video thumbnail

DET@CWS: Floyd strikes out six over six scoreless

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel was nearly flawless in his first start, and he was pretty good in his second outing.

Is this the same guy who went 7-13 with a 4.76 ERA for Colorado last season?

"You don't hold them prisoner to exactly what they've done in the past, guys change," Baltimore skipper Buck Showalter said. "So far, so good. I've been impressed with the different situations he's been put in and how he's handled it. He's kept us in both ballgames."

Hammel carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his Orioles debut. In his encore performance, he held Toronto to two runs in five innings of work.

White Sox hurler Gavin Floyd, who will oppose Hammel on Thursday, hasn't been too shabby himself. The righty has allowed just four earned runs in his two starts, with a 1-1 record and 3.09 ERA to show for his efforts.

In his last outing, Floyd blanked the Tigers' high-octane offense over six innings, yielding just three harmless hits.

"He took advantage of our aggressiveness," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "We had some real bad at-bats, to be honest with you."

Orioles: Adair confident in Matusz
Left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz is 0-2 with an 8.38 ERA through two starts, but Orioles pitching coach Rick Adair believes the starter has made improvements since posting a 1-9 record and 10.69 ERA last season.

"He's obviously been through a lot of changes, he's stronger. He's got better stuff, there's no doubt about any of that," Adair said. "And with the changes that he's made, there's also still some things to overcome because of old habits. How his body worked last year when he was weaker, he still kind of gets in those moments.

"And he doesn't understand that he doesn't have to be as [fine]. He doesn't have to try to throw as hard or make perfect pitches. He needs to trust what he's doing with less effort."

Matusz isn't satisfied with how he has opened the 2012 campaign.

"This is so frustrating, you know," Matusz said. "I know what went on last year, I know it was a horrible year and so far I'm off to a horrible start, at 0-2. And it's building up. And it's frustrating, and it's flat-out not getting the job done."

White Sox: Konerko, Ventura support struggling hitters
Third baseman Brent Morel is batting just .103 with two RBIs. Second baseman Gordon Beckham is hitting just .152.

Veteran first baseman Paul Konerko stressed how important it is to not get caught up in such a small sample size, just a couple weeks into the season.

"Everybody is kind of guilty early in the year," Konerko said, "looking at a 20 or 30 at-bat sample and making judgments off of that. Even smart people.

"Everybody knows it's wrong and still does it. A tradition, I guess. It's up to the players. ... There's a lot of distractions in the big leagues, and if it was just about playing the game it would be a lot easier."

Manager Robin Ventura hasn't considered reducing their playing time. Morel went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Wednesday's 8-1 win. Beckham had two hits and his first RBI.

"If we're going to do anything this year, you're going to get something out of Beckham and Morel," Ventura said. "We're going to need them to play well so you do have to have patience with them."

• Addison Reed hasn't allowed a run in his seven appearances out of the bullpen.

"The main thing is just to hit your spots," Reed said. "I feel like if you can hit your spots the majority of the time, you have a better chance of being successful."

Worth noting
• The quality start recorded by White Sox hurler John Danks on Tuesday was the club's 800th since 2003, the most in the Majors during that time.

• The Orioles claimed catcher Luis Exposito off waivers from the Red Sox on Tuesday.

MLB.com Comments