Minnesota

Brian Matusz got his 2011 season underway with two scoreless innings in the Orioles' 2-0 loss against the Minnesota Twins before an announced 4,749 Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles fell to 3-1 in the Grapefruit League this spring. The Twins broke a scoreless tie in the eighth with two runs off Orioles right-hander Chorye Spoone. Brian Dozier scored the first run on a sacrifice fly to right field and Luke Hughes added an RBI single. Spoone allowed three hits in the frame.

Aileen Elizabeth Foley, a retired hospital administrator and World War II veteran, died Feb. 1 of heart failure at St. Catherine's Nursing Center in Emmitsburg. She was 93. Miss Foley, the daughter of a grocer and a community activist, was born and raised in Minneapolis. She attended St. Lawrence Catholic School and graduated in 1935 from John Marshal High School in Minneapolis. She attended the University of Minnesota and in the late 1930s worked for BlueCross BlueShield of North Dakota.

Earlier this season, the Orioles rotation continually pitched deep into games only to see a shaky bullpen and a woeful offense expunge any hope of winning consistently. Now, through the first 10 contests of the second half, Orioles starters are doing their part to contribute to arguably the worst season in modern franchise history. In a 10-4 thumping by the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon that dropped the Orioles (31-67) to 2-8 to start the second half, another young Orioles pitcher failed to give his club a chance.

Et Cetera Yoshitake's late goal gives Palace Baltimore 1-0 win at Minnesota Tsuyoshi Yoshitake scored in the 86th minute, and Crystal Palace Baltimore (4-7-3) beat the NSC Minnesota Stars (6-9-2), 1-0, in a grueling USSF D-2 Pro League matchup littered with fouls and yellow cards Sunday night in Blaine, Minn. MLS: Rookie Andy Najar scored in the 54th minute to help D.C. United (3-9-2) tie, 1-1, with the San Jose Earthquakes (5-4-4) on Saturday.

As talented as Brian Matusz is, the Orioles fully expected the 23-year-old rookie pitcher would have days like Sunday, when he was knocked around by the Minnesota Twins for six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. They also carried the reasonable expectation that the lineup would hit enough to keep the Orioles in most games and take pressure off some of their young starters. In the Orioles' 6-0 loss to the Twins before a sellout crowd of 38,641 on Sunday at Target Field, Matusz authored his first poor outing of 2010.

For nearly seven innings Thursday night, struggling Orioles starter Brad Bergesen looked like he did last year. He threw strikes, mostly located the ball down and kept his poise even when the Minnesota Twins were one hit away on a couple of occasions from ruining his night. The Orioles needed their best pitcher in 2009 to return to form every bit as much as they needed a victory. They gladly accepted both as Bergesen pitched 62/3 scoreless innings and three relievers shut the door in the Orioles' 2-0 victory over Minnesota in a game played in persistent rain before an announced sellout crowd of 38,489 at Target Field, the Twins' sparkling new home.

Center fielder Adam Jones was scratched Wednesday from the Orioles' lineup with a right hip strain less than an hour before their series finale with the New York Yankees. Jones called it precautionary and said he expects to be in the lineup Thursday night, when the Orioles begin a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. "It was just smarter not to play today," he said. "I'd end up hurting myself more than I need to." Jones said he hurt his hip while taking a swing during his second at-bat in Tuesday night's game and it became more uncomfortable as the game progressed.