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The Tampa Bay Rays have been on a run, to say in the least. Over the past month or so, they’ve put a big scare into Red Sox Nation and suddenly made the pennant chase in the American League East interesting.

However, the Orioles made life difficult for the Rays last night as Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer – that was an absolute bomb – in the eighth inning to help them defeat the Rays, 4-2.

That being said, does everyone think Matt Wieters is still a bust -- or not?

Yes, he's not become the savior for the Orioles and has not seen his minor league numbers translate to the big leagues. Then again, can anyone not discount that he's becoming a complete player? Wieters has been able to hit with some power, play amazing defense and become a leader on the Orioles.

So, Wieters is not going to become the next Johnny Bench at the plate, but he may cross the 20+ homer plateau at some point and has been healthy. Really, I would venture to say that he's one of the top ten catchers in the game today....

Moving on...

David Price pitched fairly well for the Rays, going into the seventh inning; however, Alfredo Simon for the Orioles – who had gotten beat up in his last several starts – had a strong outing on the mound, striking out nine.

He didn’t get the win, but against the Rays, he looked like a top of the rotation guy. Yes, he gave up a long homer to Evan Longoria – no shame in that – but, he was amazingly effective.

Who knows if Simon will be part of the rotation next year or not? In a crazy year for him, he’s had some peaks and valleys; however, based on what I have seen, he can be a valuable part of this team.

Not sure if Simon is a long guy at the moment, a starter, or a pitcher who can do both; however, what I saw last night from him was very impressive.

There’s not much else for the Orioles to play through in the last few weeks of the season aside for some pride along with some guys vying for jobs in the majors next year.

Despite losing three in a row, they have shown some fight and maybe this current crop right now can gain some momentum heading into next season. They’ve got a gauntlet of a schedule with games against the Angels, Red Sox (two series) and Tigers; therefore, the remaining games in September will be tough.

It was a wonderful night to be out at the Yard, and while there seemed to be few fans there, it was a good game overall by Baltimore.

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Today is 10th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks - of a day none of us will ever forget.

The images of that day are ones that we will never, ever forget.

This Sunday, whatever you're doing, let's remember those who perished, survived and those that have put their lives on the line to keep us all safe.

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After a solid week where the Orioles defeated the Yankees twice and opened up their series with the Blue Jays with a win, things once again got crazy on Saturday.

Kevin Gregg – the Oriole closer who has been a source of consternation among fans this season – blew yet another game as the Jays won, 5-4. The closer was not good – again – and yet another team took advantage.

Once again, he was brought on to close out the game in the ninth inning, and he could not. Baltimore held a 4-3 lead going into the final frame, but Gregg allowed two runs to score. That would snap the Orioles’ three-game win streak.

Rick VandenHurk only lasted 2 1/3 innings, but the Orioles fought through thanks to Kyle Hudson, Chris Davis and Vladimir Guerrero – who has been a lot better at the plate.

Despite the loss, it’s good to see the Orioles not folding and playing a tad better as of late. Jeremy Guthrie looked good on Friday despite having perhaps the worst record of any pitcher in all of baseball, and the games on Wednesday and Thursday showed the grit of the Orioles.

The Orioles have 18 games left in the 2011 season. While it looks like they will not lose 100 games, who knows what the future holds for the upcoming season?

I’ll be curious to see what happens in the offseason and wonder if some of the farmhands brought up stick around. I do know this – the organization has to get better and hopefully it is not sooner rather than later.

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Yesterday in the Bronx, Brian Matusz got shelled real bad as the New York Yankees defeated the Orioles in an ugly slugfest, 11-10.

Of course, the story of the game was Brian Matusz and his complete inability to get guys out at the plate. The Orioles hit several longballs and kept things interesting, but you could not avert your eyes from the hurlers who stepped on the mound yesterday. The Yankees torched Oriole pitching (save for Willie Eyre and Troy Patton) -- especially rookie Jesus Montero, who hit his first two major league homers off reliever/soon-to-be-starter Jim Johnson. 

But all eyes were on Brian Matusz in Birdland.

He had done fairly well in the Bronx in the past; sadly, Matusz was serving up batting practice and just could not get anyone out. Watching it on TV is one thing; however, seeing him live as I did -- in enemy territory -- made for a crazy day.

I don’t know what to say about the young man, but he has to figure it out on the mound. He’s a key part of the future – still – with the Baltimore Orioles. However, at this point, he should not be starting -- that is, unless Buck Showalter wants to be a masochist.

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.

2011 is a lost cause for the young lefty. Let's hope for the best.

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(picture from the Washington Post)

I have no idea why the University of Maryland felt the need to change their football uniforms so drastically. My Lord.

