Hey, everyone! My name is Lauren Tilley and I'll be doing some guest blogging for the remainder of the season here at MASNsports.com. I wanted to introduce myself and allow you to get to know me a little bit this week before I start blogging about our woeful Orioles. I was born in Maryland and lived here for a few years before I moved to Pennsylvania with my mom. The rest of my family lives in Maryland, however, so I would come down every other weekend to visit my dad and family. Around 4...

Matt Hobgood's next start for the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds is scheduled for Thursday at Brooklyn. The 20-year-old, 2009 first-round pick remains on the comeback trail from a strained rotator cuff. He spent most of this season rehabbing in Florida until joining the Gulf Coast League Orioles in mid-June. In five games there, over 10 1/3 innings, he gave up 10 hits, five earned runs and three walks and had nine strikeouts. In his first Aberdeen start, last Saturday at Vermont,...

Now that the Orioles have shortstop J.J. Hardy signed for another three years, their best trade chip before the July 31 deadline is pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie is the classic case of a pitcher that needs a change of scenery. He's been a hard-luck pitcher since coming to the Orioles in 2007. His career has been defined by a lack of run support. Scouts everywhere know that he's a much better pitcher than his career 41-61 record. His 4.19 ERA is impressive. But Guthrie looks beaten down....

Some thoughts and observations after Boston beat the Orioles 15-10 Monday to take the first of a three-game series: * The Red Sox are having their way with Orioles pitching. That has become pretty obvious. Three times in the last five games, Boston has scored double-digit runs in beating the Orioles, scoring 47 runs total in those five games. Hard to believe the Orioles won a three-game series against this team giving up a total of 11 runs in late April at Camden Yards. Maybe Jeremy Guthrie...

When the Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning last night, I thought that I might be writing about a three-game winning streak. When they scored five times in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead, I thought that I might be writing about a three-game winning streak. I couldn't have been more wrong. The bullpen was overmatched with Kevin Gregg serving his three-game suspension, Koji Uehara having pitched in the last three games and Jim Johnson being the designated...

Brad Bergesen was charged with four earned runs (six total) and eight hits in five innings. He had a chance to get the win after the Orioles scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth, but he ended up with a no-decision. Bergesen was strong in the first two innings before giving up three runs in the third. Brad Bergesen is not happy with the outcome but is pleased with his outing Monday night "Obviously, I was able to go 1-2-3 for both those innings," he said. "I felt pretty good, but...

The Red Sox got into Baltimore around 6 a.m. this morning. Shouldn't they be more tired than this? Where did they find the energy to go for the two-point conversion? The Orioles scored 10 runs tonight, and they still came up five short. They also used five relievers who combined to allow nine runs. Jason Berken wasn't charged with a run, but he gave up a hit to the only batter he faced. The less said about this game, the better, but here's a sampling from manager Buck Showalter. Buck...

The Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs were rained out Monday, so this is a good opportunity to check out first baseman Chris Marrero as he continues to swing a hot bat. Marrero is batting .305 through 91 games, with 20 doubles, nine homers and 49 RBIs. He has hit 44 homers in the last two and a half seasons and increased his average from .284 in 2009 to .294 in 2010 and now to .305. Nationals hitting instructor Rick Schu told me on "Nats Insider on 106.7 FM" that he spent eight games with Marrero...

Michael Gonzalez made his fourth appearance in five games tonight, which means that manager Buck Showalter has gained a lot more confidence in the left-hander, or he's lost confidence in a few other relievers. Gonzalez loaded the bases with one out in the eighth on a single and two walks. Showalter brought in newest Oriole Mark Worrell, who ran the count full before giving up a two-run, tie-breaking double to Dustin Pedroia. Kevin Youkilis drove in two more runs with a single after an...

After a promising start to this series - Derrek Lee gave the Orioles a somewhat rare first inning lead with a two-run triple - the Orioles now trail Boston 5-2 in the top of fifth. Lee's two-run triple in the first gave him 10 RBIs over his last 10 games and was his first triple since August 17,2009 when he was a Cub. Brad Bergesen retired the first six batters on just 22 pitches, but gave up three runs in the second and two in the third inning. The Red Sox put together five hits in the...