John Danks

Nearly a week ago, the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays faced off in a battle of the Jeremys at Camden Yards. In that one, Rays rookie Jeremy Hellickson was wild but effective while Orioles veteran Jeremy Guthrie was downright awful in one of the worst statistical outings of his career. On Friday night at Tropicana Field, Guthrie pitched much better, but the end result was the same, another Orioles' loss, 3-0, to the red-hot Rays in front of an announced crowd of 20,476. After sweeping them in the season-opening series in April, the Orioles (17-20)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The power-heavy Chicago White Sox were pounded yesterday by an exceptional rookie. Veteran pitcher Javier Vazquez failed to erase questions about his malaise on big stages. And for all their experience, the White Sox failed to rattle the mind-set of the young and confident Tampa Bay Rays. That left Chicago a loser after it showed an array of shortcomings in a somewhat testy 6-4 loss to the Rays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at noisy Tropicana Field.

As Dan Duquette prepared to leave the Hilton Anatole on Tuesday evening for a staff dinner at manager Buck Showalter's Dallas-area home, he had yet to land the pitchers and outfielder he is seeking at the annual winter meetings. But the club's new executive vice president of baseball operations apparently is trying, confirming Tuesday that he has made several trade and free-agent offers in attempt to acquire pitchers and hitters. Two players the Orioles are interested in, according to multiple sources, are Chicago White Sox: right-handed pitcher Gavin Floyd, who grew up in Severna Park and attended Mount St. Joseph, and outfielder Carlos Quentin, who three years ago was an American League Most Valuable Player candidate.

After spending the better part of three months finding ways not to win, the Orioles and their new manager suddenly can't seem to lose. Adam Jones' two-out single to left off Tony Pena in the 10th inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox before an announced 19,687 at Camden Yards on Friday night. It was the Orioles' fourth straight victory under manager Buck Showalter and the second night in a row they won in their final at-bat. Nick Markakis, who hit a one-out single for his fourth hit of the night, scored from third base on Jones' hit, and the Orioles' poured out of the dugout to celebrate another dramatic victory.

Ron Roenicke better be tough. He has taken on a rough job, stepping into his first managerial job with the expectation that he will guide the Brewers into the playoffs. To get there, Roenicke will have to lead them past the newly confident Reds who feature MVP Joey Votto and a stable of talented young pitchers that includes the electrifying Aroldis Chapman. He also has to get by the Cardinals, anchored by Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. He will be trying to duplicate a feat first-time managers have pulled off only twice since 2000.

CHICAGO - Nolan Reimold admitted his uneasyness in stepping into the leadoff spot in the Orioles batting order - unsure how he'd be able to adapt in an unfamiliar role -- but over the past few games, he certainly seems more than comfortable there. Over his past four games, the 28-year-old Reimold has sparked the Orioles offense -- hitting home runs in each of those games -- his latest a two-run shot that broke a scoreless tie in the sixth and helped the Orioles to a 3-2 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Despite a new $4 million contract and a spot as the Orioles' primary designated hitter, Luke Scott is heading into the spring with a familiar mind-set. He's working out feverishly, he wants to play every day -- and he'd still prefer not to be a full-time DH. "Absolutely I want to be able to play defense," said Scott, who avoided arbitration Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.05 million deal with the Orioles. "If it were up to me, I'd DH two or three times a week and play in the field wherever they needed me. That would be optimal.

For John Danks, the disappointment of what he calls "a broken record" is building exponentially. "It's getting harder and harder," Danks says. "That's the blunt truth. " Imagine then the suffering of the Blue Jays' Jo-Jo Reyes. Danks, the best of the White Sox starters the last three seasons, has gone 10 consecutive starts without a victory. But Reyes hasn't won since June 13, 2008. He's 0-4 this season and 0-13 in his last 28 starts. When Reyes starts Monday against the Indians, he will risk setting the all-time mark for the most consecutive starts without a victory.