Game 1: W – Shaun Marcum (5-1)     L – Kevin Millwood (0-5)

The Orioles got shut out in game one but Kevin Millwood had a decent outing but he didn’t get any help  from the defense or offense. There were several plays in the first inning that should’ve been made, it was like a comedy of errors, but only one of those moments was actually ruled an error so most of the runs counted against Millwood. He ended up going 6 innings and allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 2. David Hernandez finally made an appearance out of the bullpen throwing 2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. The offense was 0-9 with runners in scoring position and didn’t have any extra base hits while leaving seven runners on base. Miguel Tejada had three singles, Ty Wiggington had two and a walk, Luke Scott had one and a walk. Nick Markakis and Cesar Izturis had the other singles.

Player of the game: Miguel Tejada – 3-4 (.271 AVG)

Game 2: W – Brett Cecil (5-2)     L – Jason Berken (0-1)     SV – Kevin Gregg (13)

Game two wasn’t much better for the offense. We scored two runs off of five hits. Julio Lugo singled in Cesar Izturis after he doubled in the 6th inning and Nick Markakis singled in Lugo. It was one of Nick’s two singles in the game. The only other hit was a Ty Wiggington single. There was some good news as Chris Tillman made his season debut and pitched pretty well. He struck out the side in the 1st inning to get out of trouble and ended up giving up 2 runs (on two solo HRs) on 6 hits and 2 walks over 5.2 innings. He was taken out of the game in favor of Jason Berken who got out of the 6th and pitched a scoreless 7th, but got into trouble in the 8th. He gave up a solo homerun and let another guy on base before Alberto Castillo was brought on. He promptly gave up a two run homerun then walked the next batter. Frank Mata came in to get the last out.

Player of the game: Nick Markakis – 2-4, RBI (.308 AVG)

Game 3: W – Ricky Romero (5-2)     L – Jeremy Guthrie (3-5)

Game three was more of the same for our sorry offense. We scored a run in the first inning but that was it for the entire game. Corey Patterson led off the game with a single and advanced to second base on a balk. A sure sign of desperation was next when Julio Lugo sacrificed Patterson to third in the first inning. Nick Markakis singled to left to score Patterson and then the offense shut down yet again. Patterson had two singles in the game. Lugo, Adam Jones, and Ty Wiggington added singles of their own, Wiggington also walked. Cesar Izturis also walked. All singles again. Jeremy Guthrie wasn’t as sharp as he has been allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings while striking out 2. He got off to a bad start allowing three runs in the 1st inning but then got on a role before giving up another in the 6th. Mark Hendrickson pitched a scoreless 7th and then Will Ohman pitched the 8th. He gave up his first and second run of the season with back to back homeruns to start the inning. He settled down from there to get the next three batters out.

Player of the game: Corey Patterson – 2-4, R (.265 AVG)

The Orioles get Memorial Day off before traveling to New York for a three game series with the Yankees. This is another chance to fire our incompetent manager but I’ve pretty much lost all hope of that ever happening. Brian Matusz (2-5, 5.76) pitches Tuesday and he needs to get things turned around. The Yankees counter with Javier Vazquez (3-5, 6.86) whos been terrible this year. I’m sure he’ll pitch his best game of the season.

W – Michael Wuertz (2-0)     L – Mark Hendrickson (1-3)     SV – Andrew Bailey (9)

Dave Trembley strikes again… How long can we keep this guy on as manager? Brad Bergesen pitched a good game, going 7 innings and allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Unfortunately for him two of those runs were let in by the bullpen in the 8th inning. Going into the 8th Bergesen had thrown 80 pitches and retired 14 straight batters but gave up back to back singles to open the frame. On the second batter it looked like he had struck the guy out but the umpire missed the call. Trembley decided it was time to remove Bergesen from the game after 93 pitches. Thats fine, he gave up back to back hits. Jason Berken came in and got the first and only batter he would face on an easy fly ball. Trembley decided to bring in Mark Hendrickson to face the back to back lefties coming up despite the fact that Berken has held left handed hitters to a .194 batting average this season while Hendrickson had a .333 batting average against them. After the game he said “I think you’re going to go left vs. left there. I think that’s really what you’re going to do”. No it isn’t Dave, not when the stats show reverse splits. It was a stupid move and it came back to bite him because after getting the first batter to pop out Hendrickson gave up three consecutive singles allowing both of Bergesen’s runners to score. Granted the last hit was on a ball that took a bad hop on Cesar Izturis but I don’t really think that makes a difference. Cla Meredith came in with the bases loaded now and promptly gave up a bases clearing double that pretty much ended the game.

