Did you feel different when you woke up this morning?
It might have something to do with the AL standings. Or the cocktail dress and blonde wig you were inexplicably wearing.
Let's focus on the standings.
The Orioles no longer are the worst team in the league. Their 56-88 record puts them a game ahead of Seattle, which fell to 55-89 with last night's loss to Boston.
Buck Ball!
Showalter Time!
The guy really should have his own t-shirt night.
Don't look now - OK, you can peek - but...
We might still be playing if Luke Scott hadn't singled to center field off Blue Jays left-hander Brian Tallet in the bottom of the 11th inning to score Nick Markakis with the winning run.
The Blue Jays have roughly 147 relievers in their bullpen since rosters expanded, so they could go all night.
"Get a pitch to hit and stay in the middle of the field in case he throws a breaking ball," Scott said, describing his at-bat against Tallet. "A breaking ball in that situation around the plate...
Not everything was good tonight. Brian Matusz and Brian Roberts were forced out of the game early after being hit by a line drive and fastball, respectively. Josh Bell was batting leadoff. Players were changing positions and dropping pop-ups.
It wasn't clean and it wasn't pretty, but it ended with the first win over the Toronto Blue Jays in 13 tries.
"It means we get a chance to try to do it tomorrow," manager Buck Showalter said when asked about the significance of finally defeating the...
Jim Johnson gave up a two-out, two-run single to Yunel Escobar in the eighth inning that erased the Orioles' 3-1 lead and denied Rick VandenHurk a much-deserved win.
Johnson had replaced Mark Hendrickson after Adam Lind's leadoff single and surrendered his second hit of the inning.
Pain comes in many forms. Some of it is accompanied by a bruise.
Brian Roberts was drilled on the outside portion of his right knee by a Jason Frasor fastball with two outs in the bottom of the eighth.
I'm...
Nice outing by Rick VandenHurk.
And by "nice," I mean "spectacular."
VandenHurk held the Blue Jays to one run and two hits in 5 1/3 innings, with no walks and three strikeouts, before Mark Hendrickson replaced him with one out in the seventh and the Orioles leading, 2-1.
VandenHurk, acquired from the Marlins in the Will Ohman trade, had thrown one inning in the last 14 days. He had totaled 6 1/3 since joining the Orioles.
Rusty? It sure didn't look that way.
The 5 1/3 innings mark the...
The Orioles didn't want to lose Brian Matusz after one inning tonight, but they removed him as a precaution after he blocked Yunel Escobar's liner with his left triceps.
Something good came out of the bad, however. His name is Rick VandenHurk.
VandenHurk has retired all 12 batters he's faced since entering the game in the second. Pitching for the first time since Sept. 2, he's struck out three batters and protected a 2-0 lead as if it's a newborn.
VandenHurk has induced six fly balls -...
Brian Matusz left the game with a left triceps contusion.
That's a bruise to you and me.
The replays didn't provide much help, but we're told that Yunel Escobar's liner nailed Matusz behind the left arm. We assume that he was removed as a precaution. Shouldn't be anything too serious.
Rick VandenHurk struck out the first two batters in the second inning, including Adam Lind on a 96 mph fastball.
Update: Brandon Snyder's first major league hit, an infield single in the second inning,...
Nice promotion at Camden Yards tonight. Every fan gets a vendor.
Brian Matusz stayed in the game and completed the first inning after being hit on the left side by a line drive from Yunel Escobar. Matusz took a few practice throws before convincing manager Buck Showalter that he could continue.
Showalter was late checking on Matusz. He had to dispute the call at first base after umpire Bruce Dreckman ruled that Escobar didn't run out of the baseline to avoid Brandon Snyder's lunging...
How much emphasis should the Orioles place on winning games over these last three weeks?
Is there an actual goal for number of victories?
Is that basically the same question?
Let's go with No. 2:
"It depends on whether you're talking to me or Joe Jordan," manager Buck Showalter said jokingly, referring to the Orioles' director of scouting.
"We were kidding about it. That has never come up. We're going to try to win as many games as we can and also satisfy the looks that we have to...
Manager Buck Showalter wanted to give Brandon Snyder and Robert Andino consecutive starts. That's pretty much the reason why they're playing again tonight. He didn't mention any injuries.
