Earl Weaver has to be loving this team. A four-man rotation and three-run homers. It could be 1970. Koji Uehara has the sideburns for it. Jake Arrieta held the Tigers to one run and six hits over six innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches, 60 for strikes. Not a particularly clean outing, but it was quality. Orioles starters have allowed two runs and 12 hits in 26 innings through four games. Remember when the rotation was the No. 1 concern as the Orioles broke...

Despite scoring just one run through four innings today, the Orioles had hit some balls hard off Tigers starter Rick Porcello. That continued in the last of the fifth when they produced four straight hits to break the 1-1 tie. Felix Pie led off with a single and reached third on J.J. Hardy's third double of the year. Brian Roberts followed with a three-run homer to right center on a 1-2 pitch. Nick Markakis followed that with a double. After a pair of strikeouts, Matt Wieters lifted a bloop...

So when did Brian Roberts become an RBI machine? Doubles machine, yes. Stolen base machine, yes. This is something new. Roberts belted his second three-run homer in three days, his 388-foot shot to center field off Rick Porcello breaking a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning. Earl Weaver has got to be loving it. Roberts has eight RBIs on the young season, easily the most on the club. He's registered three multi-RBI games, one more than he mustered in the 2010 season, when he appeared in 59...

The Tigers tied the Orioles, 1-1 in the third inning on a one-out double by Brandon Inge and singles by Austin Jackson and Will Rhymes. Center fielder Adam Jones got a late jump on Jackson's fly ball into shallow left-center field. He appeared to take a step back before racing into the gap. Nick Markakis is 2-for-2. Matt Wieters isn't fast. There's no debating that point. He's one of the slowest players in baseball. But he tagged and took third on Jones' long fly ball to right, and he...

Catcher Jhonatan Solano is ready to begin his 2011 campaign with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs after spending last season at Double-A Hagerstown. The Colombian-born Solano is making his second appearance with the Chiefs. Solano hit .252 with six homers and 42 RBI in 90 games with the Senators after playing 63 games with Syracuse in 2008. He was a great find for the Nationals in 2006 when he signed as a non-drafted free agent. Now, the 25-year old gets another shot at Triple-A, a promotion...

Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver threw out the first pitch before today's game. He was asked what he thought about that and gave a real honest answer. "I don't want my performance to interfere and I certainly don't want to jinx them. We've gotta get a win today," he said. Weaver said he's impressed with the work of current skipper Buck Showalter. "Unreal. He's going to be a favorite here for a long, long time. Whoever invented the phrase 'Buck's Birds,' that should stick,"...

Jake Arrieta struck out Tigers leadoff hitter Austin Jackson. That's the way to kick off the home opener. Will Rhymes walked after falling behind, 1-2, and he stole second despite a great throw from Matt Wieters. Arrieta retired the next two batters, striking out Miguel Cabrera on a 93 mph fastball and bringing yet another loud ovation from the predominantly orange-clad crowd here at Camden Yards. Before the game, Jason Berken reflected on yesterday's outing at Tropicana Field. Pitching...

The pregame festivities began with a touching video tribute to longtime umpires attendant Ernie Tyler, who passed away Feb. 10. A plaque now hangs outside the Ernie Tyler Umpires' Room. The umpires will wear wrist bands with Tyler's initials. Nice touch. Manager Buck Showalter received a prolonged ovation, which he acknowledged with a tip of his cap. You knew it was coming, and it didn't disappoint. Showalter stood with his arms folded while a highlight video played on the big screen,...

* The O's are opening their 58th home season today and are 37-20 all-time in the home opener. They are 4-0 when that first home game comes against the Tigers with the most recent win, by a 6-2 score on April 9, 2007. The Birds have won eight of their last 10 home-opening games. * The O's rank 11th in the AL with a team batting average of .222, first in ERA at 1.00 and tied for second with a team fielding percentage of .991. They lead the AL in starters ERA at 0.45. * Brian Roberts is the...

It's taking every ounce of discipline for me to avoid starting each blog entry with a Florida dateline. I'm back in Baltimore, right? Here are some comments from manager Buck Showalter: On how much he's thought about this day: "Certainly you give it some thought. We were so busy on the plane preparing for Detroit. I think this time of year it's such a whirlwind, it's tough to slow down a little bit and take in a moment. But I'm pretty good at that, so I will. The rest of them are just...