Norfolk

Two Orioles game day employees stood by a whiteboard that listed the lineups for Sunday's game against the Oakland A's, their eyes slowly scrolling down the nine names. They commented on catcher Matt Wieters' return to the starting lineup, among other things. Then their eyes stopped at the fifth name, crinkling at the sight of a name they didn't recognize. The man on the left says, “Who's Ford?” The man on the right shrugs his shoulders, and says, “Not sure.” At least for Sunday, he's the Orioles new starting left fielder, and it makes sense that not many people recognize his name, at least not yet.   The 35-year old Ford was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 12 th round of the 1999 draft, but he hasn't played a game in the major leagues since 2007, when he hit .233 as a member of the Minnesota Twins.

Some quick notes from the pregame clubhouse: Catcher Matt Wieters is not in the starting lineup for the second straight game because of a tight right biceps. He said it feels much better than Friday and he could come in and catch later in the game if needed. Second baseman Robert Andino (left shoulder) is here, but not for long. He expects to go on a rehab assignment Sunday, likely joining Triple-A Norfolk, and hopes to be back with the Orioles when he is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday.

Left-hander Dana Eveland arrived in Baltimore on Thursday morning running on four hours sleep after receiving word that the Orioles were purchasing his contract from Triple-A Norfolk around 1:30 a.m. The Orioles purchased Eveland's contract to satisfy their need for bullpen depth for this afternoon's series finale against the Rays after relievers accounted for 6 1/3 innings in Wednesday's 10-1 loss.  The club optioned utility man Steve...

What do Zelous Wheeler, Rougned Odor,  Bear Bay and Rock Shoulders have in common? Well, they're all actual names of minor league baseball players. And they're all in the running for "Moniker Madness" -- a bracket-style tournament on milb.com that it setting out to determine who has the best name in all of the minors. Wheeler, as you die-hards already know, is an infielder for the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk. He's only batting .212 for the Tides, but here's his chance to really make a name for himself.

Steve Johnson pitched two innings in his major league debut Sunday against the Detroit Tigers and then was sent back to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Monday's starter, Chris Tillman, on the 25-man roster. Johnson, a St. Paul's graduate and the Orioles' first Maryland-born pitcher since John Bale in 2001, was activated Sunday when starting pitcher Jason Hammel was put on the disabled list.  Johnson, the son of former Oriole pitcher and MASN broadcaster Dave Johnson, walked the first two batters he faced, but settled down after that.

While the Orioles brass is exploring options to improve the club through the trade market, executive vice president Dan Duquette has repeatedly said he likes some of the options he has down at the minor league level. So as the second-half of the season gets underway, we're taking a look at the reinforcements down on the farm. Here are five players from Triple-A Norfolk you could see brought up to help the Orioles through the stretch run.   LHP Zach Britton: This one's automatic. The Orioles need a fifth starter to pitch Tuesday's game against the Twins in Minnesota and all signs point to Britton being that guy. Britton is coming off his best minor league start of the season Thursday, when he threw seven shutout innings and allowed just four hits while striking out six. The Orioles have been able to go with a four-man rotation for the past few weeks because of a bevy of off days, but they open the second half with 30 games in 31 days, so they'll need a fifth starter for the long haul.

The Orioles announced Thursday night that outfielder Xavier Avery has been sent down to Triple-A Norfolk. Although they have not announced a corresponding move, left fielder Endy Chavez, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, is expected to come off the disabled list Friday. The Orioles don't want the 22-year-old Avery, who has hit .233 with a .317 on-base percentage in 24 games in three stints with the club, to be a fourth outfielder in the majors. They'd rather have him play every day. Steve Pearce and Chris Davis likely will serve as reserve outfielders.

Only in minor league baseball could you find an event titled “Salute to Bacon Night.” On July 13, the Norfolk Tides -  the Orioles' Triple-A team - are attempting to set the record for largest BLT ever created as part of this bacon-themed night. The sandwich is going to be more than 300 feet in length, topping the record of 224 feet and 3 inches that was set last year in Missouri. The sandwich won't go to waste, though. Slices of it will be for sale throughout the game, with all proceeds going towards the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia.

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)

The Orioles have been exceptionally cautious with top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy in his first professional year, keeping him in the South Atlantic League when he obviously was too advanced for the level and not allowing him to throw more than five innings now that he is with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League. At times, Orioles manager Buck Showalter has joked about promoting the 19-year-old Bundy, who is on the 40-man roster, to the big leagues. But on Sunday he was asked if the Orioles were in contention and they had a spot open and needed a boost, could Bundy pitch in the majors in 2012.