Happy Father's Day.
I was greeted this morning with the following exchange:
Daughter: "Can I go swimming later today?"
Me: "Only if you wish me a Happy Father's Day."
Daughter: "Oh crap, I forgot! Happy Father's Day. I love you."
I guess that counts.
Have you recovered from last night's game? You might need to stay in bed, even if you're not getting breakfast there.
Kevin Millwood's first victory wasn't going to come easily, not on a night when the Orioles butchered a...
The Orioles should lead by three runs heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, and Adam Jones should have three RBIs tonight.
Corey Patterson pinch-ran for Luke Scott, who collected his third hit, and stole second to move into scoring position. Unfortunately, the "scoring" part didn't hold up.
Patterson didn't get a good jump on Jones' single to center field, and he stumbled as he reached third base. He kept going and was an easy out, especially because he chose to go in standing...
Adam Jones hit his ninth home run tonight, a two-run shot into the second deck that gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning.
Kevin Millwood has blanked the Padres since that infuriating first inning. He's thrown 86 pitches through the fifth.
Down on the farm, Nolan Reimold went 2-for-4 with a double, walk and run scored in Triple-A Norfolk's 10-3 win over Toledo.
Reimold's average is up to .217. Looks like he's heating up.
Jeff Salazar homered twice and drove in four runs. Paco...
Let's start with the good:
The Orioles scored a run for Kevin Millwood in the first inning after Julio Lugo reached on Jerry Hairston's throwing error, stole third base and raced home on Nick Markakis' fly ball.
Interim manager Juan Samuel told reporters that outfielder Felix Pie, rehabbing a torn muscle in his back, will begin an injury rehab assignment in the minors on Tuesday.
Double-A Bowie left-hander Zach Britton shut out Harrisburg on two hits over six innings.
Triple-A Norfolk...
For the Orioles:
2B Julio Lugo
3B Miguel Tejada
RF Nick Markakis
1B Ty Wigginton
LF Luke Scott
CF Adam Jones
C Matt Wieters
SS Cesar Izturis
RHP Kevin Millwood
For the Padres:
2B David Eckstein
3B Chase Headley
1B Adrian Gonzalez
LF Scott Hairston
C Yorvit Torrealba
RF Will Venable
SS Jerry Hairston Jr.
CF Tony Gwynn Jr.
LHP Clayton Richard
Richard has allowed more than three runs only once this season - May 28 vs. the Nationals. He's gone six or more innings in his last seven games,...
The question comes up every fifth or sixth day:
Will Kevin Millwood finally get his first win?
He won't bring much momentum into his latest attempt.
We know about the lack of run support. He's received 44 in 14 starts, and the Orioles
have scored just 24 while he was in those games. They've totaled 17 in his last 11 outings while he's been on the mound. But Millwood isn't in the midst of the longest losing streak of his career, eight games, simply because the offense keeps bailing on...
Nolan Reimold has hit safely in four of his last five games with Triple-A Norfolk, batting .389 (7-for-18) with three RBIs. His average is up to .206.
Maybe it's been a good idea to drop the first base experiment for a while. Stop filling his plate, and he'll have better results when he steps up to it.
Guess who leads the Tides in RBIs (16), hits (21), doubles (six) and runs scored (11) this month?
Hint: It's the same player who ranks second among all Orioles minor leaguers with 41 RBIs...
The best question of the day - and I know it's early, so the voting isn't complete - came from the fan who asked, "At what point do the O's become lovable?"
They might lean more toward the frustrating side right now.
Or the infuriating side.
Perhaps something stronger.
Last night's loss bled into so many others. The offense mostly sputtered, a key play wasn't made in the field, a good start was wasted, the bullpen collapsed late.
I've seen this movie more times than...
Alfredo Simon was supposed to be the closer when he came off the disabled list. That's what we were told. Maybe not in his first appearance, but the ones afterward.
David Hernandez changed that line of thinking with two saves - both in games that Jake Arrieta started. It looked like the right time to audition him.
Interim manager Juan Samuel called upon Hernandez tonight after the Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth. Simon struck out both batters he faced to end the eighth, but...
While MASN went to a commercial during the eighth-inning pitching change, I looked up Adrian Gonzalez's career numbers against left-hander Will Ohman.
Then I cringed: 5-for-11, two doubles, one home run, three RBIs.
Interim manager Juan Samuel wanted the lefty-lefty matchup, ignoring the stats that went along with it - including how Gonzalez was hitting .315 against southpaws before tonight, and how he was 2-for-2 against Brian Matusz.
Ohman walked Gonzalez and came out of the...
