TILLMAN! PEGUERO! BoDEANS!

As I mentioned on Twitter, last night was a good night for ex-Rattlers.

Chris Tillman ('07) tosses a no-hitter for Norfolk at Gwinnett in the International League.

Less than two weeks after the Atlanta Braves were no hit, so were the G-Braves.

Chris Tillman did the honors for Norfolk at Coolray Field, allowing just two base runners and facing only one batter over the minimum thanks to a double play as the Tides won 6-0.

It was the first no-hitter in the International League since 2006 and the first thrown against Atlanta’s Class AAA team since Richmond was the victim in 1993.

Gwinnett’s Matt Young grounded out to end the game and touch off a Norfolk celebration at the mound as Tillman was mobbed by his teammates.

“It was amazing, man,” Tillman said afterward. “I felt really good and my team played great behind me. This is fun.”

Tillman, who turned 22 on April 15, finished last year in Baltimore’s starting rotation and was expected to be there at the start of this season.

The right-hander lost his spot during spring training, however, and was hammered in his first three starts with Norfolk .

Unfortunately, Tillman was already back on track before he faced the G-Braves after pitching eight strong innings in a victory over Charlotte last week.

“I was working on some things the Orioles wanted me to in the first couple of starts,” Tillman said of his rough outings. “Then they said just go out and have fun and do your own thing.”

Tillman's from California, right? If you blinked back in 2007, you may have missed his time with the Rattlers. He was 1-4 in eight starts - and maybe two or three of those eight starts were good ones. He was off to the California League before Memorial Day. Then, he was involved in the Erik Bedard trade that was going to win the M's the pennant...or something.

Carlos Peguero was a power prospect of the Mariners who played in Wisconsin in for 79 games in 2007. He hit nine home runs in 297 at bats and he was shutdown before August.

Last season, he hit 31 homers in High Desert.

This year in the Southern League...Well..

The 23-year-old left fielder hit the fourth pitch of the game from Mobile's Barry Enright (0-1) over the right-field fence. After lining out and singling, he led off the eighth inning with a shot over the right-center field wall, then capped his first four-hit game of the season with a two-run blast in the ninth.

Peguero has six homers in his last seven games and nine this season, tying him with Jacksonville's Mike Stanton for the league lead.

On freaking fire!

From the Mobile Press-Register

West Tenn leadoff batter Carlos Peguero was the main obstacle for the BayBears, blasting three home runs and driving in four runs. He hit four home runs in the series and now is tied for the Southern League lead with nine.

"I just stayed focused and didn't try to do too much," Peguero said. "The whole team pulled together, and good things happen when you do that."

Good things. Awesome BoDeans song, by the way.

A few reviews are in

Chris Tillman's first major league start gets some attention in Baltimore.

Tillman's debut not so smooth
Rookie pitcher shows promise but allows 3 homers in 4 2/3 innings

Chris Tillman's night began with a torrential downpour that delayed his first major league pitch, and it ended with a standing ovation from the Camden Yards crowd. The reason for the reception was more about what Tillman might bring to the Orioles in the future and not what he was able to deliver Wednesday night.

Tillman, the 21-year-old right-hander, got a rocky introduction to the major leagues, alllowing three solo homers and lasting just 4 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals. But the night was not without glimpses of the promise that made Tillman the organization's most prized pitching prospect, and has fans so excited about the days ahead. And it was also not without a much-needed win for the home team, which finally found some elusive hits with runners in scoring position.

Reaction from the rookie.

"That was pretty special," said Tillman, who was acquired last February from the Seattle Mariners in the Erik Bedard deal. "It feels good. I've heard a lot about these fans here. … I was kind of disappointed at the time with the way the game turned out. Obviously, it was the first time I've had an ovation like that. Other than that, I really [didn't] know what to think."

All-Star center fielder Adam Jones, also acquired in the Bedard deal - which is looking better every day - hit a two-run homer in the first off Greinke, the third straight game he has connected for a first-inning homer. Jones tied the score in the seventh with an RBI double off the scoreboard in right. Nick Markakis followed with a go-ahead two-run single, and he and Aubrey Huff added RBI hits in the eighth.

