Nolan Reimold LF Adam Jones CF Nick Markakis RF Miguel Tejada 3B Luke Scott DH Ty Wigginton 2B Rhyne Hughes 1B Craig Tatum C Cesar Izturis SS David Hernandez RHP That Achilles must be feeling pretty good. Hernandez hasn't given up a home run in three starts this year after allowing 27 in 19 starts in 2009. The Orioles have lost his last 12 starts since he beat Oakland on Aug. 11, 2009. Hernandez is 0-9 in that span. Hernandez went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts (including two quality...

Jake Arrieta and Xavier Avery continued their recent success in the O's minors on Saturday. Arrieta pitched seven shutout innings of two-hit ball as Norfolk topped Charlotte 4-2. The right-hander is now 2-0, 0.36 on the year. He has allowed just 1 ER in 25 innings this year to lead the International League in ERA. Last night, he walked one and fanned a career-high 11 batters. The Tides have won three of four games and are 7-10. Norfolk has hit eight homers over its last four games but...

Heading to Reading, Pennsylvania tonight to watch the Harrisburg Senators face off against the Reading Phillies after yesterday's game was rained out (again!). It will be the second road start for Stephen Strasburg and will be interesting to see how he does against a team he just faced in his most recent outing. There has been talk that this week and next might be Strasburg's final few starts in Double-A before a possible transfer to Triple-A and Syracuse, New York. Game time is 6:35pm. ...

Adam Jones has homered in two straight games. Nick Markakis has lifted his average to .288. Matt Wieters is batting .318. Ty Wigginton has six homers and 12 RBIs. There's your morning cup of good news. Take small sips so it'll last longer. Once Koji Uehara comes off the disabled list, and it could happen after his two scheduled appearances at Double-A Bowie this week, the Orioles will have to make room for him in the bullpen. I'm assuming that Alberto Castillo will return to Triple-A...

Here are some postgame notes from the O's latest loss on Saturday. The raw numbers: The Orioles fall to 2-16 with Saturday's 7-6 loss to Boston. They are 1-8 on a road trip that now has one game remaining. The Orioles have lost ten in a row vs. Boston and are 2-21 vs. the Sox since 9-1-08. The Orioles have lost 15 of their last 16 games at Fenway Park. The Orioles fall to 1-6 in one-run games and are 1-9 on the year in games decided by two runs or less. He deserved much better: Brian...

As we watched the Orioles bullpen implode again tonight, wasting Brian Matusz's outstanding start at Fenway Park, the question now becomes what can be done to help this bullpen? Maybe the only current alternative is to switch around some roles among the pen pitchers. Dave Trembley has switched the lineup, maybe now he has to do it here. Maybe Alberto Castillo and Mark Hendrickson, maybe even Will Ohman, pitch in more late-inning roles. The fans want Jason Berken in some key spots late. ...

I'm choosing to look ahead rather than spend another minute focusing on this game - unless this ninth-inning rally produces a tie or the go-ahead run. I reserve the right to change my thought process. Brad Bergesen makes his first, and perhaps only start for Triple-A Norfolk tomorrow. A quality outing could lead him back to the Orioles and that May 1 start against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. If he continues to struggle, he'll stay in the minors and the Orioles will have to find another...

What is left to say? The Orioles bullpen is the worst in baseball. Matt Albers just gave up a three-run homer to Marco Scutaro as Boston takes a 4-3 lead in the seventh. It costs Brian Matusz a possible win and he sure deserved better than that. For Matusz this year, more of his runs score after he leaves the game than when he is in the ballgame. The O's are getting good starting pitching this year. The problem is, at some point, they have to turn to the bullpen. Last night, the pen...

Orioles manager Dave Trembley could have left rookie Brian Matusz in the game to face Darnell McDonald with runners on the corners and none out in the seventh inning. He could have brought in right-hander Matt Albers, knowing Boston manager Terry Francona was going to send up a pinch-hitter as the potential go-ahead run. Trembley removed Matusz, who got a pitch up that Jeremy Hermida lined into right-center field for a single before coming out of the game. Francona countered with David Ortiz,...

Let's start with Brian Matusz being on the mound. It's such a comforting feeling - and he's just a rookie. I'll stop referring to him as a "kid" because he isn't pitching like one. Is there a way to bottle Matusz's changeup and distribute it to every other pitcher in the organization? Rhyne Hughes is aggressive in his first at-bat in the majors, wasting no time ripping a single into right field. One pitch, one RBI single. Welcome to the bigs. Adam Jones reaches on a bunt single....