Orioles manager Buck Showalter said after Friday's loss to the Blue Jays that Brian Matusz (illness) wasn't at the park with the team. Showalted said that Matusz went to the hospital, but didn't elaborate any further on the situation. It sounds as though he'll be unavailable on Saturday as well.

Brian Matusz pitched a couple of scoreless frames before Monday's Red Sox-Orioles game was postponed due to rain. Despite making his second start of the spring today, Matusz remains set to pitch in relief this season. He should be more than a specialist out of the pen, and he might even get the odd save chance if Tommy Hunter struggles. Still, he probably won't be worth using in AL-only leagues unless Hunter gets off to a bad start.

Brian Matusz pitched two perfect innings, striking out three, in his return to the mound Tuesday. Matusz had to go to the emergency room due to his peanut allergy on Sunday night, but it didn't cause him to miss an outing. He's pitched exactly two innings all three times out. It appears that the Orioles don't want to disappoint him by removing him from the rotation competition this early. However, they're also not really building him up as they would a starter.

Brian Matusz went to the emergency room after an allergic reaction to peanuts on Sunday night. He may not pitch on Tuesday for precautionary reasons, but he'll be back soon. Matusz broke through in the bullpen last year, and Baltimore will rely on him heavily in April with Troy Patton serving a 25-game suspension. Matusz held left-handed hitters to a .168 average in 2013.

Brian Matusz got the start and pitched a couple of scoreless innings against the Red Sox on Sunday. While the Orioles are following through on giving Matusz a look as a starter, it's really hard to imagine him beginning the season anywhere except the bullpen. There isn't as much of a need in the rotation now following the Ubaldo Jimenez signing, and there's a greater one in the pen with fellow left-hander Troy Patton serving a 25-game suspension.

Brian Matusz will have a wart removed Tuesday in Philadelphia and may need a few days of rest. It's nothing that should affect his status for Opening Day. Matusz found success in the Orioles' bullpen last year and will begin 2014 in a lefty specialist role.

Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun believes that Brian Matusz will remain in the Orioles bullpen for the upcoming 2014 season. While the 26-year-old southpaw has made it clear that he would prefer to start, and will get an opportunity to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, he is likely to wind up back in the bullpen purely out of necessity. With Troy Patton serving a 25-game suspension to begin the season, Matusz finds himself as the lone left-hander in the pen. He was extremely successful in the role in 2013, holding left-handed hitters to a .168 average.

Orioles avoided arbitration with LHP Brian Matusz by agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million contract. It was Matusz's first year of arbitration eligibility. The southpaw reliever fared well in his first full season in the bullpen, posting a 3.53 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 51 frames.

The Orioles will let Brian Matusz compete for a spot in the rotation in spring training. Matusz appears to have found a home in the bullpen, but he wants to be a starter and the O's will give him that chance. "I know how much it means to Brian Matusz to be a starter," manager Buck Showalter said. "We know that we're going to go into spring giving Brian the opportunity to start." Matusz holds a career 5.51 ERA as a starter and a 3.08 mark as a reliever. Ultimately, he's likely to wind up back in the bullpen.

Brian Matusz holds a 2.92 ERA and 12/3 K/BB ratio over 12 1/3 relief innings this season. The Orioles haven't dismissed the possibility of Matusz going back to starting, but he's really found a home in the bullpen. Since moving to the 'pen late last season, the left-hander boasts a 2.10 ERA and 31/6 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 frames. He'll continue to be the primary left-handed setup man ahead of closer Jim Johnson.