♪ >> good afternoon, everybody, welcome to os xtra, brought to you by your local ford dealers. they're at your best at your local ford dealer. visit midatlanticforddealers.com. they close out the four-game series in oakland and the battle of matusz, a 23-year- old, looking for his 22 second win. hi, everybody. thank you for joining us. jim hunter and rick dempsey.

in case you missed yesterday, a 9th inning loss for the orioles as they came back. are salas with a single, a runner at second and one out. davis strikes out on that pitch but reaches first base because it was a wild pitch with daric barton up. the winning runner gets to second base and after an intentional walk, sweeney with the base hit into right. patterson and davis scores and there's the game as jim johnson blows the save and the athletics have a walkoff win 4- 3. rick, it's tougher and tougher. nine consecutive losses and we used the word "demoralizing" but there's another one yesterday. >> rick: it's dedemorallizing. there's a lot of negativity with the ballclub and almost felt it in the 9th when the leadoff hitter got the base hit and there's wild pitches, etc , after they bunted the guy over. at this point, you know, what can the orioles do?

i looked at those highlight films and saw, you know, matt back there -- wieters -- and all of a sudden he goes to block it and looked like he tripped trying to block a ball. it's a ball that should have been blocked -- both of them should have been -- but somehow they got away. attention to detail and it's not just wieters but everybody out there right now. attention to detail when you really need it the most, is not there, and everything is caving in. yes, they have to come back and play today and attitudes have to change. the intensity level has to go up again. we have been saying it and you have every single day -- we want to see the new team put three or four runs on the board and go in there and bury somebody but first of all, they have to win a one-run game. >> jim h: the orioles yesterday -- their blown saves began on opening night when gonzalez blew the save. four blown saves for the year. here they are. april 9, the home opener, lost

7-6. gonzalez blew the save. april 13 against tampa bay, jim johnson blown save and then yesterday afternoon in oakland, the orioles lose 4 3. that april 9 blown save by gonzalez against the blue jays is if game that started this nine- game losing streak the orioles hope to end today. your momentum is as good as your pitcher. we'll welcome in gary thorne. welcome back, jim palmer. gary? >> gary: thank you very much. it's as good as your next starter and the starter is as good as it's going to get. back for the orioles, the only one with a w under his name. >> jim p: it's a great combination when you pitch well and have a lot of run support in the two starts. if you look at the numbers, this is how he compares to the starters, which you would rather not compare them -- he has the only win and how about that .190 batting average? hadn't given up home runs. on the other side of the coin, in his two starts they have

five rubs in his first start and last time six. you know, i think probably even more important for 23-year-old young left-hander in his first full year in the major leagues, he made some adjustments, walking five in the tampa bay game when they came to baltimore. he was about as good as you can get for the first seven innings and then they got lucky. bullpen didn't do a very good job but he is going to give you the opportunity to win and when you lost nine in a row, that's all you need. >> gary: the orioles, having to use the bullpen as much as they have, hope the starter will take them deep into the ball game. jim, at this point it's about building confidence for the team. >> jim p: i think it's not only about that when you ben giving the opportunity for little things -- getting the big hit or advancing the runners -- you're back, the good luck charm. our good luck charm would be a nice three-run home run and good pitching for the early lead. at the end of the day, because we know starting pitchers won't pitch nine innings, you better have somebody to pitch the 9th. jim johnson pitched yesterday

like he didn't know what is closer is supposed to pitch. looked like he was trying to use the pitchers. he got in trunk be the changeup. that's what sweeney hit for the game-winning double. everyone if they have the lead, what can the back end of the bullpen do? that has to be getter. >> gary: scoring some runs to get there is an ongoing problem. more on the starter -- amber? >> amber: as you mentioned earlier, matusz has been a bright spot this season and he's not given up the home run this season and hasn't given up an extra base hit yet as well. now, we saw him get us started in tampa and he was pretty good, keeping the hitters off balance like longoria and carlos pena and he reached a career high in strikeouts with eight. rich kranitz, the pitching coach, said it's because he's attacking with the fastball this year and also he has a tremendous sense of who he is as a pitcher.

>> never had a pitcher that knows himself like mat us the. he pitches to his strength and is using the fastball a heck of a lot more and pitching to right-handers a heck of a lot more. that's why he's successful this season. >> amber: do you see a maturity you don't see farce, like you said, knowing yourself, decision making, poise, that you may not see in a pitcher that young? >> when yourself your capabilities, you slow the game down mentally because it's difficult for young guys to slow the game down. a lot of things when thing get out of hand they speed up. but he slows down and thinks about the process. >> amber: even though matusz is only 23 years old, a lot is expected of him this year. we have to remember he only pitched ten game in the major leagues. this will be his 11th. look at the progression from the first five to last game.

4-0 in his last five games and first two 2-2. we see his e.r.a. drop dramatically from his first five to last five and also going much deeper into the games in his starts in the last five starts, giving up less hits, walking about the same amount but striking out more. if you have a pitcher that young, a first-round draft pick, you want to see them progress from one year to the next and that's what matusz is doing. boy, the orioles need a good performance tonight. jim? >> jim h: thank you very much. brian matusz is the focus of the web poll question. go tomasensports.com and vote for the question of the day. how many wins will brian matusz have this season? get online right now tomasensports.com to vote. we'll give you the results during the postgame. and now for the keep your edge spotlight, brought to you by just for men, adam jones has the edge. he is sitting .369 during

gameday games this season but hitting only .245 at night. that .124 difficultable is the most in the major league, going back to next season. you can keep your edge with just for men mustache and beard. orioles and oakland closing out the four-game series. first stop on the three-city road trip. when we return, the lineups. o from, presented by ford. let the celebration begin.

