Jake Arrieta

It's never a pleasant experience for major league ballplayers when one of their struggling teammates gets sent to the minors. In close clubhouses, most of these guys are friends, or friendly anyway. And, frankly, many of them have been through the same situations. It's possible no one in an Orioles uniform has a better understanding of what Jake Arrieta is going through right now than fellow right-hander Jason Hammel. Arrieta, 27, was sent to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday after posting a 6.63 ERA in four starts.

For those of you who get all worked up about how Pedro Strop wears his cap - and I hear about this every time he takes the mound - you may want to start worrying about another Orioles pitcher right now. Yes, I'm talking about Jake Arrieta, who has issues that go well beyond wearing his cap at a crazy angle. In his fourth start of the season, the 27-year-old righty had another rough outing in the Orioles' 7-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday. And it was a major reason why the Orioles couldn't sweep the inter-league series against a Dodgers team with a $216 million payroll that seemed ripe to be put away in the first few innings.

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Buck Showalter took a seat in the visiting manager's office after the Orioles' 3-1 Grapefruit League win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday and flipped over his lineup card to reveal the notes he scribbled in red on the back. While Jake Arrieta threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings for his second straight scoreless spring outing, Showalter quickly pointed out that Arrieta had seven three-ball counts and threw just eight first-pitch strikes to the 19 batters he faced.

The Orioles optioned right-hander Jake Arrieta back to Triple-A Norfolk following Monday's 4-3 win over the White Sox to make room on the 25-man roster for newly acquired left-hander Joe Saunders, who joined the team during the game Monday. Arrieta could return after Norfolk's season ends Sept. 3 to join the team's expanded roster. He will start for the Tides in a game over the next three days, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Arrieta, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on July 5 after going 3-9 with a 6.13 ERA in 18 starts, was recalled on Sunday essentially to take the bullpen spot of Matt Lindstrom, who was dealt to Arizona for Saunders.

Right-hander Jake Arrieta will join the Orioles today as an extra-bullpen arm for tonight's game against the Red Sox, according to an industry source. If Arrieta, who will replace right-hander Kevin Gausman on the team's 25-man roster, does see action tonight, he would be working on normal rest after he last pitched Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk. Right-hander Freddy Garcia, who went to the bullpen Wednesday night in extra innings, will also be available out of the bullpen tonight in a pinch.

Right-hander Jake Arrieta came into spring camp as one of a host of candidates for an open spot in the Orioles' starting rotation.  There was no question is his mind, though, on who would win the competition: Him. “No, absolutely not. Whether that's cockiness or overconfidence, whatever you want to call it. that's just the way that I personally had to approach the situation, with that mindset," he said. "Knowing that I had to go out and actually show it and not just know it in my mind.

We're back at the bar this weekend. I'm still in Florida, so we'll stick with the Tiki and palm tree motif. Besides, the palm leaves are effectively covering the Ed Reed mural behind the bar until we can get the painters out here. On Thursday, Jake Arrieta again looked like the pitcher everyone knows he can be -- striking out nine in six innings and not allowing a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates. I know, you've seen that movie before. Arrieta was the club's Opening Day starter last year and eventually lost his rotation spot due to an inconsistency that has plagued him throughout his big league career.

The Orioles recalled right-handed pitcher Alex Burnett from Triple-A Norfolk, and he is in the clubhouse for tonight's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. In a corresponding move struggling right-hander Jake Arrieta was optioned to Norfolk. Burnett hasn't been told about his role, but he could serve as the team's long reliever for the next two days before the Orioles need a starter for Wednesday's afternoon game. The 27-year-old Arrieta, who is vastly talented but has been inconsistent throughout his big league career, has a 6.63 ERA after four starts this season.

Right-hander Jake Arrieta pitched two innings and gave up a run on two hits and two walks in his 2011 exhibition debut against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium on Friday, but he didn't seem too concerned about his inconsistent command the first time out. "I felt great," he said. "It's just that the first time out there at game speed, the sinker's got more life. The fastball has more life to it. The breaking balls were sharp. Now, it's just a matter of being more consistent around the strike zone.

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- As the competition for the Orioles' fifth rotation spot begins to heat up, right-hander Jake Arrieta made his case Saturday afternoon, throwing 4 2/3 shutout innings in a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Arrieta, last year's Opening Day starter, said his ability to mix his pitches Saturday was the best "since I can remember.” “Today was the best sequence day I've had from start to finish in a long time, not just the spring, but since I can remember,” Arrieta said.