I get the idea of what the university wanted to do; however, when it comes to uniforms, they should be simple, classy and elegant. Always.

No multi-colored, creative crap, just clean and never made to be the subject of ridicule.

What I saw on the field last night in terms of the university's fashion sense was a complete abomination. Sorry, I love my home state, my alma mater and everything Maryland, but those jerseys should be burned and never worn again.

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Does anyone really have an answer to that question? Everyone has a theory, but can anyone really say that any one of them will make the Orioles a competitive team in 2012? Yu Darvish is the latest Japanese superstar rumored to be on his way to America. The half-Iranian, half-Japanese Darvish will likely command a ridiculous posting fee to even begin negotiations. I don't see the Orioles doing that, so put it out of your minds. The Orioles are more likely to be involved with a free agent like Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder; though that is kind of like saying I have a better chance of winning $10,000 on a scratch-off as opposed to the grand prize of $1 million.

Heath Bintliff wrote about the murkiness of the Orioles' starting rotation - well, murky doesn't begin to describe it. The Orioles really don't have a rotation right now. Brian Matusz is being skipped again; we have no word on Jim Johnson; Tommy Hunter just got out of the hospital; the only reliable starter the Orioles have right now is a kid named TBA, who shows up all the time.

I am frankly out of words to describe this trainwreck of a season, and judging by the abysmal crowds at the Toronto series, most of the fans are out of patience. Looking back at this time last year the Orioles seemed to have finally turned a corner. Buck Showalter had brought energy, accountability and instant respect to this team and its fans. The Orioles were winning games they normally lost. The pitchers were pitching, the hitters were hitting and defenders were defending. Virtually every aspect of the game was going well. After their near historically bad start, the Orioles actually played .500 ball for the second half of last year. When thinking about how bad things were in the spring compared to the summer that .500 record becomes even more impressive.

How did this happen?

Read the rest over at MASNsports.com

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As we head into the month of September, the Orioles are once again trying to avoid this infamous number: 100.

That would be 100 losses, and on Thursday, they didn’t get any closer to that goal. The Blue Jays would wind up taking two out of three games yesterday, as they won 8-6. Also, the Orioles have now clinched their 14^th straight losing season with their record now at 54-81.

Only 27 more games to go.

Much of the attention of sports fans in the region has turned to this weekend’s race in downtown Baltimore and also on the NFL; however, the Orioles do have some things to still play for.

Mainly, let’s see if the team can finish the season with some momentum - mainly winning. As we know, that plays little into how a team will do in an upcoming season (case study: 2010), but would help to lift the esteem of fans – who have been suffering - and also the players.

Plus, I would like to see how some of the young players promoted from the minors do in the month of September. Maybe one, two, or more will use their ‘cup of coffee’ in the majors to leave an impression on the front office and fight for a spot next year.

At least let’s see if Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis can finish the season strong. Can Brian Matusz find himself again?

Will Jim Johnson start? Can Nolan Reimold hack it as an everyday major leaguer? Does Mark Reynolds reach the 40-homer plateau? How will the recent trades work out this month – and in the future?

However, I would like to see this decided: Will the Orioles finally – I mean, seriously – just start with a total rebuild already?

I know you cannot have a team of young guys, but the players who have been signed to fill holes (save maybe J.J. Hardy, and Mark Reynolds to an extent – for now) have not done anything.

Whether Andy MacPhail stays or goes, this team needs to look at pieces that can help in the years to come.

Sadly, right now, this organization is maybe three, four, if not five years from contending – especially in the American League East.

A lot more has to happen with the Baltimore Orioles aside from a general manager swap. There's a lot that needs to change with the organization, from top to bottom.

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The offense for the Baltimore Orioles never got any traction as they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 13-0.

Jo-Jo Reyes – who was facing his former team – and the pitching staff for Baltimore delivered a stinker on a nice night at the ballpark. The swinging Jays used several big innings and the long ball – including Jose Bautista’s 39^th homer to emerge victorious.

The Jays’ bats hit Reyes early and often in their complete domination of the Birds on Wednesday night.

Overall, Reyes was one word: terrible.

He only lasted 2 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs – all earned, including a six-run, second inning. Who knows if he was too amped to face his former team; however, the bottom line is that he was ineffective and buried his team early.

Not to put all the blame on Reyes, but the offense could not get going against Toronto rookie, Henderson Alvarez – who pitched a gem.

Alvarez got his first major league win, and looked like a veteran, only allowing three hits and striking out five. He brought the heat at times, and the Orioles – who had never faced him before – didn’t seem to have a chance.

Hopefully, the Birds can get a win against the Jays this afternoon before they head out on the road.