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>> jim h: the orioles lost tejada on this bunt single, a hip injury. originally supposed to be a groin but a hip injury. he is day-to-day. they're not certain if it will lead to a disabled injury but he's not in the lineup today. let's look at the orioles lineup for the final e in oakland. adam jones, wigginton, and reimold d hing. moldiness brief career as a cleanup hitter, 6 for 15 with a home run and couple of rbis.

time for the os xtra challenge. who is the player to watch? i have to go with the numbers. .369 in day games and it's about time to break out for real. >> jim h: all right, i'll go with garrett atkins, a modest three-game hitting streak going but has four hits and a couple of rbis. i kind of sense in this daytime baseball today, nice weather out there, this might be the day picks up his first home run. you're going with jones. you saw the stats. now i know why. i didn't know that at the production meeting. i'll go with garrett atkins. the youngster on the mound is stuff, two games on the year and not lost. a lot of runs. look at the first seven versus last seven. 1-6 and is 5-1 in his last seven. look at the difference in the earned runs. this guy is tough to go against

and is off to a big start. now, i will say both his starts have been against seattle so he has the staple lineup twice but didn't allow a run in either but this guy is a tough left- hander. >> rick: he is and he learned how to control that changeup. naturally, what keeps hitters off balance. he had a good fastball and good breaking ball. you see it right there but the thing that put his game together is being able to use that straight changeup and that has really helped him a lot. fastball late in the count, that's what all the left- handers do against the orioles. they use the awe-speed stuff early and hard stuff late in the zone and get people out. >> jim h: he was 11-11 last year as a rookie and so far 1-0 this year. orioles against the athletics. here's the athletics' line up today. sweeney, a 13-game hitting streak, the longest in the major leagues to begin the year. he had a game-winning hit yesterday. kouzmanoff at third and suzuki

catching. rosales got the rally in the 9th yesterday. now, the oakland team -- you always hear, hey, why don't you work the count? the athletics don't believe on that. on first pitches and at bats -- 08-0 -- they're batting .457. tampa bay, kansas city, and the mets are the only hitters in their lineup with higher averages. if you're going out there and you're matusz, keep in mind. they're looking for something on the first pitch. >> we have our left-hander on the mound and can throw as well as any of them. he will stay away from the fastball and middle hit high. >> jim h: matusz won the game in tampa, third game of the season. he's trying to win his second. rick dempsey will be back with another edition of "dempsey soy dugout." the feature is david hernandez. os xtra continues on masn. shipping is a hassle. e different states, different rates.

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>> jim h: david hernandez 0-2 for the year but of all the oriole pitchers who came to the big leagues since last year, he's the one with the power arm that the orioles believe he will develop. today is sunday so for the first dempsey's dugout of the season, the feature for rick is david hernandez. rick? >> rick: when the dust cleared and the battle was over at the end of spring training, hernandez earned the number five starting job with the orioles. i had a chance earlier this season to talk with him and ask him about his pitches and some of the things going on in his life. ♪ >> rick: welcome to dempsey's dugout. this year we'll talk a little bit about pitching and on the mound for the orioles after a pretty good start as a rookie last year is david hernandez. first of all, welcome to that rotation. must have been a pretty tough spring for you, realizing that you really had to pitch well to make this ball club. >> first of all, it's good to be back in the rotation.

you know, it was definitely a tough battle between chris and i and also jason berken. fortunate to see it at the start. >> rick: as i look back on last season, so many things happened. maybe the record didn't reflect that but your first outing, your rookie outfit, you beat the detroit tigers. that was not an easy team to beat. you had a great game against the yankees and red sox. what did it feel like the first time against those clubs? >> the first time going around was an awed experience, trying to gain as much knowledge as i can. you never know how long or how many times you will take the mound so for every start i was able to get last year, it was a learning experience. it was a lot for me to learn from each start. >> rick: what did the first time in yankees stadium feel like? >> it was a dream come true. it wasn't the original but it's pretty close. >> rick: you know, the first time you faced most of these teams you did well.

they had to see you adjust to what you did and the first time around they couldn't seem to make the adjustments quick enough. second time around, i had a better book on you. now it's the third time around. is there anything you've changed how you're going to approach those teams or pitch or hold your pitches that's different this year? >> yeah. i have the four-seam fastball still. this off season i was working on a two-seamer. for me, it's getting on top and getting out in front. last year, i went with a four- seam changeup. didn't really feel too welcoming out of the hand so i switched over to across the seams and can't take credit. brandon showed me the work. it's a work in progress but my first start, i came out and threw a few for strikes. it was good. >> rick: was that the pitch you struck out wells with? >> it was the pitch i struck out vernon wells. >> rick: i noticed that. >> not many changeups i throw. >> rick: a lot of young guys

-- irby and young guys you came up with -- do you spend time talking about adjusting on certain pitches? >> spring training is a long process. we see everybody everyday, basically. while we're stretching, mingling, we try to pick each other's brain -- how do you throw the changeup and the slider? what do you do when somebody's on base? stuff like that. so it's really good to learn from each other. >> rick: going into this season, what do you think is the area you need to improve the most? >> for me, fastball command. i feel like in spring training i was able to throw from both sides of the plate and had a couple of guys looking and that's something i wasn't able to get done last year. to me, it's being able to throw the slider over the plate and my changeup is definitely a big pitch this year. >> rick: good luck to you and the rest of the season and thank you for being on

dempsey's dugout. >> thanks for having me. >> jim h: david hernandez, the batting average against runners in scoring position -- a look at david hernandez, so far the best of the year at .176. he is 0-2. he pitched well enough to win but pitched the loss and took the first loss in the series in oakland on this current trip. he added about the two-seam fastball. how will that help him become more effective if he can command that pitch after pitch? >> rick: movement on the ball. i don't care how throw -- they will learn to hit it 92, 93- mile-per-hour with a little bit of movement, very, very tough pitch to hit. all the great staffs i pitched -- mike flanagan in particular -- heavy sinker, tough to hit. palmer was the only one who didn't have a movement on the fastball but could pitch in the zone because of great location. but that's what you need -- movement on the ball gets hitters out. >> jim h: matusz is on the

mound as the orioles wrap up the four-game series in oakland. when we come back on os xtra, hear from dave trembley who has another lineup with tejada not available. hear from the skipper when we come back. [ cellphone rings ] [ katie ] hey.

hey katie. how are you? [ katie ] should i get a perm? oh, that's an interesting question... [ katie ] she's always talking over me in meetings. i mean it's just so rude. mm-hmm. [ both laughing ] ♪ when did you video me dancing? [ katie ] posting it. do not post this!

