Norris' ERA and the Orioles fall tonight

I'll continue to insist that I don't possess the powers to jinx anyone or anything, but as soon as I tweeted tonight that the Orioles didn't have a baserunner through the sixth inning against the Royals, Adam Jones singled up the middle to destroy Danny Duffy's bid for a perfect game.

Pure coincidence, but also uncanny.

I take a night off and the Orioles almost became a part of history.

Duffy, making only his third start this season, retired the first 20 batters. It started to get real serious.

And then, I tweeted. That's all it takes these days.

The Orioles fell to 3-5 against left-handed starters this season, and 10-4 in one-run games.

Too bad that the stifled bats and failed ninth inning rally overshadowed a sensational outing by Bud Norris, who held the Royals to one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Norris has totaled 15 innings in his last two starts. Tonight's effort resulted in the rotation's 15th quality start.

Be concerned about the lack of offense or applaud the starting pitcher. It's your choice.

Norris hit Alcides Escobar, but no one left the dugout or bullpen. Norris has hit six batters, two short of his career high set in 2012 with the Astros. He currently is tied for second in the majors, two behind Pittsburgh's Charlie Morton.

He's not doing it on purpose. He just works both sides of the plate and isn't afraid to come inside. It's going to happen.

Norris has won only two of six decisions, but his ERA is down to 3.58. Need further proof that won-loss records are misleading?

Tonight marked the sixth time in the last nine games that a Orioles starter has gone seven innings or more.

Tommy Hunter retired the only batter that he faced in the eighth. It wasn't a save opportunity, but it still qualifies as a pressure situation in a one-run game.

The Orioles are 7-6 in the last game of a series. They're 6-6-1 in series this year.