Jose Bautista just homered into the Orioles' bullpen with two outs in the first inning, giving the Blue Jays a quick lead. Bautista has tied the Blue Jays' single-season record of 47 homers, originally set by George Bell in 1987. And I still can't wrap my head around it. Jose Bautista? Really? If he still played for the Orioles, he'd be a nugget. Brad Bergesen got ahead of Bautista, 0-1, with a 92 mph fastball. He threw another 92 mph fastball and almost wiped out a few...

Luke Scott had no idea that he was starting at first base until heading for the field to take batting practice. He took a quick glance at the lineup as he passed manager Buck Showalter's office and said, "Wow, I'm 3." That number indicates first base. He's used to seeing the letters DH. Scott dropped his bat and raced back to his locker to exchange his glove for a first baseman's mitt. Showalter wanted to check out Scott at first base, but he also wanted to get Corey Patterson in the...

Brian Matusz says the inflammation is down in his left arm and he's only dealing with a slight bruise. He played long toss with Jeremy Guthrie and is ready to take his normal turn in the rotation. It's up to manager Buck Showalter whether Matusz makes his next start on Monday in Fenway Park, but the rookie says he's physically fit. "I felt good and that's the most important thing," he said. "I'll get back on my current routine." That includes throwing a bullpen session on Friday to...

His father made his first-ever Major League start in Baltimore and Kyle Drabek will do the same tonight, pitching for Toronto vs. the Orioles. After pitching four times in relief, former Cy Young winner Doug Drabek, who was an Oriole himself in 1998, made his first career start for the Yankees at Memorial Stadium on June 15, 1986. This will be the younger Drabek's Major League debut. The 22-year-old Drabek was the Eastern League pitcher of the year this season, going 14-9, 2.94 over 27...

Whether Jake Arrieta makes his next start depends on a couple of factors, according to manager Buck Showalter. Showalter will monitor the rookie's workout days and wait until Brian Matusz's next start becomes official. Matusz is playing catch today to test his left arm, which is sporting a bruise after being hit by a line drive. "Try to get a feel for where Brian would go back in," Showalter said. "It could affect Jake a little bit." Arrieta's next turn would fall on Tuesday in...

Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 3B Luke Scott 1B Felix Pie LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Corey Patterson DH Cesar Izturis SS Brad Bergesen RHP

We'll have to wait on the Orioles lineup again because of Brian Roberts' uncertain status. Jake Arrieta is still waiting to find out whether he'll make his next start. He expects manager Buck Showalter to broach the subject during batting practice or right before the game. At this point, it appears that Showalter is leaning toward shutting him down. Brian Matusz says his arm feels good and he's heading outdoors to play catch. Here's the Blue Jays lineup: Wise RF Escobar SS Bautista...

part of a 12-part project on the effects the Orioles' decline has had on Baltimore http://bmore.jschool.umd.edu/summer11/

My entry this morning that included the box score from the forfeited game in Toronto 33 years ago stirred a minor debate over manager Earl Weaver's actual beef with the umpiring crew. I didn't recall every detail and relied on baseball-reference.com's explanation before taking advantage of a job perk and placing a few calls. "I remember that the issue was a tarp down in the bullpen," said center fielder Al Bumbry, who doubled in that game and was the only Oriole with three at-bats...

July 20 was not a day that Jamar Walton likes to remember. It was the day the Kansas City Royals released the outfielder from Advanced-A Wilmington. The former fourth-round selection had struggled to a .200 batting average in 59 games with the Blue Rocks. Then in mid-August the Nationals were in need of outfield depth. Chris Curran, Nick Moresi and Edgardo Baez had all helped out in the outfield. Walton added another clutch bat and strong defense to keep the P-Nats rolling. The 6'4",...