Millar's Hits Are Scarce This Season

ANAHEIM, Calif., May 4 -- Before the Baltimore Orioles lost, 6-5, to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, first baseman Kevin Millar went through a laundry list of things he's tried in an effort to avoid his annual slow start, which has been particularly bad this season.

"Like [Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman] Adam LaRoche said, 'I've tried to hunt less, and I've hunted more,' " Millar said. "I've hit more and I've hit less in the offseason. I've lifted before games and I've lifted after games."

But Millar, who called his April struggles a "miserable scene," finally showed signs of breaking free. He drove in two runs with two singles.

"It felt good. I was just trying to stay on the ball," he said. "I had some hits to right and center and like I said, you just have to have a plan and stay with it."

Entering the game, Millar was hitting .204 this season, which included a .222 average for April. At the beginning of the road trip, Trembley dropped Millar from the cleanup spot to sixth.

"My biggest thing right now that kind of made me angry is I'm swinging at bad pitches to drive," Millar said.

Saunders Seamless, So Far

Angels starter Joe Saunders, a native of Springfield, became just the third pitcher in franchise history to open a season 6-0 or better after beating the Orioles on Sunday. The former Virginia Tech star struggled during his toughest outing of the season -- allowing 12 hits and four earned runs in five innings -- but the Angels' offense was able to pick him up.

Saunders (2.61 ERA) has been sharp otherwise, and entered the game after allowing 17 hits in his last three starts combined.

Tightness for Sarfate

Orioles reliever Dennis Sarfate felt tightness in his side while pitching the eighth inning on Sunday, though he didn't leave the game after being checked out by the team's trainers.

"He's fine," Manager Dave Trembley said. "I thought it was his shoulder because I saw him grab his shoulder. It wasn't that. It was more the side, more his lat area. I guess he worked out after the game yesterday afternoon and he was just tight. It had nothing to do with him throwing the ball."

Wieters Swinging a Hot Bat

Catcher Matt Wieters went 3 for 5 with two RBI for Class A Frederick on Sunday. Wieters, the Orioles' first-round pick in last season's first-year player draft, raised his average to .341 27 games into his first professional season. . . . Right fielder Nick Markakis has hit safely in 29 of 31 games, including his sixth homer of the season, which came in the seventh inning against the Angels.

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