Chris Ray

Chris Ray, Orioles closer Do you have any superstitions? I've got a pretty set routine when it comes to things. Like in the bullpen, the first inning we start flicking pumpkin seeds. The second inning, I'll start having sunflower seeds. The seventh inning is when I have my gum. It stays like that. From when I first get here until after the game, I do the same thing every single day, 162 games. When I was in the minor leagues I did the same thing, but only when I was in the bullpen, not when I was starting.

After missing the final 1 1/2 months of last season with a tear in his right labrum, an injury that he chose to rehabilitate rather than have surgery on, Jason Berken figured the questions about his health wouldn't quickly go away. But as the Orioles reliever tries to work through a difficult stretch in which he had allowed runs in five of his past seven outings entering Thursday, he says he hasn't felt this good physically in a long time. "I don't pay a ton of attention to velocity because I think it's an overused tool at times, but at the beginning of the year, my velocity was in that 88 to 92 [mph]

Who was the toughest batter you have ever faced and why? I think the toughest batter I've ever faced was my rookie season. It was my second or third appearance and I had to come out with the bases loaded with [Derek] Jeter up. I think the combination of still being nervous in the big leagues along with facing one of the best hitters in the American League, I think that was probably the most nervous I've ever been.

Kevin Millwood has been to the hill and back with some of the greatest pitchers of his generation, so there's really no reason to ask why it was so important for the Orioles to acquire someone like him to anchor their inexperienced starting rotation. Obviously, the O's traded for him in the hope that he'll take some pressure off the younger pitchers and provide leadership both on the field and in the dugout. He's a 13-year veteran with significant playoff experience and 155ƒ|career victories, which should be enough to get their full attention, but the fact that he once was a solid component in one of the greatest rotations in baseball history adds a large extra layer of credibility.

In his first year as Orioles closer, Chris Ray saved 33 games in 38 opportunities to go along with a 4-4 record and a 2.73 ERA. The Orioles drafted the 25-year-old Tampa, Fla., native out of William and Mary in the third round of the 2003 draft. What did you learn from former Orioles closer B.J. Ryan? -- I think he did a lot as far as calming my nerves. He just preached to have confidence and to have the belief that you are going to get guys out. He told me just to have confidence at all times.

Good morning--Chris Ray--Are you even old enough to remember Tommy John?

If someone had bet you that Chris Ray would have more saves on July 17 than Mariano Rivera, would you have taken it? Outfielder Nolan Reimold remains in Sarasota, Fla., while recovering from a strained oblique. He has appeared in only 19 games at Bowie, batting .329 with three homers and 14 RBIs. He has played one game in Sarasota. There's no timetable for Reimold's return to Bowie. roch.kubatko@baltsun.com For more Roch Around the Clock, go to baltimoresun.com/roch

The Orioles have shut down Jim Johnson. They have done the same with Matt Albers and Chris Ray. And they should play it completely safe with Jeremy Guthrie and make sure his "tired" arm gets all the rest it needs. Guthrie is a gamer who wants to get back out there and make his last three starts of the season. But this is a situation that makes me think of that moment in Casablanca when Ingrid Bergman tells Humphrey Bogart he'll have to do the thinking for both of them. (For more, go to baltimoresun.

We could really spark an interesting debate on whether Chris Ray is expendable in the right trade. How important is a good young closer on a fourth-place team? I've made past comparisons to putting nice wheels on a beat-up car. My 1997 Cavalier, for instance. But few things demoralize a team faster, and especially its young starting pitchers, than blown saves. And my guess is Danys Baez would compile more of them than Chris Ray. Jamie Walker is a left-handed specialist. Chad Bradford should be pitching in the seventh and eighth innings.

As the Florida Marlins celebrated an improbable victory, several Orioles lingered in the home dugout, seated on the bench with their eyes fixated on the field as if they were still trying to comprehend what had just happened. It indeed, was hard to fathom. The Orioles watched closer Chris Ray, perfect in save opportunities at this point of the season, give up two two-out home runs to pinch hitters and cough up a four-run ninth-inning lead. They then witnessed Marlins slugger Miguel Cabrera smack Todd Williams' letter-high lob, the first pitch of what was supposed to be an intentional walk, into center field for a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning.

