I knew that Mike Gonzalez left the team to be present for the birth of his daughter in Arizona. I didn't know he took most of the city with him. You probably can't blame last night's record-low attendance entirely on the Orioles' lousy start. Monday night games against the Rays aren't a big draw. But it's still painful.

Brian Matusz takes the ball tonight, and I'm asking him again to behave like a veteran anchor of the pitching staff and end this skid. No pressure, kid. Matusz guaranteed that he wouldn't lose his last start at Tropicana Field, and he was right, but he'll say the exact same thing every time. Matusz always thinks he's going to win. If he makes 30 starts, he'll make 30 promises. Bring it. I'm racing out the door to drive my daughter to school and head to Camden Yards. The game doesn't start until 7:05 p.m., but I'm required to be there today at 8 a.m. Top-secret mission. Actually, I'm working with Rick Kranitz in the bullpen. He's detected a flaw in my blogging mechanics. I keep flying off my chair. And my arm slot is way off.