Bruce Chen

Diane Becker and her sister, Karin Sorenson, hovered over their digital camera, giddy about the image they had just captured of Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, clean and looking dapper in a dark suit. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Becker, who at age 28 admits to a schoolgirl crush on Roberts. The sisters got the rare chance yesterday to meet the Orioles players as they took part in the Greater Baltimore Committee's 27th annual Lunch with the Orioles, a traditional breaking of the bread between the city's business elite and the ballclub as it returns for a new season.

It's one of those baseball statistics that's hard to believe. I checked it a couple times to make sure I hadn't missed anyone. And I really believe I haven't. According to baseball-reference.com, there are 44 active major league pitchers who have at least 80 career wins - a modest accomplishment, but impressive considering all who have played the game. Of that group of 44, none has played for the Orioles. Think about that for a moment. I'm not talking about none of the 44 plays for the Orioles right now. I am talking about ever.

Royals@Orioles 7 p.m. [MASN2] Bruce Chen (left) goes against one of his former teams. Kansas City also has Orioles pitching rejects Sidney Ponson and John Bale. If tonight's O's starter Rich Hill (7.64 ERA) doesn't watch it, he, too, could become a Royal someday.

In 59 seasons in Baltimore, the Orioles have started with 19 wins or more in their first 28 games only six times -- 1969, 1970, 1992, 1997, 2005 and, now, 2012. The Orioles ran their current winning streak to five games following Sunday's 17-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox. Now, they face a tough nine-game homestand with the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees coming to Camden Yards. Twice in history -- in back-to-back years in 1969 and 1970, in fact -- the Orioles were 20-8 through 28 games.

Kevin Millar has a stock tip for you. Millar interrupted a group interview session with struggling pitcher Bruce Chen on Friday and suggested that everyone buy "Bruce Chen stock." "He's not going to go 0-16," Millar said. Buy low, sell high. That's what Millar advised. "You don't buy high and sell low," he said. "What about Kevin Millar stock?" someone asked him. "Buy my stock, too," he said. "I'm a career .290 hitter." His average was .289 before this season, but we won't quibble.

The Orioles' tale of two Daniel Cabreras continues. Last night, the Seattle Mariners experienced the best of Cabrera. Mariners@Orioles Today, 4:35 p.m., CN8, 1090 AM Starters: Mariners' Felix Hernandez (0-3, 4.57) vs. Orioles' Bruce Chen (0-3, 7.84)

Melvin Mora looked battered. He and his Orioles teammates had just spent nine innings getting 11 runs and 19 hits out of the world champion Chicago White Sox. But the White Sox had spent those same nine swinging back with heavier clubs. White Sox@Orioles Today, 1:35 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM Starters: White Sox's Javier Vazquez (9-6, 5.31) vs. Orioles' Bruce Chen (0-6, 7.09)

Has the Orioles' starting rotation been worrisome? Sorry, O's fans, not even Leo Mazzone can help this rotation. Erik Bedard is the only bright spot. Has the ball that Jason Giambi hit off Bruce Chen landed yet? Marcus Oxyer Columbia Bruce Chen, Rodrigo Lopez, and Daniel Cabrera have a combined 7-plus ERA. We used to worry when Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer and Pat Dobson went over 3. Michael S. Herman Sr. Baldwin Dropping Sidney Ponson for Kris Benson was good enough for me. Others, too early to tell - it takes it two to three months to see progress.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- With a new house being built in the Tampa area, Orioles interim manager Sam Perlozzo found ways to keep busy yesterday. For a change, his mind wasn't cluttered with lineups, pitching matchups and job worries. Finally, he could enjoy a distraction rather than try to block it. "I went out and took the pool cover off, blew up a raft and got in the water," he said, grinning. "And decided whether I wanted to come in or not." O's@Devil Rays Season finale, today, 2:15 p.m., Ch. 54, 1090 AM Starters: Orioles' Bruce Chen (12-10, 3.86)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For one more hitter, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo was willing to overlook the nine walks. He was able to ignore the three wild pitches and the unpredictability that hung over Tropicana Field like a blanket every time Daniel Cabrera reared back to fire a pitch last night. Perlozzo was desperate for Cabrera to take home a win from what several seasoned baseball men later said was the strangest outing from a starter that they had ever seen. And miraculously, the pitcher almost did. O's@Devil Rays Tonight, 7:15, Ch. 54, 1090 AM Starters: Orioles' Bruce Chen (0-1, 3.60)

One thing that you'll hear from pretty much everyone who has worked with Mark Connor during his 36 years in professional baseball is that the Orioles pitching coach will tell you exactly how he feels. If his starter has a bad outing, you can expect that Connor will acknowledge that, rather than grasping for one or two positives in search of a silver lining. Even when one of his pitchers throws the ball well, Connor points out how he could have been better. So It stands to reason that If Connor really thought Chris Tillman was as bad as his line suggested that he was in the Orioles' 9-1 thrashing by the Kansas City Royals today, he would have said as much.

