Jake Arrieta admitted today that he's putting a lot of pressure on himself to turn in quality starts, which is hurting the cause. Today, he allowed seven runs and a career-high 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings, with two walks and six strikeouts. "I think I need to relax a little bit and trust myself, because I'm more than capable of making good pitches when I need to get guys out," he said. "It's just a matter of going out there and doing it and not trying to do too much. Certain times I try...

The Orioles didn't have any quit in them today, but they didn't have a comeback, either. Oh sure, they made it close, losing 9-8 to the Rays before 29,552 at Camden Yards after falling behind 7-1. They just couldn't get over the hump. Jake Arrieta put them in a big hole by allowing seven runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. His early departure further taxed a short bullpen. "I think it's the command of the fastball," manager Buck Showalter said. "I don't think it's real complicated....

Even on a day where they lost and saw a seven-game win streak against American League East opponents come to an end, the Orioles did some impressive things. They rallied from down 7-1 to within 7-6, but Tampa Bay had enough in the end to hold off the Orioles for a 9-8 win, denying the Birds their first three-game home sweep of the Rays since July 24-26, 2007. Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer and Nick Markakis drove in three runs during Orioles rallies in the sixth and seventh. But Tampa Bay...

The Orioles were down, 7-1, and appeared to have no chance against Rays starter James Shields, but the momentum swung dramatically. Three runs scored in the sixth and two more came across in the seventh, leaving the Orioles behind 7-6 as we headed to the top of the eighth. Troy Patton was cruising along, having retired all six batters he faced. He fanned Chris Gimenez leading off the eighth, giving the left-hander a career-high five strikeouts, but Elliot Johnson and Ben Zobrist hit...

The Orioles have lost six of their last seven games on Mother's Day, and they've drained much of the energy from today's crowd. The Rays lead 7-1 in the bottom of the fourth, and Kevin Gregg has replaced starter Jake Arrieta, who allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. Arrieta walked two, struck out six and threw a wild pitch. He threw 79 pitches, 50 for strikes. The 10 hits are a career high for Arrieta, who seems far removed from those eight scoreless innings in New York on May...

Xavier Avery received a nice ovation when he came to the plate in the bottom of the first inning in his first major league at-bat. Avery hit a hard one-hopper to second baseman Will Rhymes. Jake Arrieta struck out three batters in the first, but also issued a walk and gave up a single. The Rays scored three runs off him in the second on three hits - including Ben Zobrist's two-run double - and a walk. He's already thrown 42 pitches in two innings. Nolan Reimold told me this morning that...

Did you know: * That the Orioles have won seven games in a row against the American League East by a score of 44-19 since a 2-1 loss April 30 at New York. The Orioles are also 10-1 in their last 11 games within the division. * The Orioles are 12-5 this year against the AL East and are 22-10 versus the AL East since last Sept. 7. * The Orioles bullpen, which gave up 11 earned runs in 11 innings in the Texas series, has not allowed a run, hit or baserunner in this series over 6 1/3 innings. In...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Xavier Avery and optioned right-hander Stu Pomeranz to Triple-A Norfolk. Avery, 22, batted .273/.373/.469 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 33 games for the Tides. He hit safely in eight of his last nine games, including multi-hit games in each of his last four. Avery will wear uniform number 13. Pomeranz has made two scoreless appearances (4.0IP, 4H, BB, 3K) for the Orioles since having his contract selected on...

The Orioles created room on the 25-man roster for outfielder Xavier Avery by optioning reliever Stu Pomeranz. They made room on the 40-man by designating infielder Matt Antonelli for assignment. Pomeranz hasn't allowed a run in two appearances covering four innings since the Orioles purchased his contract May 7. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three. The writing was on the wall for Antonelli when the Orioles bypassed him twice for non-roster players Steve Tolleson and Bill...

We're still waiting on the corresponding roster moves to create room for Xavier Avery on the 25- and 40-man rosters. Left-hander Dana Eveland remains a strong possibility, though I said the same thing yesterday before finding out that Mark Reynolds had a strained oblique. Avery is being thrown into the fire, starting in left field and batting leadoff against James "Big Game" Shields. "We'll play him some, today. We'll see what tomorrow brings," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's...