Mike Mussina

A curveball sent Gerald Laird back to the Texas Rangers dugout in the first inning last night, making him Erik Bedard's first strikeout victim and causing him to turn back toward the field a few times before reaching the bench. The list figured to be pretty long, given the matchups throughout the visiting lineup. It had to start somewhere, and Laird was in the wrong place. The batter's box usually constitutes the wrong place when Bedard is pitching. Bedard struck out 11 to tie the Orioles' single-season record, and Miguel Tejada hit his 12th home run as part of a three-run first inning that sparked a 6-2 victory over the Rangers before an announced 18,926 at rain-soaked Camden Yards.

Poll results Last week we asked which former Oriole would be the next to go into the Hall of Fame, and it was quite the race between second baseman Roberto Alomar and pitcher Curt Schilling. You feel Alomar will beat Schilling there. The results: Roberto Alomar, 29.2 percent (1,374 votes) Curt Schilling, 27.5 percent (1,294 votes) Mike Mussina, 17.2 percent (807 votes) Lee Smith, 14.2 percent (667 votes) Sammy Sosa, 6.6 percent (312 votes) Rafael Palmeiro, 5.3 percent (249 votes)

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- When he recorded his last strikeout on a night full of them, Erik Bedard pounded his glove with his fist and then hugged his catcher, Ramon Hernandez. It was a display of emotion the Orioles have rarely seen from the stoic Bedard, but it certainly was fitting for the occasion. In the Orioles' 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers last night at Ameriquest Field, Bedard tied a franchise record with 15 strikeouts, including 10 of 12 batters at one point. He faced the minimum number of batters, as the Rangers had two hits and no walks and had both base runners erased on double plays.

The good news is the Orioles have Jeremy Guthrie on their roster. The great news is he's not going anywhere, either. Guthrie is still a rookie, as I've written in the past. As a team spokesman explained yesterday, the right-hander's days on Cleveland's active roster before September call-ups and innings pitched didn't qualify him for a full season. The Orioles have him under control for five more years as long as he remains on the major league roster. And I agree with those of you who see a little - or a lot - of Mike Mussina in Guthrie when he pitches.

Orioles@New York Yankees Day ................... Time ...................... TV ............... Starters Tonight ............ 7:05 .............. 13, MASN ...... Adam Loewen (6-6, 5.37 in '06) ........................................ ......................................vs. Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.51 in '06) Tomorrow ....... 1:05 .............. MASN ........... Steve Trachsel (15-8, 4.97 in '06) ........................................ .....................................vs. Kei Igawa (major league debut)

NEW YORK -- He had never felt this way. Not as a kid representing Canada in the pressure-filled Little League World Series. Not in his first professional start. Not even when he faced the powerful U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic. Adam Loewen's hands shook, making it impossible to grip the baseball. That explained the errant fastball that hit Adrian Beltre in the helmet. His legs felt numb, his 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame wobbly. Orioles @Yankees Tonight, 7:05, Ch. 13, MASN, 105.7 FM Starters: Adam Loewen (6-6, 5.37 in 2006)

Fact: It makes quite a statement about the decline of pitching standards in the major leagues that Pat Dobson, the former Orioles 20-game winner who died Wednesday, had a losing lifetime record (122-129) over 11 seasons, but also had a lower career ERA (3.54) than 239-game winner Mike Mussina (3.63). Opinion: Just one question about the Orioles' predictably doomed pursuit of free-agent top dogs Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee: Why even bother? Oh, and one more question: How many years of being put off by the escalating free-agent market does it take for you to stop being put off by the escalating free-agent market?