Notes on Tillman, Jones and Britton, plus Duquette on Cabrera and Cabral

That's two wins in a row for the Orioles. How long does it need to stretch before it constitutes a streak?

Chris Tillman continues to ride the roller coaster. A good outing followed by a poor one followed by a good one.

Let's check the earned runs allowed in his starts this season: One, seven, one, seven, two, four, five, one (in three innings), two, five and two.

Tillman isn't the model of consistency, but he provides reason to be optimistic. He just needs to cut down on the walks.

Tillman was averaging 4.8 walks per nine innings before last night, and he issued three in 6 1/3 innings against the Indians. He's living on the edge.

Adam Jones homered again last night - his third since April - and he's collected seven hits in his last three games. You had to know that the man would heat up again. He's got a track record. It's not a mirage.

Zach Britton has 15 saves and a 1.96 ERA. Keep him as closer. I don't understand why anyone would view him as a luxury on this team and suggest that he should change roles or be traded.

The Orioles still fancy themselves as contenders and Britton is a huge part of it in his current role. You want a lockdown closer. You need a lockdown closer.

I stated yesterday on "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" on MASN that fans shouldn't expect Matt Wieters to hit .500 as soon as he came off the disabled list. And I was right.

How about .667?

Left-hander Brian Matusz, forced to serve an eight-game suspension, flew to Sarasota and will work out with vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson.

The Orioles selected Cesar Cabral's contract from Triple-A Norfolk to give the bullpen an extra left-handed reliever. Cabral, 26, was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings over 21 relief appearances between Norfolk and Double-A Bowie. Left-handers were 3-for-25 with 11 strikeouts against him with the Tides.

The Orioles signed Cabral as a minor league free agent back in December, though word didn't get out until the following month during the minicamp. I had to check Baseball-Reference.com to provide a reminder that he pitched for the Yankees.

Cabral was another depth signing by executive vice president Dan Duquette.

"He's throwing three pitches over the plate consistently," Duquette said. "He did well in Double-A and we moved him up to Triple-A and he's been doing a good job. He's got a pretty good sinker and breaking ball and he's getting his changeup over the plate, too.

"I think he's a good matchup guy and he's also got a pretty good sinker to get out right-handers."

Also yesterday, the Orioles designated infielder Everth Cabrera for assignment and will attempt to trade him. He no longer has a minor league option.

"We were just trying to get the best 25 players we could out there," Duquette said. "Obviously, we had different expectations when we signed him."

Asked whether the Orioles could deal Cabrera, Duquette replied, "That's always a possibility."

Shameless plug alert: I'm on "Wall to Wall Baseball" today from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. on MASN. Note the early starting time.

Who's bringing the bagels and lattes?