Check out this video of the Syracuse Chiefs visiting the Golisano Children's Hospital on August 9th. Andrew Kown, Josh Wilkie, Pete Orr, Chase Lambin, Jeff Mandel, Adam Carr and Seth Bynum were among the players who took time away from their busy schedules to lift the spirits of a few Syracuse area children coping with medical problems. Bynum even plays the piano in the clip. "This is a great opportunity for our players to make a positive impact on the community," said Chiefs General...

Former Ravens cornerback Frank Walker is headed to Miami? I bet the receivers get there ahead of him. If you woke up feeling a little different, it's probably because the Orioles are 40-74 and the Pirates are 39-74. That's what happens when one team goes 8-2 in its last 10 games, and the other goes 3-7. Interesting observation from West Coast O's Fan: Orioles starters have been victimized by only one bad inning in the last nine games. Jake Arrieta allowed five runs in the fourth inning...

With less than a week remaining until the August 16 deadline, Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, remains confident that Harper will sign with the Washington Nationals before midnight Monday and said it would be "silly" if both sides don't figure it out in time. "In my opinion, Bryce is the greatest amateur player ever to play baseball, and I am talking Mickey Mantle and others," Chambers said. "He won the Golden Spikes Award. He achieved all of his goals. What else can he...

Another future star in the Nationals organization is tearing it up in his first week at Hagerstown. It is shortstop Adrian Sanchez. The Maracaibo, Venezuela product turns 20 years old on Monday, and is hitting a ridiculous .448 with 13 hits in seven games for the Suns, with one homer and 7 RBI. He has had multi-hit outings in six of the last seven games he has played. The switch-hitting Sanchez was a non-drafted free agent signed at the beginning of 2007 and had hit .272 in 124 games the...

The Orioles have been getting solid work by their starting pitchers for manager Buck Showalter. Tonight's outing topped them all. Brad Bergesen pitched a complete-game two-hitter as the Orioles topped Cleveland 3-1. Bergesen, now 4-9, 5.84, threw just 102 pitches in recording his second career complete game. He pitched a five-hitter in topping Atlanta last June 14. He missed out on throwing the Orioles first one-hitter since Daniel Cabrera had one on September 28, 2006 in New York vs. the...

What a perfect description from MASN analyst and former Orioles pitcher and executive Mike Flanagan. Brad Bergesen has applied a sleeper hold on the Indians. I'm waiting for George "The Animal" Steele to jump in the ring and eat a turnbuckle. Bergesen just struck out two batters in the eighth inning, and the Indians seemed dazed as he delivered another breaking ball. All they can do is check their swings and hope for a reprieve from the first or third base umpires. He's allowed one run...

O's pitching prospect Brandon Erbe will undergo shoulder surgery on Friday to repair a torn labrum. Erbe was seen by Dr. Lewis Yocum today, and as a result of that exam, Friday's surgery has been scheduled. They won't necessarily know the extent of the injury until the procedure or how much time Erbe will miss. The 22-year-old right-hander from Baltimore has not pitched since a July 24 injury-rehab start with Aberdeen and was on the road back to Triple-A when he was sent to...

After last night, when these teams combined for 22 runs, one more than the O's and White Sox had combined to score during their entire four-game series, maybe the O's and Cleveland will return to a pitcher's duel tonight. The O's lead 2-0 after four on a Luke Scott RBI groundout in the first and a Cesar Izturis RBI single in the fourth. Brad Bergesen is off to a good start. The Indians do not yet have a hit and he has thrown just 42 pitches. He has gotten two double plays behind him...

For the Orioles: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott DH Adam Jones CF Felix Pie LF Matt Wieters C Cesar Izturis SS Josh Bell 3B Brad Bergesen RHP For the Indians: Michael Brantley CF Asdrubal Cabrera SS Shin-Soo Choo RF Shelley Duncan DH Jordan Brown LF Matt LaPorta 1B Luis Valbuena 3B Jayson Nix 2B Chris Gimenez C Josh Tomlin RHP Remember when the Orioles were last in the league with runners in scoring position with a .217 average? Since Aug. 3, they rank first...

I see where some fans think the Orioles may be rushing 20-year-old outfielder Xavier Avery by promoting him to Bowie, a story we reported here yesterday. To that I say, don't worry about it. The O's are providing a player who has had a solid year with a new challenge and a chance to get his feet wet at the level he would likely be sent to next year anyway. In a best-case scenario, he does well and starts next season full of confidence beginning it at Bowie and maybe ending up making...