I'm loading up my car and heading back to Sykesville so I can change clothes and head to Baltimore for Buck Showalter's noon press conference at Camden Yards. Sounds like a plan. I've never dealt with Showalter, never had a single conversation with him, and have no idea how he interacts with the media. He's been one of us at ESPN, which could prove beneficial in establishing a relationship. Maybe he's developed more patience over the years. I pointed out the obvious yesterday, that the...

Well, he didn't hold too much back. Jim Palmer is often outspoken and Sunday was no different. Palmer was interviewed by Tom Davis on the Orioles Insider Roundtable show on O's flagship station, 105.7 the Fan. He said basically that the Orioles players are in for a rude awakening as Buck Showalter takes over as manager today. "I get the feeling, because Buck Showalter does his homework, that this team doesn't know what's going to hit them. He is going to demand that this club play the...

Zach Britton lasted four innings tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, allowing four runs (two earned) and four hits, walking two, striking out two and throwing two wild pitches. He threw 74 pitches, 35 for strikes. I wouldn't say he's kicking down the door right now, but a little defensive support would have been nice. More on that later. The Tides and Indianapolis are tied, 6-6, in the eighth. Robert Andino is batting cleanup tonight, which strikes me as odd. He's 1-for-3 with an RBI and two...

Potomac Nationals catcher Derek Norris joined us on the set of MASN's Nats Xtra to talk baseball Sunday and said he welcomes the challenge of recent acquisition Wilson Ramos. "You are going to face competition somewhere along the line at every level," the 21-year-old said. But he's not down about the trade as it pertains to his future with the Nats. The Wichita, KS product has been hitting the ball very well since recovering from a couple of injuries earlier in the season. He is batting...

The Orioles squandered another scoring opportunity, putting runners on first and second with no outs in the ninth. Nick Markakis swung at the first pitch and bounced into a 1-6-3 double play. Dagger. I had to hold down my father so he didn't launch himself through the ceiling. The first pitch? A tapper to the mound? Go ahead and scream at the top of your lungs. It's OK. Ty Wigginton walked to keep the rally alive, but second baseman Chris Getz made a diving stop of Luke Scott's...

Well, this time there was no blown lead. Or comeback. The Orioles lost 5-4 at Kansas City Sunday and Buck Showalter will inherit a team on Tuesday night with a three-game losing streak and 3-14 record since the All-Star break. Jim and Mike talk to Juan Samuel in his last postgame interview as Orioles' interm manager It was Juan Samuel's final game as interim manager and he finished with a record of 17 and 34 since he took over on June 4th. Kevin Millwood fell to 2-11, 6.05 as he gave up...

Rick VandenHurk's first start for his new team will come tomorrow night when he gets the ball at 7:15 for Norfolk at home vs. Indianapolis. VandenHurk was acquired Saturday in the deal that sent Will Ohman to the Florida Marlins. The 25-year-old right-hander is 8-4, 4.68 in 19 starts this year for Triple-A New Orleans. Over his last four starts there he pitched to an ERA of 1.33 and fanned 26 over 27 innings. VandenHurk, the 5th Netherlands-born player to play in the Majors since 1900,...

The Orioles loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth inning, but Julio Lugo struck out on a high fastball. Alex Gordon immediately made them pay, leading off the bottom half of the inning with a home run. The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and knocked Bruce Chen from the game, but they only scored one run after Josh Bell grounded into a double play. The Royals immediately made them pay, stringing together three consecutive singles with no outs in the bottom half of...

I didn't mean on this road trip. Kevin Millwood gave up three runs and four hits in the first inning today, continuing that disturbing trend of being incredibly slow out of the gate. He's permitted at least two runs in the first inning in 11 of his last 12 starts. The Orioles ignored my previous suggestion of using a reliever in the first and bringing in Millwood in the second. Too desperate? Millwood threw 28 pitches in the inning. Troy Patton is probably staring at the bullpen phone....

The first inning gets Kevin Millwood again. In his first nine starts this year, he did not allow a single run in the first inning. But today, he gave up three runs on four hits in Kansas City as the Orioles fall behind 3-0. Millwood has now allowed two runs or more in the first inning of 11 of his last 12 starts. He has given up 34 of his 89 runs this year (38 percent) in the opening inning. Four of the first five batters reached vs. Millwood, who has won just two of his 20 starts this...