Jason Hammel

Jason Hammel's impressive ride for the Orioles continued Wednesday night. Hammel threw seven shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. In his past two starts, he has fanned 17 batters in 13 innings. Hammel's fastball hit 94 and 95 mph, and he was throwing it at will, with excellent movement, seemingly wherever he wanted. He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his four starts as an Oriole, three of them registering as “quality” - six or more innings and three runs or fewer.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel made just one mistake against his former team Tuesday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Hammel, making his second Grapefruit League start of the spring against a Rays team he debuted with, allowed a second-inning solo homer to Matt Joyce but otherwise shut down the Tampa Bay lineup over three innings.  Joyce hit a 2-0 fastball over the rightfield fence to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead....

The first week of the baseball season is done. The Orioles came out of it 3-3. They won two of three against the Tampa Bay Rays in Tropicana Field, never an easy place to play. Then they lost two of three at home to the rebuilding Minnesota Twins. The Orioles are scoring runs; they hadn't scored fewer than five in a game until Sunday's 4-3 loss. But the starting pitching hasn't been particularly strong. Just two quality starts in the first six games. The rotation is 2-1 with a 5.67 ERA one time through (with a bonus start from Jason Hammel)

NEW YORK -- It's a common trend in the postseason, but through the Orioles' first four playoff games, starting pitching has dominated. In four postseason games, the Orioles starters own a 1.82 ERA (5 ER in 24 2/3 IP), the second best mark of all playoff teams to the Tigers' 1.75 ERA. Orioles starters have 16 strikeouts and 5 walks over 19 innings. No Orioles starter has allowed more than two earned runs this postseason, and the Orioles are a combined two outs away from getting quality starts in all four games - wild-card winner Joe Saunders and ALDS Game 1 starter Jason Hammel each threw 5 2/3 innings.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays heralded it as a new beginning, selling out the usually barren Tropicana Field and using a restructured front office and ownership group to create excitement not usually surrounding the moribund franchise. But in the home opener last night against the Orioles, Erik Bedard turned back the clock and made them look like the same old Devil Rays. The 27-year-old left-hander held Tampa Bay to no runs and four hits over seven innings, and Jay Gibbons, Ramon Hernandez and Miguel Tejada sparked the Orioles to a 6-3 victory before 40,199.

With next Tuesday's 4 p.m. trade deadline looming, the Orioleshave a decision to make: bat or arm? Or neither? Dan Connolly reported that the O's are considering adding a corner infield bat, potentially instead of dealing for a starting pitcher. Connolly named San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley, Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco and Chicago Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair as potential targets. The Orioles sit just a half game behind both the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels in the wild-card standings.

Sunday was the first time Camden Yards had hosted a postseason game in 15 years, and so, of course, the Orioles' fans had to wait just a little longer. First pitch came at 8:41 p.m., thanks to a two-hour, 26-minute rain delay. The first pitch was a 94 mph fastball from Jason Hammel to New York Yankees leadoff hitter Derek Jeter. It was called a strike by home plate ump Tony Randazzo. Jeter had the game's first hit, a single up the middle, and the first run scored, when he raced home on Ichiro Suzuki's RBI double in the first.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he is still optimistic that Jason Hammel can return this season to pitch for the Orioles, but the big right-hander has not tested his right knee on a mound since leaving a game Sept. 11. “Slow. Not imminent that he moves to another step yet,” Showalter said. “Oh, sure I'm optimistic, we just haven't had anything where, 'Hey, this feels pretty good, let's start throwing yet.' We haven't gotten the discomfort out of there yet.” Around the horn Miguel Gonzalez likely will start Friday's game in Boston.

Orioles outfielder Steve Pearce continued his spring power surge Sunday afternoon, hitting his team-high fourth homer in the Orioles' road split-squad game against the Phillies at Bright House Field. Pearce took an 0-2 pitch from Zach Miner over the left field fence in the second inning for a solo shot to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Miner relieved Phillies starter Roy Halladay, who left the game after just one inning with a stomach virus. With the homer, Pearce is hitting .407 (11-for-27)

The Orioles avoided arbitration with one of their key pieces from 2012, agreeing to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with closer Jim Johnson on Friday, according to multiple sources. He can receive another $50,000 in performance bonuses related to games finished. The right-handed reliever, who has been with the Orioles for his entire career, made $2.625 million in 2012. Johnson, 29, had 51 saves in 54 chances to set the franchise's single-season saves record. He also led the major leagues in that category and posted a 2.49 ERA in 71 appearances.