Chris Tillman

Brian Roberts, who played in just 115 games the previous three seasons because of various injuries, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, three games into 2013, with what the Orioles are calling a strained right hamstring. The second baseman is expected to miss three to four weeks - an encouraging development considering the 35-year-old Roberts had to be carried off the field in the ninth inning Thursday when he grabbed his leg after stealing second base at Tropicana Field.

Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman might not be the biggest name in pitching in the major leagues right now, but his performance over the past two seasons ranks among the best. Since the beginning of the 2012 season, Tillman is 16-5 for a .762 winning percentage. That winning percentage is the fourth-best in all of baseball for players with at least 20 decisions. Tillman ranks behind only Cincinnati's Mat Latos (.833), Detroit's Max Scherzer (.781) and St. Louis's Lance Lynn (.765)

Having grown up around Orioles baseball, Steve Johnson's dream was always to play for his hometown team. That dream came true Sunday, when the St. Paul's alum was told he was being recalled by the Orioles. His first call was to his father, former Orioles pitcher Dave Johnson. "I think we were both shocked," Johnson said. "I was still in shock and he was definitely in shock. "Growing up, with my dad playing for them, and being around them and following them, being a fan, even when I was with the Dodgers, that's why I signed back with them this year.

The evolution of Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman continued Friday night with an outing that was reminiscent of an experienced veteran and not a guy who was in the minors a year ago wondering about his future in the organization. In the Orioles' 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in front of a nearly packed house on a picture-perfect baseball evening at Camden Yards, Tillman did what good pitchers are supposed to do. He won without having particularly strong command, walking four to tie his season high set in the first game of the year.

Right-hander Chris Tillman was a little tired from an early-morning cross-country flight from Triple-A Norfolk, but he was more than happy to be back in an Orioles uniform. Tillman (8-8, 3.63 ERA at Norfolk) was expected to be activated after Tuesday's game and will start Wednesday afternoon's series finale against the Mariners, making his first big-league start since Aug. 11. “This is what I've worked all season for,” Tillman said. “I've gotten in a good routine and it's working well.

Right-hander Chris Tillman has been scratched from tonight's schedules start for Triple-A Norfolk against Syracuse. The Orioles have starting rotation spots open for Thursday and Friday's games in Anaheim, so it could be an indication that Tillman is heading west to join the club. As of late Monday afternoon, Tillman was still with the Tides. Right-hander Tim Bascom has been promoted from Double-A Bowie to make tonight's start for the Tides. Tillman is 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts)

Chris Tillman had a rocky outing Saturday night in his first start of the season, which came hours after he was activated from the 15-day disabled list. The right-hander lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs. Tillman, who was placed on the DL with a left abdominal strain on March 28, started strong in the first inning, needing just 13 pitches to retire the first three Minnesota Twins batters, including catcher Joe Mauer, in order. But Tillman quickly lost his command in the top of the second inning.

The Orioles play the Boston Red Sox this afternoon in Sarasota. Or they're playing a team in Red Sox uniforms anyway. Boston has a split squad today, and let's just say they didn't send their A lineup to Ed Smith Stadium. Or their B or C lineup. That's OK, Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez is pitching at Twin Lakes Park against Boston's Double-A squad. Manager Buck Showalter's not a fan of having his rotation members facing AL East rivals at this point in spring. It's a little of a reach, since many of these lineups aren't exactly littered with regulars.

When Orioles starter Chris Tillman left Sunday’s game against the Nationals, he had surrendered just one earned run. It was the fourth time in five starts and the fifth time this season that the 23-year-old right-hander had allowed one run or fewer, but he labored all afternoon and could only give the Orioles five innings. That has been a reoccurring theme for Tillman as he continues to develop at the major-league level. He has given up two earned runs total in his past three starts, lowering his ERA from 7.16 on May 5 to 4.95.

Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman might not be the biggest name in pitching in the major leagues right now, but his performance over the past two seasons ranks among the best. Since the beginning of the 2012 season, Tillman is 16-5 for a .762 winning percentage. That winning percentage is the fourth-best in all of baseball for players with at least 20 decisions. Tillman ranks behind only Cincinnati's Mat Latos (.833), Detroit's Max Scherzer (.781) and St. Louis's Lance Lynn (.765)

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Orioles. 2.41 -- Chris Tillman's ERA in his six road starts this season. Tillman picked up his sixth win of the season Sunday, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. It was yet another quality start for Tillman on the road. Tillman is 5-0 on the road this season with a 2.41 ERA. He has pitched at least five innings in each of those games, all Orioles victories.