Brian Matusz held the Padres to one run over six innings tonight, but he won't get the long-awaited victory.
Not with the Orioles scoring only one run.
Matusz allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four. His biggest sin was running up his pitch count again - 114 before interim manager Juan Samuel lifted him for a pinch-hitter - and not hitting a few home runs to support his own cause.
Somebody has to take care of him.
Matusz has allowed four earned runs in his last 14 innings and...
Playing in a National League ballpark has its advantages.
It comes with National League rules.
Padres pitcher Wade LeBlanc stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth inning. There's no stopping him because there's no designated hitter.
LeBlanc popped up a bunt on a safety squeeze and David Eckstein popped up after taking a full cut. End of rally.
Credit shortstop Cesar Izturis for preserving the 1-0 lead with a diving stop of Aaron Cunningham's ground...
In case Brian Matusz doesn't recognize what just happened, the Orioles scored a run for him.
Matusz will try to protect a 1-0 lead as we enter the bottom of the fourth inning, and hope that the Orioles' generosity will extend a little further.
Miguel Tejada, Nick Markakis and Ty Wigginton opened the top of the fourth with singles that produced a 1-0 lead.
Markakis is 2-for-2 and hasn't been retired since he vented about the club's offensive approach, among other things, to The Sun.
Did...
Nolan Reimold, starting again in left field for Triple-A Norfolk, went 3-for-4 with a run and raised his average to .206 in the Tides' 6-4 loss to Toledo.
Michael Aubrey doubled and drove in two runs.
Left-hander Chris George allowed six runs and nine hits in four innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. Alberto Castillo tossed two scoreless innings, striking out two.
Double-A Bowie won in spite of itself, scoring four runs in the eighth inning to defeat Harrisburg, 5-4.
The Baysox...
For the Orioles:
LF Corey Patterson
3B Miguel Tejada
RF Nick Markakis
1B Ty Wigginton
CF Adam Jones
C Matt Wieters
2B Julio Lugo
SS Cesar Izturis
LHP Brian Matusz
For the Padres:
2B David Eckstein
CF Chris Denorfia
1B Adrian Gonzalez
LF Scott Hairston
C Yorvit Torrealba
3B Chase Headley
SS Jerry Hairston Jr
RF Aaron Cunningham
LHP Wade LeBlanc
Gonzalez has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games, batting .379 with four doubles, six homers, 16 RBIs and 12 runs scored. He's also posted a .440...
Brad Bergesen told me that he was on a 65-70 pitch count last night with Triple-A Norfolk, which explains why he left the game after 2 2/3 innings.
Bergesen allowed five hits to the Toledo Mud Hens, including a three-run homer to Jeff Larish. He walked two, struck out two and threw 44 of his 65 pitches for strikes.
"I felt OK," he said. "I was a little rusty. I hadn't picked up a ball since Sunday. But I gave up a couple hits and then the guy obviously hit that one out, and that was...
You know it's gotten pretty slow around here when a Ryan Ouellette trade to the White Sox has stirred up some fans.
I guess it's more about the mystery of it, since we haven't received confirmation or more details from the Orioles. Ouellette found out after last night's game at Double-A Bowie.
Ouellette no longer was part of the Baysox's roster and he hadn't pitched since June 8. He was 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in nine games, with 14 hits and 11 walks in 13 1/3 innings.
There's been a lot...
Dennis Sarfate picked up his ninth save tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, walking a batter and striking out two. His fastball topped out at 99 mph.
I wonder if the Orioles will give him another look. He's doing everything possible to get noticed.
Tyler Henson hit his sixth home run for Double-A Bowie.
Steve Johnson took the loss against Reading after allowing six runs and five hits in five innings - including a grand slam - with five walks and five strikeouts. Pat Egan threw three perfect...
Brad Bergesen, making his first start for Triple-A Norfolk since being optioned, gave up a three-run homer to Toledo's Jeff Larish and lasted only 2 2/3 innings before leaving the game with the Tides trailing, 3-1.
Bergesen is charged with three runs and five hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. He threw 65 pitches, 44 for strikes.
His night ended after a fly ball and a throwing error by third baseman Josh Bell, with Jim Miller coming out of the bullpen and getting a strikeout.
Perhaps...
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the San Diego Padres entered June with the best record in the NL (31-20) for the first time in franchise history.
Their 38-28 record is the third-best in franchise history. The Padres were 40-25 in 1998 and 39-26 in 1984.
The Orioles aren't catching them at the right time.
Before last night, Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez ranked among the top National League left-handed batters when facing left-handed pitching in batting average (third at .318),...