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What a night yesterday. I know there are some purists out there who hate the wild card concept; however, if it was not for that – the drama we had on Wednesday night would not have existed.

You could not have scripted what happened in your wildest dreams on in a Hollywood script…

The Orioles were playing a completely meaningless game to them in terms of their final result. Their season was well over – like in July.

However, Buck Showalter had his guys playing out on Wednesday like it was a pennant clincher for them.

Despite another losing season, today in Baltimore and in Birdland, a sense of happiness arose on the horizon this morning.

Yes, the Orioles defeated the Red Sox, 4-3, thanks a clutch game-winning single from Robert Andino – who has become a vital part of the team after having his role in doubt during Spring Training.

Before that, Nolan Reimold tied the game with an RBI-double off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon.

I was at the game and stayed through the rain delay.

I left Camden Yards at the end of the 8^th inning because of a thing called *work*. I had to be there at 8am all dressed up, so staying into the next day was not an option. This morning, I feel like a sucker.

Even more amazing … after the Orioles win, only a few minutes later, the Rays clinched the American League Wild Card. Evan Longoria’s homer in the 12^th inning against the Yankees – which featured an even more improbable comeback – down in Florida made a crazy night even moreso.

On the night, yes starter Alfredo Simon was wildly inconsistent and the Orioles blew chances to score – especially in the seventh inning; however, they left a smile on everyone who rooted for Baltimore with never giving up on the night.

As for the Red Sox fans, it must suck to have seen the reality unfold in person. I fathom that there will be changes with their organization by next year as their utter collapse in the final month was nothing short of stunning.

Their pitching was suspect for final few weeks – despite Lester’s solid outing on Wednesday – and there were quite a few guys on that team who just weren’t hacking it.

Well, the Orioles – who knows what the off-season will bring. I want to say that it is great that they held their own in the final month against playoff contenders; however, this team has a lot of flaws.

Sadly, if the pitching only held up and if the young arms delivered – even somewhat – Baltimore might have been closer to .500 (or perhaps above it) than we as fans realized. Something needs to be done in the offseason to fix it.

Not to say that the Orioles could have even contended this year, but they need to keep drafting, stick with a plan and get some quality arms to support the youngsters in the rotation.

Plus, we should know soon the status of Andy MacPhail in the days to come. That will be interesting.

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Well, the Orioles last night, in their 161^st game lost to the Boston Red Sox, 8-7, in a close game that has a ton of intrigue and drama surrounding it. We all know that the Red Sox have tanked and are tied with the Rays for the Wild Card spot in the American League East with a game to play.

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon got the save in a crazy ninth inning where the Orioles plated in a run off a Matt Wieters’ infield single; however, Baltimore could not do much more as Adam Jones grounded out with a runner on base to finish up the game.

Although the stadium looked half-empty on TV, it sounded like a playoff game at Camden Yards and it was good to see Oriole fans standing up and rooting for their team in the final inning. Of course, Red Sox fans were there too, but being at the game Monday night, it too seemed that Oriole fans had a vested interest in the final home series of the year.

Although my interest in the Orioles in the last few games of the season is there, I’m more intrigued to see how the Red Sox finish up and wonder if they finish their epic collapse, or squeak into the playoffs.

I do like how the Orioles are fighting, playing better and refusing to fold.

Zach Britton finished out his year with an 11-11 and only getting through 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday night.  Brittton was mediocre on the night, but all things considered, you can count this year as a moderate success for him despite all the ups and downs.

The Red Sox got clutch homers from Jacoby Ellsbury, Marco Scutaro and rookie Ryan Lavarnway - who had unexpectedly stepped in to catch because of injuries to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek - who hit two homers.

Baltimore used the longball as well. Adam Jones hit his 25^th homer, and Matt Wieters hit his 22^nd.

Tonight, the Orioles have to counter against Jon Lester on the mound. We shall see if Baltimore can curtail Boston’s playoff hopes.

Finally, with the season coming to end, who knows what will happen with the Orioles’ front office, come Thursday. From the looks of it, based on the Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly, there will be changes – maybe some dramatic ones.

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For the Orioles, Monday night’s game was their 160^th of 2011. While the contest may have not had much impact on their place in the standings, it may have meant more than that for Baltimore.

