Brian Matusz, 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini #317

Apparently Brian Matusz is such a freaking sad sack that he can't even cheat successfully. The oft-snakebitten O's lefty was ejected in the 12th inning of a scoreless game between the Orioles and Marlins tonight after the umps determined that he had an illegal substance on his right arm. Buck Showalter was forced to bring in T. J. McFarland, who allowed a walkoff single to Martin Prado with the bases loaded and two outs an inning later, as the Birds wasted another gem of a start by Mike Wright and an impressive debut in relief by Navy's Oliver Drake (three scoreless innings with a putout at home plate of Adeiny Hechavarria as he tried to score on a pitch that bounced).

Incidentally, I'm sorry for my unannounced absence this week. Wednesday Janet and I flew down to Sarasota for her brother's wedding, and I was so busy prepping for the trip that I didn't get a chance to post on Tuesday. I'll just say that our stay in Florida was much more enjoyable than tonight's 13-inning shutout loss.

Brandon Snyder, 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini #228

Congratulations and back-slaps to Brandon Snyder, who hit his first big league home run for the Rangers this afternoon. He never quite lived up to the expectations that the Orioles had when they chose him with the 13th overall pick in the 2005 amateur draft, but simply by making it to the majors he's beaten the odds. The 25-year-old first baseman and corner infielder has largely been a late-inning sub for Texas; today marks his fourth start in 25 games for the team. But he's managed to stay sharp, batting .357 (5-for-14) with a couple of walks. And here's a neat tidbit that I somehow missed before Baseball Reference clued me in: Brandon's father Brian pitched briefly for the Mariners (6.37 ERA in 35.1 IP in 1985) and Athletics (2 ER in 0.2 IP in 1989). So Snyder the younger can already claim that he's the most successful ballplayer in the family, no matter what twists and turns his career takes in the future.