To say the 2011 Baltimore Orioles had a disappointing season would be an understatement. Although no one was picking the Birds to win the AL East, most people thought that they would take a step towards a .500 record. For the 14th straight year, that didn’t happen.

There was tragedy off the field with the death of Mike Flanagan and it looks like the Andy MacPhail era is coming to an end in the front office.

All wasn’t terrible for the Orioles, however. Adam Jones, Matt Weiters and J.J. Hardy, among others, all had fine seasons.

To close out the year, the Birds helped eliminate the Boston Red Sox from the postseason contention.

But, to me, the story of 2011 was the dramatic decline of pitcher Brian Matusz.

Matusz, the Orioles first-round pick 2008, finished the 2010 season with a 7-1 record and looked like he was ready to emerge as one of the top left-handed starters in the AL.

Hopes were high for him.

Unfortunately, this season turned out to be an absolute disaster for Matusz.

He started the year on the DL and missed two months. When he did return, he was horrible.

Plagued by a loss of velocity and poor location, Matusz finished 2011 with a 1-9 record and his 10.69 ERA was the worst ever by a starting pitcher with 10 or more starts in a season.

Matusz himself admitted that he wasn’t in the best of shape and his perfomance helped prove that.

The loss of pace off his fastball has everyone baffled. Both the Orioles and Matusz say that he isn’t hurt.

The 86 MPH heater says otherwise.

Whatever the reason, both sides need to figure out a way to fix the problems. This is the future ace of the staff we’re talking about.

Over the course of one year, Brian Matusz has gone from the stud of your rotation to a giant question mark moving forward.

That is unaccepable.

BH

By Noah Trister
AP Sports Writer

DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera homered and singled, keeping the pressure on in his push for the American League batting title before leaving the Detroit Tigers’ 10-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday with lightheadedness.

Cabrera came out after lining out to left field in the seventh inning — a trainer had checked on him in the middle of the at-bat. The slugger began the day one point behind Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez but raised his average from .339 to .341.

Brad Penny (11-11) allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings for the win.

Brian Matusz (1-9) gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings.

Assuming he doesn’t pitch again this year, Matusz will finish with a 10.69 ERA, a record high for a pitcher with at least 40 innings in a season, according to STATS LLC. Roy Halladay had a 10.64 ERA for Toronto in 2000.

The Tigers have clinched the AL Central and are now playing largely for playoff position and individual honors. Cabrera hit a two-run shot in the first inning, his 29th home run of the year, and Victor Martinez, Don Kelly and Jhonny Peralta added homers of their own for Detroit.

After Cabrera gave Detroit a 2-0 lead, Delmon Young hit an RBI single in the third to make it 3-0.

Baltimore scored three runs in the fifth to tie it. Pedro Florimon Jr. drove in two of them with a double, his first career hit.

Detroit immediately rallied back. After Cabrera hit a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, Martinez followed with a three-run homer to make it 6-3. Kelly added a three-run shot an inning later.

Nolan Reimold hit a three-run homer in the eighth for the Orioles — an estimated 434 feet to left-center — to make it 9-6. Peralta’s solo shot in the bottom half gave Detroit another insurance run. Continued…

By Noah Trister
AP Sports Writer

DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera homered and singled, keeping the pressure on in his push for the American League batting title before leaving the Detroit Tigers’ 10-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday with lightheadedness.

Cabrera came out after lining out to left field in the seventh inning — a trainer had checked on him in the middle of the at-bat. The slugger began the day one point behind Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez but raised his average from .339 to .341.

Brad Penny (11-11) allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings for the win.

Brian Matusz (1-9) gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings.

Assuming he doesn’t pitch again this year, Matusz will finish with a 10.69 ERA, a record high for a pitcher with at least 40 innings in a season, according to STATS LLC. Roy Halladay had a 10.64 ERA for Toronto in 2000.

The Tigers have clinched the AL Central and are now playing largely for playoff position and individual honors. Cabrera hit a two-run shot in the first inning, his 29th home run of the year, and Victor Martinez, Don Kelly and Jhonny Peralta added homers of their own for Detroit.

After Cabrera gave Detroit a 2-0 lead, Delmon Young hit an RBI single in the third to make it 3-0.

Baltimore scored three runs in the fifth to tie it. Pedro Florimon Jr. drove in two of them with a double, his first career hit.

Detroit immediately rallied back. After Cabrera hit a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, Martinez followed with a three-run homer to make it 6-3. Kelly added a three-run shot an inning later.

Nolan Reimold hit a three-run homer in the eighth for the Orioles — an estimated 434 feet to left-center — to make it 9-6. Peralta’s solo shot in the bottom half gave Detroit another insurance run.

The Tigers are 27-9 since Aug. 19 and have pulled away from the rest of the AL Central. They are now hoping to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the postseason.

