A fan calling in to the Mark Viviano show on the O's flagship station, 105.7 the Fan today said he thought the Orioles were calling up Jake Arrieta to sell more tickets to tonight's game. Some fans' lack of knowledge knows no bounds. What about his league-leading ERA of 1.85; what about his ERA of 0.82 over his last three starts; what about his recent improved control? Maybe the O's should wait until he pitches back-to-back no hitters or gets that ERA under 1.00. That will show us...

Live Broadcasting by Ustream MASN, the local leader in live sports entertainment, will relaunch The John Riggins Show on television beginning in July. MASN will simulcast the weekday show live from the studios of WTOP in Washington D.C., where the Redskins' Hall of Famer has been on the air since April on the HD-3 channel of 103.5 FM. The legendary Washington Redskins running back will bring his unique and outsized personality to sports fans across MASN's seven-state television territory...

Before he stepped on the mound, Stephen Strasburg's brand soared to unprecedented levels. A sell-out crowd came from all over the region to see a young, laid-back pitcher from California perform before a national, if not global, audience. Around the country, baseball fans tuned in to see if Strasburg could live up to the hype. Heavy praise from scouts, baseball experts and the media led to intense curiosity about the pitcher and his unfathomable arsenal of pitches. It was an important...

When first place and the wild card are so far away you'd need to take three buses to get close, you're grateful for the nights that a pitching prospect is handed the ball. Big opportunity for Jake Arrieta, welcomed diversion for the rest of us. Arrieta is supremely confident, and he's given off that vibe from the first time he reported to spring training last year and former manager Dave Trembley kept referring to him as "a man." He won't come unglued on the mound because he's facing...

A solid start for Ross Detwiler in Woodbridge Wednesday night. The southpaw pitched three innings, scattered four hits, allowed no runs, walked one and struck two on 40 pitches with 28 for strikes. Ross did not factor into the decision as Frederick beat the Potomac Nationals 4-3. His fastball was clocked between 88 and 92 miles per hour, change at 81 MPH and curveball at 71 MPH. I thought he looked good and maybe a little tentative at the start. He still has that high leg kick and smooth...

On a night where he said he just didn't have nearly his best stuff, Chris Tillman battled the Yankees pretty well, but it didn't lead to a win for him or the team. Tillman gave up eight hits and three runs (two earned) over six innings in the Orioles 4-2 loss to New York. "This might have been the best I've felt but I think I had the worst stuff today. I got that curveball going and that was the only thing that saved me," Tillman said. "Fastball command was pretty poor tonight, but...

The key inning was the sixth. The key moment was a ground ball to first base and a decision that didn't prevent the Yankees from scoring the go-ahead run. Let's review: The Yankees knotted the game at 2-2 on Robinson Cano's bouncing single to right field, the ball clearing Ty Wigginton's head at first base. Alex Rodriguez hustled to third, putting runners on the corners with no outs and causing Orioles starter Chris Tillman to lean more heavily on the ropes. Jorge Posada followed with a...

We know at least one player is really fired up here tonight. When CC Sabathia struck out Luke Scott with the bases loaded to end the last of the seventh, Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli jumped up and thrust his fist through the air. I mean if it had connected, someone might have needed a standing eight count. One word came to mind - bush. Is he taking lessons from Jonathan Papelbon now? I haven't noticed too much before, but this may not be the first time the young man has gotten so...

Tonight's attendance: 16,451. If you consider that Chris Tillman allowed one earned run in six innings, it sounds like he cruised through tonight's start against the Yankees. No so fast. Tillman littered the bases with runners and the Orioles committed three errors - including one by Tillman on an errant pickoff throw. The Yankees lead, 3-2, and Jason Berken is entering the game in relief. Tillman allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out one. He threw 106 pitches, 58 for...

After watching that terrible top of the sixth and the atrocious Orioles defense hand the Yankees a 3-2 lead, I've decided to focus on Triple-A for a few minutes. Almost no one has big numbers on offense there, but some of the key prospects are picking it up recently with the bat: Josh Bell: He is batting .364 over his last 15 games with nine doubles. He has nine multi-hit games in that stretch and is tied for fourth in the league with 17 doubles. Brandon Snyder: Is batting .306-3-18 over...