When the Orioles scored four runs in the top of the fifth today it looked like the club might pick up a rare win at Oakland and give Zach Britton his first win since May 1. But the good vibes didn't last long. Josh Willingham's three-run homer capped Oakland's four-run last of the fifth off Britton as the A's regained the lead and beat the Orioles 6-4 to sweep the series. Oakland joins Cleveland and Tampa Bay as clubs that have swept the O's in a three-game series on the year. The...

I don't mean it in a good way. Zach Britton allowed a career-high six runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings today before Jeremy Accardo replaced him. Britton gave up five runs on April 15 in Cleveland. He surrendered nine hits in his last start against the Royals at Camden Yards. Britton threw 97 pitches today, 57 for strikes. And once again, manager Buck Showalter is forced to go to his bullpen earlier than desired. In this series, Orioles' starters have logged 4 1/3, 5 2/3 and 5 2/3...

Outfielder Kipp Schutz of the Single-A Frederick Keys left today's game at Salem in the second inning when he was hit by a pitch in the helmet. That was according to the team's Twitter feed, which said he left the field under his own power. The initial report was that Schutz was taken out as a precaution and was not showing any ill effects from being hit and that appears to be good news. He was just promoted to the Keys from Single-A Delmarva and played his first game in the Carolina League...

The Orioles have gotten pretty good at loading the bases with no outs. This time, they did more than come away frustrated. They're taking a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth. J.J. Hardy reached on an infield hit to open the fifth. Mark Reynolds grounded a single into left field and Robert Andino reached on a fielder's choice after laying down a bunt that was meant to advance two runners. Oakland starter Guillermo Moscoso tried unsuccessfully for the out at third. Felix Pie followed...

They're left-handed and their paychecks are distributed by the Orioles, but there's more to the connection between Brian Matusz and Zach Britton. Britton wouldn't have made his major league debut April 3 without Matusz going on the disabled list. The Orioles are 1-11 in Oakland since 2008. The one victory was provided by Matusz. And I seem to recall guaranteeing it. Matusz threw a bullpen session today in Oakland, the last step before making his 2011 debut Wednesday in Seattle. It...

The season-long gripe about the Nationals is that they are a good-pitch, no-hit team. And, the question is: Where would the Nats be in the National League East if they had had even mediocre hitting? The Nationals went into Sunday with a .227 average, which ranks next-to-last in the league, and 194 runs scored, which ranks 12th. A 17-run game in Baltimore boosted that ranking. Ryan Zimmerman has been out since April 10 with an injury to his stomach muscle. Outfielder Jayson Werth hasn't...

For the Orioles: Felix Pie LF Adam Jones CF Nick Markakis RF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Luke Scott 1B J.J. Hardy SS Mark Reynolds 3B Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton LHP For the Athletics: Crisp CF Barton 1B Jackson LF Willingham DH Suzuki C DeJesus RF Ellis 2B Kouzmanoff 3B Pennington SS Moscoso RHP The Orioles are 1-11 in Oakland since 2008 and have been outscored, 60-32. They've scored two runs or fewer in eight of those games. This doesn't bode well for...

I wrote in my last entry that Brad Bergesen didn't look like a pitcher who had saved his spot in the rotation. The frustration was written all over his face as he stood on the mound, waiting for manager Buck Showalter to take the ball. Bergesen obviously knew what was coming, and it wasn't just his manager. The Orioles sent out a press release at 3:15 a.m. announcing that Bergesen was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Pedro Viola is in Oakland and will be officially recalled before...

It was a familiar script for the Orioles on Saturday night at Oakland: another loss and another night with not much offense. Oakland scored single runs in the second, third, sixth and eighth innings in a 4-2 win over the Orioles, as the A's take the first two games of this series. For the second night in a row the Orioles were held to six hits and once again they failed to produce a single extra-base hit. The Orioles fall to 1-11 in Oakland since the 2008 season and they have been outscored...

The Orioles haven't been particularly sharp in the early innings tonight. They put runners on first and second with no outs in the first inning on Robert Andino's bunt single and an error. Andino popped up another bunt, but this one cleared the mound. Nick Markakis failed to advance the runners, flying to left field. With Vladimir Guerrero at the plate, Andino broke too soon for third base and got caught in a rundown. So much for that rally. Second baseman Ryan Adams made a diving stop of...