James Shields

James Shields Devil Rays pitcher The rookie right-hander extended his scoreless streak to 12 innings. Angels They have committed 47 errors and have allowed 43 unearned runs, two fewer than they permitted last season.

The Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on an ugly, rainy, sloppy night Friday at Camden Yards provided a crystal-clear example of what separates successful veteran pitchers from inexperienced ones that are seemingly headed toward that path. Tampa Bay's 29-year-old right-hander James Shields threw 103 pitches, lasted 71/3 innings and turned over a lead to his bullpen to get five outs and secure his team's ninth win in 12 games. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Orioles lefty Zach Britton threw eight fewer pitches, made it through 51/3 innings and forced an increasingly taxed bullpen to pitch the rest of the night.

It's one of the most cherished items on my bookshelf, though it might not look it. It is thin and gray with corners rounded by time and a deep crease in the cover. The stray red and green crayon streaks evoke my age when I received it. "The Magic of the 1983 Orioles," it reads, with a big picture of Rick Dempsey bearhugging Scott McGregor underneath. I look at the picture and back I drift to that day, the final soft liner settling into Cal Ripken Jr.'s glove and the firecrackers popping across my downtown neighborhood seconds later.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Cliff Lee validated his distinction as a hired gun Wednesday when he deflected the Rays' best shot. Lee escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning en route to a seven-inning, no-walk, 10-strikeout performance that vaulted the Rangers to a 5-1 victory in Game 1 of their AL Division Series. "I like pitching on the big stage," said Lee, who improved to 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in six postseason starts, five with the Phillies last season. Lee led a trio of midseason acquisitions that enabled the Rangers, making their first postseason appearance since 1999, to snap a nine-game playoff losing streak.

Day ................. Time ............................ TV .......................... Starters (2007 stats) Today .............. 3:05 ...................... MASN, 13 .............. James Shields (12-8, 3.85) ........................................ .......................................................vs. Jeremy Guthrie (7-5, 3.70) Wednesday .... 7:05 ...................... MASN2 ..................... Matt Garza (5-7, 3.69) ........................................ .................

All games on 105.7 FM Wednesday vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang (8-2. 4.07 in 2008) vs. Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 for Yomiuri Giants) Thursday vs. Yankees, 1:35 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) vs. Alfredo Simon (0-0, 6.23) Friday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38) vs. Mark Hendrickson (7-8, 5.45) Saturday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Jeff Niemann (2-2, 5.06) vs. Guthrie (1-0, 4.50 in 2009)

Orioles@Tampa Bay Devil Rays Day ......................... Time ................ TV ....................... Starters Tonight ............... 7:10 ............. MASN2 .......... Adam Loewen (1-0, 1.80 ERA) ........................................ ............................................. vs. James Shields (1-0, 4.61 ERA) Tomorrow ........... 7:10 .............. MASN2 .......... Steve Trachsel (0-0, 2.63 ERA) ........................................ ..............................

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Orioles manager Dave Trembley sat down three of his regulars last night, temporary adjustments made to revive his lineup. He held a closed-door meeting with his players before batting practice, herding them into the video room across from his office. Never claiming to have all the answers, he merely tried to find a few solutions. But what is a manager supposed to do when his starting pitcher can't get out of the second inning and his team falls behind by eight runs in the amount of time it takes to count heads in the meeting?

Mora's slam The big blow of the Orioles' five-run first inning against Tampa Bay Rays' right-hander Jeff Niemann was Melvin Mora's 400-foot homer to center field. It was Mora's first homer of the season and third grand slam of his career. His previous slam came June 4, 2005, against the Detroit Tigers. Walker escapes Left-hander Jamie Walker entered with two on and two outs in the seventh and struck out Akinori Iwamura for the hold. He stayed in the eighth and allowed a leadoff single before getting a double play and then a fly out. After struggling much of last year, Walker has retired six of eight batters in 2009.