[ katie ] come on... i'm not gonna grow a beard because then i'll look ridicu-- ah! where am i? by the way, katie, tillamook is beautiful this time of year. [ katie ] oh, really? we should go camping out there. [ male announcer ] at&t 3g -- talk and surf at the same time. >> jim h: well, the orioles get set. wigginton in the cage. birds looking to snap the nine- game losing streak. let's get the pregame thought from dave trembley. >> should have a good matchup with two of the game's up-and- coming lefthanders pitching today. if mat us the continues to throw like he has, we should have the opportunity to get a win in the win column. >> you have one batting cleanup and a different lineup

-- >> i'm sure everyone understands you put the best lineup out there that you can. you have to make adjustments because of guys that are hurt. you know, it's been an ongoing process. >> sooner or later we'll get one that works. when we get one that works, may stick with it. >> what do you find with jim johnson? you have talked many times about how it's difficult to be a closer. does it concern how he is doing at that position and have you thought of different options or is he the guy you have to go to? >> yesterday he overthrew. he really overthrew. >> do you think the situation got to him? >> no, i don't think the situation got to him. he was ready for the situation but he overthrew. i mean, he was trying to throw the ball through the wall.

and the answer to the latter part of your question -- you know, we have -- we have guys in the bullpen. with not a whole lot of experience closing games out at the major league level. johnson is the one guy who has done it. >> well, the orioles are struggling at the plate, which is helping, if you will, through the nine-game losing streak. through 12 games last season, the club batted .277 with 69 runs and 115 hits. .230 batting average, only 34 runs, which puts for pressure on the back end of the bullpen and 93 base hits. when you look at the orioles lineup into today's game,

markakis, weeker" joan jones, izturis, each have one rbi during this nine-game losing streak celeb has to break out eventually, you think. >> they will. one thing i noticed in the batting is how aggressive the orioles are being early in the count, swinging at the first pitch, even if there's not a strike. there's been a lot of close pitches they didn't swing at so right now they're really trying real hard to get things going offensively by jumping on a first pitch fastball but they're not being selective because they're swinging out of the strike own. other teams have excellent looks on the hitters and seem to be sticking to patterns. you see -- especially with markakis -- fastballs late with two strikes out of the zone because he's swinging at them now, something he did in little stretches but not as consistently as now. >> jim h: a couple of other

notes -- after 12 games last season, the orioles were 6-6. they're 1-11 with a nine-game losing streak. they have not allowed a home run in the last three games, a good trend. make them earn it. you can see wieters is 1 for 12 with no rbis and scott, 1 for 10 and no rbis. somebody looking to support out in support of hat us the against anderson. thank you for joining us. os xtra. gary thorne and jim palmer have the call as the os look for a win before going to seattle, the second stop on the ten- game, three city road trip. for rick dempsey and the crew, jim hunter. we'll see you after the game on os xtra postgame. enjoy the game, everybody.

>> gary: it's the orioles on masn and the conclusion of a four-game stand here in oakland. the orioles and the as as the orioles try to get out of the losing streak on a sunday afternoon. welcome, everybody. i'm gary thorne. the last two four-game series against oakland, oakland has swept the orioles. are they going to do it again? well, the orioles will have to find some bats and hope brian matusz is as good as he has been in the first two. this has been another tough series. here's how the first three

games went. top of the 1st inning -- game number one. tejada lines up, could have been a couple of runs. they don't get the call. argued no change. an error on the throw moved a runner up. an error by wieters moved a runner to third. they would go on to score. game two, the same kind of problems. no breaks, no big plays made. and the as took advantage of everything that happened. game three -- that's how it ended. the wild pitch, a couple of them, to load the bases. sweeney came away with a hit and 3-0 in the series for oakland. jim, you do make your own breaks. the orioles haven't been able to find those. and they have not played very well, either. >> jim p: no, they haven't. it's a combination of everything we talk about -- if you want to win, you have to play in concert. they have been at it all year long and that's why they're 1- 11. matusz gives them an opportunity to win because they've been good and consistent. at the end of the day, i look at this ballclub and they're playing oakland. oakland won nine in a row at

the cool steam yum, 13 out of the last 14. they understand what they are. they won't hit a lot of home run. they have to do the little things. i think the orioles thought the pitching will be better and they will hit a lot of home runs and like last year, but none of that has materialized. they will have to find their identity and sometimes it's difficult when you come to the ballpark and just don't know how to win. they will have to find the winning formula and, you know, who knows what it's going to be? we know it starts with starting pitching. >> gary: we'll see two of the young left-handers who have very bright futures ahead of them, making a start against one another. >> jim p: anderson just gave a long-term deal over six years, maybe $31 million. and then matusz, a year and a half ago, as rick cran miss said, pitching for the university of san diego. he's a marvelous pitcher. anderson remind me of lowess because he throws -- i saw him against the ms in seattle --

they're swinging at it, it's almost in their back leg. we have a great matchup today. two really good young pitchers. >> gary: the beat on both end may struggle. let's check in with amber. >> amber: all eyes as you said, gary, turn to brian matusz to snap the losing streak for the orioles. tokeland as know what they're up against. kurt suzuki said the word is out about brian matusz. everybody knows in the league, he said, that brian is the top prospect as far as pitching in the organization but then he corrected himself by saying he's not a prospect. we watched the tape of him against tampa bay. we saw that he can surprise hitters. we're very anxious to get in there in the box. one thing i saw is natis is talented, throws to both sides of the plate and will use the fastball. they will adjust and matusz will have to do that against these hitters. >> gary: all right, amber, it won't be easy because over the last ten years, no team has a

better win percentage against the orioles than does this as team. for the os, a nice way to start -- beat them. (music throughout) the energy drink for your feet. zig tech. i get more train. less pain.

