Syracuse Chiefs starter Stephen Strasburg rolled past the Gwinnett Braves in his Triple-A debut from a sold out Alliance Bank Stadium. Strasburg continued to hit 96-99 miles per hour on his fastball, a drop off the table curve ball and an assortment of off-speed stuff that confused the G-Braves hitters. Strasburg also added 2 RBI as Syracuse led 3-0 when he left the game. He had run scoring single in the 2nd inning and a perfect bunt in the 4th that scored the 3rd Chiefs run. His line was...

In the past, when the O's were at home at Camden Yards on Mother's Day, there's typically been some sort of giveaway as you enter the ballpark. From picture frames to pink hats, moms are somehow acknowledged at the ballpark for their work, love and dedication throughout the year. This year, the O's will be in Minnesota on mom's special day, and the Twins earrings they're giving out at Target Field won't do an Orioles fan much good. But, you can still appreciate the pink bats and sweat...

Does a postponement and day/night doubleheader help or hurt the Orioles? Does it even matter? Maybe it means nothing, but the timing seems pretty rotten for a team coming off its crispest game of the season. So much for riding a wave tonight - though snowboarding might be a possibility. I know momentum in baseball is the next day's starting pitcher. Doesn't matter how many games you've won in a row if the opposing hurler brings his best stuff, which Francisco Liriano has been doing this...

The next step in Stephen Strasburg's seemingly meteoric rise is Syracuse as he gets a chance to see what he can do at the Triple-A level. Jason Benetti, play-by-play announcer for the Chiefs, sat down with Strasburg as he arrived in Syracuse and asked him how his life has changed since being selected as the #1 overall selection. "Oh, obviously there are a lot more people watching me," Strasburg said. "I never knew this would happen so fast. I am learning along the way." What did Tony...

There should be no doubt that the American League East remains the best division in baseball. It's not an excuse, but playing so many division games early has been a factor in the Orioles poor start. Not only have they played more games within the division than any other AL East team, they have played the most road games of any division squad. AL East games played so far: 21 - Orioles 16 - Boston & Tampa Bay 12 - New York 9 - Toronto Most road games played by AL East squads: 17 -...

Tonight's game in Minnesota has been postponed because of inclement weather - it's really supposed to snow later - and will be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader. Game 1 is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. EST on MASN2, with Game 2 to follow at 8:10 p.m. on MASN. The rotation remains the same. Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie will make the starts, though the Orioles will wait until tomorrow to announce which right-hander goes first. Remember everything I wrote about Millwood today? It also...

Orioles Short Season-A affiliate, the Aberdeen IronBirds will host a day of activities, games and music at Ripken Stadium on Saturday, May 8. Join the IronBirds for IronFest tomorrow afternoon from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You'll find plenty to occupy young fans with arts and crafts on the Concourse Level, face painting, and free range of the IronBirds Kids' Zone. Also take advantage of mini-clinics held on the field with instructional stations for hitting, pitching, and catching; and...

Kevin Millwood has faced 30 teams in his 14-year career. He's never beaten the Twins (0-7 in 12 starts), Braves (0-6 in six starts) and Rangers (0-1 in two starts). Maybe he can cross a team off that list tonight if the city isn't blanketed with three feet of snow. No roof on the new stadium? Not even a retractable one? Brilliant. Somewhere, Bud Grant is smiling. If the game is played, Millwood will become the 18th active pitcher to throw in 40 different ballparks, joining Jamie Moyer...

Has there ever been a pitcher that deserved a win on his record more than Kevin Millwood? The Orioles had a game recently where they beat Boston 12-9 with Brad Bergesen as the starter. Meanwhile they have scored 3,2,2,1, 5 and 3 in the games started by Millwood. That's 16 runs in six games. Yet he has allowed 2 ER or less in four of his six starts and gave up 3 ER and 4 ER in the other two. He always seems to keep his team in the game. At the same time, he is showing the younger pitchers...

No wonder I had trouble falling asleep last night. I find it unsettling when the Orioles protect a slim lead in the ninth inning by retiring three straight batters - and not after three straight reach base. Way too routine for my taste. Alfredo Simon left the drama in his locker while recording the save. Now that he knows it's that easy, maybe he'll do it more often. You can see the difference Koji Uehara will make in this bullpen if he stays healthy. And that's a big "if." Huge. We're...