I came into tonight's game late, and it was 5-0 Mariners. First thing I saw was Jay Payton go deep. The Orioles went on to win 8-7, after I immediately proclaimed that we would win tonight. Just had a feelin', ya know? The first thing I see is a Jay Payton home run. We're winning this thing.

I missed another fabulous start from Adam Loewen, who went two and two-thirds (60 pitches, 33 strikes) with three walks, a strikeout, four hits, five earned runs, and a homer allowed to Adrian Beltre. His ERA is now 7.85. Does anyone really think this dude deserves a rotation spot instead of Matt Albers? Really? I know the team is invested in Loewen, but at what point do you have to STOP THE INSANITY?

The guy can't pitch. Trembley is on record as saying we're foolishly carrying thirteen pitchers (and thus, a bench consisting of Brandon Fahey, Guillermo Quiroz and Jay Payton) because Loewen can't go deep into games.

He's not getting any better about it! You can stick him in the bullpen (since optioning him isn't really an, um, option), but that'll spell disaster, most likely. A couple of years ago, one of the Baseball Prospectus guys said that Loewen might be better off there. The way he simply can't keep the ball over the plate, I have my doubts. Sure he could pump his fastball, but he can't control that thing any better than the rest of his junk.

So what do you do with him? He's taking up a valuable spot on the 25-man roster.

After he was gone, it went a lot better. Matt Albers and Jamie Walker gave up an earned run each (both on Ichiro's two-run bomb off of Walker, but we've already discussed the stupidity of matching Ichiro by the book, as he kills lefties and had healthy numbers against Walker career), but RAN-DOOOOOR! pitched two scoreless right after Loewen, Bradford went one and a third, and Sherrill shut the door after some drunks ran onto the field. I had the dreadful Mariners TV broadcast, but apparently Gary Thorne said they were "not taking it lightly" on the knuckleheads (that one credit to the Seattle booth) that got out there.

That gives Shutdown eight saves on the year, five against the Mariners. And that skirt-wearing weiner Erik Bedard is still too afeared of the mighty, mighty O's. As well he should be!

You know who I hate? Yuniesky Betancourt. 3-for-4. That guy kills us. Get him out of here.

Markakis was 2-for-3 with two walks, Millar managed a sac fly, Huff was 1-for-5 with an RBI, Roberts homered in the eighth to put us up for good, and Adam Jones (Player of the Year, 2010 Seattle Mariners) was 3-for-4 with a two-run, go-ahead double in the seventh.

Much fun all around! Now we have a bunch of games in Chicago against the White Sox, so that wraps up our season series against them, too. Let's do it to it!

Another series won. Can't argue with that.

Once a year or so, it's good to update these. Players come and players go, much like the asinine nicknames that generally spring out of the game threads. So here's a quick primer for anyone who's new and might not know what in God's name we're talking about during certain points of a game.

Albers, Matt

• Fat Albers

This is not in any way intended to be mean. Honest. I know the dude's a little pudgy, maybe still carrying some baby fat, or maybe he's just like most of the rest of us and likes to reward himself for a fine day's work of breathing air and being a cool dude by wolfing down a Baconator or six. I'm not here to judge Matt Albers. It's just something that happened in my head and then I put it on a blog. Hey, hey, hey!

You gotta do it right though. Listen for yourself, if you're unfamiliar. It starts loud, so be prepared. That site is long faded as far as being funny goes, but whatever. RAN-DOOOOOR!

Bradford, Chad

• ChadBrad
• Chadwick
• Chadstache

Ain't found a way to kill me yet

Eyes burn with stingin' sweat

Seems every path leads me to nowhere

Wife and kids, household pet

Army green was no safe bet

The bullets scream to me from somewhere

Yeah, they come to snuff The Rooster

Yeah, here come The Rooster

You know he ain't gonna die

Walkin' tall, machine gun man

They spit on me in my homeland

Mora, Melvin 

• MelMo
• Melly Mel
• Melvin Moron
• Playoff Hero Melvin Mora

Did Babe Ruth ever slap at someone's glove while they tried to tag him? Did Mickey Mantle? Did Hank Aaron? Did Cal Ripken? Did Dane Iorg? Did Kiko Garcia? Seriously. He's a player to admire, but a total weiner.

That's why I prefer "Brian Bob."