>> gary: and we are underway as adam jones is back in the leadoff spot for the fourth time against the 22-year-old left-hander brett anderson. and the 0-1 delivery to him, fastball that will come inside. and a one ball, one strike count. >> jim p: pretty good numbers for the 22-year-old left-hander big kid. about .235, 6'4." >> gary: back off the screen. and a ball and two strike count on adam jones. jones, 4 for 14 in the previous three games, now .249 against left-handers, lifetime, six home runs against south paw pitchers. the orioles have struggled against. 1-2 breaking ball will miss inside. 2-2. >> jim p: he's the real deal

because he gained $31 million over six years. as good as it gets because of tremendous stuff and they got him from the arizona diamondbacks, who they traded. >> gary: down to third base, kouzmanoff is there. and will get the out. and jones is retired. let's look at the rest of the lineup, brought to you by southwest airlines. it will be jones, wigginton, markakis. pretty good numbers for atkins. two rbis, hadn't 400 average. .400 average. and in the lineup. wigginton moves to the number two spot in the game. he's had the only home run against the as in this series. wig by bat in the second spot, 1 for 8. the orioles will try to get rid of their losing streak. anderson gets ahead on the count 0-2. we'll probably say a lot of that today.

he throws strikes. 0-2 delivery. wigginton will take it inside. 1-2. >> jim p: yeah, he can really elevate his fastball and people i have talked to -- i had a chance to see him pitch against the mariners. he has a great curveball, which is in the back of your mind. there it is right there and of course, if you throw it once you get ahead with two striking, you don't have to throw it for strikes most of the time. against the mariners up in seattle, he was able to throw it over with ease, at least it appeared that. hadn't given up a run this year. >> gary: two starts, no run against him -- he didn't want to do that. that's off his bare hand. rosales makes the play, a 1-4- 3. you just don't do that. >> jim p: kevin brown was with the orioles and used to do that with line drives. it's not a good habit because the ball is hit slowly and you have a sense -- if you're a good pitcher -- he certainly is one of them -- you know where they're playing. you know the ball is hit softly and the last thing you want to do -- bob geren of the as

looking on -- even though you may not get a bruise -- and i did it early in my career, threw a three-run home run after i said everything was fine -- which it wasn't. it's not a smart thing to do, a reflex thing you have to put out of your mind. >> here's mar may kiss. two down and nobody on. that's down low. the orioles have not won a game against the left-hander, 0-3. they lost 37 games against left handers, the most in the american league. lefties have given a problem for the orioles. they're hitting .179. that include starters and relievers. markakis with the 1-1 and taken inside for a ball. so far a couple of hits and 13 at bats against lefties. a .154 batting average. anderson, 2-1 delivery. jim, he pitches way over from the third base side.

>> jim p: it gives you a great angle to the right. i would think the left-handers last year -- if you look at last number's numbers -- a little different this year. the lefties are only 1 for 8 -- they hit better than righties. they hit .314. >> gary: 2-2 in the dirt, good block, suzuki. >> jim p: he has four pitches and the changeup probably is behind the curveball and the slider. again, the fastball -- you know, he can dial it up a little bit when he needs it. >> gary: he pitched two game against seattle, winning one, nondecision in the other. he gets strikeout. a one-two-three inning for anderson. now the orioles' left-hander matusz to the mound. ♪ [ man #2 ] half the calories. all the g. [ muhammad ali ] i'm gonna float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. ♪ float like a butterfly. sting like a bee. i'm gonna float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. ♪

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>> gary: orioles baseball on masn is brought to you by -- beautiful sunny day in the bay area. 64 degrees at game time. let's look at starting lineup, brought to you by southwest airlines. for bob geren's oakland as -- rosales, big series. 4 for 11. >> jim p: and our scouting report -- willy is in the groove. don't change anything because boy, he had the changeup against the tampa bay rays. and the last thing is first things first. 11 out of 13 leadoff batters in

two starts. a good way to keep them off the board. >> gary: you want this off the base. davis with a great speed. a hit and all three games of the series, 4 for 14. and davis, the grade speedster, disrupting everything. he is hit .241 what home run and five rbis so far. the havoc on base has made him a far more important of the offense. good off-speed delivery right there. >> jim p: he'll throw the changeup in any count and against the rays in the last start, it was perfect. down and away, right on the outer reaches of the corner, fading from the right-handed batter. >> gary: he got him. davis goes down swinging for the strikeout >> jim p: let look at how matusz throws the pitches. the two-seam fastball is something he worked hard on in spring training. there's the four-seamer to get

into the low-to-mid- 90s, curveball. doesn't throw it that much but really had a great one. slider. a little harder-breaking pitch and there's the circle changeup. >> gary: gets the first out with a k. matusz now 16 strike outs in 12 2/3 innings martin will foul that one back. he has gone 3 for 11 in the series against the orioles. he's batting .317. he's really had an outstanding series playing some really good baseball over at first base as well. high fastball to straighten him up a little bit. one ball and one strike. martin is tied for the american league lead for walks with 13. on base, tide for that. third in on base percentage and ninth in doubles with four. and he'll pump that one off the fist back and a one ball, two strike count. >> jim p: there's a tendency when you see a guy with 13

walks and on-base percentage of over 47% of the time, a little too careful. you have to do exactly the opposite. you have to be aggressive and trust your stuff and that's exactly what matusz has done. at least to this point. >> gary: 1-2 delivery. breaking ball will miss. for both pitchers, this is their first start against the opposing team. matusz takes on these arngzs for the first time -- as for the first time. opponents hitting .190 off him. right handers, .194. left handers .164. take a look at that swing. talk about getting jammed and fighting one off. that's what he did. >> jim p: that's what we called the emergency hack. you're down to two strikes. we told you about the walk and high on-base percentage for barton. they got him in st. louis in the moldier trade. right here he has cut his swing. he is trying to make contact. >> gary: 2-2 delivery and a

couple of ks to start it. matusz with two down in the 1st inning. >> jim p: all you have to do is notice where the ball end up. a changeup down and away -- a little bit of a slider. just cuts a little bit and again, you can see matt wieters down in the strike zone. >> gary: there's one positive for the orioles -- their starters. with the strikeout, 67 on top of the league. here's ryan sweeney. what a start. he has a 12-game hit streak -- every one of them that he's played in. .319 average this series, 4 for 10. he had some big hits including the game-winner in the bottom half of the 9th yesterday. >> jim p: on a 3-2 changeup off johnson. you can notice that from these clips -- if you're not going to hit a lot of home runs -- hit .319 last year -- spring the ball around. >> gary: 0-2 count. trying to strike the side out. up to left field.

