Red Sox manager Terry Francona must have known what was coming if he went to his bullpen. I'll never doubt him again. The Orioles cracked Tim Wakefield's knuckler. They scored four runs off him in the sixth, the last three coming on Nick Markakis' shot onto the flag court in right. Ty Wigginton got the sixth-inning party started (did I already use that line?) with his second home run of the night. I keep checking the scoreboard to make sure my eyes aren't failing me. Orioles 11,...

I guess Red Sox manager Terry Francona really wanted to get Dice-K through the fifth, no matter how much his starter looked like a guy in dire need of a cold drink and a warm hug. Francona's one heck of a manager, but hello? This is Matsuzaka's first start and he ran out of steam like a dry iron (OK, that's a reach.) Did somebody grease the top step of the visiting dugout? The Orioles have batted around, and hey, there's Francona breaking through the restraints and fighting his way to...

Ty Wigginton is certainly hitting homers at a great rate. He hit number seven in the bottom of the fifth tonight vs. Boston, a 368-foot shot to left center on a 2-0 pitch. Wigginton began tonight third in the AL in at bats per homer this season. 1st - Paul Konerko, CWS, 1 every 7.09 at bats 2nd - Nelson Cruz, Tex, 1 every 8.86 at bats 3rd - Ty Wigginton, O's, 1 every 10.83 at bats Konerko began tonight leading the league with 11 homers while Robinson Cano, Andruw Jones and Vernon Wells...

Brad Bergesen has not had a smooth return to the big leagues. Well, for one inning he did. He retired the Sox in order on 15 pitches in the first. Perhaps the fact that two of the outs came on fly balls was not a good sign for him. Boston has scored in three straight innings vs. Bergesen and leads 4-1 as the O's bat in the fourth. Over the last three frames, Bergy has allowed four runs on six hits, yielding two homers and two doubles. His pitches are still up in the zone too much,...

I don't mind the Orioles running on the Red Sox's catchers. In fact, I encourage it wholeheartedly. But any chance it could be one of their more fleet-footed guys? Not so fast, Matt Wieters and Ty Wigginton. (See what I did there?) Take away the home runs, and Brad Bergesen is having a pretty good start. Boston 2, Orioles 1. Jonathan Van Every? To straightaway center? I probably would have picked van every other player in the Red Sox's lineup before I chose him. (See what...yes you...

Minor league reliever Luis Lebron continues to experience pain in his right elbow, and he's scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews on May 10 in Birmingham, Ala. It isn't often that these examinations bring positive news. Lebron was shut down late in spring training after impressing manager Dave Trembley in major league camp. He started throwing again recently, but the discomfort resurfaced on Wednesday during a bullpen session in Sarasota. Lebron emerged as a future closer candidate after...

Senators pitcher Matt Chico continues to work hard to get back to the Major Leagues and had a very good outing this week for Harrisburg at Reading, his first win of the season. I caught up with Matt this week and he talked about the conditions of his start and his new pitch, the two seam fastball. "I had no problems in the 40 degree weather. It is cold but you are warm. "It wasn't bad. It was one of those games where I like the result but I didn't feel good. One of those nights I had...

This has not been an easy day for Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz. Today he had to tell a pitcher that has been solid for him for a few seasons, that he was going back to the minor leagues. Kranitz and manager Dave Trembley met with Jim Johnson earlier today here at Camden Yards to tell the right-hander he was being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. "Number one, this is very hard for me, for what he has given this organization. We've asked him to close, we've asked him to go three...

Manager Dave Trembley called reliever Jim Johnson into his office this afternoon, closing the door behind them. Johnson knew what was coming. The possibility kept him awake much of the night - same as Trembley. The Orioles optioned Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for tonight's starter, Brad Bergesen, on the 25-man roster. Johnson posted a 6.52 ERA in 10 appearances, and he allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to score last night in another brutal outing. He was bumped from the...

I'll have more on Jim Johnson's demotion in a few minutes, but I wanted to post a quick update on reliever Koji Uehara. The original plan called for Uehara to throw an inning in relief tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, and another inning on Monday, before the Orioles determined whether to activate him from the disabled list. His schedule has been adjusted, however, so he'll pitch tomorrow and Monday. The change has nothing to do with soreness in Uehara's hamstring. The Orioles want him to...