In his first opportunity to speak in person to fans and the Baltimore media, starting pitcher Kevin Millwood disputed the notion that he's unhappy being an Oriole. That perception is "wrong," said Millwood, who was acquired by the Orioles from the Texas Rangers in December for reliever Chris Ray . "If you're looking for me to get real excited, it's not going to happen. I'm the same way on the mound. If I'm getting my brains beat in, I'm not going to get too down about it, and if [I'm pitching well]

INDIANAPOLIS -- Fulfilling their quest to plug in a proven veteran at the top of their rotation, the Orioles on Wednesday acquired right-hander Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named. The Orioles will also receive approximately $3 million in cash to offset the $12 million that Millwood is owed in 2010, the final year on his contract. The player to be named will not be a significant member of the team's major league roster or a well-regarded prospect.

Orioles first baseman Luke Scott hit the night's longest one, his three-run shot landing about 25 feet shy of the first in-game home run off the warehouse in Camden Yards history. But on a night when homers flew out of the 18-year-old ballpark at a dizzying pace, the Orioles simply couldn't keep up with the powerful New York Yankees. Nick Swisher and Eric Hinske hit back-to-back homers off Chris Ray to break a seventh-inning tie and the Yankees hit five of the game's seven homers in a 9-6 victory over the Orioles before an announced 25,782 on Tuesday night at Camden Yards.

PHILADELPHIA - -Feeling that Chris Ray has worked out the command and mechanical issues that got him demoted to Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles will recall the reliever before Tuesday's series opener against the Florida Marlins. He'll replace Alberto Castillo, who was optioned to Norfolk after Sunday's game. That will leave Orioles manager Dave Trembley without a left-handed specialist in his bullpen, though Trembley could use long man Mark Hendrickson in certain situations. "It has more to do with the status of Chris Ray than it does with the status of Alberto Castillo," Trembley said.

WASHINGTON - -Brian Bass, Matt Albers, Jim Johnson and George Sherrill were off limits Sunday after pitching extensively in recent days. That left Orioles manager Dave Trembley with what amounted to a four-man bullpen for the series finale against the Washington Nationals. If everything worked out as planned - and it rarely seems to for these Orioles - long man Mark Hendrickson would be called on only if starter Brad Bergesen faltered early. Chris Ray would serve as the primary setup man for designated closer-of-the-day Danys Baez.

Not a good start Several of the Orioles auditioning for spots in the rotation had poor beginnings to the Grapefruit League season. Brad Hennessey allowed five base runners and two runs in 1 1/3 innings and was lifted because of right elbow soreness. Chris Waters surrendered three hits and a run in 1 2/3 innings, and David Pauley managed to get just one out en route to allowing four earned runs on five hits and a walk. Brian Bass also struggled, giving up four hits and two runs in two innings.

Poll results It was tight all week, but closer Chris Ray pulled out a save at the end. Last week, we asked which Oriole was most primed for a bounce-back second half. And, with more than 5,000 responses, Ray nipped Corey Patterson and Aubrey Huff in our closest vote yet. The results: Chris Ray, 26.3 percent (1,315 votes) Corey Patterson, 25.4 percent (1,272 votes) Aubrey Huff, 22.7 percent (1,135 votes) Danys Baez, 11.5 percent (575 votes) Jay Gibbons, 8.1 percent (407 votes) Daniel Cabrera 6.0 percent (300 votes)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Chris Ray spent the time working out and planning the refurbishing of a 1994 Ford Mustang he bought. Danys Baez stayed in Miami, devoting all his time to his rehabilitation and family. Troy Patton logged countless hours on the Internet, following the progress of current and former teammates, and battling the worst "case of boredom" he has experienced. All three Orioles, who missed last season after having extensive arm surgeries, were on the practice fields yesterday as pitchers and catchers persevered through their first spring workout.