look out. going over that home plate area, which is in the bullpen. did not get to it. so the at-bat will stay alive. >> jim p: he just takes kind of a circuitous route and you can see the ball blown away, obviously, as it goes at a different angle. more to the right he catches that ball very easily. the ball just blew away from him and orioles did hit today. you can take a look and see right there can -- he tries to circle back. can't quite do it. there's an extra out for the as. >> gary: 078-2 delivery on the way. matusz strikes the side out. so matusz picks up where he left off in his last start against tampa bay as he ks the side. no score. t-e. baccalaureate. correct. [ audience groans ] since this competition has been continuing for 48 hours and we have yet to eliminate anyone,

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>> gary: tonight's 2nd inning brought to you by luna. call for the luna double and get your second room of flooring free. nick markakis with three. two in the series. our luna double look. it will be reimold, wieters, and atkins. reimold is batting cleanup in this ball game. he is 2 for 7 in this series. the lineup continues to be juggled trying to get this offense going. he is 3 for 10 off the lefties

this year. fastball will catch the corner. one ball, one strike. >> jim p: you have guys like adam jones leading off. reimold won't do anything different. just try to get a pitch and drive. if you saw him last year, you know he is a good high-ball hitter, very strong. >> gary: up the middle and that's going to be knocked down -- throw to first -- what a play! rosales, the second baseman, a shining defensive play to reimold. >> jim p: you know, when you throw that pitch and you think, well, it's a single in the center and rosales, who yesterday started the rally in the 9th inning, positions is an important part of pitching. it wasn't an easy play but becomes easier if you're slanted that way and he makes a terrific play for the first out. >> gary: matt wieters is up. it's been a tough series for

wieters, only one hit in 12 at- because of thes. hitting .268. one home run and three rbis for the oriole catcher. down to third. knocked down. kouzmanoff. that's the way this series is gone. the as have made the defensive plays they need to make. >> jim p: kouzmanoff last year was a hitter and that's why they got them, because they were last in home runs. this is what he did on thursday night. but again, if you're going to play third base, it's a reflex position. can you knock the ball down? nobody did it better than a former teammate who won 16 gold gloves, brooks robinson. kevin knocks it down, doesn't panic, picks it up for a strong throw. and you're out. if you try to backhand him, you know, try to hot dog a little bit, dough don't want to take the ball off your body. could be a base hit or double. >> gary: atkins now -- that pitch will be second for a strike. one ball, one strike. at kin with a three-game

hitting streak. 4 for 10 are the numbers he put up in this series, looking for his first hit out of a lefty and won't be here. six in a row retired by anderson. scoreless into the bottom of the 2nd. [wind rustling] [sound of waves crashing] [upbeat whistling in background] discover all that northwest florida has to offer. seventeen hidden beaches, one revealing destination. fly southwest's new nonstops from bwi airport to panama city beach starting at $99 one-way. (ding)

(music throughout) the energy drink for your feet. zig tech. i get more train. less pain. >> gary: orioles are without their starter at third. tejada out after trying to pick

up the ball. you can see something happened. he did dive in, but the problem was already there halfway down the line. today, the update -- it's a hip strain. he's day-to-day and joins roberts, gonzalez and pie, all unable to play. they're on the d.l. dave trembley said he doesn't believe he can use tejada in any way, even as a pinch hitter. >> jim p: yeah, and especially if you play third base -- it's a lateral position where you have to come in and go to your left and right and whatever. would not be surprised that you see the d.l. down the road a little bit. only because it's -- i mean, your legs are so important if you're infield. >> gary: it would be nice to have somebody the other way on the d.l. >> jim p: yeah. >> gary: roberts isn't even doing anything baseball-wise yet. he's not nearly ready. that one will be in the air to right center field. jones over. will make the catch.

gets the out. and kouzmanoff is retired. go to orioles.com for your chance to bid on the number 48 game jerseys, signed by the players who wore them. and the proceeds will benefit the charitable foundation and jackie robinson foundation. the bidding closes thursday at noon. you can get your piece of os history at orioles.com. make your bid. kouzmanoff retired. here's suzuki, the catcher. he had a 1 for 6 and a game off here in this series. matusz' pitch will be outside. a ball. suzuki will be followed by fox. oakland has gone 3-1 against left-handed starters although they only hit .221 off south paws so far this season. 1-0 delivery towards the hole. turner -- makes the nice play and they're two down. you can see out the orioles struggled when you look at the numbers in the series.

four days, three wins, 22 in the series against .271 ok outscored 14-7. not a lot of long balls but look at the e.r.a -- my gosh. part of that is because oakland has some good pitching but part is the orioles not hitting. >> jim p: it's a combination of both. e.r.a. of 2.30, the best in the american league coming in. last year their bullpen -- although they have some injuries -- they had the best bullpen in the american league last year. >> gary: jake fox stand in. down the line in right field. he's going to play some in the field and will share some d. hmming duty with chavez. he is the designated hitter in the ball game today. 1 for 4 so far in the series. he did get a start one of these ball games in the outfield. 0-1 the count. and that one will be a base hit

into left field. played by montanez and there's the first base runner of the ball game. >> jim p: yeah, two-run home run with was his first hit as an oakland a. last year he played six different positions for the chicago cubs and then bean, who is so active -- i guess you ran into billy -- obvious he has done a terrific job. maybe not as well over the last three years as they rebuild, but he has done marvelous thing with this organization. >> gary: rosales had a good series. 4 for 11. he has been making the start at second base as ellis continues to be out. not on the d.l -- has a hamstring problem, their starter at second. missed seven ball games now. rosales is more than adequately filled in. no play on that one. >> jim p: well, they love the energy. and of course he started that

game-winning rally off jim johnson. i mean, he scored off a fastball and looked like jimmy lost part of the confidence in his fastball. once again, he hit lefties well, 2 for 5 and limited at bats. mark ellis was out running earlier today. they expect him back on tuesday. >> gary: groundball towards third, cut off at second base. taken from wigginton to turner. one left on base to complete in oakland. no score. host: could switchino really save you 15% or more on car insurance? did the caveman invent fire? ♪ sweet times knocking at my front door, what else could i ask for, tonight. ♪ ♪ better times knocking... host: could switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? host: is ed "too tall" jones too tall?

