Delmarva

SALISBURY -- The usual pre-game ceremonies and post-game fireworks launched the Delmarva Shorebirds' home season last night, but the game itself didn't offer much encouragement.The most successful team in the Orioles' farm system the last two seasons didn't do anything particularly well and lost its fifth straight in the South Atlantic League, 6-2, to the Piedmont Boll Wevils before 5,896 fans at Perdue Stadium.Shorebirds starter Steve Bechler had a commendable outing, permitting one earned run in 5 1/3 innings, but three Delmarva errors led to three unearned Piedmont runs and the home bullpen was not effective.

Until this season, he was known more for being "the other" Juan Guzman, a weak-hitting catcher who had been converted to pitcher, the same position as his namesake with the Orioles. He seemed more novelty than prospect after two rookie-league seasons, but that perception is changing.Guzman, 21, has been one of the few pleasant developments within Single-A Delmarva's season. Heading into the weekend, he was 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 relief appearances, saving three games and inching closer to a spot in the Shorebirds' rotation.

When April ended, Darnell McDonald was floundering around the .180 batting level and looking little like the 26th player chosen in baseball's 1997 amateur draft.The number rose steadily in May and then he turned hot, batting .337 for the Single-A Frederick Keys last month while walking twice as many times as he struck out. Suddenly, McDonald was back to normal."I think he has made a lot of good improvement in a lot of areas," said Keys manager Andy Etchebarren. "His swing is better, his base running is better and his outfield play is better.

It didn't take the Orioles long to realize that Aaron Rakers had no business pitching in Bluefield.A rookie-league club seemed like the logical place to begin the career of a 23rd-round draft pick. Allow him to get his feet wet before plunging into Single-A competition.Who knew that Rakers would make such a big splash that Bluefield couldn't contain him?He lasted three games there before being promoted to lower Single-A Delmarva, where he helped to settle a bullpen in such disarray it drew comparisons to the Orioles' relief corps during the first half.

Hoping to help beleaguered farmers and waterways, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has begun planning a cooperative of Delmarva chicken growers that would have its own processing plant, a small but significant alternative to the current system controlled from egg to supermarket by large poultry companies.The venture, which will probably need at least 1 1/2 years of planning and organizing before it could begin raising chickens, secured on Thursday the last half of the $100,000 it needs to get started.

From the standpoint of wins and losses, the Orioles farm system had a very lean year indeed, but director of player development Tom Trebelhorn sees encouraging signs for what lies ahead."

TO GIVE READERS THE most thorough comprehension of the Chesapeake Bay, I practice the Great Blue Heron method of reporting.That means progging and prying, as the bird does, into every cranny of the shoreline, alert to every minnow, unblinking eyes never far from water and muck.But it also means sometimes soaring so high that the intricate schemes of land and water coalesce into something whole and connected -- a watershed.The latter had me up recently in a small plane, flying the upper reaches of Eastern Shore rivers in Maryland and Delaware with biologist Nick Carter.

TRIPLE-A INTERNATIONAL LEAGUERochester 1, Syracuse 0: Willis Otanez's home run in the fourth inning accounted for all the offense and Joel Bennett and Steve Montgomery combined on a two-hitter as the host Red Wings beat the SkyChiefs. Otanez's homer came off Dave Stieb (0-1), who is attempting a comeback at the age of 40. He allowed only one run and three hits in eight innings, walking one and striking out three. Bennett (3-0) struck out eight and walked none in seven innings.DOUBLE-A EASTERN LEAGUENew Britain 2, Bowie 0: Mark Redman and three relievers combined on a two-hit shutout as New Britain beat host Bowie.

As the Orioles took batting practice before a game at Camden Yards in early June, manager Ray Miller couldn't take his eyes off the pitcher throwing in the bullpen. It was Matt Riley, last year's third-round draft pick who had signed the previous week. And it was a sight to behold."Now that's what a prospect is supposed to look like," he told John Maroon, the club's director of public relations. Miller repeated the line to reporters gathered near the dugout, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Paxton Crawford and two relievers limited host Bowie to four singles last night as the Trenton Thunder won, 3-1, in the Eastern League.Keys 8, Hillcats 7: Chris Bryant's two home runs and four RBIs led Frederick (4-2) over host Lynchburg (3-3).Shorebirds 6, Alley Cats 2: Delmarva (7-8) won with a five-run fifth.Scores, scheduleEastern LeagueYesterday's resultsTrenton 3, Bowie 1Akron 14, Binghamton 4+ Harrisburg 4, New Britain 1Today's gamesTrenton at Bowie, 7: 05Akron at Binghamton, 7Harrisburg at New Britain, 6: 35New Haven at Norwich, 7: 05Reading at Portland, 6Wednesday's resultsBowie 5, Trenton 4Portland 13, Akron 0Binghamton 4, New Haven 1Reading 5, Harrisburg 3( Norwich 8, New Britain 3Carolina LeagueYesterday's resultsFrederick 8, Lynchburg 7Prince William 4, Winston-Salem 2Kinston 8, Danville 0% Wilmington 3, Salem 1Today's gamesSalem at Frederick, 6: 35Wilmington at Winston-Salem, 7: 15Danville at Prince William, 7: 30Kinston at Lynchburg, 7: 05Wednesday's resultsFrederick 2, Lynchburg 1Winston-Salem 10, Prince William 7Kinston 5, Danville 4% Wilmington 3, Salem 2South Atlantic LeagueYesterday's resultsDelmarva 6, Charleston, WV 2Hagerstown 12, Capital City 9Cape Fear 3, Piedmont 2Asheville 5, Augusta 4, Charleston, SC 3, Savannah 2Greensboro 10, Columbus 2Hickory 7, Macon 1Today's gamesCharleston, WV at DelmarvaHagerstown at Capital CityAsheville at AugustaCape Fear at PiedmontGreensboro at ColumbusMacon at HickorySavannah at Charleston, SCWednesday's resultsHagerstown...

