The question on my mind - and a lot of fans' minds - is this: Can the Orioles finish at or above .500? As we're close to the one-quarter mark of the 2011 (unofficially) season, there have been a lot of ups and downs with this team. We all know the Orioles have struggled since the end of the 1990s and this year is centered with focusing on the development of the young arms, but also to some respect - wins, losses and being competitive. As of May 18, there is some good and bad with the 2011...

The baseball world is mourning the death of Harmon Clayton Killebrew, who died Tuesday at the age of 74. As such, it would seem unfitting to blog about anything else this morning. The 13-time All-Star, 1969 American League Most Valuable Player and 1984 Hall of Fame inductee played 22 seasons in the majors, collecting 2,086 hits, 573 home runs and 1,584 RBIs. "It's a sad day. We lost an icon. We lost Paul Bunyan," former Minnesota Twins star Kent Hrbek said Tuesday, speaking about...

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Hagerstown Suns right fielder

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - I'm out in Hagerstown this afternoon, as the Suns will play two games today. The first game will be the conclusion of yesterday's suspended game. Kannapolis leads 2-1 heading to the bottom of the third. @bkerr32 for instant updates.

Monday night in Boston, $16.5 million worth of relievers conspired to give up eight runs and blow a 6-run lead. You would think that the Orioles would have learned by now. You can't fix your bullpen by spending big buck in free agency. And trying to do so has contributed a bunch to the 13 years of losing. A look at some of the free agent relievers over the last 10 years: G ERA Total Salary (in millions) Mike Gonzalez 44 5.54 ...

The Orioles have won two of three series this year against Tampa Bay, the current American League East leader. They won their first series of the year versus Boston. They are 21-21 against the AL East since Buck Showalter took over as manager. But if they really wanted to get their fans' attention they may need to do something else - beat the Yankees. The Orioles are 7-6 this season versus Tampa and Boston but are 0-4 against New York and went just 3-15 against the Yanks last year. They...

It's back to Camden Yards tonight, where rookie Zach Britton gets to pitch again with an extra day of rest. It happened in his last start and he shut out the Mariners over nine innings. I'm just saying... I wonder how he's done in the past with the tarp on the field? The forecast isn't promising. The Yankees are sending Bartolo Colon to the mound if the weather allows it. He tossed three scoreless innings against the Orioles on April 14 and is 10-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 21 career games...

Making his third rehab start with Double-A Bowie, right-hander Alfredo Simon shut out Richmond on three hits over six innings before Daniel Klein replaced him in the seventh. Simon walked two and struck out four. He threw 83 pitches, 53 for strikes. Simon has allowed six earned runs (seven total) and 14 hits in 16 innings - all of them with Bowie - since beginning his rehab assignment. He's walked five and struck out 17. Simon retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. His only real...

Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Harmon Killebrew at the age of 74: "For baseball fans and Washingtonians there was a distinct sadness felt today with the passing of Harmon Killebrew. Our family and the Nationals organization were honored to host Harmon for a game last season at Nationals Park. We shall long treasure that evening and the gentlemanly impression left by Harmon. "A Hall of Fame...

The Orioles are expected to place first baseman Derrek Lee and infielder Cesar Izturis on the disabled list before tomorrow night's game against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Brandon Snyder and Troy Patton, summoned from Triple-A Norfolk, will take their places on the 25-man roster. Lee has a strained left oblique. Izturis has nerve irritation in his right hand that's causing two of his fingers to go numb. Manager Buck Showalter confirmed the decision to place Izturis on the disabled list...