For his first act, Zach Britton beat the defending American League East champions on the road in his major league debut. For his second act, he beat the Texas Rangers, who were 6-0 at the time and had scored 42 runs in those six contests. Britton calmly pitched 7 2/3 scoreless against that tough Texas lineup at Camden Yards in an impressive home debut. For his third act, Britton will try to stop an Orioles' losing streak. Another challenge for the kid. Somehow I suspect he will hold up just...

I guess back on opening day, we would have been pleased with an Orioles' 6-5 start. But it doesn't seem as promising when it follows a 6-1 start and your team just suffered a blown lead at Yankee Stadium. Last night on my postgame radio show, "Baltimore Baseball Tonight" on 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore, it was pretty much a two-hour vent session. By the end, the fans got some things off their chests, but the O's had still blown the game in New York. It was disappointing because Jake...

Some losses are tougher to swallow than others. This one should stick in the Orioles' throats. They led, 5-0, and their starter hadn't allowed a hit through four innings. They hit for power, they advanced runners, they had quality pitching and at-bats, which should have been a recipe for success. The back end of the bullpen is supposed to be a strength, but Jason Berken gave up a run in the seventh, Jim Johnson put two runners on base in the eighth before escaping the jam, and Kevin Gregg...

So much for my foot-on-their-throats suggestion. The Yankees scored once in the fifth, twice in the sixth and once in the seventh to reduce the Orioles' lead to 5-4. You had to know what was coming next. Kevin Gregg entered in the bottom of the ninth and lost the lead on one pitch. Jorge Posada, an all-or-nothing guy in the first two weeks of the season, homered to tied the game, 5-5. Kevin Gregg talks about blowing his first safe of the season in a loss to the Yankees A lost lead in...

I fired up my laptop after the top of the fifth inning - just in time for Jake Arrieta to give up a run on his first two hits. I blame myself. Again. Alex Rodriguez broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff double. Tears were shed, but I quickly pulled myself together. The Orioles need a quality start from Arrieta after Chris Tillman lasted only 1 2/3 innings last night. Manager Buck Showalter has talked about the risks involved with having young starters go back-to-back. When I mentioned it...

There is a new reliever in town. If you have missed him, you haven't really been paying attention. Remember the big redhead barreling in from the bullpen in Florida? That's him. He is right-hander Todd Coffey, who has been a groundout inducing machine with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds since 2005. He is known for being a workhorse. Three times in that span he led those clubs in appearances. With the Nationals, the Forest City, N.C., native notched his first win in Miami on...

A few early observations as the Orioles lead the Yankees 2-0 in the 4th tonight. Jake Arrieta needed just 33 pitches to get the first nine outs. *Nick Markakis picked a good time for his second home run. His two-run shot gives the O's a 2-0 lead at New York as they look to break a 3-game losing streak. Markakis' blast to right snapped a 2-for-23 drought for the O's right fielder. He turned on a Phil Hughes fastball. Hughes had jammed several hitters early on with his fastball, but that one...

Here's the Orioles lineup for tonight's series-finale against the Yankees: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Derrek Lee 1B Vladimir Guerrero DH Luke Scott LF Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Matt Wieters C Cesar Izturis SS Jake Arrieta RHP Also, in case you missed it, the Orioles promoted Steve Johnson, son of former Orioles' pitcher Dave Johnson, to Triple-A Norfolk. And Double-A Bowie first baseman Joe Mahoney has been placed on the seven-day disabled list with an injured quadriceps...

The starting pitching the Nationals face this week against the Phillies has been a focal point of the series. Jayson Werth said it after game one: "It was good to get a win off Joe Blanton, because it will not get any easier facing Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee." After all, the Nationals avoided Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in this series. It is a difficulty the Nationals will face almost every week in the National League East. The Braves have Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson, not to...

It could turn out to be just for a start or two, but Baltimore native Steve Johnson today has moved from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. Also today, Bowie has placed first baseman Joe Mahoney on the minor league seven-day DL, retroactive to April 12. Mahoney has missed the last few games with a quad injury. The O's were hoping he would avoid the DL. Mahoney is 1-for-7 in two games on the year. Johnson has made one start and pitched four scoreless innings for Bowie at Harrisburg last...