>> gary: orioles baseball on masn is brought to you by -- southwest airlines. go to southwest.com, grab your bag. it's on. and my acura. acura -- advanced. no score going to the 3rd inning on a beautiful day, great weather here in the bay area for all of these games. oriole fans on hand hoping for better luck than in the first three. orioles -- montanez starting in right field against brett anderson. bottom third of the order with turner and izturis. montanez with all the orioles unable to play, getting some time -- left center and davis is right there. >> jim p: he's the perfect center fielder for this ballpark. it's a huge park. you and mike flanagan talk about the foul territory but the ball hangs up and maybe carries better in daytime.

that ball may get up to gap. not with rajai davis over there. cuts the ball, great angle. the ball knuckling a little bit. >> gary: fun to watch play. he can really scoot and when coco crisp gets back with a broken finger, he'll move to left field. the two of them will run into each other a few time with the speed they have. >> jim p: you know, mike flanagan was talking earlier -- i had a chance to pitch here against good clubs for oakland -- a lot of foul territory. today the problem is the high sky. you don't find too many places, other than san francisco across the bay, where you really have to help each other out and the angles here, you know, your right first baseman and third baseman have to cover territory but the better angles are shortstop and second baseman so they have to be on their toes because any foul ball could be in play here. >> gary: yeah, and play it that way. justin turner is getting the start at second base, came up from norfolk on the 12th. brian roberts on the d.l.

heh play with the tides, 2 for 8, two games. and last season, at aaa, came up to the orioles in september. he hit .300, a couple of home runs, and 43 rbis last year and 108 games with norfolk. >> jim p: not a lot of power. great pitching in the ballpark. perfect. but he hit .300, only the two hem runs. >> gary: two ball, two strikes on him from anderson. probably already noting these two left-handers don't have a lot of time to chitchat on the mound. both to have them like to get the ball and let it go. and when they let it go, generally crosses the strike zone. 2-2 delivery on the way and a chopper towards the hole, will be cut off. he makes the play. they're two down. two quick outs in the 3rd inning. time you can have out for your chance to receive an exclusive brooks robinson figure reap. become an orioles partial season plan holder.

as slow as $146. you can get details at 888-848- bird or go to orioles.com. two down, nobody on. izturis. two hits, seven times up here in the series. he goes to short, pennington can't get it -- off the glove into center field. and the orioles get their first runner and their first hit, one on, two down. we'll check in with amber. >> amber: obviously there's a number of reasons for the orioles losing this season but as far as offense is concerned, adam jones feels the impact of missing roberts as the leadoff man. he said "i didn't really know how much he does set the tone." he thoughts that was a cliche people said. he text pridian to tell how much the club misses him. it'sensable some of the younger players take brian for granted because they don't know what it's like to play without him. last year he was durable and only missed three games the entire season. so adam jones just realizing the impact brian roberts has in

the lineup as he tries to fill his shoes. gary? >> gary: as a result, of course, jones has moved into the leadoff spot now in four games. >> jim p: what brian does is he steals bases, a great defensive player, high average guy, high on-base percentage. he scores a run usually over 100 -- double master. all- time record for switch hitters with 56 last year. >> gary: jones grounded out his first time up. you can see the numbers in day games -- the largest differential in average between day and night games at .369. hitter during the day. and he lifts that one to left field -- and that's going to fall in. he'll keep that average going. adam is on as the orioles try to mount a rally with two down. down to second base is irtuesday rare. two on, two out. >> jim p: he served it into left. one of the advantages of having a big outfield is there is some room to drop some balls in. put him on the front foot, able to stay back and no doubt about

his strength, able to stay behind it for a nice swing. >> gary: here's where the orioles had enormous problems. unbelievable problems. trying to get somebody in scoring position. two down, ty wigginton turned to it for the first time. he's 0 for 4 in these situations. the orioles with a pleasingly .126 batting average -- measly .126 batting average with batters in scoring position. two outs. they're 2 for 44. wigginton down the line and will take care of that one. that will bring izturis home into the corner. jones will be waved around. and it will be a double and a two-rbi hit for wigginton and the orioles are on top 2-0. >> jim p: well, hit them where they ain't. that's exactly what ty wigginton does. he was 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. he sliced it down the corner. great at bat.

nothing more annoying, making a good pitch and the guy hits it down the line and not only is a base hit but a double with two runs scoring. >> gary: ty wigginton has done a great job getting a chance to play on a regular basis. >> jim p: he came to camp in the best shape in years. millar, for all those years -- kevin said i will probably get 450 at bats in some way he ended up doing that al he wasn't penciled in to be a regular. >> gary: wigginton has eight rbis, one ahead of tejada as the double is his first two- bagger. the other extra-base hits have been home run, three of them. now markakis will try to get another run in. anderson pitch is taken outside. so there is the first run scored against brett anderson this season. he had not gimp up a run in the previous two starts against

