I’m still hoping that my worry about the Orioles is premature. Thankfully, Brian Matusz made me breathe a little bit easier with his performance against the Philadelphia Phillies in his second consecutive solid Grape Fruit League outing.
On Friday night, Matusz pitched to a no hitter in his 5 1/3 inning in his outing against the best team in the National League in Baltimore’s 2-0 win over the Phils.
Baltimore relievers Will Ohman and Jim Johnson kept the no hitter going through the bottom of the 8th, but Dennis Sarfate gave up a single to John Mayberry Jr. to give the Phillies their one hit of the night.
The Orioles swept the Phillies in interleague play last season and are 2-0 against them this spring.
Matusz struck out six and walked two in his fourth start this spring. His record is now 1-1 in 14.1 inning pitched, with a 2.51 ERA and 16 strike outs. I’ve said all along that Matusz is the ace of the future. I like to see him continue to improve me right.
Do you think Matusz has what it takes to be the Orioles’ future ace?
Not to knit-pick, but Matusz was not perfect. He walked 2 batters. But he did no-hit them for 5 and 1/3. Still a dominant performance and this is the 2nd time he has bamboozled the Phillies. Not only does Matusz have the stuff to be the future ace. I would argue that he is the present ace. He probably won't start on OD, but that does not mean he is not the O's best pitcher and represents their best chance to win night in and night out.
I may be premature in some of my praise. He will have some bumps, but he is improving so quickly that it is exciting.
Thanks for noticing. I may have been a little too excited.
Just updated the article. It is good to see his rapid improvement. I was surprised when the Orioles promoted him from Bowie last season to the big leagues, but he's been the most consistent in his time with the O's. Sure, Bergesen pitched well but he went down with an injury while Matusz made the necessary changes big league starters must make to remain successful.
Let's keep our fingers crossed. Matusz has been one of the few bright spots this spring.