It's a little early in the season to call any single game that big or important, but this would be a nice night for an Orioles' victory. They are playing the Twins who still are without some key players like Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Also, the Twins have scored the fewest runs in the majors this year and have a major league low six homers. Get 'em while you can. Also, the O's could use a series victory and a win tonight would give them the series win here, three to one. The Birds won...

Jeremy Guthrie has made one mistake tonight, and he's trailing, 1-0, because of it. Jim Thome homered to center field with one out in the second inning, upping his career total to 591. Thome was batting .163 with one homer, five RBIs and a .279 slugging percentage. Guthrie also allowed a two-out single to Denard Span in the third. He's thrown 38 pitches, 26 for strikes, and his fastball has topped out at 94 mph. Twins starter Scott Baker, looking for his first victory of 2011, retired the...

Derrek Lee has two RBIs this season, and they both came on April 6, when he hit his only home run of the season. He's carrying a .206 average that's been dragged down, in part, by his 2-for-11 stretch in this series. At least he's been patient. Lee has nine of the Orioles' 42 walks to lead the club in that category. Is Lee going through an adjustment period after switching leagues? "I think there's some of that, too," manager Buck Showalter said. "I think we lose sight of that, but...

It's been an interesting few weeks for O's pitcher Brad Bergesen. Late in spring training, he took a line drive off his right forearm and he had to battle back from that. For four days, he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk even if he never actually physically was with that team. Now Bergesen is trying to regain the form that made him the best Orioles starter in 2009 when he went 7-5 with a 3.43 ERA. He is trying to recapture the form that allowed him to crank out quality sinker after quality...

In recent days the Orioles have seen Matt Wieters' bat come to life, Vladimir Guerrero homer in back-to-back games and Brian Roberts and Adam Jones extend hitting streaks. Who is next to break out on offense? Not just because I wrote about his defense earlier today, but I predict we will soon see hits coming from Derrek Lee's bat. I've been thinking that for a few days now and Buck Showalter said today he feels like Lee "is close." Lee is 2-for-11 in this series against Minnesota and...

Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz says he's been pain-free for six or seven days after a minor setback, and he's ready to take the next steps in his progression toward a return to the rotation. Matusz reported to Camden Yards today after a stint at the minor league complex in Sarasota, where he's been rehabbing a strained intercostal muscle. He'll remain here for the rest of the homestand. What happens next is anybody's guess. "I feel really good," he said. "I played catch three days in a...

There is a lot more to the game of baseball than offense and Derrek Lee is an example of that right now with the Orioles. They don't keep a stat for "runs saved" or "errors saved" but if they did, Lee would rank high in that category. He seems to have an amazing ability to scoop low throws out of the dirt and he has done it multiple times already for several O's infielders. The Orioles, of course, have had some good fielding first baseman over the years like Boog Powell and Eddie...

The Washington Nationals today optioned catcher Jesus Flores to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Flores, 26, appeared in two games and went 1-for-2 at the plate during his 10-day stint with Washington.

The Orioles are trotting out a familiar lineup for tonight's series finale against the Twins at Camden Yards. They've scored 16 runs in the last two games, so they're not going to shake it up. For the Orioles: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Derrek Lee 1B Vladimir Guerrero DH Luke Scott LF Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Matt Wieters C Robert Andino SS Jeremy Guthrie RHP

The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds play their 15th game of the new season tonight at Augusta trying to snap a four-game losing streak that has dropped their record to 5-9. The Birds have given up 41 runs over those four games. The Shorebirds lost a wild one, 11-10 at Augusta in 10 innings last night in a game that featured 21 runs, 28 hits and nine errors. During this losing streak, the Delmarva bullpen has allowed 17 earned runs and 27 hits over 14 innings. Tonight, Scott Copeland (1-0, 4.50)...