Not long after he was yanked from the game following his dismal 1 1/3 inning performance, Orioles starter Brian Matusz went down to the bullpen with pitching coach Mark Connor to get some more work in. He insists that it was there where he located what he's been doing wrong.

"Right away, boom, boom, boom, right where I wanted it," Matusz said. "I finally got that angle back and I was doing what I needed to do. I was just too tense and amped up. I couldn’t find that flow. It’s going to happen."

Still, the young left-hander looked visibly shaken after he allowed four earned runs on five hits and three walks and needed 56 pitches to get just four outs.

"During the game, I wasn’t in my rhythm at all. I’ve been working on some things with my mechanics, just trying to get in a good rhythm and a good flow. But from the get go, I didn’t get to where I wanted to be," Matusz said. "I wasn’t in that rhythm like I was five days ago. When you’re out there on the mound, it’s tough to work on stuff. You got to be able to just focus and make outs and face your hitters. I was thinking about it too much today. I was too tense, I was thinking about it, trying to just get out of the innings so I can take a break and kind of get in my flow, and I never did. I just didn’t have it today. You’re never happy with an early exit like that. I’m not happy and a little frustrated. I’m upset at myself, but at the same time, it’s nice to get this out [of the way] at spring training."

Matusz still hasn't been able to make it through five innings this spring, which is an ominous sign when he's in line to start game two of the season next Saturday.

”I don’t think it’s a concern," Matusz said. "I wanted to get six ups today. That was my goal, to get six innings, so yeah, that’s not a positive at all, but I was able to get some extra work in on the side there. It’s just motivation for me to work hard and get myself back together. I don’t see it as too much of a negative thing to get ready for the season. I still know what I need to do to get ready. I learned so much from this and I’ll just move forward and stay positive, learn as much as I can from this and get better this week.”