With only two games left in the season, fans at Camden Yards may have seen more good than bad with the Black and Orange. The good news is that they no doubt came to play against their rival – the Red Sox, who are now seriously hanging for dear life in the playoff hunt.

The Orioles had a chance to play spoiler – for the second time in as many weeks – against the Red Sox. Instead of trolling out a lineup full of Triple-A and Four-A guys, the Orioles pretty much had all their regulars in the lineup and defeated the Red Sox, 6-3.

They put the game away in the sixth inning as Robert Andino had a three-run inside the park homer that Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury dropped after an amazing, improbable over-the-back catch.

Andino’s inside-the-park was the first by an Oriole since 2010, and the first ever at Camden Yards. They jumped on Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett – who had been doing fairly well up to that point – and made him pay.

Could that moment serve as the epitaph of the Red Sox season? With the Tampa Bay victory tonight, all bets are off now as both teams are tied in the American League Wild Card hunt.

What a game by the Orioles. They have sure added a ton of drama in the final week in the sport of baseball. Boston had a golden chance – with the bases loaded in the eighth – to come within striking distance of Baltimore’s lead; however, reliever Pedro Strop got his team out of a jam.

Of course, the Orioles added some torture to finish off the game in the ninth inning. Jim Johnson – who came in to finish up the game – hit Ellsbury to start the game, committed a balk and allowed back-to-back hits to Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. Ellsbury scored in the frame; however, Johnson got Adrian Gonzalez to flyout and fanned Jed Lowrie to end the contest.

Troy Patton – who came in relief of Hunter – pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory for Baltimore. Boston’s Beckett took the loss.

The methodical Red Sox made Oriole starting pitcher Tommy Hunter by running his pitch count up to 90 after five innings; however, the big man battled and kept his team in the game despite being hit hard at times.

Overall, Hunter ended up going five frames and gave up two runs – off a fielder’s choice (thanks to a horrible throw by Angle) that plated Marco Scutaro in the second inning and a Jed Lowrie homer in the fourth.

Baltimore had a rough few innings to start off the game, thanks to two potentially huge miscues (by Matt Angle on the basepaths, plus his aforementioned throw) ; however, they were able to play some solid baseball and tie the game in the fifth inning off Beckett – courtesy of a Chris Davis RBI-single.

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In roughly half an hour or so, the Orioles will start their final homestand of the season as they face the Red Sox at Camden Yards.

If baseball needed some intrigue to end the season, they have a heck of a storyline here. Frankly, the sport was kind of boring head into September.

So far, Camden Yards isn’t that full (and more than likely won't be), I’m sure Sox fans are eagerly waiting to see what results from tonight and the next two days. It seems that their fanbase -- well accustomed to drama before 2004 -- have to wonder if their Red Sox will make it to October or perhaps suffer a devstating collapse (maybe one of the worst in sports history).

Amazing.

I thought this team was en route to 100 wins before September, but they have tanked – losing an astounding 18 games this month – thanks to guys breaking down, but mainly awful pitching.

I didn’t think I would care that much about this series (I assumed Boston was going to sail into the playoffs); however, I hope Baltimore spoils their dream.

The Sun had a piece on whether or not Orioles fans care about the last three games. Well, it seems they do.

I do as well, and it seems a lot of fans have a vested interest in seeing the home team down the Sox and sending them golfing. Personally, I would rather see the Yankees and the Rays in the post-season than the Red Sox.

We will find out tonight what happens to Boston as their ace Josh Beckett starts on the mound against Tommy Hunter for the Orioles.

Both the Orioles and Red Sox will have their A-Teams out tonight, so no one is taking this final series lightly.

It should be a fun night.

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Once again, it was a tough Sunday out for Brian Matusz. Yesterday, the Orioles got spanked by the Detroit Tigers, 10-6, and once again, all eyes were on the young southpaw.

At that point, the Orioles had nothing to lose with only four games left in the season. So if you are Buck Showalter, why not put the young southpaw out there?

In the end, the results were not good. He lasted five innings and gave up six runs on Sunday. Well, perhaps it was not as bad as some of his other outings this summer; nevertheless, it was not good, either.

When it all comes down it, I don’t know what to say about the young man, but he has to figure it out on the mound.

