Left-hander Brian Matusz had been to Camden Yards only once in his life - in August, when he was introduced to the crowd as the Orioles' newly signed first-round draft pick.
"I had so much going on that day," Matusz, 22, said. "I didn't have a chance to go around the ballpark, to see everything and check it out."
So in late May, with the Orioles in town and Matusz's Single-A Frederick Keys having the day off, he and Keys catcher Caleb Joseph drove to Baltimore to better inspect Oriole Park.
Matusz wanted to watch the pitchers throw side sessions in the bullpen before the game, but Orioles starter Brad Bergesen saw him and "pulled me into the clubhouse."
Before he knew it, Matusz was shaking hands with the big leaguers, guys he hadn't seen since he played with them this spring in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Nearly each greeting had a question attached: "Did you get called up?"
Matusz smiled sheepishly and answered, "No." He was only visiting.
He seemed embarrassed by the assumption, which further cements the Orioles' belief that they made the right move by picking him fourth overall in the 2008 amateur draft.
"The most impressive thing about him, for me, is his poise," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "We had him in big league camp, and he pitched there like he had pitched there for 10 years, yet in a very unassuming way."
MacPhail was clear about the club's plans for Matusz when they shipped him to minor league camp in March. He would start his pro career at Frederick, would likely go up to Double-A Bowie this year, and would be targeted for Triple-A Norfolk in 2010. It's similar to the path of 2007 first-round pick Matt Wieters, who made his Orioles debut May 29.
"We told him he's on the Wieters Plan, provided he does well at Frederick," MacPhail said. "We're not of the mind to keep somebody at one level if they have showed sustained competence at that level."
Matusz, a 6-foot-5 left-hander with command of four pitches, including a devastating curveball, has done his part. He is 4-2 with a 2.16 ERA in 11 starts. He hasn't allowed a run in his past three games and is in the midst of a 23 1/3-inning scoreless streak that dates to a fourth-inning solo homer May 20.
"I am starting to feel good," he said. "I feel like I have been in a groove, similar to where I was in college. I am definitely happy with how the process is going."
