Adam Eaton

Adam Eaton probably will pitch again in Boston. I don't believe manager Dave Trembley will use the open date Thursday to skip him. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

The Orioles' team bus is about to be put on blocks for the winter, which will make it a lot easier to throw Dave Trembley under it. So what if he can't reasonably be held responsible for the dismal performance of a dismal team? Somebody needs to give up a pound of flesh for this disaster, and that somebody is usually the manager. But it doesn't have to go down that way. The Orioles' president of baseball operations, Andy MacPhail, doesn't have to hand him over to angry fans. He could stand next to Trembley at a news conference next week and explain that they embarked on a rebuilding program together 2 1/2 years ago and they are going to finish the job together.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- The Orioles had numerous chances to have a relatively drama-free game last night, but they let them slip by. Instead, the Orioles' once-four-run lead disappeared in the eighth inning, and in the bottom of the ninth, the obstacles toward a victory were mounting. LaTroy Hawkins was their best available reliever, and he was pitching with a sore groin. He was throwing to a catcher, Danny Ardoin, who had joined the team just several hours earlier but was needed when Ramon Hernandez left with an injury.

THREE'S COMPANY In his first 86 appearances, Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie had never given up three home runs in a game. On Wednesday, he did it in one inning against three straight batters. Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera hit back-to-back-to-back homers off Guthrie in the second inning, all three landing in the right-field seats. It was the 11th time in Yankees history that they had three consecutive batters hit home runs, and the first time since June 2005. MARKAKIS SCUFFLING Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Wednesday, the 10th time in his career he has struck out three times in the same game.

1 Ain't it good?: If Anthony Kim can win the Masters (2 p.m., chs. 13, 9), he should break into a few choruses of "Rock Me Gently" in honor of probably-not-his-cousin Andy Kim. 2 Chew 'em up: Adam Eaton (left) makes his official Orioles debut, against the Rays (1:30 p.m., MASN2), and the O's hope to see Adam eatin' up innings. 3 Almost gone: Watch the Mavericks play the Hornets (1 p.m., chs. 2, 7), because once the playoffs start, you won't see Dallas for long. 4 Prince of a guy: Looking at Prince Fielder (Cubs at Brewers, 8 p.m., ESPN)

SAME OLD The Orioles keep scoring runs, and their pitchers keep giving them up. On Friday, the offense scored seven times in the second inning and once more in the fourth only to see the score tied at 8 by the fifth. Orioles pitching has allowed 54 runs over the past five games. QUITE AN INNING In the top of the second, the Orioles scored seven runs on four hits and three walks (two with the bases loaded) and made Brad Penny throw 40 pitches. Nick Markakis landed the big hit off Penny with his second career grand slam, a shot that got over the center-field wall to give the Orioles a 7-0 lead.

WASHINGTON -- The Philadelphia Phillies' 48th come-from-behind victory was much easier on the nerves than many of the other 47. Home runs from Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell had the National League East title chasers back in front before the third inning was done. Most Valuable Player contender Jimmy Rollins also homered, and the first four batters in the lineup accounted for all but one hit last night as the Phillies beat the Washington Nationals, 6-3, to keep the pressure on the struggling New York Mets.

The Orioles limped out of Boston on the wrong end of a discouraging four-game sweep and a swing of the emotional pendulum - for both the players and the faithful - that was so dramatic it's almost unfair to throw young Brad Bergesen in front of it in Tuesday night's series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Camden Yards. How dramatic? Consider how you were feeling Friday night when the Orioles took an early seven-run lead against Red Sox free-agent acquisition Brad Penny and how, if you're an Orioles fan, you felt while Boston was blowing open Monday's game against relievers Dennis Sarfate, Radhames Liz and Matt Albers.

The Orioles limped out of Boston on the wrong end of a discouraging four-game sweep and a swing of the emotional pendulum - for both the players and the faithful - that was so dramatic it's almost unfair to throw young Brad Bergesen in front of it in Tuesday night's series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Camden Yards. How dramatic? Consider how you were feeling Friday night when the Orioles took an early seven-run lead against Red Sox free-agent acquisition Brad Penny and how, if you're an Orioles fan, you felt while Boston was blowing open Monday's game against relievers Dennis Sarfate, Radhames Liz and Matt Albers.

Adam Eaton probably will pitch again in Boston. I don't believe manager Dave Trembley will use the open date Thursday to skip him. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

1 Ain't it good?: If Anthony Kim can win the Masters (2 p.m., chs. 13, 9), he should break into a few choruses of "Rock Me Gently" in honor of probably-not-his-cousin Andy Kim. 2 Chew 'em up: Adam Eaton (left) makes his official Orioles debut, against the Rays (1:30 p.m., MASN2), and the O's hope to see Adam eatin' up innings. 3 Almost gone: Watch the Mavericks play the Hornets (1 p.m., chs. 2, 7), because once the playoffs start, you won't see Dallas for long. 4 Prince of a guy: Looking at Prince Fielder (Cubs at Brewers, 8 p.m., ESPN)

There's no point in trying to make sense of it. The Orioles turned conventional wisdom on its head to trounce the New York Yankees on Opening Day at Camden Yards. They beat the most expensive pitcher on the most expensive team in baseball and left us with nothing but John Lennon ringing in our skulls. Instant karma's gonna get you. How else do you explain Mark Teixeira's punchless Yankees debut or the strange eighth-inning home run by shortstop Cesar Izturis that had a spooky resemblance to the infamous Jeffrey Maier incident at Yankee Stadium all those years ago?