After 62 games...

The Orioles fell to 17-45 after tonight's 3-1 loss to the Mets, a game that looked like so many others this season. They wasted a quality start because they didn't hit, going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. And they didn't make a key play on defense that cost them a run. "When you're in a funk those things happen," interim manager Juan Samuel said. "It seems like you don't make the play and it costs you, When things are going right, you don't make the plays and it does not cost you. It's the same as the hitters. When you're in a funk, before you know it, you've got two strikes on you. There's nothing you can do. It's just part of the game."

It's been a huge part of the Orioles' season, which is down to 100 games. As another reporter pointed out, they could go 50-50 the rest of the way and they'll still lose 95 games. As for the key play that wasn't made, Julio Lugo's high throw pulled Ty Wigginton off the bag with two outs in the sixth and allowed the tie-breaking run to score. "We kind of saw him flat-footed around the bag," Samuel said. "I don't know if that caused it or if the runner was right in his face. But again, that's a play we have to make." Brian Matusz lost his seventh straight decision despite allowing three runs over eight innings. "Matusz gave us a very, very good effort," Samuel said. "We couldn't execute on that ground ball back to the pitcher, the double play, and it cost us the ballgame. But the kid had good stuff going. He threw some very, very good changeups. We've just got to continue to grind. Hopefully, this funk that this team has been in, we'll get over it at some point. But I have to applaud him because he didn't want to come out of that game. He wanted to go back out there in the ninth inning. So you have to applaud that kid. He wanted to stay in there. That was very good." Troy Patton update: Patton came out of Triple-A Norfolk's game after 4 1/3 innings because of a rain delay. I didn't know that the weather had caused an interruption.