The best question of the day - and I know it's early, so the voting isn't complete - came from the fan who asked, "At what point do the O's become lovable?" They might lean more toward the frustrating side right now. Or the infuriating side. Perhaps something stronger. Last night's loss bled into so many others. The offense mostly sputtered, a key play wasn't made in the field, a good start was wasted, the bullpen collapsed late. I've seen this movie more times than...

Well, it's official. The Orioles have now lost more games when leading after eight innings in just 67 games this year then they did in all 162 games last year. They are 14-5 this season when leading after eight in blowing tonight's 2-1 lead heading to the last of the ninth. Last year, they were 55-4 when leading after eight. The Orioles have the worst save percentage in the AL now at 47.8 percent. They have saved 11 games in 23 chances. Only four teams in the league are under 68...

Alfredo Simon was supposed to be the closer when he came off the disabled list. That's what we were told. Maybe not in his first appearance, but the ones afterward. David Hernandez changed that line of thinking with two saves - both in games that Jake Arrieta started. It looked like the right time to audition him. Interim manager Juan Samuel called upon Hernandez tonight after the Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth. Simon struck out both batters he faced to end the eighth, but...

While MASN went to a commercial during the eighth-inning pitching change, I looked up Adrian Gonzalez's career numbers against left-hander Will Ohman. Then I cringed: 5-for-11, two doubles, one home run, three RBIs. Interim manager Juan Samuel wanted the lefty-lefty matchup, ignoring the stats that went along with it - including how Gonzalez was hitting .315 against southpaws before tonight, and how he was 2-for-2 against Brian Matusz. Ohman walked Gonzalez and came out of the...

Brian Matusz held the Padres to one run over six innings tonight, but he won't get the long-awaited victory. Not with the Orioles scoring only one run. Matusz allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four. His biggest sin was running up his pitch count again - 114 before interim manager Juan Samuel lifted him for a pinch-hitter - and not hitting a few home runs to support his own cause. Somebody has to take care of him. Matusz has allowed four earned runs in his last 14 innings and...

Playing in a National League ballpark has its advantages. It comes with National League rules. Padres pitcher Wade LeBlanc stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth inning. There's no stopping him because there's no designated hitter. LeBlanc popped up a bunt on a safety squeeze and David Eckstein popped up after taking a full cut. End of rally. Credit shortstop Cesar Izturis for preserving the 1-0 lead with a diving stop of Aaron Cunningham's ground...

It should come as no suprise that of the seven pitchers in the AL getting the worst run support, three start for the Orioles. Here are the seven getting the worst support in the league. This is for the run support average over nine innings. 2.38 - Kevin Millwood, O's 2.56 - Dallas Braden, Oak 2.93 - Zack Greinke, KC 3.02 - Ben Sheets, Oak 3.24 - Gavin Floyd, CWS 3.28 - Jeremy Guthrie, O's 3.36 - Brian Matusz, O's The O's starting pitching ERA this year is now up to 5.11. On May 19 it...

Nationals starter J.D. Martin (0-2, 4.19) given the task today to snap the team's 4-game losing skid fresh off one of his toughest outings of the season. Martin went 7 and 2/3rds at Cleveland last Saturday night, but got roughed up in the second inning, allowing four runs off five hits, including a two-run double by Carlos Santana. "When I get in trouble in games is just when I am missing my spots and eaving the ball up. So I need to focus on keeping the ball down and locating my...

Ozzie Guillen, the outspoken manager of the Chicago White Sox, held nothing back while praising Nationals' phenom Stephen Strasburg following Friday night's game. Though his team managed to take a run from Strasburg early, their bats fell silent for the next nine innings. Through seven of those innings, Strasburg allowed just that one run and struck out 10. Perhaps even more impressive, he threw only 85 pitches. "You don't see kids, no matter how good of stuff you have, to have that...

Despite Chicago's 2-1 win over the Nationals in 11 innings, Stephen Strasburg continues to make his changes to the record books. Strasburg surpassed former Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard for most strikeouts in his first three games in the big leagues when he struck out Alexei Ramirez in the fifth inning. Richard's record was 29 in 1971. It was Strasburg's 30th strikeout in a span of 17 innings. It was also Strasburg's 8th strikeout in the game. Officially through three starts,...