Game One: Orioles 6, Red Sox 8

RHP Tommy Hunter – 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (5.07 ERA) – Hunter just can’t get past most teams lineup more than one time with any success. He’ll make a good long man out of the bullpen when Zach Britton returns in the beginning of June.
RF Nick Markakis – 1-3, R, RBI, BB (.259 AVG)
C Matt Wieters – 1-3, RBI, BB (.245 AVG)
1B Chris Davis – 2-4, solo HR (6) (.299 AVG)
DH Nick Johnson – 1-3, R, BB (.183 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 4, Red Sox 1

LHP Brian Matusz – 6.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 9 K, W (4-4) (4.86 ERA) – Matusz was fantastic, the best hes looked since 2010. He tied his career high in strikeouts. His confidence seems to build with each start and that can only mean good things going forward.
RF Nick Markakis – 2-4 (.264 AVG)
1B Wilson Betemit – 1-3, BB, 2 Run HR (7) (.223 AVG) – Betemit added two insurance runs with his homerun in the 8th inning.
DH Chris Davis – 1-3, R (.300 AVG)
3B Steve Tolleson – 1-3, BB, 2 Run HR (1) (.313 AVG) – Tolleson’s second career homerun gave the O’s a lead they would never relinquish. Hes been good in the spot starts hes gotten since being called up.

Game Three: Orioles 5, Red Sox 6

RHP Jake Arrieta – 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, L (2-5) (4.87 ERA) – Back to the bad Arrieta today. He needs to become at least a little more consistent or he’ll be looking at an eventual move to the bullpen.
LF Xavier Avery – 2-5, R, double (4), SB (2) (.273 AVG)
CF Adam Jones – 2-3, BB, double (9) (.311 AVG)
DH Nick Johnson – 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 HR (4) (.206 AVG) – Johnson has been fantastic in May after being atrocious in April.

Game One: Orioles 2, Nationals 1

Jake Arrieta – 7 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 9 K (4.72 ERA) – The good Arrieta showed up in this game. Seems like hes either borderline dominant or all over the place.
LF Xavier Avery – 2-4, R, BB (.280 AVG)
RF Nick Markakis – 2-5, double (9), solo HR (7) (.258 AVG) – Markakis hit the game winning homerun in the 11th inning.
CF Adam Jones – 2-5, RBI (.299 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 6, Nationals 5

RHP Jason Hammel – 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (5-1) (3.12 ERA) – Since having the knee issue, Hammel seems to be tiring around the 5th inning on. Probably isn’t doing cardio between starts to take it easy on the knee.
2B Robert Andino – 2-5, R, 2 RBI, double (5) (.269 AVG)
SS JJ Hardy – 2-4, triple (1) (.259 AVG)
RF Nick Markakis – 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (8) (.258 AVG) – A power surge from Markakis would be great for the Orioles. Gives hope he can get back to 2008 levels with the bat.
CF Adam Jones – 3-4, 2 Run HR (14) (.310 AVG) – Jones continues his MVP caliber season, hitting for more power than he ever has in his career.
LF Xavier Avery – 1-3, R, BB, double (3) (.286 AVG)

Game Three: Orioles 3, Nationals 9

LHP Wei-Yin Chen – 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, L (4-1) (3.35 ERA) – Chen said he never got comfortable with the mound in DC. It was the first legitimately bad start of his career. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts.
LF Xavier Avery – 2-4, R, RBI, SB (1) (.313 AVG) – Avery has come up from AAA Norfolk and looked great. Both his hits were against Stephen Strasburg and he just looks poised out there in all aspects of the game as a 22 year old. Hes been impressive, I hope he can keep it up.
1B Chris Davis – 2-4, R (.293 AVG)

Game One: Orioles 4, Royals 3

- The Orioles keep winning games that they have no business winning. I can’t ever remember feeling so comfortable with a short lead or when we’re down a couple runs late in games. The Orioles were losing 3-1 entering the 9th inning and tied it up with a solo homerun from Wilson Betemit and an RBI single from JJ Hardy after Chris Davis and Xavier Avery each singled. It wasn’t until the 15th inning when the tie was broken with Adam Jones’ 12th homerun of the season. Nick Markakis doubled in a run in the 8th and also singled. Hardy would add a single, double, and a walk to his game tying hit. Nick Johnson doubled and walked.
- Tommy Hunter did a great job conserving pitches and pitching around the zone. He gave up two runs but was able to go seven innings. Troy Patton pitched a scoreless 8th and Darren O’Day a scoreless 9th. Dana Eveland came through with three clutch scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg continues to defy the odds adding two scoreless innings of his own. Jim Johnson continued his perfection in save situations with a scoreless 15th.