seattle. both games against seattle. the orioles get to him here. he pitched 12 innings without surrendering a run and gave up two before the orioles got two him. >> jim p: i think a lot of people were saying because of anderson being so young and six- year deal for conceivably 31 until dollars -- what will affect them more is the fact he knows he can't give up any runs. we're seeing it right here. he fell behind markakis. get another base hit with two outs -- probably give up a third run. all of a sudden i think when you're pitching against a guy that you know you almost have to be perfect, there's some pressure. not the length of your contract or how much money. >> gary: markakis with the 3-2 delivery -- groundball. one up the middle. wigginton will score easily. and the orioles have a 3-0 lead in the small game. markakis delivers and in that area where the orioles have the most problems -- rbis with two down, wigginton and markakis

have both come through. >> jim p: a couple of great at bats, a double slice down the right field line. nice controlled swing. if you went back the first at- back, struck in the strike zone. because it's 3-2, anderson is able to get to it and gets the third run. >> gary: markakis with the second rbi and now nolan reimold, robbed of a hit by rosales on a fine play his first time up, the orioles have three runs on four hits in the ball game and are out on top here. and there haven't been many times early on when the orioles have been able to say that. 11 innings and this is only the 31st time the orioles had a lead in the ballgame. fouls that one off. and two-strike count on reimold. >> jim p: they have been able to bunch them and for everybody that ever watched the game or pitched or whatever, when you give up a series of it wills, that usually means the other team will score some runs.

that's exactly what they have been able to do off brett anderson. >> gary: designated hitter -- coverage at second base -- the ball gets into left field. mar case will try and go! bucks go a chance! the throw is not in time! and finally, the orioles are getting a couple of breaks and creating some activity on the feel. >> jim p: you make your breaks, as you mentioned early on. pick off, run as hard as you can. make them execute -- which they don't. this is kind of a shot put as nick's already in scoring position but not a good throw at all so he gets all the way to third base with two outs. >> gary: an error will be charge on barton on the throw to second. that one looped in the air. davis was under it and has it. reimold is retired. but the orioles take a 3-0 lead. the run scored with two down. wigginton, the rbis. double. markakis with a base hit.

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>> gary: matusz has three runs to work with. for orioles starters,ing 40 that's like a volcanic eruption and maybe for matusz, just enough. >> jim p: a little statement in the 1st inning and remember they scored five and six runs in his two starts in each game. so there you are, struck out the side, only did it with 14 pitches in the 1st inning. it's almost like -- you what? i'll make my pitches and if you

don't want to hit them, so be it. i won't have one of those 20- pitch innings to get the back- to-back-to-back strikeouts. >> gary: buck leads it off here. he had an 0 for his last 8, only a couple of bat-bat serieses. that's a strike on the other side now. geren not happy about the performance of the players in the field defensively and said so. the players came off the field. one ball, one strike count. and swung and a miss. beam was saying the other day he knows the offense will have its problems and bob geren and he have talked about fundamentals, trying to get players in positions to make the everyday plays and not commit errors. so far this year, though, they're piling up the errors but so far they have not resulted in runs against them. they've had at least one error in eight of the 14 games,

they're second in the american league with 12 total errors. bob geren doesn't like that because he knows -- you keep doing that, the unearned runs will come. >> jim p: that goes hand-in- hand with good pitching, especially if you're not going to put a lot of runs on the board. >> gary: 1-2 delivery and just misses. two ball, two strikes. matusz, no walks and three ks so far. 2-2 to buck. keeps it alive off the end of the bat. >> jim p: former draft choice of out of arizona state -- he doesn't play off against left handers. 26 of his 27 starts -- you can see why -- against right- handed pitching. this year is a little different. one of the guys they're waiting for him to blossom. never quite seems to get it offensively together. >> gary: 2-2. fighting matusz off here, forcing the pitches to be thrown. and holding the count at two

balls, two strikes. two teams playing here today -- when you get two strikes on the batters, they do not put up much in the way of hits. oakland's got the second-lowest team average in two strikes. the orioles with fourth-lowest average with two strikes. 2-2 delivery on the way, and just missed inside. and a full count 3-2. >> jim p: that's the amazing thing when you go back to nick markakis' hit that got the third run. with two strikes, the league was 1 for 21 against brett anderson, yet he was able to somehow have a good at-bat and add that extra run. >> gary: got him swinging! pitched down and away, four strikeouts for matusz, one away, 3rd inning. >> jim p: i guess if you're going to throw six pitches you want it to end this way. you would rather a three-run lead get him out earlier. makes a perfect pitch. just close enough that you have to chase. we have already seen that high

strike can be called so you can't take too many close pitches. >> gary: here's pennington batting ninth. pennington had a good series in rbi -- 2 for 10 -- but delivered four. rbi in the series. here are the numbers on the year. -- 1 for 10 off left handers so far. a fine job at shortstop with a couple of good place. the 0-1 delivery and will bloop that one to shallow right, second base. turner can't get it. seeing eye single right there and pennington son with the second as hit. >> jim p: nice effort by justin turner, fighting the sun, ball blown away from him. right there to the rescue is markakis. >> gary: turner, good effort, just could not get to it. with one away, pennington is on and here's davis, a strikeout

victim his first time up. davis with seven stolen bases, got his seventh yesterday. major league-leading seventh. and he bloops that one, foul territory. atkins over and can't get to it. you realize how much foul material there is when you see plays like that, how far away the fielder is from the ball and how far the ball is from the stands. >> jim p: i still remember -- the orioles came out in early 1968. i think it was a shoutout, one of his first, i think, one of the first guys to ever pitch here. it was a nice ballpark but the stand are long way from home plate. >> gary: down to first. that's fair. that's one. got to tag him now and a rundown. pennington in the rundown -- and there's the double play. atkins tagged the bag, making it the necessity of tagging pennington and that will retire the side with only three up and one hit and the orioles have the 3-0 lead. [upbeat whistling]