Sarfate, Dennis

• Dennis the Menace

via d.yimg.com

Matt Albers got the job done in a spot start and George Sherrill picked up a shaky sixth save on the season as the Birds remained in first place with a 4-3 win over Toronto.

The O's are now 6-1 at Camden Yards this season, quite a turnaround from last year's dismal 35-46 home record. Trembley went bullpen crazy as usual, giving Jim Johnson two and a third before calling in Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford to get one out apiece. With a 4-1 lead, Sherrill came in to pitch the ninth and allowed a two-run, pinch-hit home run to Alex Rios, but he survived the brush with crap and got us out of there with one more in the win column.

Pretty good game at the plate, too. Kevin Millar was 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, and Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora and Luke Scott all had two hits apiece. Adam Jones was 3-for-3 with a walk, and looked really good at the plate, even though his first hit was sort of an off-balance hack at a breaking ball. After that, he appeared to be dialed in. And this after Dave Trembley went around telling everyone he could find that he really thought about pulling the struggling Jones today.

I still wonder what purpose that serves. Is it motivation? Doesn't it seem like that would make the kid press even harder? And if he had pulled him, then why is he on the team anyway? He's here to learn on the Major League level.

The other O's RBI came from a Ramon Hernandez sac fly. He was 0-for-3 to push his average down to a sparkling .179.

With 13 hits, the O's should have scored more runs, which is a pretty familiar feeling. They grounded into three double plays and made two outs at the plate. The first was Luis Hernandez hesitating to run anywhere on a Nick Markakis chopper where he absolutely should have scored or at least not run at all, but them's the breaks. The second came in the eighth, when Juan Samuel sent Jay Payton on a medium-depth fly ball to left field with one out and Brian Roberts coming up with two men in scoring position.

Let's think about this. Payton runs fine, but he's not fast. Shannon Stewart can't throw, but he wasn't throwing very far. There is another out to go and the insurance run(s) would certainly help. So Samuel sends him?

You're on notice, Juan. You're Trebelhorn II.

But a win is a win is a win. I'm also worried about the fact that in eight wins, Sherrill has six saves. We're not exactly whomping on the competition, and close games can turn against you very fast. But a win is a win is a win. This is Birdland.

via d.yimg.com (© LM Otero / AP)

I didn't see the first game, but I do know that getting three base hits is not exactly good. Rangers won 3-1. Stupid every-third-year Kevin Millwood.

In the second game, Adam Loewen struggled badly with his control -- again -- and left a couple too many pitches up -- again. Count me as decidedly not on the train with Loewen or Cabrera. I mean, I'll be psyched when they have good games now and again, but these bad ones are torture. I don't watch summer re-runs; I don't want to watch them on live TV, either.

Jay Payton homered and Markakis and Melvin had two hits apiece in the second game, too. Randor Bierd looked good in relief. The Rangers chipped away at Chad Bradford to score what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth, following the Orioles tying it in the top of the inning on a sac RBI from Millar.

Brandon Fahey and Luis Hernandez combined to go 0-for-6 over two games. I know Luis had that one big game-winner, but don't stop expecting to see Alex Cintron sometime soon.

Luke Scott's hot streak hit a roadblock with an 0-for-3 opener (three strikeouts and a walk) and then crapped out in a pinch-hit appearance in game two. Ramon Hernandez had a 1-for-5 day to raise his average to .143.

The O's went to 2-1 tonight with a 7-4 victory over the Mariners, which was good news and all, but still, erm, some issues.

Yeah, Millar and Razor and Mora all went yard and Luis Hernandez even had two RBI (both sac flies), but...

Bullet points!

• Dave Trembley's bullpen management is positively Perlozzoian.
• Nick Markakis does not look great against left handed pitching.
• Greg Aquino is AWFUL.

Sarfate, Walker and Bradford did their jobs, but why were the latter two even pitching? It was a five-run game before Aquino crapped the bed and gave up a two-run homer to Richie Sexson in the ninth inning, which led to Sherrill coming in following a Mike Morse double after the Sexson home run. Adrian Beltre also homered for the Mariners earlier in the game.

A fine win in many ways, and it's good to see this team playing so hard. The fielding was excellent, as Luis Hernandez made some really nice plays and Mora had a couple highlights, too. But Trembley is worrying me. Walker and Bradford don't need to be throwing 80 games apiece again.

How about a play of the game? OK.

