Oakland 6, Orioles 1
Manager Dave Trembley doesn't seem overly concerned about Brian Matusz, who's allowed four first-inning runs in back-to-back starts and fell to 2-5 with a 5.76 ERA.
"I think it's a combination of him pitching in the middle of the plate, the ball up, and he's not getting his two-seamer across," Trembley said. "He's throwing a lot of four-seamers and he likes to pitch in to right-handed hitters with his four-seamer. I think we saw that last year when he came up, especially the first time...
O's lefty Brian Matusz struggled for the third time in his last four starts as the Oakland A's beat the Birds 6-1 Wednesday night to even the series at a win each.
Matusz allowed six runs and eight hits over five innings to fall to 2-5, 5.76. He gave up four runs in the first inning, three on an Adam Rosales homer. He had retired 10 in a row before giving up three straight hits to begin the sixth.
Matusz has allowed 13 ER over 7 1/3 innings over his last two starts. In the last four...
Frank Mata's major league debut lasted 1 1/3 innings. He allowed an infield hit and issued a walk to consecutive batters before Matt Albers replaced him in the seventh.
Mata would have been charged with two runs while sitting on the bench if Nick Markakis didn't make a spectacular diving catch to rob Kevin Kouzmanoff. The ball would still be rattling around the warning track.
Mata's fastball was clocked in the 93-96 mph range. He also mixed in a splitter.
The first two outs he recorded...
Two days in a row now, O's manager Dave Trembley has taken time during his pre-game media session with reporters to mention outfielder Kieron Pope, who just joined the Delmarva Shorebirds team a few days ago.
Pope, the O's fourth-round pick out of a Georgia High School in 2005, has come back from a major injury.
He missed all of last year with a broken right femur, an injury that occurred right before the start of the season.
He has overcome a lot to get back to the minors including three...
Frank Mata made his major league debut in the sixth inning after Brian Matusz failed to retire any of the three batters he faced and allowed another run.
Mata, 26, entered with runners on first and second, no outs and the Orioles behind, 6-1. He fell behind, 2-0, to Jake Fox, who swung at a 93 mph fastball and flied to the edge of the warning track in left. Mark Ellis, batting with runners on second and third, lined a 96 mph to center, and Adam Jones' throw cut down Ryan Sweeney at the...
Left-hander Rick Zagone, a sixth-round pick in the 2008 draft out of Missouri, went the distance today for Single-A Frederick in a 4-1 win over Wilmington.
Zagone (2-5, 3.59 ERA) allowed one run and five hits over nine innings, with two walks and five strikeouts.
Third baseman Buck Britton went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs.
Double-A Bowie left-hander Zach Britton has shut out Harrisburg through five innings, and the Baysox lead, 1-0.
Britton has allowed four hits, walked one...
It happened tonight on a 1-2 pitch in the bottom of the third inning.
Garrett Atkins hit his first home run as an Oriole.
Atkins was one at-bat shy of tying his career-long homerless drought of 146 when he gave Oakland's Trevor Cahill a smackdown. He also collected his fifth hit in his last 37 at-bats over 14 games.
I'm sure Atkins won't request that the Orioles retrieve the ball, which traveled 374 feet, but he should have pimped it at the plate.
Flip the bat like Reggie. Strike a pose...
What's going on with Brian Matusz?
Matusz has fallen behind, 4-0, in the first inning, the last three runs scoring on Adam Rosales' homer. Rosales crushed a 92 mph fastball that hung over the plate and begged to be hit.
The inning finally ended when shortstop Cesar Izturis made a diving stop and throw to rob Jake Fox. Matusz retreated to the dugout after allowing three hits, walking one and throwing 26 pitches. His ERA's grown to 5.86.
That's 11 runs, 11 hits and three homers off Matusz...
Orioles reliever Mike Gonzalez hasn't been completely ruled out for a June 9 return, the date he's eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list, but he'll probably need to wait a little longer.
Gonzalez has been advised to gear himself toward a return the following week, when the Orioles play road interleague games in San Francisco and San Diego. The West Coast opener is June 14, and the Orioles don't return home until June 22.
The Giants and Padres lineups won't include a designated...
The Orioles are likely to play again tonight without one of their hottest hitters.
Luke Scott, who suffered a left shoulder strain in Sunday's game at Washington, missed Tuesday's game and is not in tonight's starting lineup.
But he said the injury is progressing.
"Better. I just took some dry swings (swinging but not at live pitching or BP pitching). I didn't take anything off the tee. Talked to (trainer) Richie (Bancells) and he said we're just going to give it another complete...
After a bout with pneumonia and two nights in a hospital, O's second baseman Brian Roberts has resumed light baseball activities.
He will head to Sarasota, Florida on Friday to continue his rehab. He still fully intends to return this season but admits now that the date of June 9th, when he can return from the disabled list, might be a little optimistic for his return to the Orioles at this point.
He said he cannot be certain when he will return to a Major League field, but remains...