Bedard deal? Oh, right. That's how they got him.

From Connolly's Corner Sports Bar

Chris Tillman’s first start is in the books.

Here’s a bet: He will have better outings in his Orioles’ career.

The 21-year-old super prospect struggled some, allowing three home runs, including two solo shots in the second inning. He’s entitled. He had to be pretty nervous Wednesday.

Tonight's the night

Chris Tillman is about to become the second Timber Rattlers alumni since last Saturday to become make his major league debut.

O's set to unveil prospect Tillman

He hasn't thrown a pitch in a Major League game, but Chris Tillman is already earning flattering comments from his teammates, even regarding his physical makeup.

"He's tall, handsome and lanky," fellow rookie David Hernandez quipped. "When I left Norfolk he was just starting to get going, and if he just pitches how he pitches, he shouldn't change a thing when he's up there."

Wednesday, Tillman will be the latest Oriole to make his big league debut.

Good luck, Chris. It's just the Royals, but still....

You can buy time? Really?

That's what the Orioles are doing...for their prospects...including Chris Tillman ('07).

Orioles trying to buy time for prospects
With eye toward future, team rebuilding rotation for now

Now, Baltimore's main goal is to sign enough veteran arms to allow its pitching prospects time to develop. The Orioles have a wave of highly touted arms -- including but not limited to first-round draftee Brian Matusz, trade acquisition Chris Tillman and fast-rising prospect Jake Arrieta -- that could begin to make their presence felt either late next season or early in 2010.

Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, has said on multiple occasions that he doesn't want to force any of his prospects onto the big league staff until he's sure they're ready. That newfound prudence is perhaps a reflection of last season, when young arms like Brian Burres, Radhames Liz and Garrett Olson experienced major growing pains in the Majors.

Sounds like a plan. They need one in the same division as the Yankees...the Red Sox...the defending AL champion Rays...and the Blue Jays.

Looking into the crystal ball

Dean Jones, Jr of the Baltimore Sun has a predict the future post on ex-Rattler Chris Tillman ('07).

Let Tillman start the year in Bowie. If he starts strong, the Orioles should be willing to find room in Norfolk to continue his development. Tillman shouldn’t struggle since he’s already been through a full season in the Eastern League. If that happens, however, he’ll have plenty of time to work out the problems without facing the pressure to succeed at a higher level.

I think Tillman will pitch well in the first half of the season in Bowie and earn a promotion to Norfolk around the All-Star break. Look for him to be among the leaders in the Eastern League in wins, strikeouts and ERA when he’s called up from Double-A. He may struggle to adapt to Triple-A at first, especially if the Orioles put him in Norfolk to begin the season, but Tillman should continue to develop along the path to the majors in 2009.

But, how does the new setup for powerball affect my odds of winning?

Other ex-Rattlers

I see that Chris Tillman ('07) has been assigned to the Bowie Baysox, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Joining him is another Rattler alum, Michael Garciaparra ('03).

Gotta run. Overtime for the Badger hockey game is just about to start.

It's down in the story

Larry Stone has a piece in the Seattle Times today. The main part is how the M's could do what the Rockies did last year.

The Colorado Rockies last year become the latest team to escape a dreaded club, which is now down to just four members.

The Rays. The Rangers. The Expos/Nationals. And the Mariners.

Those, of course, are the only teams in baseball that have never been to the World Series.

Last March, the Rockies had little clue that, in seven months, they would join the Diamondbacks, Angels and Astros — three teams that went to their first World Series in the 2000s.

Farther down in the story is the part on an ex-Rattler:

Asked early in Baltimore camp about Chris Tillman, one of the touted pitchers acquired from Seattle in the Bedard trade, Trembley said, "Mr. MacPhail [Orioles president Andy MacPhail] has kiddingly told everybody, 'I'd better hurry up and get him out of here before all the pitching coaches decide to keep him here.'

"He's a guy who makes it look very easy, with his size and his mechanics on the mound. He looks like he's been here before."

Tillman, 19, made it into two spring games (two innings, three hits, one earned run) before being reassigned to minor-league camp last week. He's likely to start the year at Class AA.

The Class AA team for the O's is the Bowie Baysox of the Eastern League.