I know some fans want him traded; however, he’s a key part of the future – still – with the Baltimore Orioles. It's obvious there is a problem with Matusz. He says that there's no injury issue; however, is there one?

There might be a mechanical problem -- or it might in his head; alas, he needs to be either shut down or placed in the bullpen. The kid needs to get himself together and gain some confidence. At this point, Matusz really needs to work hard to get himself in better shape and prepared for the rigors of a major league season.

Furthermore, Matusz and the Orioles might want to get him started on a program not too long after the season ends. Perhaps have him watch some videotape of himself in the past, versus this year and figure out what went wrong. Tell him to get in better shape and maybe toughen up a bit.

The team can’t – and won’t – give up on him. But he has to get himself together and get started on a plan for next season and beyond.

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The Orioles still are at this season, and they are not folding at all. They’ve continued their nice end-of-the season run as Matt Angle’s first homer in the majors and an RBI-bunt squeeze (in the ninth) led them to their ninth victory in twelve games.

As well, the Orioles jumped all over Justin Verlander, preventing him from winning his 25^th game of the season. They got him for five runs over seven innings and had a 5-1 lead after three innings. The Tigers kept chipping away at the Oriole lead, costing Jeremy Guthrie a win; however, the bullpen managed to hold on and win, plus Kevin Gregg got his 22^nd save.

It’s been fun again watching the Orioles in the past two weeks; however, I have no illusions of this nice run meaning much for 2012. While they have gotten a lot of help from call-ups, timely hitting and much better player from everyone, there’s a lot that this organization needs to improve from.

Really, the Orioles are just playing through a really nice stretch beating contenders who may be simply running on fumes or banged up.

Finally, you’ve got see this piece from ESPN on Brian Roberts.

We’ve not seen much from him all, but it’s nice to see that ESPN has chronicled him. Just watching the video, it looks like Roberts has been through a lot and the whole process has just impacted him in a way that we may never understand.

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It’s fairly evident that the Orioles are not packing it in with a week now to go in the regular season. Right now, they are making the lives of the Red Sox miserable and adding some intrigue to the wild card race.

As it is, the Red Sox right now are not the same team that they were from May to August, and now injuries, guys breaking down and suspect pitching may do them in.

Baltimore emerged victorious over Boston, 7-5, thanks to Robert Andino’s three-run double in the eighth inning and Jim Johnson’s seventh save in the ninth. You’ve got to be impressed with the role Robert Andino has played this season, despite being pegged as a utility guy. However, with the injury to Brian Roberts, Andino has filled in quite nicely and has made most of his chance to play every day.

I’m not sure what his role on the team will be next year, but there has to be a spot for him on the roster.

They had to grind out their 64^th win of the season by making Red Sox starter and former Oriole pitcher Erik Bedard work.

In addition, they did an excellent job at chipping away at Boston’s bullpen – most notably, fireballer Daniel Bard, who has been struggling in the 8^th inning role. Meanwhile, the Orioles got themselves in a hole early as Rick VandenHurk struggled again, but Jo-Jo Reyes pitched three scoreless innings in a relief role, and the rest of the bullpen followed thereafter.

At this point, you have to wonder if Jim Johnson will be closing games from here on out in 2011. The obvious answer based on his use as of late -- is yes.

Johnson was rumored to have been inked into a starting role heading towards the end of season; however, that has changed with Kevin Gregg’s struggles. I would think that Johnson may work on being a starter in the off-season, but he’s proven himself indispensable to the organization right now.

Gregg can obviously save games and shutdown a lineup from time to time, but not with the same consistency as some of the elite closers in the game. We all know that some relievers can be volatile from year to year and he is certainly that.

As for Gregg, I guess he’ll have an opportunity to close again next season – or whenever in 2011, just for the contract he signed alone. Personally, I was kind of against signing Gregg because I had seen him quite a few times in the National League – especially with the Cubs – and he frankly was not all that good.

I do wonder if the team – in a way, now – regrets this deal.

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It was not a good day for the Orioles as they got smashed by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 11-2.

The Orioles – who saw their 4-game win streak snapped – they could not do much against Jered Weaver who won his 18th game and the Angels’ offense, led by Erick Aybar (of all players). Aybar had two home runs and five runs scored in the rout of Baltimore.

The Orioles could not diminish the Angels’ playoff hopes any further as Alfredo Simon was again ineffective on Sunday, going five innings and giving up six runs.

