Ichiro Suzuki

The pending non-waiver trade deadline once again has Orioles manager Mike Hargrove wondering what his club will look like after July 31. Not that it's become a distraction. Hargrove has been through this process too many times. "You're not on pins and needles, but you understand what's going on in the players' minds," he said. "For the team that's on the field right now, it's one of those bridges that you cross when you come to it. You don't try to get too far ahead of yourself. "Something may happen.

BOSTON - When Orioles center fielder Luis Matos first made it back to the big leagues this season, teams dusted off their old scouting reports and fed him a steady diet of breaking pitches. Big mistake. Matos freely admits he had a hard time recognizing curveballs and sliders when he was with the Orioles for parts of the previous three seasons. But he learned how to hit them and came back ready for anything. For his first three weeks, with teams still using the old book, Matos absolutely flourished, getting 28 hits in his first 63 at-bats (.444)

I am not going to tell you the Orioles have pulled out of their season-long nose dive. I am not going to sit down at the keyboard and bang out 800 words with my fat little fingers that say Buck Showalter waved a magic wand and now everything is fine with this team. Especially not after Wednesday night's 6-5 loss to the lowly Seattle Mariners at Camden Yards, their fourth in five games, if you're starting to worry. All I'm saying is this: For the most part, you can watch the Orioles these days without wanting to strangle someone or throw a brick through your TV. Win or lose, it has actually been fun to watch this team play -- at least most nights.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Leading up to the first pitch of the 78th Major League All Star Game last night at AT&T Park, the focus was on two of the greatest all-around outfielders in the sport's history: Barry Bonds and Willie Mays. Once the dust settled, though, it was another star outfielder who stole the show and provided what has become a predictable result: one more win for the American League. Buoyed by the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star Game history -- a rattling smash to right by Seattle Mariners star and game Most Valuable Player Ichiro Suzuki -- the AL won, 5-4, before an announced crowd of 43,965 to secure World Series home-field advantage for the fifth consecutive year.

They all are starting to feel the same, from the pitching staff's absolute neglect of the strike zone to the starters' inability to get deep into the game to the offense's inability to do much of anything except squander opportunities. When the Orioles left their personal house of horrors otherwise known as the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday, they hoped things would be different. Instead, Monday's 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners before an announced Memorial Day crowd of 22,819 at Safeco Field brought more of the agonizing same.

AL Division Series Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians Schedule (best of five) Today: Cleveland (Bartolo Colon 14-12) at Seattle (Freddy Garcia 18-6), 4:20 p.m. (Fox) Thursday: Cleveland (Chuck Finley 8-7) at Seattle (Jamie Moyer 20-6), 4:20 p.m. (Fox Family) Saturday: Seattle (Aaron Sele 15-5) at Cleveland (C.C Sabathia 17-5), 4:20 p.m. (Fox or Fox Family) Sunday: Seattle at Cleveland, 1:12 p.m., if necessary (Fox Family or Fox) Monday: Cleveland at Seattle, 4:20 p.m., if necessary (Fox)

Orioles rookie Zach Britton kept waiting and waiting in the hope that one run would come and the finest start of his young career would turn into his sixth victory. It didn't, which was about the Orioles' only regret on a memorable Thursday night. Britton and the Seattle Mariners' Jason Vargas were masterful as both pitched nine shutout innings, but the game wasn't decided until J.J. Hardy's bases-loaded, two-run single in the 12th inning lifted the Orioles to a pulsating 2-1 victory in front of an announced 19,082 at Camden Yards.

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki, a three-time MVP in Japan, is named American League Most Valuable Player, only the second rookie so honored. (Article, 2d )

Ichiro Suzuki Mariners right fielder He has raised his average from .177 to .288 in three weeks. Brian Moehler Marlins pitcher He lost his 10th straight decision and has an ERA of 9.76.

It's a fact Daryle Ward of the Pirates, who hit for the cycle last month, and father Gary are only father-son pair to do it. Milestone Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners became the first player since Pete Rose to have two career 50-plus-hit months. The number 41: home runs the White Sox have hit in their 27 home games.