The question comes up every fifth or sixth day: Will Kevin Millwood finally get his first win? He won't bring much momentum into his latest attempt. We know about the lack of run support. He's received 44 in 14 starts, and the Orioles have scored just 24 while he was in those games. They've totaled 17 in his last 11 outings while he's been on the mound. But Millwood isn't in the midst of the longest losing streak of his career, eight games, simply because the offense keeps bailing on...

Nolan Reimold has hit safely in four of his last five games with Triple-A Norfolk, batting .389 (7-for-18) with three RBIs. His average is up to .206. Maybe it's been a good idea to drop the first base experiment for a while. Stop filling his plate, and he'll have better results when he steps up to it. Guess who leads the Tides in RBIs (16), hits (21), doubles (six) and runs scored (11) this month? Hint: It's the same player who ranks second among all Orioles minor leaguers with 41 RBIs...

The latest Orioles draft pick to agree to terms is fourth-round pick Trent Mummey, a lefty hitting outfielder from Auburn that was taken with the 118th overall selection. Mummey is expected to take his physical in Baltimore on Monday and, if all goes well there as expected, he will then officially sign and soon after join the Aberdeen IronBirds. A Baltimore Sun report said Mummey was signed to a $252,000 bonus. "It was a slot signing," O's scouting director Joe Jordan said. "We feel...

When I hear the term "two-strike approach" I think of a batter and how they want to protect the plate and swing at anything close when the count is 0 and 2. But maybe O's pitchers need a better "two-strike approach." The stats say the O's hurlers are among the worst in AL when the count is 0-2. Worst batting average against, 0-2 count: .227 - Oakland .205 - Orioles .204 - Minnesota Only Oakland gives up a higher batting average this year on an 0-2 pitch than the O's. The Yankees...

The best question of the day - and I know it's early, so the voting isn't complete - came from the fan who asked, "At what point do the O's become lovable?" They might lean more toward the frustrating side right now. Or the infuriating side. Perhaps something stronger. Last night's loss bled into so many others. The offense mostly sputtered, a key play wasn't made in the field, a good start was wasted, the bullpen collapsed late. I've seen this movie more times than...

Well, it's official. The Orioles have now lost more games when leading after eight innings in just 67 games this year then they did in all 162 games last year. They are 14-5 this season when leading after eight in blowing tonight's 2-1 lead heading to the last of the ninth. Last year, they were 55-4 when leading after eight. The Orioles have the worst save percentage in the AL now at 47.8 percent. They have saved 11 games in 23 chances. Only four teams in the league are under 68...

Alfredo Simon was supposed to be the closer when he came off the disabled list. That's what we were told. Maybe not in his first appearance, but the ones afterward. David Hernandez changed that line of thinking with two saves - both in games that Jake Arrieta started. It looked like the right time to audition him. Interim manager Juan Samuel called upon Hernandez tonight after the Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth. Simon struck out both batters he faced to end the eighth, but...

While MASN went to a commercial during the eighth-inning pitching change, I looked up Adrian Gonzalez's career numbers against left-hander Will Ohman. Then I cringed: 5-for-11, two doubles, one home run, three RBIs. Interim manager Juan Samuel wanted the lefty-lefty matchup, ignoring the stats that went along with it - including how Gonzalez was hitting .315 against southpaws before tonight, and how he was 2-for-2 against Brian Matusz. Ohman walked Gonzalez and came out of the...

Brian Matusz held the Padres to one run over six innings tonight, but he won't get the long-awaited victory. Not with the Orioles scoring only one run. Matusz allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four. His biggest sin was running up his pitch count again - 114 before interim manager Juan Samuel lifted him for a pinch-hitter - and not hitting a few home runs to support his own cause. Somebody has to take care of him. Matusz has allowed four earned runs in his last 14 innings and...

Playing in a National League ballpark has its advantages. It comes with National League rules. Padres pitcher Wade LeBlanc stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth inning. There's no stopping him because there's no designated hitter. LeBlanc popped up a bunt on a safety squeeze and David Eckstein popped up after taking a full cut. End of rally. Credit shortstop Cesar Izturis for preserving the 1-0 lead with a diving stop of Aaron Cunningham's ground...