After allowing a career-high eight walks and also hitting three batters last night, today the Bowie Baysox put right-handed pitcher Chorye Spoone on the disabled list. There is no immediate word on what the injury may be or the extent of it for Spoone. Spoone did not a allow a hit, but did give up three runs last night at Trenton. He walked four and hit two batters in the first inning, then walked four straight with two outs in the third before being lifted. Spoone had not lost in 15...

Most realize that Jake Arrieta can, sometimes, walk too many hitters. Over 72 1/3 innings in his first 13 Major League starts this year, he has walked 40 hitters, that's a high number. But on nights when he has kept the walk number low, he's been pretty good. In five of Arrieta's 13 O's starts, he has walked two or fewer hitters. His ERA in those five starts is 2.70 and he has three of his four wins in those games. It's a small sample size, of course, but the message is pretty clear. ...

That didn't take long. Julio Lugo froze on a line drive from Josh Hamilton with two outs in the top of the first inning, then attempted to make a leaping catch. The ball glanced off his glove and rolled to the fence, and Hamilton was credited with a double. Looked like an error to me. Vladimir Guerrero swung at the next pitch and flied to deep right-center field. Inning over. The adventure might continue. Lugo has played 11 games in left field, but he's made only two starts. He shags fly...

In his last 14 appearances, reliever Koji Uehara has surrendered only one earned run over 17 innings. Manager Buck Showalter has noticed. However, he's not ready to campaign for Uehara's return in 2011. "I don't throw out what's going on here for a year and three-quarters," Showalter said. "I know what I've seen since I've been here. I can see why he was somebody that was coveted to bring in. Keeping him healthy I know has been a challenge, but it's pretty obvious when he's...

He is back and pitching well, but Mike Gonzalez has not had a save chance since April 9 and that didn't go well on Opening Day here in Baltimore vs. Toronto. But now that Gonzalez is pitching like the O's hoped he would, he is beginning to look ready for another save chance. He says he would surely welcome that, but won't push for it right now and that manager Buck Showalter has let him know he is not anointing anyone his closer at this point. "Buck pretty much told me straight up what...

The OriolesREACH 2011 Pet Calendars are officially out. It's the second year in a row that O's players have posed with either their own pets or a loaner canine from the Maryland SPCA for a 12-month calendar shot at Camden Yards. The Orioles, Orioles Wives and OriolesREACH teamed up again to produce the calendar, which benefits the Maryland SPCA. Just like last year, each month features a different Oriole and a different dog - No, last year's photo of Rich Hill and his cats wasn't...

Manager Buck Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail have discussed bringing up outfielder Nolan Reimold when rosters expand next month. Reimold is batting .247 with 11 doubles, 10 homers, 34 RBIs and a .750 OPS in 83 games at Triple-A Norfolk. As I noted last night, he's reached base in 30 of his last 31 games, batting .321 with four homers, 15 RBIs and 29 walks. "I can't say I know him well," Showalter said. "I do know he's playing well there consistently. I've...

Partially due to an effort to stack his lineup with right-handed bats vs. Rangers lefty C.J Wilson, Buck Showalter is starting Julio Lugo in left field tonight vs. Texas. "It's been a while since I've been out there," Lugo said. He played as a reserve in the outfield in 2008 with Boston, but you have to go back to 2006 when he was a Dodger for a Lugo start in the outfield. Tonight will be just his 7th career outfield start. "He's the boss. I'll do whatever he says. I'm open to it....

How much does manager Buck Showalter want to avoid putting left-handed hitters in his lineup tonight? Julio Lugo's starting in left field. It's not a huge reach. Lugo has played 18 games in the outfield, most recently patrolling left for one game with the Red Sox in 2008. He played six games in the outfield with the Astros in 2000 and eight more in 2001. He played three in the outfield with the Dodgers in 2006. "He's actually played more in the outfield than third base," Showalter said....

Between August 25 and August 26 there is a possibility of satellite interference with MASN's satellite transmission.  A "rogue satellite" which may have been hit by a solar flare in April, is scheduled to cross the orbit of the satellite used by MASN - and dozens of other cable networks - and may create interference with our signal. MASN has taken every possible preemptive precaution, including re-routing its uplink signal to a 19 meter antenna in West Virginia which may...