Notes on Norris, rotation, Gausman, Wieters and more

Notes on Norris, rotation, Gausman, Wieters and more
Bud Norris remains scheduled to start Wednesday at Double-A Bowie while continuing his injury rehab assignment. Norris was a candidate to start one of the games in Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox, but the Orioles want him to remain on his assignment. Norris allowed nine runs and 12 hits over 2 2/3 innings in Friday's game at Triple-A Norfolk. Norris, recovering from bronchitis, said he's feeling much better after losing about 14 pounds. He's never been this sick before and was...

Matusz receives eight-game suspension, will appeal

Matusz receives eight-game suspension, will appeal
Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz has received an eight-game suspension from Major League Baseball for having a foreign substance on his right arm in the 12th inning of Saturday night's game against the Marlins in Miami. The ban was announced this morning by Joe Garagiola, senior vice president of standards and on-field operations for Major League Baseball. The suspension was scheduled to begin this afternoon, when the Orioles open a three-game home series against the Astros, However, Matusz...

Showalter on Matusz ejection and today's roster move

Showalter on Matusz ejection and today's roster move
MIAMI - The commissioner's office is closed today and left-hander Brian Matusz, facing a suspension following last night's ejection, remains in the Orioles bullpen. That's just the tip of the pregame notes iceberg. Matusz figures to be suspended after umpires tossed him for having an illegal substance on his right forearm. He also figures to appeal the suspension, which most likely would be eight games. Manager Buck Showalter alluded to the substance while opening his session with reporters...

Looking back and ahead

Looking back and ahead
MIAMI - The Orioles were discussing late last night whether to rush a pitcher from Triple-A Norfolk to Marlins Park for today's series finale. They're fortunate that Oliver Drake ate up three innings in his major league debut, but he doesn't figure to be available for the next few days. And who knows what's happening to Brian Matusz, who was ejected for having a sticky substance on his right arm and could be facing a suspension? Marlins manager Dan Jennings probably should avoid swinging by...

Wrapping up a 1-0 13-inning loss and Matusz's ejection

Wrapping up a 1-0 13-inning loss and Matusz's ejection
MIAMI - The Orioles lost a game tonight in 13 innings. They tried their hardest not to collectively lose their cool after returning to the clubhouse. It's obvious that the team is incensed that Marlins manager Dan Jennings asked umpires to check reliever Brian Matusz's right arm with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning of a scoreless game. Matusz was ejected for having an illegal substance on his arm and could be facing a suspension. Matusz declined to talk about it, saying he would...

Tough loss: Prado's single gives Miami a 1-0 win in 13 innings

Tough loss: Prado's single gives Miami a 1-0 win in 13 innings
After two rookies combined for 10 scoreless innings, another pitcher was ejected and both teams had runners thrown out at the plate, the Marlins finally won the game in the bottom of the 13th. With the bases loaded and two outs after the O's intentionally walked Giancarlo Stanton with runners on first and third, Martin Prado singled to right-center off T.J. McFarland and Miami beat the Orioles 1-0. The O's missed a chance to get to .500 and fell to 19-21, while Miami ended an eight-game...

Matusz ejected in 12th inning (O's lose 1-0 in 13th)

Matusz ejected in 12th inning (O's lose 1-0 in 13th)
MIAMI - Orioles reliever Brian Matusz was ejected from tonight's game against the Marlins with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning after umpires appeared to check his right arm. The assumption is Matusz was tossed for having an illegal substance on his arm. Matusz retired the first two Marlins after replacing Oliver Drake, who worked three scoreless innings in his major league debut. Dan Jennings, in his sixth game as Miami's manager after moving down from the front office, asked...

Showalter: "It may not look aesthetically pleasing, but you end up with a W"

Showalter: "It may not look aesthetically pleasing, but you end up with a W"
The Orioles were a man short and almost went through their entire bullpen today, but they managed to take the series with a rain-delayed 5-4 win over the Mariners at Camden Yards. Infielder Rey Navarro had a tooth extracted and wasn't available. Manager Buck Showalter said the club will discuss whether to bring up a pitcher after using six relievers behind starter Chris Tillman, who was done after three innings because of the 2 hour, 5 minute rain delay. Tillman had no shot at returning after...

Domenic Vadala: With Wright, Orioles are doing things the right way

Domenic Vadala: With Wright, Orioles are doing things the right way
For starters, the debut of Mike Wright on Sunday was about as awe-inspiring as a debut can be. Seriously, I can't imagine what must have been going through his mind walking off the mound in the 8th inning to a standing ovation like he did. And he indicated as much after the game, saying that you really couldn't draw it up any better than that. However, Buck Showalter said something that piqued my interest in his postgame press conference on Sunday afternoon. He said that in Wright's case,...

Pregame notes on Cabrera, Flaherty, Garcia and more

Pregame notes on Cabrera, Flaherty, Garcia and more
Infielder Everth Cabrera will join Triple-A Norfolk on Friday in Indianapolis to begin his injury rehab assignment. Cabrera, on the disabled list with a bruised left foot, ran the bases earlier today. Infielder Ryan Flaherty, on the disabled list with a strained right groin, received a platelet-rich plasma injection today. Flaherty will report to Sarasota in a few days to rehab his injury. Wesley Wright threw off a mound today in Sarasota and the reports on him were positive. Wright is on the...