NOTES: Tigers manager Jim Leyland said second baseman Carlos Guillen (strained right calf) isn’t ready to return yet. … Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a third-inning single. … Baltimore’s Vladimir Guerrero went 0 for 4 and remained tied with Julio Franco for the career lead in hits by a Dominican-born player. Both have 2,586. … The Tigers will send Doug Fister (10-13) to the mound Monday night against Cleveland’s Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3) to begin the final series of the regular season. … Baltimore hosts Boston for three games. The Orioles will send Tommy Hunter (4-4) to the mound Monday night to face Josh Beckett (13-6).

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—B.J. Upton(notes) finally found success again at
Tropicana Field.

Upton had five RBIs, Wade Davis(notes) pitched effectively into the seventh inning
and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 on Saturday night.

Upton hit a two-out, three-run double off Alfredo Simon(notes) (4-8) to make it 6-2
in the fifth. The Rays tied it at 2 during the first when Upton drove in two
runs on a double.

Both of Upton’s run-scoring hits came after Matt Joyce(notes) drew two-out walks.

“If you’re a competitor, you do (take it personally),” Upton said.
“Nobody likes the guy in front of him walked to get to yourself, so you want to
rise to the occasion. It just happened to work out.”

Upton had just 16 RBIs in his previous 63 home games this season. On the
road, he has knocked in 45 runs over 66 contests.

“This ballpark is a little tougher on hitters than on pitchers,” Upton
said. “But when you play here, you can expect that.”

Upton had been 1 for 23 with the bases loaded, dating back to the start of
the 2010 season, before his fifth-inning hit.

“He’s done it for us in the past and it’s in his future,” Tampa Bay
manager Joe Maddon said. “Don’t forget he’s still young (27 years old). He’s
got a lot to learn and when he does, he’s going to put up some really sick
numbers.”

Davis (9-8) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The
right-hander struck out five and walked four. Kyle Farnsworth(notes), the third Tampa
Bay reliever, pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

“Little bits of wildness, but overall he pitched well,” Maddon said of
Davis. “If he gets rid of the walks, he could really be dominant.”

Nick Markakis(notes) homered for the Orioles (55-82), who are now saddled with
their 14th straight losing record. Baltimore came up short in its bid to win six
straight road games for the first time since Aug. 29-Sept 4, 2004.

Simon gave up six runs and seven hits over five-plus innings. He is 1-4 with
a 5.80 ERA in his last six starts.

“The command of the fastball has got to be there to pitch at this level,”
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Tonight wasn’t one of those nights.”

Joyce had a third-inning RBI double to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.

Markakis put the Orioles up 2-0 with a two-run shot in the first. He entered
with four hits in his previous 38 at-bats.

Baltimore got within 6-3 when Matt Wieters(notes) had a run-scoring single in the
sixth. Davis avoided further damage by getting an inning-ending double play from
Robert Andino(notes) with the bases loaded.

“We had some chances to really climb back in that thing,” Showalter said.

Wieters has driven in 15 runs over his last 13 games.

NOTES: Tampa Bay INF-OF Ben Zobrist(notes) was out of the starting lineup because
of neck stiffness and is day to day. … Orioles RHP Tommy Hunter(notes) (flulike
symptoms) remains on target to pitch Tuesday against the New York Yankees. …
Baltimore LHP Brian Matusz(notes) is scheduled to make his next start Monday in New
York after being skipped one time through the rotation. … Tampa Bay bullpen
coach Bobby Ramos continues to recover at home from a throat problem. …
Orioles INF Chris Davis(notes) (strained right shoulder) is set to play Sunday and
Monday at Double-A Bowie. … Baltimore RHP Jeremy Guthrie(notes) (6-16), who is 5-9
with a 4.09 ERA in 17 starts against Tampa Bay, will face Rays RHP Jeremy
Hellickson(notes) (11-10) in Sunday’s series finale.

Upton hit a two-out, three-run double off Alfredo Simon (4-8) to make it 6-2 in the fifth. The Rays tied it at 2 during the first when Upton drove in two runs on a double.

Both of Upton’s run-scoring hits came after Matt Joyce drew two-out walks.

“If you’re a competitor, you do (take it personally),” Upton said. “Nobody likes the guy in front of him walked to get to yourself, so you want to rise to the occasion. It just happened to work out.”

Upton had just 16 RBIs in his previous 63 home games this season. On the road, he has knocked in 45 runs over 66 contests.

“This ballpark is a little tougher on hitters than on pitchers,” Upton said. “But when you play here, you can expect that.”

Upton had been 1 for 23 with the bases loaded, dating back to the start of the 2010 season, before his fifth-inning hit.

“He’s done it for us in the past and it’s in his future,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “Don’t forget he’s still young (27 years old). He’s got a lot to learn and when he does, he’s going to put up some really sick numbers.”

Davis (9-8) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked four. Kyle Farnsworth, the third Tampa Bay reliever, pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

“Little bits of wildness, but overall he pitched well,” Maddon said of Davis. “If he gets rid of the walks, he could really be dominant.”

Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles (55-82), who are now saddled with their 14th straight losing record. Baltimore came up short in its bid to win six straight road games for the first time since Aug. 29-Sept 4, 2004.

