Julio Lugo SS Nick Markakis RF Matt Wieters DH Miguel Tejada 3B Ty Wigginton 2B Luke Scott LF Adam Jones CF Rhyne Hughes 1B Craig Tatum C Kevin Millwood RHP

The Orioles are now 7-5 over the last 12 games after beating Minnesota 7-3 today in game one of a day/night doubleheader. They improve to 9-21 on the year, 2-3 on this road trip and 5-13 in road games on the season. A win tonight or tomorrow would give the Orioles just their second series victory of 2010. The O's overcame their 2-0, first-inning deficit to win and won for the first time this year (now 1-11) when their opponent scored first in the game. Gary and Eddie talk with Dave...

Jeremy Guthrie gave the Orioles' 6 2/3 innings in Game 1 of today's doubleheader, and he left with a 6-3 lead. Guthrie allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five. He out-pitched Francisco Liriano, and he came into today as the decided underdog in that matchup. The two home runs put me on edge, and the Twins were launching some monstrous foul balls, but Guthrie held them in check and turned in a quality start. A few readers wondered about the decrease in Guthrie's velocity. I...

It's one of the most difficult roles in baseball. Closers need a short memory, a lot of confidence, composure and nasty stuff. They must channel their adrenaline, turn it into a positive force and ultimately shut down the opponent. It's a unique role only suited to certain pitchers. One of those special players is Drew Storen, currently closing games for the Syracuse Chiefs. Storen's been effective and impressive since signing with the Nationals last June. After seven appearances with...

That sentence would have taken on a vastly different meaning earlier this season, but Julio Lugo might be winning over some fans. Lugo is 3-for-4 with an RBI from the leadoff spot. Actual production from the top of the order. Don't adjust your sets. In his last three starts, Lugo has gone 7-for-12 with a walk, RBI and run scored to raise his average to .250. Could he also get the start in Game 2, perhaps at shortstop, with Ty Wigginton replacing him at second? There aren't many hot hands...

Who saw this coming? Be honest. The Orioles took a 5-2 lead over Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano in the fourth inning before Michael Cuddyer led off the bottom half with a shot into the left field seats. They've collected nine hits, including an assortment of bloops and well-placed ground balls. At last count, the Orioles were 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position. All the runs have come with two outs - pretty impressive considering they were batting .176 with two outs and RISP this...

I caught a little of manager Dave Trembley's dugout session with the media earlier today while I waited for O's Xtra to start on MASN2, and he indicated that Adam Jones could bat lower in the lineup. Julio Lugo is hitting first in Game 1, with Jones moving down to second. Trembley noted how Jones continues to struggle at the plate and is chasing bad pitches. It doesn't sound like the leadoff experiment will continue, though finding a replacement has proven difficult. It's not like Lugo...

Orioles: 2B Lugo CF Jones RF Markakis 3B Tejada DH Wigginton C Wieters 1B Atkins LF Reimold SS Izturis RHP Guthrie Twins: CF Span 2B Hudson 1B Morneau DH Thome RF Cuddyer LF Kubel C Ramos SS Harris 3B Punto LHP Liriano

Josh Bell hit a walk-off home run last night for Triple-A Norfolk, belting a 1-1 offering from Toledo reliever Jay Sborz over the right-center field wall in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Tides their third straight win. Sborz hadn't allowed an earned run in 10 games before last night. His eight saves are tied for the International League lead. Bell went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two walks. He's homered in three straight games, giving him six on the year to go with 18 RBIs, and...

Some notes, stats and facts to ponder while we await the start of a long day of Orioles baseball. The Orioles are 6-5 since their 2-16 start. In those 11 games, the team average is .258 and they have scored 44 runs. The team ERA is 4.18 during that run. O's runs scored on the year: *78 in 21 games vs. AL East, 3.7 per game. *21 in 8 games vs. everyone else, 2.6 per game. They are scoring less right now in a small sample, outside of the division. That is skewed somewhat by their 36 runs...