Brian Matusz

Orioles reliever Pedro Strop said he's never lost his confidence even through some rough outings in the first three weeks of the season. And the Orioles' confidence in Strop to preserve a one-run lead in the eighth inning of their 4-3 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night was rewarded in turn. “That was huge because that was the game right there,” Strop said afterward. “I've been struggling lately and that's good to have some confidence back, and I feel even better because I gave my team the opportunity to win. Who knows?

You've seen it before. Way too many times before. Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta has an outing in which he looks great in spurts and terrible in spurts. It happened again Sunday in a 7-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had three perfect innings. The other two were disasters. And he ended up coughing up the lead in the fifth. Arrieta shouldered the blame. And that's not a problem. Arrieta's not afraid to point the finger at himself. He's also not afraid to work hard, to try and turn things around.

In the sixth inning of the Orioles' 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter turned to bench coach John Russell in the visiting dugout of Fenway Park and made a prognostication in the middle of a tied game. Left-hander Brian Matusz had just overcome a 3-0 count to Jarrod Saltalamacchia to strike him out on a full-count pitch. Matusz came into the game with two on and one out in the sixth, relieving starter Chris Tillman after he threw 96 pitches.

BOSTON - Over the past two nights, the Orioles recaptured those late-inning heroics of last season at Fenway Park. One night after a five-run ninth-inning rally led them to victory, the Orioles came from behind against the Red Sox again Thursday, winning 3-2 in a game that played out much like so many of last year's close wins. This victory sealed the Orioles' fifth straight series win at Fenway Park, a streak that dates back to July 7-10, 2011. “It means a lot,” said Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who drove in two runs, including the game-winner in the seventh.

BOSTON -- The Orioles traded veteran reliever Luis Ayala to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, receiving minor league left-handed reliever Chris Jones in return. But the move was less about unloading Ayala than it was allowing the Orioles the opportunity to keep Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland while moving to a seven-man bullpen. It lets the team go to back a four-man bench after playing short-handed since Saturday. The Orioles purchased the contract of outfielder Chris Dickerson from Triple-A Norfolk, and he replaced Ayala on the 40-man and 25-man rosters.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Even though left-hander Brian Matusz will open the season pitching out of the Orioles' bullpen, where he flourished in the final five weeks of the season, manager Buck Showalter said he still sees Matusz as an option to start. "He's still considered a guy who can do both," Showalter said Saturday. "I still feel like he's got a chance to be a quality starting pitcher for us. This is right move right now for this club. Obviously if we get a long way away from where he is innings-wise, then he'd probably need to make a start or two [at Triple-A Norfolk]

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent much of Friday afternoon telling players who will and won't be making the club's 25-man roster - leaving him with only one decision remaining. Steve Pearce and Conor Jackson are still battling to be the final first base-outfield reserve on the club's 2013 roster. Otherwise, things are set for Tuesday's season opener, with right-hander Jake Arrieta winning the final rotation spot, lefties Brian Matusz and T.J. McFarland added to an eight-man bullpen and infielder-outfielder Ryan Flaherty capturing a utility role.

Not many national baseball analysts are picking the Orioles to return to the playoffs, let alone finish first in the big, bad A.L. East this season. But one prominent MLB reporter believes the Orioles will take the division. “I'm picking the Baltimore Orioles to win,” ESPN's Buster Olney said on his "Baseball Tonight" podcast . Olney, once an Orioles scribe here at The Baltimore Sun , pointed to the team's pitching depth as one of the main reasons why he likes their chances.

The Orioles scored eight runs in the first inning Sunday, but still had to squeak out a victory in the late innings of a sloppy, rainy contest. Paced by a Chris Dickerson grand slam against Pittsburgh starter Chris Leroux, the Orioles took an 8-0 lead in the top of a first that included the ejection of Pirates catcher Russell Martin for arguing balls and strikes. The Orioles and starter Brian Matusz had trouble holding the lead. Matusz gave up two runs in the first on an Andrew McCutchen homer and allowed three more runs before leaving the game after the fourth.

In an attempt to lessen their glut of big league pitchers, the Orioles have contacted teams to let them know veteran right-handed reliever Luis Ayala is available in a trade, according to an industry source. It's unclear exactly what the Orioles are looking for in return, but the club is interested in adding players with minor league options that don't necessarily have to be placed on the 40-man roster. Its biggest need is catching depth behind starter Matt Wieters and oft-injured reserve Taylor Teagarden.