In other news, the Orioles’ first round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, Dylan Bundy, visited Camden Yards. He spoke about making it the majors as fast as he can, his brother being in the Orioles system and being ready to start his professional career.

All good stuff, and hopefully he can be part of the solution for the Baltimore Orioles.

Finally, the Orioles traded Mike Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers. He had his good days and seemingly ones that were downright horrible.

At least the organization did the right thing – traded someone with value (and was not going to be part of the future) to a contender for a young player.

Gonzalez was booed off the mound at times by fans, plus got criticized heavily; however, you have to give him credit for sticking it through and never saying anything negative about the fans or Baltimore.

He showed up to work, pitched himself through his issues and a vast improvement over the summer. The man seemed to be humble and took everything that happened with the Orioles in stride.

Hopefully, he and Koji Uehara can get the American League pennant for the Texas Rangers and end up in the World Series.

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Last night, the Orioles earned a walk-off against the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5, in ten innings as Jake Fox and Ryan Adams both drove in runs to snap a two-game losing skid. Well, as memorable as the game was on Tuesday, much of attention on the night was focused on Andy MacPhail and his job status in Baltimore.

I know a few sources, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, have hinted at this fact for a while: Andy MacPhail, once the season ends will move on from his current position in the organization.

The story picked up some steam as on Tuesday, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that two sources within the Orioles' brain trust said that MacPhail will walk away at the end of October - when his contract expires.

If that does happen, I would not be surprised at all.

Right now, MacPhail is keeping everything close to the vest -- as he usually does -- and refused comment on the report to the Baltimore Sun. He is waiting until after the season to announce whether he'll be back in Baltimore -- or not.

The only thing I can say is that MacPhail has had a mixed amount of success with the Orioles (depending on whose perspective you get).

He was able to get Adam Jones from the Seattle Mariners in a very lopsided trade for Eric Bedard, bring in Buck Showalter and improve the farm system somewhat; however, the bottom line is that the win-loss rate for the Baltimore Orioles has not changed much in his four years at the helm.

Whether it is because of poor drafting, bad decision making, not spending the money or whatever -- the Orioles will finish 2011 with their 14th straight losing season.

The Orioles are still bottom feeders, and a lot of MacPhail's well-laid out plans - most notably, with the new additions in 2011 - didn't work out at all.

The young pitching that was supposed bolster the big league squad and get Baltimore close to .500 ran into some bumps, and the simple fact is that the American League East is probably the toughest division in all of professional sports. In a results-driven business, MacPhail has barely moved the neddle of success to the right direction. That's just the reality of the situation.

Considering the state of the team a few years ago, I would perhaps give MacPhail some more time to see if he can turn the Orioles around. It sounds like it is his decision to make. I know a lot of fans and those in the media liked the MacPhail hiring in 2007.

Now, four years later, most are simply wondering ... can this organization turn the tide for a change?

At this point, a lot more has to happen with the Baltimore Orioles aside from a general manager swap. There's a lot that needs to change with the organization, from top to bottom.

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On Monday night, the Orioles lost a close contest to the New York Yankees, 3-2. Alfredo Simon started the game on the mound, and while he gave a solid effort, the Oriole bats could not do enough to counter New York.

Despite the loss, Simon looked very good and perhaps threw as well as ever on Monday night. In the end, maybe the big man does have a spot in the Baltimore rotation.

After his troubles in the winter, and into the 2011 season, Simon seems to be pitching as well as he ever has in an Oriole uniform.

Simon (4-7) took the loss and pitched seven solid innings, while giving up three runs. He gave up a run in the opening frame, and then two more in the fourth inning off a Nick Swisher homer.

They were hamstrung by Yankee pitcher Freddy Garcia’s slop and a Yankee offense that did enough to win.

Baltimore got two solo home runs from Mark Reynolds (who hit his 31^st) and also J.J. Hardy (who hit his 26^th, a career high).

Although the Orioles have now lost two in a row, you cannot discount the effort they have shown in the last week and also against the Yankees in their four-game series. I guess now the Orioles may not lose 100 games after all, as they are now 53-79.

This weekend, we all got to see why the Yankees are so hated by a lot of fans.

Forget what they do on the field, the way the Bronx Bombers handled the re-scheduling of this weekend’s series in Baltimore was pretty sad and bordering on ridiculous.

It’s good to see they finally let the dispute go and acted with some common sense; however, you could not blame the Orioles for their stance and subsequent reaction.

Considering the potential issue of gate receipts, revenue, playing two doubleheaders in a series, plus dealing with the loss of Mike Flanagan, the Orioles had every right to dictate the situation and hold their ground.