Player of the game: JJ Hardy – 3-6, R, RBI, BB, double (10) (.261 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 5, Royals 3

- If it wasn’t for Josh Hamilton I think Adam Jones would be the front runner for AL MVP at this point. He hit another homerun in game two, a two run shot, and also walked. He leads the team in average, homeruns, RBI, and stolen bases. He had some help in the game as JJ Hardy stayed hot with a two RBI single to give us the lead. Chris Davis singled three times in the game, Nick Markakis singled twice. Wilson Betemit singled. Xavier Avery and Luis Exposito each walked.
- Brian Matusz gave up three runs in the 3rd inning and it looked like he might be having one of his bad starts but he was able to only allow those three runs over six innings. Him and Jake Arrieta have pretty similar stats at this point of the season except Matusz has been much more consistent. We just need him to take the next step and get more confidence. Luis Ayala, Pedro Strop, and Jim Johnson each pitched a scoreless inning. Johnson earned his 14th save of the season in as many chances.

Player of the game: Adam Jones – 1-3, BB, 2 Run HR (13) (.296 AVG)

Game One: Orioles 5, Yankees 8

- Jason Hammel made his first start in a while since his knee was bothering him. You could tell he was a little rusty as he gave up five runs (four earned) over five innings. He walked three and gave up seven hits while striking out three. Luis Ayala wasn’t on his A game either giving up two runs over the 6th and 7th innings. Dana Eveland came in out of the bullpen after making a spot start against the Rays and gave up a run over 1.2 innings. Darren O’Day struck out the only batter he faced in the 9th.
- Xavier Avery had a game of firsts. He got his first hit, hitting a double in the bottom of the 1st inning. He scored his first run when JJ Hardy singled him in. He also drove in his first run later in the game when he tripled in Robert Andino. Hardy also hit a two run homer in the 5th. Adam Jones singled and doubled and drove in a run. Matt Wieters singled and walked, as did Andino. Nick Markakis and Wilson Betemit each singled. Nick Johnson walked twice.

Player of the game: JJ Hardy – 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (9) (.245 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 5, Yankees 2

- Wei-Yin Chen was great yet again, holding the Yankees to two runs over seven innings. It was his second go round against New York, making it all the more impressive. Pedro Strop walked the first two batters he faced in the 8th but got out of it, ending the inning with a double play. Jim Johnson also got a double play in the 9th, to end the game and give him his 12th save of the season. It was his 20th consecutive save in as many chances.
- Adam Jones hit a solo homerun in the 2nd inning. He also singled, walked, stole a base, aand scored on a wild pitch. JJ Hardy drove in two runs with a single and a double. Steve Tolleson also singled and doubled in the game. Xavier Avery worked the first walk of his career and he also had a clutch bunt base hit. Matt Wieters doubled and Robert Andino singled. Wilson Betemit and Bill Hall each walked. The Orioles gave CC Sabathia his first loss of the season.

Player of the game: Wei-Yin Chen – 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (4-0) (2.45 ERA)

Game One: Orioles 4, Rays 3

- Dana Eveland got called up from AAA Norfolk to start game one of the series. He was wild, walking six batters, but he managed to get through six innings only allowing three runs. Darren O’Day, Pedro Strop, and Jim Johnson combined to pitch three perfect innings to close it out. Johnson recorded his 10th save of the season.
- The offense again relied on the long ball. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis each hit solo shots and Nick Johnson of all people hit the game winning two run homer in the bottom of the 7th inning. He also singled and walked. Markakis also singled in the game. Wilson Betemit and Chris Davis each singled. Robert Andino walked.

