Jeremy Guthrie will start tomorrow night's series opener in Chicago, bringing an unimpressive 7-12 record and a serviceable 3.97 ERA. That's the same ERA as his counterpart, Severna Park's Gavin Floyd, who gets a lot more love in baseball circles. Guthrie is a veteran who currently figures into next season's plans, though he'll draw interest on the trade market. I know a few rival general managers wish they had pulled the trigger on a deal before the July 31 non-waiver...

Cuban pitcher Yunesky Maya had an up and down start in his Potomac Nationals debut Sunday at Pfitzner stadium. Maya sailed through the first three innings but then got into some trouble in the fourth inning, when the first six batters reached base. Winston-Salem scored five in that frame and went on to win the game, 9-8. Maya threw a lot of off-speed pitches and they were very effective. Maya ended up going two batters into the fifth inning, allowed seven hits, six runs, three walks, four...

Third baseman Billy Rowell set the record for most career games played at Single-A Frederick when he appeared in No. 334 this afternoon in a 4-1 loss to Salem. I suppose you can file this one in the "dubious" category, since Rowell has spent the last three seasons in the Carolina League after being the ninth overall pick in the 2006 draft. The Orioles considered the idea of assigning him to Double-A Bowie to start the season, but decided to keep him at the Single-A level. They put him back...

Reminds me of the famous line delivered by former Tampa Bay Bucs coach John McKay when asked by a reporter about his woeful team's execution. "I'm all for it." Anyway, here's how Kevin Millwood summarized the first inning: "I got a ball up to Andrus that he hit, walked Michael Young and then threw one right down the middle to Hamilton. So, I just wasn't executing my pitches." Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero did the serious damage to Millwood, who fell to 2-14. "They're pretty...

The Orioles were done in today by the three-run homers that Kevin Millwood surrendered to Josh Hamilton in the first inning and Vladimir Guerrero in the fifth. Millwood, as I pointed out earlier, has allowed 38 runs in the first inning this season. "I give him a little bit of an out. He was already warmed up and the rain came and he sat around for a little while. But I understand some of the problems he's had there, regardless," manager Buck Showalter said. "You get a lineup like that...

O's starter Kevin Millwood has struggled this year when pitching in the first inning. And, he began today tied for fifth in the Majors with 24 homers allowed. Today, he allowed a homer as he gave up runs again in the first. Millwood gave up two, three-run homers to the middle of the Texas order as the Rangers beat the Birds 6-4 to even the four-game series at two wins each. After a single and walk to start the game, Josh Hamilton came up and hit a homer to left for a quick 3-0 Texas edge. ...

Rick VandenHurk walked off the mound to a partial standing ovation after striking out Michael Young to end the top of the seventh inning. VandenHurk walked leadoff hitter Julio Borbon on five pitches before striking out Elvis Andus. He picked off Borbon and fanned Young to complete a 12-pitch inning. VandenHurk's fastball hit 95 mph. He threw three straight heaters at Andrus - 93, 95 and 94 mph - and struck him out on an 81 mph curveball. He started off Young with a 95 mph fastball and threw...

I joked on O's Xtra that Rick VandenHurk was keeping busy by directing traffic in and out of the A Lot at Camden Yards, but he actually warmed up in the fifth inning. Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer off Kevin Millwood to increase the Rangers' lead to 6-1. He was 0-for-2 before that at-bat, but began the day hitting .384 with five homers and 17 RBIs lifetime against Millwood. Make that six homers and 20 RBIs. VandenHurk has stopped throwing, so we'll see Millwood again in the sixth...

After giving up more first-inning runs, Kevin Millwood has settled into a nice groove today through the fourth inning vs. his former team, the Texas Rangers. Millwood gave up a single, walk and three-run homer to Josh Hamilton to start today's game and put the O's in a 3-0 hole. Millwood has now allowed 38 runs in the first inning this year and his ERA is 13.32 in that inning. Opponent hitters are batting .390 in the opening inning vs. the right-hander. But he pitched shutout ball over...

It happened again. Kevin Millwood gave up runs in the first inning - three to be exact. That brings his season total to 38 in the first inning. Millwood has been scored upon in the first in 13 of his last 16 outings. Only once has he kept the run total to one. Elvis Andrus singled, Michael Young walked and Josh Hamilton homered. Three batters, three runs. Millwood breezed through the second inning, getting a fly ball and two grounders. But the damage is done. In Millwood's last six...