There have been a few moves today on the farm. Triple-A Norfolk: Kam Mickolio officially sent to the Orioles. Also today, RHP Dennis Sarfate has been placed on the DL. As Roch first reported yesterday, he suffered a strained oblique Wednesday while warming up. Sarfate had pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the Tides. Norfolk has added pitchers Jim Miller and Armando Gabino from Bowie. Double A Bowie: Added pitcher Zach Clark from Aberdeen's roster. Single A...

Today is the first day that I've been away from the Orioles since I arrived in Sarasota on Feb. 16, and I'm beginning to experience separation anxiety. I just asked my neighbor how his groin is feeling. I chastised the paper boy for his poor arm slot. I stopped by the Eldersburg bowling alley so I could check how the ball was coming out of someone's hand. I popped in a tape of the last New Year's Eve celebration so I could watch another ball drop. I chose a different chair this morning...

On a blustery cold Saturday morning, the Nationals warmed the hearts of dozens of children seeking medical treatment at Children's National Medical Center. Families and patients at the facility met with Jim Riggleman, Rob Dibble and several Nationals players to play UNO, color pictures and talk baseball. It was - and always is - the highlight of the winter caravan. "When you can see the smiles on the parents' faces and on the kids' faces, there's probably a lot of rough times that...

Of all the stats, most of them negative, compiled already by the 2010 Orioles, here is maybe the most telling one of all. O's record when leading after 7 innings: 2009: 52-5 2010: 1-4 So, last year, when they held the lead after seven, they won the game 91 percent of the time. This year that number is just 20 percent. Last year, they blew five such leads all year. This year, they have blown four in just nine games. If that number were 4-1 instead of 1-4, their record would be 4-5...

I just wanted to quickly introduce you to a few new features here at Nats Buzz. First, our new RSS feed is now available at http:www.//masnsports.com/nationals_buzz/atom.xml The other new addition that I wanted to mention was automatic approval of comments when you sign in. I figure many of you will be excited about this. Once you log-in for the first time, using Gmail, Yahoo, AIM, Facebook, Vox or LiveJournal, the site will recognize that you are a trusted source and allow you to publish...

The Orioles just announced that they've recalled right-handed reliever Kam Mickolio from Triple-A Norfolk to replace closer Mike Gonzalez on the 25-man roster. He joined the team in Oakland. Mickolio went 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings in spring training, but he also walked seven batters. He allowed one earned run in three innings at Norfolk, but also issued four walks. Once that plate stops moving, he'll be fine. The Orioles view Mickolio as a potential closer down the road once his...

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So I'm watching The Sure Thing on WGN last night, and realizing it has nothing to do with the Orioles' first homestand of 2010. It's a 1985 film starring John Cusak and Daphne Zuniga, and directed by Rob Reiner, that I hadn't seen in years. Almost forgot the storyline. Cusak and Zuniga are hitchhiking to Los Angeles - she's meeting up with her boyfriend, he's being set up with a "sure thing," played by a very young and bikini-clad Nicollette Sheridan. A truck driver picks them up and...

The excellent pitching we've seen from Orioles minor leaguers so far this season continued in a stunning way on Wednesday afternoon and evening. All four O's affiliates won, three via a shutout. The four starting pitchers combined to pitch 23 scoreless innings. The O's four clubs are off to a combined 18-9 start. Jake Arrieta started for Norfolk in a 9-0 win over Charlotte. Steve Johnson started for Bowie in a 1-0, 12-inning win over Harrisburg. Rick Zagone was on the hill for...

It has been a pretty big week for Justin Maxwell. The Nationals outfielder and his wife welcomed a baby girl into the world earlier this week, and now a team source confirms the Nats will call up Maxwell from Triple A Syracuse to rejoin the team in Philadelphia as early as Thursday. The University of Maryland product Maxwell has batted .252 with 6 homers and 14 RBI in stints with the Nats in 2007 and 2009, hitting a dramatic walk off come from behind grand slam against Francisco Rodriguez...