Aberdeen scored a first-inning run tonight and leads Lowell 1-0 through two innings here at Ripken Stadium. The IronBirds Austin Knight, who went to high school at Baltimore's Boys Latin, singled with one out. Kipp Schutz then hit a ground single to right and Knight went to third on a misplay by the right fielder. He scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 edge. Schutz began tonight leading the New York-Penn League in batting at .403 and now has nine hits over his last 14 at bats. Aberdeen...

Lefty Michael Gonzalez, who will pitch here tonight at Aberdeen, will likely come into this game during the 6th or 7th inning. He is scheduled to follow starter Justin Anderson to the mound, unless Anderson gets knocked out early in the contest. Gonzalez could come in during an inning and will not necessarily enter for a clean inning at the start. This will be his third appearance at Aberdeen and his 7th on his injury-rehab assignment. He has allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 1/3...

We have a late addition to the Eastern League All-Star Game. His name is Adam Loewen, and he plays the outfield for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. We'll deal with "Fisher Cats" later. Loewen is batting .278 in 77 games, with 22 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 49 RBIs and an .853 OPS. He's also 10-for-14 in stolen base attempts. That's quite an improvement over last season, when Loewen batted .236 with four homers, 31 RBIs and a .695 OPS with Single-A Dunedin, and his plan to...

Cue Vanessa Williams.... The Nats are teaming up with the Texas Rangers to promote an All-Star Final Man alliance. The two third basemen, Michael Young and Ryan Zimmerman, are asking you to send both of them to the All-Star Game. Young and Zimmerman also share the bottom spot on each ballot, which lists the candidates alphabetically. "Save the Best for Last" and vote Zimmerman/Young right now....and then vote over and over again. Voting ends Thursday at 4 p.m. Fans can also text N5 to...

Be sure to check out O's XTRA tonight at 6:30 on MASN before the O's-Tigers game. L.J. Hoes and Xavier Avery of the Frederick Keys will be interviewed live on set by Jim and Rick. These are two young and up and coming prospects in the O's system. Avery is batting .286-3-39 with 20 steals. Hoes, who missed some time with an illness, is back now and batting .255-1-23. Both are holding their own as first-year players in the Carolina League at the age of just 20 years old. I am in the...

The Orioles placed pitcher Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list and activated Felix Pie for tonight's game in Detroit. Millwood's injury is described as a "strained right forearm (flexor mass)." Millwood is 2-8 with a 5.77 ERA in a team-leading 18 starts. Pie is 8-for-20 with two doubles and a home run for the Orioles, but he's been on the DL since April 16 with a torn muscle in his back. The 40-man roster is now at capacity with Pie's removal from the 60-day disabled list. For...

I am looking forward to a trip to Ripken Stadium tonight to check in on the IronBirds and also to watch Michael Gonzalez make his 7th injury rehab appearance. Gonzalez is expected to pitch in relief tonight vs. the Lowell Spinners, a Red Sox affiliate. Gonzalez has pitched to an ERA of 4.27 in six games with the GCL O's, Aberdeen and Bowie. Over 6 1/3 innings he has allowed seven hits and three runs with no walks, seven strikeouts and two homers. Meanwhile, the IronBirds are 8-10 and have...

The Orioles won't determine pitcher Kevin Millwood's status until he arrives at Comerica Park in a few hours, but the right-hander is expected to go on the disabled list unless the club's thinking undergoes a drastic change. Interim manager Juan Samuel and pitching coach Rick Kranitz expressed concern over Millwood's health - specifically, his right elbow - after yesterday's one-inning start. Millwood could probably use the break, no matter the reason. The Orioles will need a starter...

We just shipped off a Nats Buzz prize pack to NatsNut for winning the off-season version of Where at Nats Park. Next week, we'll send another prize pack to the person with the most correct guesses since the season started. This is your last week to try to win that prize -- there will even be some bonus point opportunities. So, here goes. Where is this: For 1 bonus point, mention something interesting about the subject of the picture in the comments below. For 5 bonus points, take a...

Through Thursday at 4 p.m., fans can vote to send Ryan Zimmerman to the All-Star Game as the "Final Man" on the N.L. team. Zimmerman is up against some pretty tough competition, including Reds first baseman Joey Votto. It's up to Nats fans to make it happen. Why does Zimmerman deserve to be an All-Star? Leave your reasons in the comment section below. In the meantime, make sure to vote early, vote often and tell your friends to join the campaign.