What a difference a year makes. Eddie Gamboa was 1-7 with a 3.63 ERA in 12 starts for Rookie-level Bluefield in 2008 but has thrived after moving to the bullpen this season. The 24-year-old right-hander, who was promoted to Double-A Bowie on Aug. 17, is 10-0 with a 1.20 ERA in 34 total appearances at three levels - Single-A Delmarva, Single-A Frederick and Bowie - in 2009. "You just have to be ready to come in and throw strikes right off the bat. I think that's one of my strengths as a pitcher," Gamboa said.

Imagine spending two months this summer exploring the Delmarva Peninsula: sightseeing, kayaking and dolphin watching and meeting the locals. For that "work," you'll get paid $10,000 and live in a new two-bedroom condo along the bay in Ocean City - for free. Not a bad gig, huh? Meet 26-year-old Paul Cox, the winner of this job opportunity, who blogs, tweets and shoots video and photos about his adventures. "It was a dream job when we found out about it," says Cox, whose girlfriend, Melanie McLean, is helping him document his travels along Delmarva's beaches, bays and other sites.

Left-hander Cole McCurry doesn't have a flashy resume, an impressive pedigree or a glove-popping fastball. He does, however, have a knack for winning, a quiet confidence and the right neighborhood. The first two attributes have helped McCurry, 23, who is 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA in five starts, raise some eyebrows at Single-A Delmarva this season. The third is a big reason he ended up in the Orioles' organization. McCurry, a resident of small-town Candler, N.C., located near Asheville in the western part of the state, excelled at Surry (N.C.

I mentioned the Delmarva Shorebirds would be offering a Matt Wieters bobblehead to the first 1,000 fans Sept. 4. The Frederick Keys announced they will be handing out Wieters bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans May 9. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/osondeck)

Say Maryland's Eastern Shore, and crab comes to mind. But on a recent trip, 10 traveling cyclists discovered that another four-letter food starting with C is more plentiful in the coastal areas of Maryland and Delaware. Corn, oceans of it, with soybean fields thrown in. "There's too much corn," declared 7-year-old Olivia Howe, arms outstretched toward the fields as we rolled by. "Everywhere I look, there's corn." Granted, Olivia, who lives in Brattleboro, Vt., didn't always have the best view on our six-day bicycle trip.

Right fielder Joe Nowicki of the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds said he started hitting line drives when he was 5 years old and hasn't stopped. Nowicki, 25, believes he was given a natural talent to hit a baseball, but there are perplexing occasions when that ability is hampered by an inability to "see the ball well." Nowicki has often pondered what causes those stretches in which it is nearly impossible to pick up the ball, and he hasn't found any answers. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be here [in the minors]

From a handful of dirt Kennard Jones once grabbed for a souvenir from the outfield at Prince George's Stadium to his role as a fourth outfielder for his hometown Bowie Baysox, Jones has always had a fondness for the team's ballpark. Although he was born in Cleveland, Jones is about as close to a Bowie native as one can get, having grown up in the area after his parents moved from Cleveland to Greenbelt to Bowie when he was very young. "You can't even begin to understand what a thrill it is for me to come and play here at home," said Jones, who is playing his first season at Double-A Bowie.

Baseball ANGELS -- Traded C Jose Molina to Yankees for P Jeff Kennard. Recalled P Joe Saunders from Triple-A Salt Lake. CARDINALS -- Optioned P Troy Cate to Triple-A Memphis. Recalled P Kelvin Jimenez from Memphis. TWINS -- Optioned OF Garrett Jones to Triple-A Rochester. YANKEES -- Designated C Wil Nieves for assignment. Signed former Orioles P Scott Williamson to minor league contract. Football BROWNS -- Signed DB Brandon McDonald, DE Melila Purcell and WR Syndric Steptoe to four-year contracts.

Pitcher Timothy Bascom, the Orioles' fourth-round selection in this month's amateur draft, will make his professional debut, starting tonight for low Single-A Delmarva. The Shorebirds travel to Lakewood, N.J., for a 7:05 game. Bascom joined Delmarva on Wednesday after signing with the Orioles, who made him their second overall pick. They forfeited their selections in the second and third rounds after signing free-agent relievers Danys Baez and Chad Bradford. The San Diego Padres drafted Bascom last year out of Central Florida, but voided the contract after discovering that he had a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Baseball BRAVES -- Placed former Orioles P Chad Paronto on 15-day DL. Optioned P Macay McBride to Triple-A Richmond. Recalled P Peter Moylan and P Steve Colyer to Richmond. PHILLIES -- Activated P Freddy Garcia. Designated P Clay Condrey for assignment. Basketball RAPTORS -- Signed F Luke Jackson for rest of season and 2007-08. Colleges WICHITA STATE -- Named Gregg Marshall men's basketball coach. Football BROWNS -- Signed TE Steve Heiden to four-year extension. COLTS -- Signed QB Jim Sorgi to one-year, $850,000 tender.