Millwood gets on a roll

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

July 22, 2010, 4:45pm

Comments

Too bad he gave up three runs in the first inning tonight. Since then, Kevin Millwood has had a strong outing that should be somewhat encouraging for fans and O's brass alike. Millwood has allowed just one run and three hits from innings two through six. He gave up a bomb to Michael Cuddyer for a solo homer in the fourth. It went 434 feet and was one of those blasts that Jamie Walker used to refer to as a "rocket ship." But Millwood has been pretty solid since giving up that bases-clearing three-run double to Delmon Young on a 3-2 pitch in the first. Young has been a red-hot hitter, batting .394-3-16 since the start of July. That .394 average ties Josh Hamilton for second best in the Majors in that stretch, behind only Buster Posey (.435) of the Giants. The Twins are batting .324 since the All-Star break, second in the AL. The Twins came here off a 4-3 homestand and are just 2.5 games out in the AL Central despite going 12-15 in June and 7-10 in July. The O's by the way are 6-3 in Millwood's nine home starts this year, but will need to rally tonight to better that.