Odds and ends following a weekend series in St. Petersburg

Odds and ends following a weekend series in St. Petersburg
The Orioles are back home today, and not in the dome sense of the word. They're really home until later this afternoon, when they board a train to New York. Coming up are two games against the Mets followed by four against the Yankees. They don't return to Camden Yards until May 11 against the Blue Jays. The Orioles are preparing for their first interleague series. They should be excited just to get out of the American League East. The most positive development at Tropicana Field involved a...

Zach Britton on wild ninth inning and bullpen's big outs

Zach Britton on wild ninth inning and bullpen's big outs
If it is possible to pitch well while suffering a blown save, Orioles lefty Zach Britton did that in the top of the ninth last night vs. the Red Sox. He kept the game tied at 3-3 after it seemed several things went against him. He gave up two hits and one run as a 3-2 O's lead turned into a 3-3 tie, but the potential was there for Boston to score much more than that. Britton did walk the leadoff batter he faced, but then two infield hits and an error on Manny Machado followed. If Machado...

Bud Norris exits early as Toronto routs Orioles in series opener

Bud Norris exits early as Toronto routs Orioles in series opener
Well, this was no way to start a series against an American League East rival. Bud Norris struggled again and the Orioles defense was shaky again. Late in the game, some tempers flared between these teams yet again. Toronto scored six runs in the second inning and knocked out Norris in the third in a 13-6 blowout of the Orioles at Rogers Centre. In the big inning for Toronto, right fielder Travis Snider committed an error and missed the cutoff man on a throw. Caleb Joseph made a throwing error....

About tonight's game ... (O's lose 13-6)

About tonight's game ... (O's lose 13-6)
The Orioles should have known that they'd be in for a rough game tonight when Jimmy Paredes was hit on the right side of the face during batting practice, a grounder from Steve Pearce taking a bad hop at third base. Paredes is fine. The Orioles... not so much. Bud Norris was charged with nine runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings, with three walks, two strikeouts and a home run. His ERA ballooned to 17.42 in three starts this season. Norris was 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in five starts against the Blue...

On frustrating night, more than ejection led to tough loss

On frustrating night, more than ejection led to tough loss
It was a tough and frustrating night for the Orioles and their fans. But in the end, the O's also contributed to their own demise last night. Orioles pitchers walked seven, including the eventual winning run when Brian Matusz issued a four-pitch free pass to start the bottom of the ninth. The Orioles went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, including Chris Davis hitting into a double play with two on in the fourth and Manny Machado chasing a third strike with two on in the sixth. The...

Tough night: Jimenez ejected and O's lose 3-2 at Boston in ninth

Tough night: Jimenez ejected and O's lose 3-2 at Boston in ninth
The first night of a seven-game road trip turned into nothing but frustration for the Orioles. Their starting pitcher was ejected. They were held to two runs. They had just one hit after the fifth inning. They lost in walk-off fashion. Xander Bogaerts' bloop RBI single to right off Tommy Hunter with one out in the ninth gave Boston a 3-2 win over the Orioles in the opener of a four-game series. Brian Matusz took the mound for the ninth with the game tied 2-2, and walked leadoff batter Mike...

Showalter speaks after 10-7 loss

Showalter speaks after 10-7 loss
The Orioles scored 19 runs in three games against the Blue Jays and lost twice. Trying to outslug the Jays may be a bad idea. The Orioles are 0-2 in series finales after going 32-21 last season. Chris Tillman snapped a streak of four consecutive decision wins at Camden Yards over eight starts. The Orioles went 8-0 in those games and outscored opponents 39-12. Tillman's 2 2/3 innings today tied his second-shortest outing at home. It was his shortest start at Camden Yards since Aug. 11, 2011...

Travis Snider atones for miscue (O's lose 10-7)

Travis Snider atones for miscue (O's lose 10-7)
Travis Snider let three runs score today on his error in the third inning, and he got them back with his home run in the fifth. Have I mentioned that baseball is a funny game? Snider drove a Drew Hutchison fastball over the fence in left-center field after Steve Pearce singled and Adam Jones was hit by a pitch, reducing the Blue Jays' lead to 8-7. The error came when Snider misplayed Devon Travis' line drive in the third, just as it appeared that starter Chris Tillman would escape a...

Looking ahead to roster deadline and back at various spring performances

Looking ahead to roster deadline and back at various spring performances
SARASOTA, Fla. - The countdown continues until the Orioles must set their 25-man roster for opening day. I'm checking out of my hotel later this morning and heading to St. Petersburg. The Orioles are conducting a workout at Tropicana Field that's closed to the media, but they're making executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter available in the afternoon to discuss the roster and perhaps a trade. Everything is subject to change with this team, but right now the Orioles...

Brian Matusz: "I'm just excited to have a role here with the Orioles"

Brian Matusz: "I'm just excited to have a role here with the Orioles"
SARASOTA, Fla. - As more players are peeled off the camp roster, left-hander Brian Matusz remains in the clubhouse and the bullpen. Still an Oriole, still a reliever. Matusz, 28, has been the subject of trade rumors and speculation. Scouts have been tracking his appearances all spring, and the Orioles seemed to be showcasing him in two starts. Or maybe they were just letting him work on his changeup. You decide. The Mets were interested, but they acquired two left-handed relievers on Monday and...