I sat in the interview room at Camden Yards and listened to interim manager Juan Samuel say that Felix Pie would return to left field and the leadoff spot once the Orioles activated him from the disabled list. Samuel told reporters in Boston over the weekend that Pie would hit lower in the order while Corey Patterson continued to occupy the top spot. Samuel now wants to ease Pie back into the leadoff role. The last time I checked, the Orioles had room for Pie on their 40-man roster after...

One of the hottest bats right now in the O's minors belongs to Frederick Keys right fielder Ronnie Welty. He is batting .429-0-10 during an 11-game batting streak which has featured nine games of two hits or more. Welty has raised his average on the year from .247 to .279 with the hot streak. On the season, the O's 20th-round pick from 2008 is batting .279-9-46. The one stat that is glaring on his record is a whopping 95 strikeouts in 73 games and he leads the Carolina League in that...

Chiefs left-hander Matt Chico (3-4, 4.24) looking to bounce back from one of the rougher outings of his season tonight for Syracuse as they play host to Buffalo. He will get a chance to face the same Buffalo lineup that tagged him for a season-high six runs last week. The loss was a reversal from the previous two starts, both wins, where Chico allowed only one run and struck out eight over 12 innings. "I couldn't miss with the fastball. I was commanding my fastball inside really well. It...

For the Orioles: Corey Patterson LF Miguel Tejada 3B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton DH Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Jake Fox 1B Julio Lugo 2B Cesar Izturis SS Kevin Millwood RHP For the Tigers: Austin Jackson CF Johnny Damon DH Magglio Ordonez RF Miguel Cabrera 1B Brennan Boesch LF Carlos Guillen 2B Brandon Inge 3B Alex Avila C Ramon Santiago SS Andy Oliver LHP Update: Josh Bell, who left yesterday's game with right leg cramping, is available today.

It's always difficult to gauge how active the Orioles will be at the non-waiver trade deadline that arrives at the end of this month. I brace for a repeat of the 2000 roster purge, and it doesn't come. Maybe one guy gets moved, like closer George Sherrill last summer, or maybe none until the end of August. The Orioles have another batch of candidates who are in the final year of their contracts - including Ty Wigginton, Kevin Millwood, Miguel Tejada, Cesar Izturis and Mark Hendrickson - or...

Some fans were critical when I wrote last week that Brian Matusz was doing just fine this year and that he was making progress. I wrote that he was holding up well as a young pitcher on the team with the worst record in baseball, especially given his lack of run support and his winless streak dating to April. Don't worry, I won't gloat after Matusz's outing on Sunday at Boston, but I do think I was correct in what I wrote after his last start before Sunday's game. The seven-inning outing...

Left-hander Michael Gonzalez threw a scoreless inning tonight at Double-A Bowie, striking out two batters in the process. The other out came on a ground ball. Gonzalez's fastball registered at 92 mph on the Prince George's Stadium radar gun. You'll recall that Gonzalez gave up home runs in two of his rehab appearances before tonight. The Orioles want Gonzalez to pitch Tuesday at short-season Single-A Aberdeen and go twice more at Bowie. Brandon Waring hit his 13th home run tonight for...

Brian Matusz continued his stellar pitching vs. the AL East today and provided the Orioles with a big lift as he pitched the Birds past Boston 6-1 in the series finale at Fenway Park. Matusz also ended a 13-start winless drought and won for the first time since April 18 vs. Oakland. Matusz allowed just two hits over seven innings. He walked three and tied his career-high with eight strikeouts as he threw 111 pitches. Matusz stranded two runners on base in the third and fourth innings. John...

Watching Brian Matusz pitch out of that second and third, one-out jam in the fourth reminded me that Matusz has held his own this year when pitching versus AL East opponents. He has better numbers within the division than he has overall. Those are the teams he will need to pitch well against moving forward - those Beasts of the East. Coming into this start, Matusz is 1-3, 3.38 in seven starts in 2010 versus the East. He has an ERA of 3.86 in two earlier starts versus Boston. That's a...

Nick Markakis has taken over the AL lead in doubles with 25. His two-bagger in the fourth inning eventually led to the game's first run. Markakis moved to third base and scored on John Lackey's wild pitch. Markakis has plenty of supporters who believe he should represent the Orioles in the All-Star Game. He's probably a victim of his position. AL manager Joe Girardi needs another second baseman, and Ty Wigginton qualifies. Those 14 home runs didn't hurt Wigginton's cause, either. And...