Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz will join the Orioles at Camden Yards tomorrow, take the day off and throw Friday on flat ground or in the bullpen. It's another step in the right direction for Matusz, who has been rehabbing his strained left intercostal muscle at the minor league complex in Sarasota. The Orioles have three options with Matusz next week. He can return to Twin Lakes Park, accompany them on a road trip that begins April 29 in Chicago or go on an injury rehabilitation...

Robert Andino has reached base in nine of his last 10 plate appearances, and he'll stay in the lineup tonight. Cesar Izturis is 3-for-7 with two RBIs lifetime against Twins starter Nick Blackburn, but Andino gets the nod. He's never faced Blackburn. Here's the lineup: 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 Zach Britton LHP

If fans are going to be concerned about any struggling Orioles hitters, probably the guy that should be last on that list is Nick Markakis. I'm pretty sure the hits will be coming soon. But for now, Markakis is slumping. He had six hits in the season's first four games and has had six hits in the 12 games since. He has just one hit over his last 20 at-bats as his average has dropped from .268 to its current .197. He is batting just .128 over the last 12 games. Markakis, who hit .284...

Don't look for the Orioles to make a run at infielder Brandon Wood, who was designated for assignment Tuesday by the Angels. I'm told they're "not likely" to pursue Wood, a one-time minor league Player of the Year who hasn't been able to carry that success to the majors. Wood is 26 and out of options. The Angels have 10 days to trade or place him on waivers. Any team acquiring Wood would have to keep him on the 25-man roster or attempt to pass him through waivers before outrighting him....

Carpenter's Shelter in Alexandria, Va., an organization very close to my heart, is holding its annual fundraiser now through April 29. Supporters can participate in an online auction or buy tickets to a charity cook-off on May 1 at the Birchmere in Alexandria. I mention that because one of the items in the online auction is an official autographed bat from Adam LaRoche, generously donated by the Washington Nationals. Fans can bid on the bat through this link. There are also dozens of other...

The Nationals game was rained out last night in St. Louis and I was struck with an empty feeling in my gut. For the first time since opening day I would be forced to sit two consecutive nights without enjoying a baseball game, quite a disappointment, to say the least. As I scrolled through the tweets from the Nationals beat reporters about the massive rainstorm they were waiting out, I got to thinking about all of the rain delays I've sat through as a baseball fan. It's an experience with...

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The losing streak is over and Zach Britton is pitching tonight. Good times have returned to Camden Yards. "We got the monkeys off our backs," Adam Jones said last night. And all it took were 11 runs scored with two outs. "That's something we haven't been doing, late two-out hitting and hitting with runners in scoring position," Jones said. "We got all 11 runs with two outs. That's a good stat. Now we have to keep building on it. "We've got a winning streak of one right now....

When the tall right-hander came into the game for the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at Camden Yards, there were some in the O's organization that must have been experiencing mixed emotions. While they wanted the Orioles to win, they must have also felt really good for pitcher Jim Hoey. His long road back to the majors had culminated in Hoey facing his former team, the Orioles. He had last pitched in the majors for the Orioles on Sept. 29, 2007. Hoey, drafted by the Birds in Round 13 out...

Brian Roberts is off to quite a start driving in runs. After his three RBI night in the 11-0 win Tuesday over Minnesota, Roberts now has a team-leading 14 RBI. Contrast that to the 2010 season, when Roberts had 15 RBI all season. He had 15 RBI in 59 games and 230 at bats a year ago and now has 14 RBI in 16 games and 69 at bats. Roberts delivered two clutch hits in the win with a two-run single in the 2nd for a 3-0 lead and an RBI double two innings later for a 4-0 lead which helped the O's...