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>> gary: the orioles return to camden yard so the yankees will be there -- first time this season april 27-29. good seats still available. we hope you will paint the park orange. tickets start as low as $8. get yours in advance. 888-848-bird or go to orioles dots could be. bob geren and the trainer on the field. pennington got caught in that

rundown, the shortstop, having his hand checked. he got stepped on. >> jim p: yeah, right there. atkins made a nice play, ball at him, tags the base, makes nice throw and the rundown -- only one toss. no more than two, they say. >> after we won the world series, we played the angels, seven tosses in a rundown. >> gary: that's danger territory. >> jim p: when we came in, hank bauer said you have to submerge on the guy -- he meant to say converge. >> gary: i like that. so pennington sub americaned and got stepped on. wieters and montanez -- wieters got a base hit going after the first pitch. orioles here in the 4th inning have a leadoff single. if you look at the long start of 1-11 -- they trailed 54. and they have been tied in 26

of them so that's what dave trembley was talking about during the series -- get a lead, get a lead. give yourself a little breathing room. and the orioles have done some of that earlier against the 22- year-old left-hander. runner on at first base. here's atkins with the play. he growned out his first time up. yankees beat texas today 5-2. andy pettitte is 2-0. rivera got his fifth save. that's going to be in the dirt and blocked. and the count will go to a ball and a strike. >> jim p: good breaking ball. the first wild pitch of brett anderson's career was up in seattle. and his last start. so he throws that breaking ball, you know you will bounce it. you have to trust your catcher. >> gary: down to third. that is a fairball. kouzmanoff will go to first. he'll get the out. wieters will move to second base on the atkins groundball. >> jim p: it may be one of

those days where you get the leadoff runner on and then make a good pitch but the orioles get another guy into scoring position. boy, does that put pressure on you. >> gary: orioles so far, the things haven't been going right where are they're getting these off left handers who haven't given up a run in two starts. they made good defensive plays, had the opponent. oakland made a mistake or two. a base hit up the middle. that will be another run. wieters coming around. davis' throw will be cut off. and an a rbi single from montanez. orioles have a 4-0 lead. >> jim p: there you go. you get them over -- i don't know if he intentionally tried to hit the floor. montanez hits grounder. it works better. nobody plays up the middle. always been a firm infield here. gass grass is probably the best in major league baseball. it is so lush. at least until the raiders

start playing. >> gary: then it gets chopped. >> jim p: oh, does it ever. >> gary: the first rbi -- montanez only had one-at bat prior to this ball game. here's justin turner. he grounded out his first time up. and turner will take the pitch for a strike. so the orioles getting to anderson. four runs on six hits so far. and jumping out to the 4-0 lead. orioles trying to win on the road. their only win they have came at tampa bay, while this oakland team playing here at home, 6-1. >> jim p: turner, keep looking down at [ indistinct ] because he would be perfect. maybe you will start the runner. if it goes 2-1, you can see anderson anticipating that. his dad frank, coach at oklahoma state -- he's always been around the game. everybody i talk to said he not

only has good stuff but a nice feel for the game and whatever. i think he figures maybe the orioles may do a little run and hit or hit and run. >> gary: one ball, one strike count. a slow chopper. he has to come back the other way to get it. you have to go to first for the out and done. his momentum carries him to the third base side. so anderson had to come across his body, montanez to second base. >> jim p: you advance the runner -- not purposely. you can see him falling off just enough for the crossover step. had plenty of time to stand up. again, another runner in scoring position. good luck see if izturis can bring him home. a base hit in the 3rd inning and got the orioles started. three runs with two down in that inning. >> jim p: yesterday, a double

gave the orioles a 3-2 lead in the 8th inning. >> gary: he's got three hates and eight at-bat in the series. pretty well. 0-1 delivery is fisted to second base. makes the play over to first. the orioles will get another run on a couple of hits. o 0s for and as nothing. [ male announcer ] looking for a price that starts low

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>> gary: orioles base banball on masn is brought to you by -- and by -- barton coming up, a strikeout victim his first time up. sweeney and kouzmanoff to follow. fans have something to cheer about -- four runs, six hits. matusz gets a breaking ball in. no walks and four strikeouts for the oriole starter so far in the ball game in his first outing against oakland. >> jim p: we told you about his effectiveness as far as leadoff batters, 11 out of 13. until now it's 14 out of 17. actually, 14 out of 16. >> gary: this is a tough guy to keep off base. barton among the first basemen this season, right up there second in on-base percentage. he gets lot of walks.

first baseman. that one will be fouled away and a one ball, two strike count. >> jim p: came in tied with nick johnson, whom the yankees got. great first on base percentage. pretty good hitter. >> gary: yankees will come to camden yards at the end of the month when the orioles return. orioles go to seattle for a three-game set. 1-2 delivery -- got him right in the back. [ crowd booing ] barton hit by a pitch to start the inning out. >> jim p: tried to pitch to both sides of the plate. sometimes you just let the ball get out of your hand. gets a little bit out of control, back of the right. >> gary: last thing you wanted to do. now, i would imagine you would play behind him with a 4-0 lead. we'll see how the orioles play to take away the hole.

sweeney coming up. they're check on barton ma to make sure he is all right at first base. steverson, first coach, talking to him. the first time matusz hit a batter. sweeney a strikeout victim his first time up. and the pitch will be taken inside to him. sweeney now, four hits, 11 at bats, and five rbis. 1-0 pitch on the way. and taken down low by sweeney. that will send wieters out to settle matusz down after hitting the batter. falls behind 2-0 and that he hasn't been doing in the ball game. taking a look, there's the -- that was a tattoo. that wasn't a ball mark. i don't think he put a tattoo on when he hit him with that. >> jim p: well, he stole three bases in about 225 games.

yet they still hold him on. not going anywhere. >> gary: especially down 4-0. sweepny with the 12-game hitting streak. here's the delivery on the way and that's right there. he was trying to workout a 3-0 count with the arms up. the count goes to two balls and one strike. matusz 6-2 in his young career. here's the 2-1 delivery on the way, just off the end of the bat. 2-2. ♪ >> jim p: yeah, that lead really changes things. you know, i think it was a closer game. if you go to 3-2, they may start the runners -- a double play won't happen with a 4-0 lead, especially when you don't have a lot of speed with barton at first. >> gary: 2-2 delivery. hits another one he fouls back. >> jim p: you know matusz doesn't want to run the count 3- 2. be aggressive.