Player of the game: Nick Johnson – 2-2, BB, 2 Run HR (1) (.163 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 5, Rays 3

- Brian Matusz looked great before tiring in the 6th inning. He gave up two runs (both in the 6th) over 5.2 innings with five strikeouts. Luis Ayala pitched a perfect 1.1 innings, Pedro Strop tossed a perfect 8th inning, and Jim Johnson earned his 11th save with a perfect 9th.
- The Rays defense might’ve been more responsible for the Orioles offense than our hitters were. They committed five errors in the game. Adam Jones drove in two runs with two singles, Steve Tolleson drove in a run on a double, and Bill Hall hit a solo homerun for an insurance run in the 8th inning. Hall also walked after being called up from AAA Norfolk. Robert Andino and JJ Hardy each singled. Nick Markakis walked twice. Matt Wieters and Wilson Betemit each also walked in the game.

Player of the game: Adam Jones – 2-4, R, 2 RBI (.294 AVG)

Game Three: Orioles 8, Rays 9

- Jake Arrieta struggled mightily in this game against a weak Tampa Bay offense. He gave up seven runs on ten hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 3.2 innings. He just had nothing going and was up in the zone all day. Kevin Gregg finished the 4th and pitched a scoreless 5th inning. Troy Patton was great, striking out six batters over three innings. Unfortunately that third inning was pushing it and he gave up back to back solo homeruns. It was the longest outing of the season for Patton and Buck Showalter got a little greedy trying to save some of the bullpen. Darren O’Day pitched a perfect 9th.
- The Orioles were down 7-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning and almost pulled off an epic comeback. Nick Markakis doubled in a run and then scored on Matt Wieters’two run homer. Markakis doubled again in the 7th, scoring two more runs. Nick Johnson hit a solo homerun in the 8th and a run scored in the 9th after an error following Adam Jones’single. Wieters hit a hard ground ball down the third base line but the third baseman made a tough play to end the game. Chris Davis had an RBI single in the 2nd inning. Xavier Avery made his major league debut after being called up from AAA Norfolk but went 0-4.

Player of the game: Nick Markakis – 2-4, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 doubles (7) (.254 AVG)

Game One: Orioles 3, Rangers 14

- The Orioles added two pitchers from AAA Norfolk before the game because of how taxed the bullpen was after the Red Sox series. Tommy Hunter and Ronny Paulino were sent down and Stu Pomeranz and Jason Berken got called up. Brian Matusz needed to last deep in the game but was unable to do so, giving up seven runs over five innings. Pomeranz made his major league debut and looked very promising tossing three scoreless innings, striking up two batters. Berken pitched the 9th and gave up seven runs (two earned). He was sent back down to Norfolk after the game in favor of lefty Zach Phillips.
- As what seems to often be the case, all of the O’s runs came via homerun. Robert Andino hit a solo shot in the 6th inning and Wilson Betemit hit a two run bomb in the 7th. JJ Hardy stayed hot with three more hits including his 6th double. Matt Wieters singled and Mark Reynolds walked for the only other base runners in the game.

Player of the game: JJ Hardy – 3-4, double (6) (.235 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 3, Rangers 10

- Josh Hamilton simply owned Orioles pitching and single handedly beat us in this game. He hit a homerun in the previous game and crushed four more in this one. He also doubled. Hes only the 14th player to hit four homeruns in a single game and he broke the american league record for total bases with 18. Jake Arrieta was the first Oriole pitcher to feel Hamilton’s wrath. He gave up six runs over 6.1 innings with three strikeouts. Zach Phillips was next, giving up two runs before finishing the 7th. Darren O’Day was last giving up two runs in the 8th. Troy Patton pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
- The offense continued hitting homeruns, unfortunately both JJ Hardy and Nick Markakis’ were solo shots. Markakis also singled in a run in the 6th inning. Hardy also doubled in the game. Robert Andino singled twice, Matt Wieters singled and walked, Endy Chavez doubled, Adam Jones walked, Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds each singled.

