The Angels have collected six hits off Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz through four innings. Half of them haven't left the infield. The only run scored on a broken-bat grounder by Mike Napoli in the fourth. Howie Kendrick doubled and moved to third on a grounder. Matusz hasn't walked a batter, which is encouraging when you consider that he issued 13 in his last four starts covering 13 innings. He's struck out two and thrown 61 pitches. Big nights for Adam Jones and Felix Pie, who are a...

Here is a stat for you. In the last six games before Buck Showalter took over as manager, Felix Pie went 4 for 22 at bat. Now, in 12 innings with Showalter here, he is 4 for 5. That is through tonight's third inning. After going 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored last night, and several nice catches in left field, tonight, Pie is 2 for 2 already. He ripped an RBI triple to right in the second and added an RBI single to right in the third. Then he stole a base. Here are some more...

Angels catcher Jeff Mathis nailed Brian Roberts on the left foot with a pickoff throw in the first inning, but the Orioles' leadoff hitter stayed in the game. Roberts is in obvious pain, but at least it's not his back. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter checked on Roberts, who was limping as he took a stroll on the basepaths. The way Roberts was squatting and bending at the waist, you had to wonder whether his back was the issue. But the ball hit Roberts on the...

It's not surprising that we're learning more about new manager Buck Showalter with each passing day. Showalter already has established that he's not ready to anoint a closer and he doesn't care about saves. He also doesn't want his relievers warming up if they're not going to pitch. We tend to forget that a reliever might not enter a game for three or four days, but if he's up every night, he's still taxing his arm. I've heard bullpen guys complain about past managers burning them...

The deals are not completely done, but the Orioles expect fifth-round draft pick, Connor Narron, a high school infielder from Goldsboro, North Carolina and ninth-round pick, prep pitcher Parker Bridwell from Hereford, Texas, in Baltimore this Thursday and Friday for physicals. If all goes well, they could soon officially sign and report to the Gulf Coast League Orioles as early as next week. "We are hopeful that we are within five or six days tops (of the pair reporting to that club)," O's...

Everybody looks forward to Fridays. It's a given. But how about when Friday means live chats with Adam Jones and Jeremy Guthrie over your lunch hour? This Friday, starting at noon, MASNsports.com will feature a pair of Orioles live chats with O's outfielder Adam Jones and right-hander Jeremy Guthrie. Jones and Guthrie will sit with O's beat reporter Steve Melewski to talk Orioles baseball, probably some Showalter takeover, and whatever you, the fans, want to know. Make sure you're...

Left-hander Brian Matusz, who starts tonight, made his major league debut in Detroit exactly one year ago and picked up his first win. In 2002, Ty Wigginton hit his first major league home run, a three-run shot off Arizona's John Patterson. The Orioles named Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Armando Gabino as the organization's minor league Pitcher of the Month for July after he went 3-0 with a save and a 1.23 ERA in eight games. He walked four batters and struck out 19. Double-A Bowie's Joe...

Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott DH Adam Jones CF Felix Pie LF Matt Wieters C Josh Bell 3B Cesar Izturis SS Brian Matusz LHP

Left-hander Brian Matusz takes the mound tonight with only one win since April 18, a stretch of futility that I never would have imagined possible back in spring training. Maybe an offense that was so clutch last night will support him. And maybe new manager Buck Showalter will stick with him longer. Matusz hasn't completed the sixth inning in his last four starts. He's surrendered 18 runs and 19 hits, and issued 13 walks, in 13 innings. He's also 0-7 with a 5.55 ERA at home this year. In...

From jeers to cheers. That's how it's now going for O's lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez. When he was activated on July 21 off the 60-day DL, he hadn't pitched since April and had an ERA of 18.00. Now, his ERA is down to 4.50 and Gonzalez has put together a real solid stretch. Since his return to the active roster, his ERA is 1.13 over seven games and eight innings. He has pitched shutout ball over 6 1/3 over his last five appearances. Gonzalez gives a lot of credit to new manager Buck...