Left-hander Brian Matusz threw from 120 feet on flat ground today and didn't report any pain related to his left intercostal muscle. He'll throw again on Sunday, with a slightly more aggressive approach, and progress to two mound sessions at Camden Yards if he doesn't experience any setbacks. Matusz is slated to throw bullpen sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. He could return to the minor league complex in Sarasota after the homestand, which would enable him to throw in nicer weather. The...

The tarp's on the field and a light rain continues to fall, but at least the lineup is posted. For the Orioles: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Derrek Lee 1B Vladimir Guerrero DH Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Matt Wieters C Jake Fox LF Robert Andino SS Brad Bergesen RHP

If Randolph Oduber can make it to the big leagues, he will truly be that diamond-in-the-rough that all scouts are looking for every time they sit down to watch a prospect. Hailing from the island of Aruba, Oduber was a 32nd-round selection by the Washington Nationals in the 2010 amateur draft. "It was a great draft," Nationals director of player development Doug Harris said. "Our scouts did a tremendous job. Oduber is a very athletic kid with a strong makeup." Oduber quickly signed...

When the Orioles opened the 2011 season, it was expected the offense would be greatly improved and, as a result, the team would score more runs. Even with the slow start at the plate, I still expect that will be the case. The everyday lineup has too many proven hitters with consistent track records. But the slow start does highlight the importance of how scoring five runs in a game drastically increases the O's chances to win games. Let's first look back to last season. The Orioles finished...

Hagerstown Suns right fielder Bryce Harper crushed his first home run of the season at Municipal Stadium Thursday. It is his second home run of the year after hitting one on a road trip at Lexington last week. Harper is batting .261 (12-for-46) in 14 games with two home runs and eight RBI. He is tied for the team lead in RBI with Blake Kelso. The home run was another of the line drive variety. The wind was moving left to right across the field and that aided the left-handed hitters...

During a meeting with reporters in New York this week, Commissioner Bud Selig said that baseball is considering expanded playoffs for 2012, meaning 10 teams, instead of eight, will be vying for the World Series. The format is undetermined, but the two wild card teams in each league will likely play a one-game playoff or a three-game series to advance. Can't baseball learn from the NHL or NBA, where the playoffs never end, that more is not better, especially trying to play a summer game in...

Sticking out like a sore thumb on the youthful Washington Nationals is 43-year-old Matt Stairs, a former All-Star turned pinch-hitting specialist who gets woken up once every 18 innings to attempt to hit a home run. It's a role he has come to embrace over the course of an incredible and arguably underappreciated 19-year-career. One of the greatest minds in baseball history, Bill James, once wrote of Stairs: "Look at it. Somebody decided he was a second baseman, he tears through the minor...

As the Orioles begin another series versus the New York Yankees tonight, O's fans are probably quite aware of the Birds' struggles against this club. The Orioles are 0-2 this year and went 5-13 last season versus New York. They have lost 26 of the last 33 in this series and the Yankees are 16-6 in their last 22 games against the O's at Camden Yards. The Yankees' winning percentage all-time at Camden Yards of .644 is the best by any visiting team. If the Orioles are indeed improved this...

So we are now 18 games into the season and Nick Markakis is batting .203 with two homers and six RBIs. He has a slugging percentage of .319 and OPS of .592. Last night he went 0-for-4 and twice failed to come up with the clutch hit when batting with two men on base. He has just three hits over his last 28 at-bats for an average of .107 and just eight hits over his last 55 at-bats for a mark of .145 since April 6. Last night, reader Gerry O. left this comment about Markakis and his struggles...

The offense is back. Or it isn't. Pick a night. The Orioles scored 16 runs in their last two games before last night, but Scott Baker shut them out for seven innings, and they managed only one run on Vladimir Guerrero's infield hit off Jim Hoey. It's especially disturbing when you consider that they didn't score after the third inning in Wednesday night's 5-4 victory. That's one run in 14 innings. The No. 2 hitter, Nick Markakis is batting .203. No. 3 hitter Derrek Lee is batting...