Play of the Game: Raul Ibanez, with a 3-0 count, swings away and grounds into a 4-6-3 double play. What a boner.

Aquino will be the first guy in the 'pen to lose his job. And there was no reason to use Walker when Randor Bierd and Matt Albers are out there. It's a five-run game. That's why you have those guys.

But, we won. Let's take it where we can get it.

Huff photo © D. Heller

Photo © Rob Carr / AP

Not much in the way of a crowd tonight. Announced attendance, apparently, was about 10,500. We really are the Major League Indians.

But to quote another quality sports movie of the same era, the sun shines on a dog's ass some days, Billy Hoyle.

After what was a wonderfully laughable and cliché first inning from Daniel Cabrera -- out, single, steal, out, walk, home run, out -- the O's rebounded late to score a 9-6 win over the Rays, thanks to the heroics of the great and wonderful Aubrey Huff, everyone's favorite player.

Huff, who torched Tampa Bay last season, hit his first home run of the season in the sixth inning, chasing Matt Garza from the game and bringing the Orioles back into it, trailing just 6-5.

Prior to that, it had looked like all was lost. Brian Roberts led off the bottom of the first with a home run, but Cabrera was taken out in the fifth after failing to get a single out, striking out two and walking five, allowing six earned. He looked awful out there. Where are you, zknower? Defend your boy!

From there, Randor Bierd, Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker (who struck out the side in the eighth inning) held down the fort, and then, Huff struck again.

With two on, Huff drove one to the wall and cleared the bases, giving the O's a 7-6 lead. After the homer, he was still getting some boos -- by the way, if you were there and one of the people booing Huff for hitting a two-run homer, get over yourself. Seriously. After the game-changing double (Huff reached third on Nathan "Wille Mays" Haynes' error), it was all cheers for Aubrey.

If he wants to keep hitting like this, he can count me in as a fan, too.

Razor Ramon drove Aubrey in on a sac fly, and Adam Jones made it 9-6 with an RBI single that scored Jay Payton, who was running for Luke Scott and had stolen second base.

Quite a game for the revamped Rays bullpen, as last year's closer, Al Reyes, was shelled by the Birds to the tune of four earned in two-thirds of an inning, walking two and striking out none.

George Sherrill made the ninth inning interesting by pulling a John Parrish, throwing the ball with lots of movement all over the damn place, walking two and striking out two before getting pinch-hitting Jonny Gomes to pop out to center field, ending the game.

So we won't challenge the '88 team's 0-21 start.

Adam Jones, who is looking for a nickname, scored his first Oriole run, got his first Oriole hit, stole his first Oriole base, and notched his first Oriole steak. Even Luis Hernandez drew a walk and scored a run.

Cliff Floyd hit the first inning home run for the Rays.

It's the days like these, where Jones hits and the bullpen holds it down and looks good and other things actually go right, that will make the 2008 season worth watching. Sure, it's just one win, and we'll see more days like Monday than tonight, but whatever. All I ask is that the team plays its ass off.

Good win. Fun night, as even Gary and Jim seemed to be having a good, wisecrackin' time. .500.

Oh yeah, Pat Sajak was there too.

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Roch Kubatko took out his trusty quill (or whatever he writes with) and gets some news out of the way so he can return to his normal litany of unfunny jokes.

Of note...

• Jay Gibbons, according to WNST's text alerts, has had his 15-day suspension placed on hold for 10 days. So he's eligible to go north for OD. Which means the O's have to make a decision sooner rather than later on whether he stays or goes.
• Brian Burres takes the 5th spot in the rotation. I can't help reading that and thinking of Dave Chappelle as Tron in front of Congress - "I take the Fif !"
• Daniel Cabrera takes the 2nd spot, a bit of a surprise, but who cares after the first trip through anyway.
• Matt Albers will get a chance to go north and start the year in the bullpen.
• The rest of the bullpen is George Sherrill, Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford, Greg Aquino, Dennis Sarfate and Randor Bierd.
• The O's don't set their roster until Sunday at 3 p.m.
• Rocky Cherry has been placed on the DL retro to March 22
• Diamond Dave Trembley has decided the O's Opening Day lineup should be guarded with the level of secrecy normally reserved for nuclear launch codes or Dick Cheney's vacation plans, and won't announce it until it's posted on OD.

If you want to read the rest of Roch's work, feel free to drive some traffic his way.

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