Pitcher

At a very interesting time in his minor league deal with the Orioles, veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia has been named International League pitcher of the week. The 36-year-old Garcia was 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA this past week in two starts with Triple-A Norfolk. In 16 innings, he allowed just four runs - three earned - and struck out nine with no walks. On the season, Garcia is leading the International League in wins with a 4-0 record. He has a 2.67 ERA in five starts with 21 strikeouts and two walks over a league-leading 33 2/3 innings.

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel was not particularly good on Thursday night. He struggled with his command, at one point throwing half of his 28 pitches for balls. He ended up with 104 pitches -- and only 59 for strikes. And yet he allowed just three hits, two runs (none earned) and two walks in six innings against the Oakland Athletics -- who led the majors in runs scored and on-base percentage heading into Thursday -- without being on the top of his game. Hammel may not be an ace, but he is the Orioles' No. 1 pitcher.

It's one of those baseball statistics that's hard to believe. I checked it a couple times to make sure I hadn't missed anyone. And I really believe I haven't. According to baseball-reference.com, there are 44 active major league pitchers who have at least 80 career wins - a modest accomplishment, but impressive considering all who have played the game. Of that group of 44, none has played for the Orioles. Think about that for a moment. I'm not talking about none of the 44 plays for the Orioles right now. I am talking about ever.

After playing Saturday's doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and with both Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen starting -- the Orioles will likely need a starter to pitch in Wednesday's afternoon game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he's evaluating all of his options, which include bringing up a pitcher from the minor leagues to make a spot start or using someone out of the bullpen if they are rested. “Last night, it was just a matter of, 'OK, here's our options.

Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez probably delivered the sharpest outing during the first spin through the Orioles starting rotation, but he will not pitch in the three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. His regular turn would have come Tuesday, which is an off day after Boston's home opener Monday. So he'll be skipped initially and pitch at some point in the New York series next weekend. "We're going to have 20-something games in a row and we've got an opportunity here that's not going to come very often," Showalter said.

Through the opening week of the new season, the Orioles have delighted their fans with an offensive cornucopia and a handful of exciting victories over the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins, which is just the kind of first impression they were hoping to make after last year's uplifting playoff run. It was also just what they needed to overshadow what has not exactly been a smooth start for the pitching staff that was primarily responsible for...

As a four-year varsity player, captain and the catalyst of his team's undefeated start this season, South River pitcher Scott Mitchell has earned the right to have a say. So when he asked to stay on the mound to get the final out in Friday's showdown against Anne Arundel County rival Severna Park, the Seahawks' brass obliged. And Mitchell finished what he started. When Severna Park second baseman Danny Fulton swung through Mitchell's high fastball for the third strike, the No. 2 Seahawks completed a sound 2-1 win over the No. 9 Falcons in Edgewater.

Bob Turley, a hard-throwing right-hander who won the Orioles' first home game, died of liver cancer early Saturday morning, according to his son Terry Turley. He was 82. Turley pitched one season for the Orioles in 1954, their first in Baltimore, and he started the first big league game at Memorial Stadium. He was traded to the New York Yankees, with whom he won the Cy Young Award in 1958. The April 15, 1954 opener at Memorial Stadium was a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox played in front of 46,354 fans.

Louis Mortimer Sleater, a standout high school athlete who ended his seven-year major league pitching career with the Baltimore Orioles and was later a steel salesman, died of lung disease Monday at his Timonium home. He was 86. A left-handed knuckleballer, he played for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Kansas City Athletics, Milwaukee Braves and Detroit Tigers before joining the Orioles in 1958. "He was the epitome of the journeyman left-hand pitcher in the 1950s," said Phil Wood, an MASN broadcaster who lives in Glyndon.

The Orioles acquired more minor league pitching depth Sunday, sending minor league outfielder Ronnie Welty to the Philadelphia Phillies for 22-year-old right-hander Julio Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who is 6 feet 4 and 200 pounds, spent last season at Double-A Reading, going 7-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 29 games (22 starts).  Drafted by the Phillies in the eighth round out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in 2008, Rodriguez was selected to last year's Futures Game in Kansas City. He was also a mid-season Eastern League All Star in 2012 and a Florida State League All Star in 2011.