Player of the game: Nick Markakis – 3-5, R, 2 RBI, HR (4) (.246 AVG)

Game Three: Orioles 6, Rangers 5

- Wednesday’s game was rained out so there was a doubleheader Thursday. The Orioles won the first half in a very odd game. The offense opened the game with three consecutive homeruns from Ryan Flaherty, JJ Hardy, and Nick Markakis. It was the first time in american league history that its happened, the fourth overall. It was Flaherty’s first career homerun. Odder still was that the O’s only had five hits in the game, all homeruns. Adam Jones hit a solo homer in the 7th inning and Wilson Betemit hit a two run shot a couple batters later after Matt Wieters walked. A Chris Davis hit by pitch was our only other base runner and we struck out 13 times in the game.
- Wei-Yin Chen had the best start of his early major league career, pitching into the 8th inning. He labored through the 3rd and it looked like he would be lucky to make it through six innings but after that he was able to get quick outs and keep his pitch count low. He only walked one batter and struck out five. He was pulled after giving up back to back singles with two outs in the 8th. Luis Ayala came in and got out of the inning but not before a run scored on what should’ve been an error on Betemit but was ruled an infield hit. Hes no better than Reynolds out there. Ayala allowed back to back hits to start the 9th and Jim Johnson was brought on, who promptly gave up a three run homer to make it a one run game. Fortunately he was able to end it after that, recording his ninth save.

Player of the game: Wei-Yin Chen – 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 K, W (3-0) (2.68 ERA)

Game Four: Orioles 3, Rangers 7

- Game two of the double header was a different story as the only way the Orioles could score runs was on Ranger errors. They committed three in the 2nd inning allowing all three of our runs to come in. Wilson Betemit was awarded the only RBI on a sacrifice fly. All five of our hits were singles from Adam Jones, Mark Reynolds, Ryan Flaherty, Steve Tolleson, and Luis Exposito. It was Exposito’s first career hit and Tolleson’s first hit of the season after being called up the day before. Jones and Reynolds also walked, as did JJ Hardy and Nick Markakis twice.
- Tommy Hunter was brought back up from AAA Norfolk before he could even make a start down there. Endy Chavez was placed on the disabled list with an intercostal issue to allow that to happen. It didn’t look good early after Josh Hamilton hit a two run homer in the bottom of the 1st but Hunter was able to settle down and pitch pretty well on three days rest. He struck out seven batters and only walked one but gave up four runs over six innings. Matt Lindstrom gave up his first runs of the season in the 7th, three of them in fact (two earned) on three hits and a walk. Stu Pomeranz continued to look good with a scoreless 8th and Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless 9th.

Player of the game: Tommy Hunter – 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB, 7 K, L (2-2) (5.14 ERA)

Game One: Orioles 6, Red Sox 4

- Wei-Yin Chen didn’t have his best outing in this game, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts over just five innings. The defense didn’t help him much and it was his first start at Fenway so I wouldn’t say it was a disaster. The bullpen was outstanding holding Boston scoreless over eight innings. Matt Lindstrom and Jim Johnson each pitched one, Johnson earning his eighth save, while Pedro Strop, Luis Ayala, and Troy Patton each pitched two scoreless.
- Mark Reynolds finally hit his first homerun of the season, a solo shot in the 3rd inning. He also hit an RBI double and walked. Matt Wieters drove in a run and had a single and a triple. Chris Davis singled twice, Wilson Betemit had a single and walked three times, Robert Andino singled and walked, JJ Hardy singled, and Adam Jones walked.

Player of the game: Mark Reynolds – 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, double (5), HR (1) (.157 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 8, Red Sox 2

- Jason Hammel continued to defy all expectations with another fantastic start. He held the Red Sox scoreless until the 7th inning when Darren O’Day allowed his inherited runners to score. He struck out eight Boston batters over 6.2 innings only walking one batter and giving up four hits. O’Day pitched 0.2 innings, not giving up any runs of his own. Troy Patton and Matt Lindstrom each got one out and Kevin Gregg pitched a scoreless 9th.
- Mark Reynolds was at it again, hitting a three run homer and a double. Adam Jones hit a two run homer in the game. Wilson Betemit drove in a run with two singles and a walk. Nick Markakis drove in a run and had a single. Matt Wieters doubled, Chris Davis singled twice, Endy Chavez singled, and JJ Hardy walked.

