We tried to get manager Dave Trembley to reveal his rotation this morning, but he wouldn't bite. He's not ready to confirm whether Kevin Millwood is the Opening Day starter, though you can bet on it, or where the pitchers will be slotted. Trembley didn't look up Millwood's spring stats from past years. He'll take the right-hander's word that the numbers are poor. So what does Trembley look for during Millwood's starts? "Finish on his pitches and location," he said. "Life on his...

No matter what numbers Kevin Millwood posts this spring, he's made a favorable impression on manager Dave Trembley. "He wants no special privileges," Trembley said. "He rides the bus, he sits in the first seat, he's the first guy in every drill, he stays and watches the game, he's the first guy out for the national anthem. He's worked for everything he's got. Nothing has been given to him. He appreciates every day he's been in the big leagues. "We were talking in the dugout. He told...

We're a few minutes away from the first pitch. Nothing wrong with starting two hours late. I'm told that Cole Hamels was supposed to pitch in a B game today, but the rain forced its cancellation. He'll follow Jamie Moyer to the mound in the regular game. Trembley met with closer Mike Gonzalez last week to make sure he could count on the left-hander for Opening Day. "I said, 'Hey, I need to know that when I go to bed at night, I'm going to sleep a little bit better knowing that...

Kevin Millwood fell behind 2-0 to leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins and gave up a double to right-center field. He got a strike on Placido Polanco and gave up a single into center field. Polanco took third when Adam Jones' throw deflected off Garrett Atkins' glove. Was it too late for a rainout? Chase Utley struck out on three pitches. Ryan Howard struck out looking with the count full. Jayson Werth flied to center with the count full. It wasn't too late for a rapid recovery. Millwood threw...

Nolan Reimold's sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field in the third inning brought home Ty Wigginton with the tying run. Wigginton doubled and took third on Jimmy Rollin's error. Nick Markakis has the Orioles' other hit, a double in the first inning. The Phillies loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Millwood wiggled off the ho

Nolan Reimold just collected his first hit of the spring, a single off the left field fence with two outs in the fifth inning. The ball was hit so hard that Reimold had no shot at a double. Raul Ibanez played the carom perfectly and got the ball back to the infield as Reimold took a wide turn around first. Reimold was 0-for-22 before ending his skid. Players applauded him from the dugout. Luke Scott gave him the "spotlight" gesture. I can't wait to ask Reimold about his 1-for-22 on...

The entire press box was fixated on the end of the Maryland-Michigan State game. Way too many MSU grads sitting near me. Kevin Millwood was charged with one run and five hits in five innings, with three walks and six strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 59 for strikes. I don't even care. I'm still mourning the Terps loss. Will Ohman replaced Millwood and walked the leadoff batter. He struck out the next three. Again, I don't care.

Run-scoring singles by Lou Montanez, Matt Wieters and Brandon Snyder have given the Orioles a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth. Mike Gonzalez tossed a scoreless seventh, allowing a two-out double and striking out one batter. "I feel much better," he said. "Every time I'm going out there, I'm feeling a little better. Getting more into my rhythm and timing. I definitely feel like the ball's coming out of my hand a lot beter. It's definitely a good time to start getting in a...

So much for working on things. Kevin Millwood treated today's start like a regular-season game as he held the Phillies to one run over five innings. That included throwing his changeup in more normal counts and circumstances "I didn't use it a lot," he said. "Today, I used it more in situations when I'd probably use it in a game and I tried to pitch this game like it was a regular-season ballgame. Just try to get people out. Today was the first time I just kind of said, 'screw it' and...

Josh Perrault gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth, including a two-run shot by Greg Dobbs, but the Orioles held on for a 5-4 win in Clearwater. Asked about Kevin Millwood, manager Dave Trembley replied, "All you had to see was the first inning to tell you about Millwood. Case closed." Well, not quite. What exactly does that mean? Can we open up the case for a few more minutes? "What he did in the first inning ought to tell you everything about Millwood," Trembley continued....