The 21-year-old left-hander Josh Smoker did well for Hagerstown on Wednesday, pitching five scoreless innings and allowing only four hits while striking out three and walking three. Smoker induced eight flyouts of the 19 Lakewood batters he faced. The Blue Claws won the game 5-3 over the Suns, but it was a step in the right direction for Smoker. Hagerstown manager Matt LeCroy says Josh has been working toward consistency all season long. "He has had some control issues that has got him...

If you've noticed, a lot of my pre-draft stories have centered around prep pitcher Jameson Taillon. Since everyone is speculating on Monday's first-round at this point, I'll add my two cents. My sense of it is that Taillon is the player the Orioles would like to get. They can get him if the Pirates pass on the 18-year-old right-hander with the second pick. If Taillon is not there, most assume the O's would then pick Miami high school shortstop Manny Machado. I think in that scenario,...

Just as I was preparing an entry on how the Orioles scored four runs in their last four games and 12 over their last eight, Luke Scott made me reach for the delete key by drilling a two-run homer in the seventh inning. Thanks for the re-write. The Orioles had one hit, an Adam Jones home run, and two baserunners through the sixth. Ty Wigginton singled and Scott took CC Sabathia deep to cut the Yankees' lead to 6-3. That qualifies as an offensive uprising. It didn't reach Triple-A Norfolk,...

Did you catch the segment on O's Xtra yesterday that showed Luke Scott fishing with two O's fans, Greg Shute and his son Brennan? The pair of O's fans won the chance to spend a day on the Chesapeake Bay with Scott in the World Fishing Network's "Fish with Luke Scott" contest. "Any day on the water is always a good day," Scott said in the segment. "We caught a couple nice fish and I'm thankful. I enjoyed it." "It was really cool getting to fish with a professional baseball...

It's gotten so bad for Kevin Millwood, the commissioner's office is reviewing his no-hitter from 2003. Millwood is looking for his first win today, but the Orioles will have to rally from a 2-0 deficit. He issued a leadoff walk in the first, gave up a single, committed a balk that allowed Derek Jeter to score after a stolen base, and surrendered Robinson Cano's RBI double. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet inning. Down on the farm, Triple-A Norfolk's Brandon Erbe was charged with...

On Tuesday, June 22nd, be one of the first 10,000 fans at the ballpark and receive a "Clipp & Save" t-shirt sponsored by Tickets.com. MASNsports.com reader Steve Repsher first coined the term "clipp and save" to describe the Nats late inning relief combo of Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps. Nats News Network has a photo of the catchy t-shirt, along with a list of other June promotions which include the Ryan Zimmerman Bobblehead (6/19) and a travel mug (6/20). The June 22nd game is also the...

For the Orioles: 2B Julio Lugo 3B Miguel Tejada RF Nick Markakis DH Ty Wigginton LF Luke Scott 1B Garrett Atkins CF Adam Jones C Craig Tatum SS Cesar Izturis RHP Kevin Millwood For the Yankees: SS Derek Jeter RF Nick Swisher 1B Mark Teixeira 3B Alex Rodriguez 2B Robinson Cano DH Jorge Posada CF Curtis Granderson C Francisco Cervelli LF Brett Gardner LHP CC Sabathia Including today, the Orioles will face seven starting pitchers (Sabathia twice) with a combined 59-11 career record against...

Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga loses a perfect game last night, and the Orioles just seem lost. At least Galarraga can blame an umpire. The Orioles decided to skip the late-inning drama and second-guessing by dismissing themselves from last night's game at the first bell. They can't score runs and they've got CC Sabathia waiting for them. They can't score runs for Kevin Millwood, who starts today, and they've got CC Sabathia waiting for them. Is a loss inevitable? Yeah, it sure...

In an interview Wednesday night with MASNsports.com, O's scouting director Joe Jordan provided an update on his scouting meetings this week. He also indicated he may now know which player he will take with the third pick in the first-round on Monday. At least he seems to have settled on his first choice at this point. "I think we have a scenario that we want to happen. But we are spending a lot of time talking about the other scenarios and try not to fall victim to overlook the obvious. ...

The Nationals had a chance for a .500 road trip with two wins in the final two games of the series in Houston. They had to feel pretty good as well, with John Lannan on the hill to take care of that first game. Houston had their own ideas with Wandy Rodriguez (3-7) pitching five solid innings and a bullpen that held its ground, add to that a Carlos Lee two-run shot and the Astros had all they needed for a 5-1 victory over the Nationals from Minute Maid Park. Bob and Ray ask Jim Riggleman...