"I think it's important to give them two days in a row, kind of get the adrenaline down to a manageable level a little bit," Showalter said. "I said earlier when we were playing Tampa and New York and Boston, with the competitive integrity, that when we got into some of these games, we'd try to get...
Brian Roberts 2B
Robert Andino SS
Nick Markakis RF
Ty Wigginton 3B
Jake Fox DH
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Nolan Reimold LF
Brandon Snyder 1B
Brian Matusz LHP
You want me to truly believe that the Orioles are a different team under Buck Showalter?
Let them beat the Blue Jays.
I'm not pushing for a sweep, though that would be terrific. Just beat this team one time and stop making it look like the '27 Yankees. Or the '92-'93 Jays.
I'd feel better about tonight if Brian Matusz wasn't 0-2 with a 22.85 ERA against Toronto, if he hadn't allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings in his last visit to Canada. But Matusz has turned in four straight quality...
I began listening to the game on 105.7 The Fan on my ride home from Ocean Pines with the Orioles leading, 2-1.
Manager Buck Showalter had pushed the right buttons again. He started Jake Fox behind the plate, and Fox delivered an RBI triple and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. He started Robert Andino at shortstop, and Andino singled.
The easy part was handing Chris Tillman the ball. Tillman held the Tigers to one run and one hit over 6 2/3 innings, but those six walks jacked up his...
Brian Roberts 2B
Ty Wigginton 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Luke Scott DH
Adam Jones CF
Felix Pie LF
Jake Fox C
Robert Andino SS
Brandon Snyder 1B
Chris Tillman RHP
Snyder gets his first start against Justin Verlander. Best of luck.
Josh Bell is out of the lineup after taking a shot off his bare hand at third base last night that turned into a 5-6-3 putout.
Still waiting for the Orioles lineup. In the meantime...
For the Tigers:
2B Will Rhymes
RF Ryan Raburn
LF Don Kelly
1B Miguel Cabrera
SS Jhonny Peralta
DH Brennan Boesch
3B Brandon Inge
CF Casper Wells
C Alex Avila
RHP Justin Verlander
The Orioles picked up their first series win at Comerica Park since August 5-7, 2008 and have won back-to-back games at the ballpark for the first time since June 4-5, 2005.
So far, so good.
The Orioles are looking for their first sweep in Detroit since May 28-30, 2004.
They've won 11 of their last 17 road games after winning 14 of their first 54.
Last night's victory assured them of a winning record on this road trip. The Orioles went 4-2 on their last trip, marking the first time...
Cesar Izturis struck out to end the fourth inning and leave the bases loaded. He also left the game scoreless.
Probably not a big surprise, but how about the way he made up for it in the sixth?
Izturis contributed a two-run triple to a four-run inning that also included doubles by Adam Jones and Felix Pie, and a long sacrifice fly by Ty Wigginton.
Whatever offense that Izturis provides is gravy. He's here for his glove. That hit was huge and quite unexpected.
Does Buck Showalter get credit...
For the Orioles:
Brian Roberts 2B
Ty Wigginton 1B
Nick Markakis RF
Luke Scott DH
Matt Wieters C
Adam Jones CF
Felix Pie LF
Josh Bell 3B
Cesar Izturis SS
Jeremy Guthrie RHP
For the Tigers:
Austin Jackson CF
Ryan Raburn RF
Johnny Damon DH
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Don Kelly LF
Jhonny Peralta SS
Brandon Inge 3B
Alex Avila C
Ramon Santiago 2B
Max Scherzer RHP
Jake Fox's home run last night was the 10th by a first baseman this season, making the Orioles the last team in the majors to reach double figures at that position, according to Elias.
I'm sure that was all part of manager Buck Showalter's plan.
You already know that the Orioles are 22-14 under Showalter. Did you also know that they're tied with the Colorado Rockies for the third-most wins during that period? (Phillies 25, Twins 24)
The Orioles are 10-2 in series-opening games under...
If the sting from Koji Uehara's blown save on Wednesday still hasn't subsided, you might want to consider making an appointment with a dermatologist. Also consider that the Orioles have won five of their last six games and nine of their last 13.
That's a pretty good stretch from the team with the worst record in the American League.
How much longer will the Orioles hold that distinction?
Their record currently stands at 54-87. The Seattle Mariners, a team that was championed over the...
