Tuesday Bird Droppings

Orioles: Decisions loom with seven pending free agents - baltimoresun.com
"There are no headliners on the list; in fact, the club can't receive top compensation for any of its pending free agents. But there are several players the Orioles would like to keep around in the right situation, specifically infielder Ty Wigginton, reliever Koji Uehara and, to a lesser extent, shortstop Cesar Izturis, outfielder Corey Patterson and reliever Mark Hendrickson." Corey? Really? Why?

Inbox: Will Britton be called up? | orioles.com: News
"Orioles officials don't want Britton's first taste of the Majors to come out of the bullpen. With the team already looking into adding Tillman and going to a six-man rotation, adding Britton -- with several off days -- doesn't make much sense."

Rob Dibble won't be calling Nationals games any time soon | HardballTalk
He hasn't really been fired, but he's not calling the Nats games either. You do the math.

Here's a pic of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe in "Moneyball" - twitpic
It's as bad as you think it will be.

IN THE MINORS

Orioles Insider: Machado: I've been waiting for this for a long time
"I believe I'll be up there young," Machado said. "It's up to me too. It's not only up to the club. I've got to do what I was picked to do. I've got to work hard and show people what I was paid to do."

Gwinnett lefty stymies Tides to end win streak | PilotOnline.com
"Gwinnett left-hander Scott Diamond took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before settling for a two-hit shutout Monday night as the Braves beat the Norfolk Tides 4-0 at Coolray Field."

Bowie's Komminsk notches 700th win | MiLB.com News
"Bowie Baysox starting pitcher Eddie Gamboa threw 6 1/3 shutout innings Monday night, earning his seventh victory as the Baysox topped the division-leading Altoona Curve, 2-0. The win was Baysox manager Brad Komminsk's 700th in eight years as a manager."

Frederick Keys Tyler Townsend Named Player of the Week - BoxscoreNews.com
"Frederick Keys first baseman Tyler Townsend has been named Carolina League Player of the Week for games played between August 23rd to August 29th. Townsend, who was promoted to Frederick on July 24th from Class-A Delmarva, went 8-for-20 with three doubles, two home runs, and seven runs batted in during the week."

Once again, Welty comes up big to help Keys win - The Frederick News-Post Online
"With a solo home run and a single, three runs scored -- including the winning run in the ninth -- and an RBI, Ronnie Welty played a big role for the Frederick Keys in their 7-6 win over Potomac on Sunday at Harry Grove Stadium."

Stampone Lifts Shorebirds To Win - WBOC-TV
"The Delmarva Shorebirds topped the Kannapolis Intimidators, 5-4, at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Monday night."

Back to school: Some Shorebirds drop mitts and pick up books | The Daily Times
"According to Major League Baseball, more than 680 players this year used the College Scholarship plan which allows both major league and minor league players to continue pursuing an education while still playing the game. Last year, 980 players applied for money to help pay for classes."

Orioles’ Top Draft Pick Machado Joins IronBirds, 1-for-3 in 11-5 Loss : The Dagger
"Starting at shortstop against the Vermont Lake Monsters, Manny Machado singled in the bottom of the third, popped out to second base in the bottom of the first, and flied out to left in the bottom of the fifth inning as Aberdeen’s bullpen surrendered eight runs in the 11-5 loss."

Steve Melewski: Manny looked good
"Machado went 1 for 3 with a single to center in the third. He crushed a ball in the fifth that was caught by the left fielder. In the field at short, he had just one ball hit to him but he made a highlight play out of it. It ended the Vermont fifth as he ranged up the middle to his left on a hard-hit ball, fielded it out by second base, spun around and threw out the runner." 

"The Bluefield Orioles won their final road game, defeating Johnson City 6-1 on Monday night at Cardinal Park."

Bye birds " Bluefield Daily Telegraph
"A doubleheader between the two local rivals, the result of a rainout earlier this season, will end the regular season and close a chapter in Bluefield sports history."