The 120 pitches Britton threw were a season high, not just for the rookie starter, but for any Orioles pitcher. They also were the most pitches for an Orioles starter against the Yankees since June 1, 2004, when Sidney Ponson threw 128.
"I felt the last 20 pitches I threw felt better than the first 100, which is nice to see," Britton said. "I've never thrown that many pitches before, so to be able to go out there and finish strong was nice."
While Britton's past two outings have been uplifting, Matusz continues to give the Orioles cause for concern. In three starts since coming back from a 1 1/2-month demotion to the minors, Matusz has allowed 17 earned runs, 22 hits, five homers and six walks over just 16 innings. He has lost seven straight big league starts and surrendered six runs or more in five straight outings.
"He made a volume of better pitches, but Brian's capable of better," Showalter said. "He ran off some good sequences there for seven, eight or nine hitters, but it's a constant challenge."
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