Rick VandenHurk walked off the mound to a partial standing ovation after striking out Michael Young to end the top of the seventh inning. VandenHurk walked leadoff hitter Julio Borbon on five pitches before striking out Elvis Andus. He picked off Borbon and fanned Young to complete a 12-pitch inning. VandenHurk's fastball hit 95 mph. He threw three straight heaters at Andrus - 93, 95 and 94 mph - and struck him out on an 81 mph curveball. He started off Young with a 95 mph fastball and threw...

I joked on O's Xtra that Rick VandenHurk was keeping busy by directing traffic in and out of the A Lot at Camden Yards, but he actually warmed up in the fifth inning. Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer off Kevin Millwood to increase the Rangers' lead to 6-1. He was 0-for-2 before that at-bat, but began the day hitting .384 with five homers and 17 RBIs lifetime against Millwood. Make that six homers and 20 RBIs. VandenHurk has stopped throwing, so we'll see Millwood again in the sixth...

After giving up more first-inning runs, Kevin Millwood has settled into a nice groove today through the fourth inning vs. his former team, the Texas Rangers. Millwood gave up a single, walk and three-run homer to Josh Hamilton to start today's game and put the O's in a 3-0 hole. Millwood has now allowed 38 runs in the first inning this year and his ERA is 13.32 in that inning. Opponent hitters are batting .390 in the opening inning vs. the right-hander. But he pitched shutout ball over...

It happened again. Kevin Millwood gave up runs in the first inning - three to be exact. That brings his season total to 38 in the first inning. Millwood has been scored upon in the first in 13 of his last 16 outings. Only once has he kept the run total to one. Elvis Andrus singled, Michael Young walked and Josh Hamilton homered. Three batters, three runs. Millwood breezed through the second inning, getting a fly ball and two grounders. But the damage is done. In Millwood's last six...

It's raining hard right now, so we're not starting on time. The word "monsoon" has been used here to describe the conditions. Instant weather update: It's already stopped raining and the tarp's coming off the field. They don't make monsoons the way they used to. Kevin Millwood will make his 400th career start, joining Jamie Moyer, Andy Pettitte, Livan Hernandez, Tim Wakefield, Javier Vazquez and Jeff Suppan as the only active pitchers to start 400 or more games. Not only did Orioles...

The Orioles have promoted outfielder Trent Mummey from Aberdeen to Delmarva, where he will take the roster spot of Steven Bumbry, who went on the disabled list Saturday with an oblique strain. Mummey, this year's fourth-round pick out of Auburn, was batting .266-3-24 in 49 IronBirds games with 16 doubles and two triples. He played in the New York-Penn League All-Star game. The 21-year-old center fielder got off to a hot hitting start with Aberdeen and was hitting over .300 as recently as...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter watched from the home dugout at Prince George's Stadium last night as Jim Johnson pitched one inning for Double-A Bowie. Showalter arrived in the fourth inning and got a good seat. Johnson entered the game in the top of the sixth and served up a home run to Thomas Neal on a high changeup. Johnson retired the other three batters he faced, striking out the last one. He threw 20 pitches after totaling 12 the previous night. "I felt like I had better release on my...

Players aren't required to report to the ballpark today until noon. I saw Matt Wieters and Cesar Izturis eating breakfast with third base coach Gary Allenson. It's a little slow around here. I forgot to mention last night that Adam Jones won't start today. Manager Buck Showalter wants to rest him for a few days, including tomorrow, when we have an open date on the schedule before the six-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Chicago and continues into Anaheim. Jones is 0-for-16 since his...

There are many things to like about Buck Showalter in his short time as O's manager. Among them, right now, is the fact that he has not labeled anyone as the Orioles closer. It's been frustrating at times this year when the O's seemed to use a pitcher in the ninth, because he had the label as "closer." With Alfredo Simon's recent struggles, that job is open again and if Showalter is in no hurry for one man to claim it, or get that title, that's fine with me. Let him go to the player...

Orioles reliever Jim Johnson gave up a solo home run tonight to Richmond's Thomas Neal in his latest injury-rehab inning at Double-A Bowie. He threw 20 pitches, 12 for strikes. Johnson struck out a batter to end the inning. I'm told that his fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range. Johnson also threw his slider, changeup and curveball tonight. So what's next? The Orioles want him to work out the next two days and pitch again on Tuesday and Wednesday. But you already knew that because you...