When Los Angeles Angels right fielder Josh Hamilton pulled Freddy Garcia's 79 mph splitter onto the flag court beyond right field in the sixth inning Monday night, it was the 90th time an Orioles pitcher gave up a home run this season. Hamilton's home run - which tied the game at 2-2, though the Orioles would eventually grab a 4-3 rain-delayed win - was the Angels' second of the game and further added to the Orioles' pitching staff's major league-worst total. Entering Monday's game, they had given up five more than Houston, which owned the next-worst mark.

The Baltimore bats haven't exactly been completely muted by opposing pitchers, but there have been some quiet nights the past couple of weeks for the Orioles, who boast one of the best offenses in the major leagues. In the past 10 days, the Orioles have had a couple of seven-run outbursts and tied a season-high with 10 runs in Sunday's 10-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. But they scored four runs or fewer in the seven other games. The Orioles went 4-3 in those games, getting quality starts from the likes of Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and Jason Hammel, who gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings but still took the loss in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Rays.

During the weekend's first two games here in Tampa Bay, the Orioles' offense seemingly went vacationing in Florida - not even sending a postcard to acknowledge their absence. But in Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, Baltimore's bats made it clear they were back at work. After scoring just one run in their previous 23 innings, the Orioles jumped on Rays left-hander Matt Moore on their way to a 10-7 win over Tampa Bay, snapping their five-game losing streak to the Rays and avoiding a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field in front of an announced crowd of 19,921.

Fireworks were expected at Camden Yards this weekend with two of baseball's highest-scoring teams, the Orioles and Detroit Tigers, duking it out in a measuring-stick series between two top American League teams. The O's took two of three, and fans of the long ball were also winners as the teams combined for 14 homers. The Orioles hit six of them and now lead the majors with 81 this season, six more than the Atlanta Braves. But this post isn't about how Chris Davis and Co. are clobbering pitches out of the ballpark.

The long-accepted theory around these parts is that Camden Yards morphs from a neutral park to a hitter's haven in late May to early June when the temperatures start heating up and the humidity thickens. It was 86 degrees at first pitch Wednesday night, and the Orioles and the Washington Nationals collectively breathed life into the great shrinking ballpark theory with an eight-homer barrage that culminated in a 9-6 Orioles victory before an announced crowd of 39,129. “I think it is a completely different ballpark in the way it plays [when the weather is warm]

Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman knew  this morning he'd be pitching five innings in a minor-league game on Sunday to continue to stretch out his arm. He didn't know he'd be officially doing it as a member of Orioles minor-league camp. Tillman was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk Saturday morning before the Orioles' road Grapefruit League game against the Pirates in Bradenton. He will open the season as a starter at Norfolk. The move also leaves 15 pitchers for 12 spots.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Right-hander Chris Tillman pitched 1 2/3 innings in his first Grapefruit League start of the year, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in Wednesday night's split-squad game against the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium. Tillman threw 43 pitches, 22 of them for strikes. He labored a bit, but said he was OK with his performance. “Yeah, first time out, I'm not really disappointed," Tillman said. “I felt OK. Command was spotty at best. I guess you kind of expect that the first time out, but other than that I felt pretty good.” If the mission was to get out there and air it out, it was a successful outing.

TORONTO - It's become a popular question this year, whether Orioles third baseman Manny Machado belongs in the same class as the Angels' Mike Trout and the Nationals' Bryce Harper. That question was presented on MLB Network before Friday's game in Toronto, and at the time, a few Orioles players -- Machado among them -- were watching in the visiting clubhouse of the Rogers Centre. “Forget that,” reliever Tommy Hunter said jokingly as he turned to Machado. “I'm taking either one of the other two guys.” If there is a gap, Machado continues to close it -- and he's doing it with fine all-around performances on the road, the latest one coming in Friday's 10-6 win over the Blue Jays . Machado became the second player ever under the age of 21 to compile five straight road games with three or more hits and the first since 1907.

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. Each week, I hope to chat with one of them in a regular feature called Blogger on Blogger. This week, I exchanged emails with Amanda Redman, who blogs about the Orioles for the Birds Watcher blog . MV: The Orioles entered Monday night's AL East showdown with the New York Yankees with five straight losses, all at home. I know there is still a long way and many, many games between now and late September, but are you concerned that these Orioles might be finally falling back to Earth?