Player of the game: Jason Hammel – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 K, W (4-1) (2.09 ERA)

Game Three: Orioles 9, Red Sox 6

- This was one of the craziest games I’ve ever followed. Tommy Hunter started and sat the Red Sox hitters down in order over the first three innings but gave up a run in the 4th and was removed before finishing the 5th after giving up four more. The bullpen came up huge in this 17 inning affair. Luis Ayala finished the 5th and pitched a scoreless 6th. Darren O’Day got the first two outs of the 7th, Troy Patton got the last one but allowed a double to lead off the 8th. Pedro Strop came in and allowed that run to score but gave up no runs of his own over two innings. Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom, and Jim Johnson each pitched two scoreless innings as well. Chris Davis of all people had to pitch the 16th inning because we ran out of pitchers. He was touching 90 on his fastball and had good movement and a decent off speed pitch. An amazing relay at the plate ended the inning and he struck out Adrian Gonzalez in the 17th before getting a double play. Hes the first position player to earn a win since 1968.
- Unfortunately Davis went 0-8 at the plate with five strikeouts and a double play. The offense got out to a 5-0 lead with two solo homeruns from JJ Hardy and a three run homer off the bat of Robert Andino. Hardy had five hits in the game including a double. Adam Jones hit the game winning homerun, a three run shot off of Darnell McDonald – the Red Sox outfielder. He also singled and doubled. Matt Wieters singled, doubled, and walked. Mark Reynolds singled, doubled, and walked four times. Nick Markakis also walked four times. Nick Johnson and Ryan Flaherty each singled and Wilson Betemit walked. Following this game the Orioles had the best record in baseball. 10 games over .500 in May is a great accomplishment for this team.

Player of the game: JJ Hardy – 5-8, 3 R, 2 RBI, double (5), 2 HR (6) (.217 AVG)

Game One: Orioles 1, Yankees 2

- This was a tough game to lose. Anytime you hold the Yankees to two runs in Yankee stadium you have to win. Unfortunately our only run came in on a Chris Davis sacrifice fly in the top of the 2nd inning. Jason Hammel made one mistake and that came in the bottom of the 2nd when he left a fastball up in the zone to Eric Chavez who hit it out of the park for a two run homer and the win. Other than that Hammel continued to pitch great, striking out five batters over six innings. Matt Lindstrom and Jim Johnson each pitched a scoreless inning as well. We had five hits in the game, all singles from JJ Hardy, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, and Wilson Betemit. Jones walked and Wieters was hit by a pitch.

Player of the game: Jason Hammel – 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, L (3-1) (1.97 ERA)

Game Two: Orioles 7, Yankees 1

- Brian Matusz has slowly gotten better and better with each start and he finally put it together at the right time to shut down the Yankees. He only gave up one run on six hits and a walk over 6.1 innings with four strikeouts. His only walk was the lead off batter of the 7th inning. Darren O’Day came in with one out and got out of the inning and also pitched a scoreless 8th. Luis Ayala tossed a scoreless 9th to cap it off.
- The offense did what it couldn’t do the night before and put some runs on the board. Chris Davis hit a solo homerun in the top of the 2nd inning. He also singled and doubled in the game. JJ Hardy hit a two run homer in the 3rd. Wilson Betemit drove in a run with a single in the 6th and Nick Johnson followed that with a fly ball that got past Eduardo Nunez for a two run error. Johnson did eventually get his first hit of the season in the top of the 8th with an RBI double. Adam Jones doubled, Nick Markakis singled twice, Robert Andino singled and walked twice, and Matt Wieters singled.

Player of the game: Chris Davis – 3-4, 3 R, RBI, double (7), HR (5) (.333 AVG)

Game Three: Orioles 5, Yankees 0

- Arrieta was finally able to get the monkey off his back following his implosion a couple starts back. He was as dominant as I’ve seen him in his career, striking out nine batters over eight scoreless innings. Its a shame his pitch count wouldn’t let him go for the shutout but Jim Johnson pitched a perfect 9th inning to end the game.
- Matt Wieters had a big game, hitting a solo homerun in the 4th to give us the lead. He also doubled in a run in the 7th, singled, and walked. Robert Andino singled three times, drove in a run, and walked. Nick Markakis doubled and crushed a solo homerun in the 7th inning. Nick Johnson got his first hit out of the way and is now on fire, hitting a double and singling in a run. JJ Hardy singled and doubled. Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, and Adam Jones each walked.

Player of the game: Jake Arrieta – 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W (2-2) (3.52 ERA)

Game One: Orioles 2, Athletics 5

- Jake Arrieta didn’t have his best stuff but he didn’t implode like in his last outing. He kept us in the game by holding the A’s to four runs over 5.2 innings but unfortunately we didn’t put up enough offense. Troy Patton gave up a run over two innings, Matt Lindstrom pitched to two batters getting one out, and Kevin Gregg struck out two in a scoreless 9th.
- Nick Markakis hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 1st inning and Adam Jones singled in a run in the 6th to score our only runs. Nolan Reimold, Chris Davis, and JJ Hardy each doubled. Mark Reynolds walked twice. Matt Wieters and Davis also walked. Ryan Flaherty singled.

