A few notes, quotes and stats

Checking on some notes, quotes and stats while watching the Twins whip the O's today at the Yard as clouds roll in beyond the outfield fences. *Did you see where the Delmarva Shorebirds played an 18-inning game Saturday night that actually ended just after midnight this morning. Lakewood won 8-7 and it was the Shorebirds first 18-inning game since May 20, 2005. The losing pitcher was outfielder Levi Carolus, despite the fact he gave up just one hit over two innings. He did issue a bases-loaded walk to push across Lakewood's 8th run. Delmarva went to the last of the ninth down 7-2 and tied the game after there were two outs and none on. Omar Casamayor and Garabez Rosa had two-run singles and Mikey Planeta scored the tie run on a wild pitch. There were 12 pitchers used in the game that took five hours and five minutes to play. Matt Hobgood pitches for Delmarva today at 5:05. *For what it is worth, Andy MacPhail made a few brief comments today on the managing situation. "Nothing new at the present time," he said when asked about it. Told you the comments were brief. He was asked if Juan Samuel will stay on for the rest of this season. "Well, we'll see. I think the players are responding to him in terms of effort and energy and enthusiasm, which is all you can really ask at this stage." *When Nick Markakis drove in a first-inning today with a sac fly, it ended a 9-game drought without an RBI for Markakis, who now has 32 RBI on the season. Markakis now has just two hits over his last 22 at bats. *The O's have scored just one run through the fifth inning today. That means they have scored 27 runs and hit seven homers on the ten games of this homestand. In the four-game series at Texas that ended the first half, they scored 23 runs and hit eight home runs. *Before today, the O's were just 2 for 27 with runners in scoring position over the last four games. Today, they are 0 for 2 so far.