The offense did a good job for the lineup that was put out there. Nick Markakis had to miss the game because his wife gave birth to their second child and Luke Scott had to sit out again with a sore shoulder. We tied the game at two in the bottom of the 3rd inning on an RBI groundout by Miguel Tejada and an RBI bloop single by Matt Wieters. The inning was set up by Cesar Izturis who singled and stole second base. An infield single by Julio Lugo and one of three walks for Ty Wiggington followed. We took the lead in the 6th inning. We loaded the bases when Wieters was hit by a pitch, Adam Jones singled, and Garrett Atkins walked and scored on an RBI groundout by Lou Montanez. We got two more in the 7th when Lugo singled, Wiggington walked, and Tejada singled in one and Garrett Atkins walked with the bases loaded for another. Wieters walked in the inning and singled again in the 9th when we tried to start a rally but couldn’t do anything with runners on base. We lose another series in spectacularly demoralizing fashion. It feels like September but its not even June yet.

Player of the game: Matt Wieters – 2-3, R, RBI, BB, HBP (.261 AVG)

Maybe a trip out of the country will help things as the Orioles fly to Toronto to face the Blue Jays. Game 1: Kevin Millwood (0-4, 3.71) vs. Shaun Marcum (4-1, 2.82) Game 2: Chris Tillman (0-0, -.–) vs. Brett Cecil (4-2, 4.10) Game 3: Jeremy Guthrie (3-4, 3.64) vs. Ricky Romero (4-2, 3.42)

W – Trevor Cahill (3-2)     L – Brian Matusz (2-5)

For as good as the Orioles looked on Tuesday night, they looked just as bad last night. Brian Matusz got roughed up again, allowing four runs in the first inning and another in the second. He did have a nice run of success in the middle innings, retiring 10 straight batters at one point, but lost it again in the sixth. The first three batters that came to the plate had consecutive hits to knock him from the game. He ended the night giving up 6 runs on 8 hits and a walk over 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. Frank Mata made his major league debut with runners on first and second with no outs. He managed to get out of it without allowing any more runs to score, a part in thanks to Adam Jones strong throw home and a nice tag by Matt Wieters to get the last out of the inning. He started the 7th and got the first batter out but an infield single on a close play by Rajai Davis, a stolen base, and a walk brought Dave Trembley to the mound. Mata was removed in favor of Matt Albers who did a good job getting out of the inning. He also went on to pitch a scoreless 8th. Alberto Castillo pitched a perfect 9th, striking out a batter.

The offense only had three hits in the game but there were still opportunities that were left on the table. After Garrett Atkins finally hit his first homerun as an Oriole in the 3rd inning, Corey Patterson hit a bunt single and then Ty Wiggington walked. Nick Markakis couldn’t get the two out hit though and they were both stranded. In the 5th inning Patterson walked and stole second base with two outs, but again we couldn’t deliver the clutch hit as Wiggington grounded out. Our only other hit on the night was an Adam Jones single on a ball that traveled roughly five feet and probably should’ve been called an error. Matt Wieters walked twice in the game. Maybe it was the heat but the team just looked dead out there last night.

Player of the game: Garrett Atkins – 1-3, solo HR (1) (.225 AVG)

Tonight is the game that decides the series. Brad Bergesen (3-3, 6.10) pitches for the Orioles against Gio Gonzalez (5-3, 3.46) for the A’s.