Brian Matusz could not follow up his winning Major League debut at Detroit with another strong outing. Matusz got rocked for three homers today as his outing lasted just 2 2/3 innings as Toronto beat the Birds, 7-3, to win the series, two games to one. Kevin Millar hit a solo homer in the second while Vernon Wells and Marco Scutaro hit two-run shots in the third off the 22-year-old left hander. Matusz allowed five runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings to fall to 1-1 on the year. Brian Matusz...

Jeremy Guthrie certainly gave the Orioles a solid start tonight. After giving up 17 ER in 20 2/3 in spring games, he pitched quite well at the Trop. His pitches looked to have good movement and he seemed to mix some good changeups in as well. For now, he may have silenced a nervous fan base. He was good from the start, allowing just one hit and throwing only 37 pitches in the first three innings. He gave up three runs over the 4th and 5th frames. Too bad for him, Evan Longoria's drive...

Roy Halladay today became a career 20-game winner vs. the Orioles. In eight innings he gave up nine hits and three runs (two earned) with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw 107 pitches, 79 strikes. He is 12-5, 2.73 on the year. Halladay improved to 2-0, 3.13 in three starts on the year vs. the O's and 20-4, 2.89 in 31 games, 27 career starts vs. Baltimore covering 193 innings. Halladay won for just the second time in his last nine starts and Toronto is now 12-10 in his 22 starts in...

He never seemed to be atop anyone's top prospects list. He never blew up anyone's radar gun. But Steve Johnson just kept getting outs, impressing his coaches and just kept moving up the Minor League ladder. Just a few weeks ago, the Dodgers promoted him to Double-A Chatanooga and just days after that, Johnson got traded to the Orioles with Josh Bell for George Sherrill. Now the kid from St. Paul's School, the Baltimore native whose dad played for the Orioles and now broadcasts for the...

Game Preview Oakland (49-62) at Orioles (46-65) Home after a seven-game road trip where they went only 2 and 5, the Orioles look for more victories as they begin a seven-game homestand tonight vs. Oakland. The Orioles are 28-26 at home this year. After they play three with Oakland, the stand continues with a four-game series vs. the Los Angeles Angels. Here are the pitching matchups for the Oakland series: Mon, 7:05p - Jeremy Guthrie (7-11, 5.28) v. Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 6.31) Tues, 7:05p -...

Brian Matusz says a combination of less than stellar command, nerves and spending too much time focusing on the hitter rather than his own game, all led to his short outing on Sunday at Toronto. Matusz gave up seven hits and five runs, three homers, in just 2 2/3 innings vs. the Blue Jays. "I've learned a lot, a lot about myself. I know what my strengths are," the 22-year-old lefty said. "Yesterday, I didn't pitch to my strengths. We went over the scouting report before the game and...

RHP Jeremy Guthrie (7-11, 5.28) tonight will make his 23rd start of the year, his 12th at home and the 5th of his career vs. Oakland. Guthrie is coming off a decent outing, but still took the loss on Wednesday night at Detroit. In 7 1/3 innings he gave up six hits and three runs, throwing 109 pitches. In four second-half starts, Guthrie is 1-3, 5.02. The right-hander leads the AL in home runs allowed with 27. He has given up at least one homer in 17 of 22 starts and has allowed ten homers...

He gave up so many runs in the first two innings of his starts this year, he'd fix the problem. Because it has been a season-long issue for him. Coming into tonight, where he allowed two runs in the second to Oakland, Guthrie had given up 36 runs in the first two innings of his starts and 46 in all other innings. That's 43.9 percent of his runs allowed in those two innings. Last year, he gave up 109 runs all year and 27 came in the first two innings. That's 24.7 percent. That still...

It was raining hits on Jeremy Guthrie earlier. Soon, it should just be raining. The wind is whipping up big time at the Yard and the radar says the rain is cloisng in. Good times all around.

Okay, the rain delay is now here. During this delay, please send in some O's questions and I'll try to answer them. Any O's topic, Major or Minors. Sends those questions on this blog. I'll answer a few more here during the game, but we are back to baseball. Thanks for all the questions!