Simon gave up six runs and seven hits over five-plus innings. He is 1-4 with a 5.80 ERA in his last six starts.

“The command of the fastball has got to be there to pitch at this level,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Tonight wasn’t one of those nights.”

Joyce had a third-inning RBI double to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.

Markakis put the Orioles up 2-0 with a two-run shot in the first. He entered with four hits in his previous 38 at-bats.

Baltimore got within 6-3 when Matt Wieters had a run-scoring single in the sixth. Davis avoided further damage by getting an inning-ending double play from Robert Andino with the bases loaded.

“We had some chances to really climb back in that thing,” Showalter said.

Wieters has driven in 15 runs over his last 13 games.

NOTES: Tampa Bay INF-OF Ben Zobrist was out of the starting lineup because of neck stiffness and is day to day. … Orioles RHP Tommy Hunter (flulike symptoms) remains on target to pitch Tuesday against the New York Yankees. … Baltimore LHP Brian Matusz is scheduled to make his next start Monday in New York after being skipped one time through the rotation. … Tampa Bay bullpen coach Bobby Ramos continues to recover at home from a throat problem. … Orioles INF Chris Davis (strained right shoulder) is set to play Sunday and Monday at Double-A Bowie. … Baltimore RHP Jeremy Guthrie (6-16), who is 5-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 starts against Tampa Bay, will face Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (11-10) in Sunday’s series finale.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — B.J. Upton had five RBIs, Wade Davis pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 on Saturday night.

Upton hit a two-out, three-run double off Alfredo Simon (4-8) to make it 6-2 in the fifth. The Rays tied it at 2 during the first when Upton drove in two runs on a double.

Upton had just 16 RBIs in his previous 63 home games this season.

Davis (9-8) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked four. Kyle Farnsworth, the third Tampa Bay reliever, pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles (55-82), who are now saddled with their 14th straight losing record. Baltimore came up short in its bid to win six straight road games for the first time since Aug. 29-Sept 4, 2004.

Simon gave up six runs and seven hits over five-plus innings.

Matt Joyce had a third-inning RBI double to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.

Markakis put the Orioles up 2-0 with a two-run shot in the first. He entered with four hits in his previous 38 at-bats.

Baltimore got within 6-3 when Matt Wieters had a run-scoring single in the sixth. Davis avoided further damage by getting an inning-ending double play from Robert Andino with the bases loaded.

Wieters has driven in 15 runs over his last 13 games.

NOTES: Tampa Bay INF-OF Ben Zobrist was out of the starting lineup because of neck stiffness and is day to day. … Orioles RHP Tommy Hunter (flulike symptoms) remains on target to pitch Tuesday against the New York Yankees. … Baltimore LHP Brian Matusz is scheduled to make his next start Monday in New York after being skipped one time through the rotation. … Tampa Bay bullpen coach Bobby Ramos continues to recover at home from a throat problem. … Orioles INF Chris Davis (strained right shoulder) is set to play Sunday and Monday at Double-A Bowie. … Baltimore RHP Jeremy Guthrie (6-16), who is 5-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 starts against Tampa Bay, will face Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (11-10) in Sunday’s series finale.

AP Photo/Brian Blanco

Tampa Bay Rays’ B.J. Upton follows through on his swing as he hits a base-clearing double off of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon to score teammates Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce and Johnny Damon during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

B.J. Upton had five RBIs, Wade Davis pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 on Saturday night.
Upton hit a two-out, three-run double off Alfredo Simon (4-8) to make it 6-2 in the fifth. The Rays tied it at 2 during the first when Upton drove in two runs on a double.
Upton had just 16 RBIs in his previous 63 home games this season.
Davis (9-8) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked four. Kyle Farnsworth, the third Tampa Bay reliever, pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles (55-82), who are now saddled with their 14th straight losing record. Baltimore came up short in its bid to win six straight road games for the first time since Aug. 29-Sept 4, 2004.
Simon gave up six runs and seven hits over five-plus innings.
Matt Joyce had a third-inning RBI double to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.
Markakis put the Orioles up 2-0 with a two-run shot in the first. He entered with four hits in his previous 38 at-bats.
Baltimore got within 6-3 when Matt Wieters had a run-scoring single in the sixth. Davis avoided further damage by getting an inning-ending double play from Robert Andino with the bases loaded.
Wieters has driven in 15 runs over his last 13 games.
NOTES: Tampa Bay INF-OF Ben Zobrist was out of the starting lineup because of neck stiffness and is day to day. … Orioles RHP Tommy Hunter (flulike symptoms) remains on target to pitch Tuesday against the New York Yankees. … Baltimore LHP Brian Matusz is scheduled to make his next start Monday in New York after being skipped one time through the rotation. … Tampa Bay bullpen coach Bobby Ramos continues to recover at home from a throat problem. … Orioles INF Chris Davis (strained right shoulder) is set to play Sunday and Monday at Double-A Bowie. … Baltimore RHP Jeremy Guthrie (6-16), who is 5-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 starts against Tampa Bay, will face Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (11-10) in Sunday’s series finale.