hernandez leading off the last of the second tonight to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead at the time. It was his second homer of the season. His first had come in the first inning of the first game when he took David Price deep for a two-run shot on April 2 at Tropicana Field. That was the last game where Wieters, who entered tonight batting .200, had an extra-base hit...

One pitch from Jake Arrieta tonight, and the Orioles were losing to the Tampa Bay Rays. Desmond Jennings hit his fifth career leadoff homer, launching a 94-mph fastball into the left field seats. Yes, it escalated quickly. Arrieta struck out the next batter, Kelly Johnson, but the at-bat lasted 13 pitches. I guess it's going to be a night of extremes. Ben Zobrist flied to left and Evan Longoria flied to right, and Arrieta was back in the dugout at 19 pitches. Arrieta is looking for his...

The news of yesterday's explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon may have affected Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty more than anyone else inside the clubhouse. Flaherty is a native of Portland, Maine, and he has a deep appreciation for Patriots' Day, which always includes the marathon. He sat quietly in his Baltimore apartment yesterday, staring at the horrific images flashing on his television screen that will stay with him for a very long time. "In New England, Patriots' Day...

Before the Orioles played the Yankees, New York had scored 32 runs in its previous three games. Tampa Bay has scored three runs in its previous three heading into the series beginning tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles held New York to 11 runs and we're about to see how they fare against a badly struggling Tampa Bay offense. The Rays left Boston Monday after getting swept by scores of 2-1, 5-0 and 3-2. In 12 games so far, Tampa Bay has a team average of just .205 to go with a slugging...

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts hasn't been cleared for baseball activities, and he won't be ready to come off the disabled list when eligible on Saturday. It was considered a long shot anyway after an MRI revealed a ruptured tendon behind Roberts' right knee. He sustained the injury on April 4. "He's feeling a little better each day," said manager Buck Showalter. "Still not doing baseball activities, though, so I would think the 20th isn't going to be an option for us." Steve...

Even though he was hitless on Sunday night against Hiroki Kuroda - like most of his teammates - Orioles leadoff man Nate McLouth feels his swing is pretty solid right now as the Orioles host Tampa Bay tonight to begin a nine-game homestand. "I feel good about it. I'm happy with my at-bats. Maybe don't have a ton to show for it yet, but feel like I've been pretty decent so far this season and yeah, I feel good," said McLouth, who is batting .263 in 10 games. The Orioles got shut out in...