Royals@Orioles 7 p.m. [MASN2] Bruce Chen (left) goes against one of his former teams. Kansas City also has Orioles pitching rejects Sidney Ponson and John Bale. If tonight's O's starter Rich Hill (7.64 ERA) doesn't watch it, he, too, could become a Royal someday.

In the whirlwind of anticipation that has come with the hiring of new Orioles president Andy MacPhail, I think it's only fair to retroactively give a little credit where a lot of credit is due. It's only fair because baseball operations vice presidents Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette might otherwise be left to hold the bag full of failure that has been passed from one Orioles front office to the next over the past decade or so. So, from all of us critics...

Sure, hot hitting by Miguel Tejada and Nick Markakis has played a big role in the Orioles' fast start. So, apparently, has clubhouse camaraderie, although winning always casts that in a better light. But there's no mistaking the key ingredient: better pitching, better pitching, better pitching. Did I mention better pitching? After last night's game at Camden Yards, the Orioles' average per-game run production of 4.84 is in the neighborhood of last season's 4.74 average, but the pitching staff's collective ERA of 3.96 is considerably better than last season's 5.35 team ERA. The revamped bullpen has been spectacular, and the starters, though not as dominating, have kept the team close when they don't have their best stuff.

The New York Yankees arrive at Camden Yards for the opener of a three-game series tonight and, quite frankly, the whole exercise has become tiresome. The Yankees are the yardstick by which the Orioles measure pain. They show up in town three times a year and remind everyone what Oriole Park feels like when it's full, except that it's full of obnoxious Yankees fans who bought up all the prime seats on eBay and think they own the ballpark. Yankees @Orioles Tonight, 7:05, Comcast SportsNet, 1090 AM Starters: Yankees' Randy Johnson (11-9, 5.07)

Melvin Mora looked battered. He and his Orioles teammates had just spent nine innings getting 11 runs and 19 hits out of the world champion Chicago White Sox. But the White Sox had spent those same nine swinging back with heavier clubs. White Sox@Orioles Today, 1:35 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM Starters: White Sox's Javier Vazquez (9-6, 5.31) vs. Orioles' Bruce Chen (0-6, 7.09)

With every well-placed 96-mph fastball on the outside corner, with every hard breaking pitch that buckled the knees of a Los Angeles Angels hitter, the concern surrounding Daniel Cabrera dissipated last night. Cabrera's first two outings had been marked by wildness, but last night, the enigmatic Orioles right-hander was nearly flawless in shutting down the Angels, 4-2, in front of 15,691 at Camden Yards. Indians@Orioles Tonight, 7:05, Ch. 54, 1090 AM Starters: Indians' Jason Johnson (1-0, 2.13)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- Perhaps it was an omen when the Orioles' first loss of the season came on a three-hitter at the hands of a lefty starter. Entering last night's game, the club was batting 94 points lower against left-handers than against right-handers. And that was before Texas Rangers rookie John Koronka became the latest left-hander to bedevil the Orioles. Orioles @Rangers Tonight, 8:05, Comcast SportsNet, 1090 AM Starters: Orioles' Bruce Chen (0-3, 7.27) vs. Rangers' Kevin Millwood (2-2, 3.89)

MINNEAPOLIS -- They came eight innings apart, but Minnesota's Justin Morneau walloped two long homers and the Twins beat the Orioles, 7-5, last night in a 12-inning marathon. Facing Orioles reliever Bruce Chen (0-6) with two outs in the 12th, Morneau crushed a 437-foot, two-run homer to right-center for the game-winner in a contest of near misses and crazy base running. Orioles@Twins Tonight, 7:10, Ch. 13, 1090 AM Starters: Orioles' Daniel Cabrera (3-2, 4.66) vs. Twins' Carlos Silva (2-7, 7.76)

Corey Patterson's descent from phenom status reached its nadir last season when he hit .215 and couldn't hold a job for the Chicago Cubs. His fortunes didn't seem to be turning early this season, as he rode the bench for an Orioles team predicted to finish fourth. But in recent weeks, Patterson has raised his average, given his team a shot of speed and earned near-daily starts. Devil Rays@Orioles Tonight, 7:05, Comcast SportsNet, 1090 AM Starters: Devil Rays' Jamie Shields (ML debut) vs. Orioles' Bruce Chen (0-5, 7.40)