Right now, I just see a pitcher on the mound who is woefully inconsistent. The Orioles would not have won anyway on Sunday; however, the most successful pitchers in the sport (even those less than gifted) are the ones who can go out and perform will each and every time out.

Simon has not done that yet. Granted, he has had a lot of personal stuff happen to him this year and is still facing some potential fallout with a criminal case in his home country. Then again, he has been pitching for most of the summer with the Baltimore, and it has just been a see-saw ride.

It is just frustrating to watch Simon at times, as he obviously has the tools, but can not put it all together in consecutive starts.

After his last start, where he was brilliant – he struggled. I mused last week that I’m not sure if Simon is a long guy at the moment, a starter, or a just another arm in the bullpen.

I see him getting another shot in Spring Training to start; however, I do also believe that the Orioles will bring some help to the starting rotation next year with a free agent pitcher – or two. They need the depth.

Finally, the Orioles play the Red Sox starting this afternoon as they play four games in three days.

As we know, the Red Sox are tanking and are ahead in the Wild Card race only two games ahead of the Rays, who have surged in the month of September.

We shall see if the Orioles can play spoiler as they face yet another contender for a playoff spot. Despite Boston’s firepower and a strong lineup, their pitching can not stay healthy. In addition, they’ve had several players suffer with down years.

It is unbelievable that Boston is struggling. Seriously, the Red Sox seemed to be well on their way to winning 100 games and the division earlier in the summer.

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The Orioles are quite on a roll, and for the second night in a row, they defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6-2.

Well, in light of the win, it was all kinds of a crazy at the Yard last night. Baltimore plated five runs in the opening inning, as J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds homered; however, Anaheim starter Ervin Santana – whether or not you thought he was hitting someone (that’s subject to interpretation) – hit Nolan Reimold in the back after Reynolds’ homer.

That being said, things calmed down for a bit – until the third inning. Santana once again would use the beanball, this time at Reynolds – who had homered in his previous at bat.

Reynolds would be hit in the head and luckily his helmet saved him. Obviously, he was not very happy about the situation and walked to first. However, he would be pulled out of the game in the fourth inning.

That leads me to think, why was Santana not thrown out – much more, even warned? I am not going to say that he intentionally wanted to hurt someone; however, his actions on the mound were nothing short of questionable. If Santana did intend to exact revenge with a beanball, it was awfully stupid to do and was unbecoming of a professional.

Seriously, if Santana wanted to get angry – he should have been pissed at himself for giving up those home runs in the opening inning to put his team behind.

Meanwhile, Oriole starter Zach Britton had a very solid night, racking up the strikeouts – seven in total – allowing a run on three hits and keeping the Angels at bay.

It was another great win for the Orioles on the night, and their fourth in a row. They go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Boy, was it cold out! I honestly knew it was going to be nippy out; however, it seems that fall came way, way too early in these parts. Not that I was going to freeze, but I do long for those comfortable summer nights.

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It was good to see the Orioles get a resounding win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 8-3 on Friday night.

They mainly used the longball – home runs by Nolan Reimold and Mark Reynolds – to knock around pitcher Dan Haren and the Anaheim bullpen.

Tommy Hunter, who started for Baltimore last night on the mound, perhaps put together his best start as a member of the Orioles by going seven shutout innings for his fourth win of the season.

Naturally, reliever Kevin Gregg made things interesting as he gave up three runs in the ninth inning; however, overall, it’s a good thing to see the Orioles finishing strong, winning their third in a row.

Then again, it was amazing to see Gregg just not have it on Friday night. It was a painful frame to witness as he could not get an Angels’ lineup full of farmhands out and the Baltimore faithful let him have it for sure.

Would it be safe to call him a bust? Certainly not in Mike Gonzalez territory, but he’s just not been good at all this season.

Gregg seems to have little command at all right now, and if the opposing batters connect with his pitches – they hit it and do so well.

Other than that, the Orioles are just simply trying to close out the season on a high note. After the Angels, they have the Red Sox coming up on the road -- then, the Tigers.

With the way Boston is going as of late, they might need all the wins they can get to hold off Tampa. It looked as if the Red Sox were going to cruise into the playoffs; however, they have blown a huge lead and have made baseball interesting this September.