Player of the game: Chris Davis – 1-3, BB, double (6) (.286 AVG)

Game Two: Orioles 10, Athletics 1

- Wei-Yin Chen struggled through the 1st inning, loading the bases, but he was able to get out of the inning unscathed and settle down after that. He ended up pitching seven innings of one run ball with four strikeouts, only walking one batter. Chen has established himself early on as a legitmate major league pitcher. He could end up being the steal of the offseason. Luis Ayala pitched two scoreless innings to close it out.
- The offense exploded for ten runs, five of them coming in the 2nd inning. We just kept getting hit after hit. The only homerun was a solo shot from Chris Davis in the bottom of the 7th. He also singled twice and drove in four runs. Ronny Paulino hit a two run single, Wilson Betemit singled and doubled with an RBI, Adam Jones had three singles and an RBI – Robert Andino did the same. JJ Hardy hit a sacrifice fly and walked, Nolan Reimold singled and walked, and Nick Markakis singled.

Player of the game: Chris Davis – 3-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR (4) (.313 AVG)

Game Three: Orioles 5, Athletics 2

- The Orioles were getting dominated for eight innings before completing an epic comeback in the 9th. Trailing 2-0 entering the inning, singles by JJ Hardy and Adam Jones that both probably should’ve been outs with scoops at first base knocked Bartolo Colon out of the game. That was a huge confidence boost for our offense as Colon had us looking terrible all day. Matt Wieters promptly greeted closer Grant Balfour with a two run double off the left field wall tying the game. Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis also doubled in the game. After an intentional walk to Chris Davis to potentially set up a double play, Wilson Betemit ruined that plan with a walk off three run homer. The stands were crowded all day and erupted when that happened. Its starting to feel like Oriole magic is back.
- Tommy Hunter gave us seven strong innings only allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Hunter isn’t the best or most consistent pitcher in our rotation but hes fine at the back end of a rotation. He throws strikes which usually leads to eating up innings unless hes getting smacked around. Darren O’Day and Pedro Strop each pitched a scoreless inning. Our bullpen has been a huge reason for our early season success.

Player of the game: Wilson Betemit – 1-4, walk off 3 Run HR (3) (.235 AVG)

W – Darren O’Day (2-0)     L – Casey Jannsen (1-1)     SV – Luis Ayala (1)

- The pitching continued to be great last night and the wins keep coming because of it. Thats what it all comes down to, pitching. Brian Matusz started off with five shutout innings and had a 1-0 lead entering the 6th. It looked like things were going to unravel again when a two run double was hit down the right field line. Fortunately he was able to settle down and get out of the inning and the double was later changed to a two base error by first baseman Nick Johnson. Matusz gave up four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over his six innings. Darren O’Day continued to be marvelous with two perfect innings, striking out three. Pedro Strop was unavailable for the 9th due to pitching back to back games but Luis Ayala stepped up in his absence to record the save.
- It was a bad game for Nick Johnson to continue a bad start to his season. Aside from that error he also went 0-3 to continue his hitless streak to start the season. He did manage to get on base when he hit by a pitch so there is that… The Orioles first run came in on Ryan Flaherty’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th. It was his first RBI of his career. It was a game of firsts for him as he also got his first hit of his career later in the game on a bunt single. He singled twice in the game. The O’s came back to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th inning when Nick Markakis scored on a throwing error after Adam Jones’ infield single. Markakis doubled earlier in the inning and also singled twice in the game.
- The game was decided in the bottom of the 8th when Jones led off with a homerun to put us on top for good. Two batters later Chris Davis launched a two run shot of his own to put a cap on it. Davis also walked in the game. Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters, and Mark Reynolds each also singled.

Player of the game: Adam Jones – 2-4, solo HR (6) (.316 AVG)

The Oakland Athletics come in to town tonight for a three game series to end the home stand. Jake Arrieta (1-1, 4.01) tries to rebound from the implosion during his last start. Brandon McCarthy (0-3, 3.38) pitches for the A’s.