Jim Johnson gave up a two-out, two-run single to Yunel Escobar in the eighth inning that erased the Orioles' 3-1 lead and denied Rick VandenHurk a much-deserved win. Johnson had replaced Mark Hendrickson after Adam Lind's leadoff single and surrendered his second hit of the inning. Pain comes in many forms. Some of it is accompanied by a bruise. Brian Roberts was drilled on the outside portion of his right knee by a Jason Frasor fastball with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. I'm...

Nice outing by Rick VandenHurk. And by "nice," I mean "spectacular." VandenHurk held the Blue Jays to one run and two hits in 5 1/3 innings, with no walks and three strikeouts, before Mark Hendrickson replaced him with one out in the seventh and the Orioles leading, 2-1. VandenHurk, acquired from the Marlins in the Will Ohman trade, had thrown one inning in the last 14 days. He had totaled 6 1/3 since joining the Orioles. Rusty? It sure didn't look that way. The 5 1/3 innings mark the...

The Orioles didn't want to lose Brian Matusz after one inning tonight, but they removed him as a precaution after he blocked Yunel Escobar's liner with his left triceps. Something good came out of the bad, however. His name is Rick VandenHurk. VandenHurk has retired all 12 batters he's faced since entering the game in the second. Pitching for the first time since Sept. 2, he's struck out three batters and protected a 2-0 lead as if it's a newborn. VandenHurk has induced six fly balls -...

Brian Matusz left the game with a left triceps contusion. That's a bruise to you and me. The replays didn't provide much help, but we're told that Yunel Escobar's liner nailed Matusz behind the left arm. We assume that he was removed as a precaution. Shouldn't be anything too serious. Rick VandenHurk struck out the first two batters in the second inning, including Adam Lind on a 96 mph fastball. Update: Brandon Snyder's first major league hit, an infield single in the second inning,...

Nice promotion at Camden Yards tonight. Every fan gets a vendor. Brian Matusz stayed in the game and completed the first inning after being hit on the left side by a line drive from Yunel Escobar. Matusz took a few practice throws before convincing manager Buck Showalter that he could continue. Showalter was late checking on Matusz. He had to dispute the call at first base after umpire Bruce Dreckman ruled that Escobar didn't run out of the baseline to avoid Brandon Snyder's lunging...

Well, the Orioles did sweep three from Toronto in Baltimore to end last season. But this year, as most are well aware, the O's are 0-12 vs. the Blue Jays as they begin this series here tonight at Camden Yards. That is the current longest win streak in the bigs by one team over another. MLB's longest current win streaks: *Toronto with 12 straight vs. the Orioles. *San Diego with 9 straight vs. Pittsburgh. *Oakland with 9 straight vs. Pittsburgh. *Florida with 8 straight vs. Toronto. The...

Well, it turns out that when David Hernandez was seen grabbing at his right elbow after being taken out of the game in Detroit Sunday, he was just doing that. He was not reaching for his elbow because it was sore or hurt in any way. "Everything is fine. My wife told me she saw me do that and she asked too." Hernandez is finally back with the Orioles after going on the DL August 5th with a sprained left ankle. He pitched twice in Detroit, but said he doesn't feel completely back to form...

How much emphasis should the Orioles place on winning games over these last three weeks? Is there an actual goal for number of victories? Is that basically the same question? Let's go with No. 2: "It depends on whether you're talking to me or Joe Jordan," manager Buck Showalter said jokingly, referring to the Orioles' director of scouting. "We were kidding about it. That has never come up. We're going to try to win as many games as we can and also satisfy the looks that we have to...

Brandon Snyder was with the Orioles for 10 games before he made his first Major League start. Now he will make two in a row as he's batting ninth and starting at first base vs. Toronto tonight at Camden Yards. "I was almost expecting to come in and kind of be sitting today. But I am extremely excited about getting a chance to get in there again. Yesterday was a good first step into trying to relax and just play the game. "After the third or fourth inning, I started to really fit in...

Manager Buck Showalter wanted to give Brandon Snyder and Robert Andino consecutive starts. That's pretty much the reason why they're playing again tonight. He didn't mention any injuries. "I think it's important to give them two days in a row, kind of get the adrenaline down to a manageable level a little bit," Showalter said. "I said earlier when we were playing Tampa and New York and Boston, with the competitive integrity, that when we got into some of these games, we'd try to get...