One of the biggest decisions teams make for their minor leaguers is when to promote players to higher levels. When is the time right? What if the player doesn't succeed at that level? How fast should prospects move through the system? O's president Andy MacPhail worked with David Stockstill when he headed up the O's farm system and now works with his brother, John, who is the current director of player development. The O's may be going through some subtle changes in philosophy in how...

It feels like I just got to Ocean Pines and I'm already prepared to make the return trip to Sykesville. I'll post the lineups and check the comments once I'm home. The usual drill. Before hitting the road, I wanted to point out the following: * The Orioles are hitting on the road. They're batting .301 in this series, with seven home runs and 14 extra-base hits. * The last time Cesar Izturis homered before last night, Brian Matusz was making his major league debut on Aug. 4 in Detroit....

Yesterday, we began our series of stories around this All-Star break on the Orioles minor league system and how well - or not - it is performing. After getting Andy MacPhail's take, today we solicit an outside and independent, but very well informed, opinion. I interviewed Baseball America's Will Lingo, who has followed the O's minors closely for years and who puts together the publication's Orioles top prospects list every year. How are the O's doing on the farm right now at the...

Earlier today, I presented comments from Baseball America's Will Lingo on the O's farm system. Lingo and Baseball America ranked the O's farm in the top third of baseball earlier this year. "We rated them ninth coming into the season in our Prospect Handbook. For our midseason update, I wouldn't say they are one of the top organizations right now, but I would say they are in the middle of the pack," Lingo said. But if the O's were ninth then and now are in the middle of the pack, are...

I wanted to pass along another reminder about what you will be reading in this space beginning Monday. I'll present a series of blogs on the Orioles minor league system. We'll take a look at how the O's are doing on the farm, how they develop players, how scouting and player development work together and how the O's make decisions like deciding when to promote a player. For those of you that are diehard fans of the minors, I hope it will add some information for your further enjoyment of...

The Nats offense connected early against Jonathan Sanchez, scoring five runs and sending the Giants starter to the showers in the fourth inning. With a 5-3 lead, the Nats had to like their chances with a normally reliable bullpen waiting for the opportunity to go. But in the fifth and sixth frames, the Nats had opportunities to add to their lead, but were unable to plate another run, leaving four men on base following three hits. In the sixth inning, the toughest outs of the night came at...

Chris Tillman lost his no-hitter with one out in the seventh inning when Ian Kinsler grounded a single into left field. Now we can talk about it. Tillman had allowed one baserunner, walking Elvis Andrus, before Kinsler broke up the no-no. Tillman deserves credit for maintaining his focus and retiring Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton, protecting a 5-0 lead that was built in part on home runs by Nick Markakis, Cesar Izturis and Adam Jones. With his pitch count at 101, a complete-game...

The Orioles have hit three homers off Cliff Lee tonight at Texas. Lee had allowed just five homers all year over 103 2/3 innings and 13 starts. This is the most homers he has allowed in a single game on the season. Nick Markakis hit a solo shot in the fourth, his sixth of the season and third over his last nine games and second on the year vs. a lefty. Markakis homers in 2010: April through June: 3 homers over 287 at bats. July: 3 homers over 40 at bats. Cesar Izturis hit a solo homer to...

Once again, here are three things from tonight's game that jumped out at me, got me in a headlock and gave me a noogie. 1. The Orioles swung at the first two pitches from Cliff Lee and took a 1-0 lead. Corey Patterson doubled and Miguel Tejada singled. That's it. If you blinked, you missed it. The crowd erupted when Lee's third pitch didn't produce a hit. Talk about a short honeymoon. 2. Cesar Izturis hit a home run, which is about as rare as Mark Hendrickson not meeting the height...

Nationals starter Livan Hernandez faces his former team in the first half finale as the Nats wrap up a 10-game home stand versus Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants. Hernandez is (6-4, 3.12) in 17 starts and has been the Nats most durable pitcher since opening day, hurling 112 and 2/3rds innings. The Giants 2002 opening day starter was impressive in his last few outings. He has struck out 20 batters and walked only three in his last four starts. In two of those games, versus...