Cesar Izturis led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left-center field, making him Mr. 1,001. Manager Buck Showalter could have ordered rookie Josh Bell to bunt, which seemed like the obvious call. He could have sent up Julio Lugo to bunt, also a valid option. Bell swung away and lined to right. Izturis was a few steps off the bag and couldn't get back to tag, though the ball wasn't hit deep enough for him to advance. Why wasn't Bell bunting? I wonder if Showalter gave Bell...

Four members of the Aberdeen IronBirds, including three 2010 draft picks, have been selected to play for the American League affiliates in the New York-Penn League All-Star game set for August 17th. They are Trent Mummey, the Auburn outfielder drafted in the fourth round this past June. He is joined by teammates Tim Adleman, a 24th-round pick, Adam Gaylord, drafted in round 31 and Kipp Schutz who was taken in round 19 in 2009. An outfielder, Schutz is hitting .331-3-30 and is 5th in the...

The Orioles and White Sox are tied, 1-1, in the sixth inning. Ageless Omar Vizquel hustled to second base while Juan Pierre was caught in a rundown in the fifth, and he scored on Alex Rios' two-out single. Guthrie is trying to give the rotation six consecutive quality starts. He's given up seven earned runs in his last 32 1/3 innings. Toronto's Brandon Morrow is no-hitting Tampa Bay through seven innings today. He struck out the side in the seventh, giving him 14. His pitch count stands at...

Jeremy Guthrie has been making some big pitches today vs. the first-place White Sox. But, after they had gone 0 for 7 against him with runners in scoring position, Alex Rios finally got a clutch hit. His two-out single to left center in the fifth scored Omar Vizquel to tie this game at 1-1. Guthrie may be on his way to another quality start. It would be the Orioles sixth in a row and his fifth straight, which would be an O's 2010 season high. Quality starts, 2010: 14 - Guthrie 13 -...

Cesar Izturis singled with two outs in the second inning for the 1,000th hit of his major league career. I joked about the Orioles hanging numbers on the warehouse, but Izturis received a loud ovation from the Camden Yards crowd as his image appeared on the video board along with a message of congratulations on his milestone. Felix Pie, who homered two batters earlier, gave Izturis a big hug while delivering his glove between innings. Too bad the Orioles couldn't do more with four hits and...

For now, Buck Showalter is spending most of his time, as you might expect, dealing with the 25 players on the Orioles Major League roster. So far, he admits, he has taken a look at what the Orioles have in the minor leagues, but he's not as clued in on that right now as he will be later. "Not as I'm going to be. I'm trying to stay focused here, more than anything. That stuff will take care of itself. I trust the people there. You know John Stockstill has provided some good reading...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter will meet with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail after today's game to discuss the composition of the roster. Showalter and MacPhail wanted the Orioles to go through their rotation once before debating whether to add a fourth bench player and return to a 12-man pitching staff. The club has turned in five straight quality starts, with Brad Bergesen and Kevin Milllwood impressing in back-to-back outings. "It's something we're considering,"...

Brian Roberts 2B Corey Patterson DH Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Adam Jones CF Felix Pie LF Jake Fox C Cesar Izturis SS Josh Bell 3B Jeremy Guthrie RHP Guthrie has posted a 1.98 ERA in his last four starts, with two walks and 17 strikeouts. 1980 Cy Young winner Steve Stone, now a White Sox broadcaster, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

I'm still waiting for the Orioles to post their lineup. The door to Buck Showalter's office is closed, and the only people in the clubhouse are Gary Allenson, T-Bone Shelby and Matt Wieters. Showalter will meet with reporters at 11:45 a.m. Here's the White Sox lineup: Juan Pierre LF Omar Vizquel 3B Alex Rios CF Paul Konerko DH Carlos Quentin RF Mark Kotsay 1B Alexei Ramirez SS Ramon Castro C Gordon Beckham 2B Mark Buehrle LHP Buehrle is 5-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 14 career games against the...

Troy Patton has been with the Orioles for more than a day this time. Patton was called up for just one day and one game on July 21st, but he's been back with the club now since last Sunday in Kansas City. He is still waiting to get into his first O's game on the mound. When he does it will be out of the bullpen and the 24-year-old lefty has made just two relief appearances in 125 pro outings. His last one, on September 7, 2007 was memorable, but not for a good reason. "Funny story, my...