Ponson dropping weight and lowering his ERA.

Ponson has lost 10 lbs in the last month and is now down to a slim 250 lbs. How did he do it?

"I just watched what I ate," Ponson said. "I don't eat late at night like I used to. And I just keep working harder and harder."

It's nice to see Ponson finally take some responsibility for his weight. Let's see if it continues.

The O's also cut former No. 1 draft pick Mike Paradis on Tuesday. Paradis, 26, was the 13th pick overall in the 1999 draft.

"We've seen periods where we thought he was on his way, but they were infrequent and more infrequent as times went on," farm director Darrell "Doc" Rodgers said. "Part of our frustration, he could throw on the side and show pretty good stuff. The next step is to take it between the white lines. It was something we couldn't overcome."