BOSTON -- The frustration level wasn't nearly the same as it was the last time they lost a series to the Boston Red Sox, though the discontent was still palpable. And as the Orioles packed their bags in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park yesterday, there remained a feeling that they had let another opportunity slip away. No, there wasn't a controversial pitching change or a blown five-run ninth-inning lead as there was in the ill-fated final game of the series here in mid-May. Instead, the Orioles were agitated by plate umpire Rob Drake's strike zone.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- On a night when the Orioles' young phenom pitcher was at his most effective, their veteran second baseman hit a grand slam and their sleep-deprived closer had to hold on for four outs, it was perhaps baseball's most understated offensive weapon that halted the Orioles' five-game losing streak in an 8-7 win against the Tampa Bay Rays. A two-out walk. A two-out walk by the free-swinging Felix Pie, who had two strikes against him before shifting into patient zone, watching four consecutive pitches go by and trotting to first to load the bases in a 1-1 game in the sixth.

Mora's slam The big blow of the Orioles' five-run first inning against Tampa Bay Rays' right-hander Jeff Niemann was Melvin Mora's 400-foot homer to center field. It was Mora's first homer of the season and third grand slam of his career. His previous slam came June 4, 2005, against the Detroit Tigers. Walker escapes Left-hander Jamie Walker entered with two on and two outs in the seventh and struck out Akinori Iwamura for the hold. He stayed in the eighth and allowed a leadoff single before getting a double play and then a fly out. After struggling much of last year, Walker has retired six of eight batters in 2009.

All games on 105.7 FM Wednesday vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang (8-2. 4.07 in 2008) vs. Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 for Yomiuri Giants) Thursday vs. Yankees, 1:35 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) vs. Alfredo Simon (0-0, 6.23) Friday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38) vs. Mark Hendrickson (7-8, 5.45) Saturday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Jeff Niemann (2-2, 5.06) vs. Guthrie (1-0, 4.50 in 2009)

After a decade as baseball's most obscure and relentlessly terrible franchise, the Tampa Bay Rays are everywhere. Cover of Sports Illustrated. Lead item on SportsCenter. You name it, the Rays have done it as the belles of baseball's first-half ball. After completing a sweep of the defending champion Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, they stood at 52-32, best in the sport. Scouts speak of their young talent in awe. After years of picking at the top of the draft, Tampa Bay could trade prospects for a veteran star this summer and still be left with the best farm system in the game.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Orioles manager Dave Trembley sat down three of his regulars last night, temporary adjustments made to revive his lineup. He held a closed-door meeting with his players before batting practice, herding them into the video room across from his office. Never claiming to have all the answers, he merely tried to find a few solutions. But what is a manager supposed to do when his starting pitcher can't get out of the second inning and his team falls behind by eight runs in the amount of time it takes to count heads in the meeting?

Day ................. Time ............................ TV .......................... Starters (2007 stats) Today .............. 3:05 ...................... MASN, 13 .............. James Shields (12-8, 3.85) ........................................ .......................................................vs. Jeremy Guthrie (7-5, 3.70) Wednesday .... 7:05 ...................... MASN2 ..................... Matt Garza (5-7, 3.69) ........................................ .................

Early edge The Orioles jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two innings with some solid two-out hitting, and never looked back. With the bases loaded in the first inning and two down, Melvin Mora hit a single into left field, scoring both. The next inning, Nick Markakis hit a two-run homer onto the flag court in right field, his fourth of the season. The two RBIs each made Markakis and Mora the first Orioles to reach 20 RBIs this year. Strong start Jeremy Guthrie won his second career game, and first as a starter, after turning in six solid innings.

It's one of the most cherished items on my bookshelf, though it might not look it. It is thin and gray with corners rounded by time and a deep crease in the cover. The stray red and green crayon streaks evoke my age when I received it. "The Magic of the 1983 Orioles," it reads, with a big picture of Rick Dempsey bearhugging Scott McGregor underneath. I look at the picture and back I drift to that day, the final soft liner settling into Cal Ripken Jr.'s glove and the firecrackers popping across my downtown neighborhood seconds later.