Former Oriole Flirts with No Hitter in Minors

Garrett Olson,the Birds' Minor League Player of the Year in 2006, is again making noise in the minors, this time with the Tacoma Rainiers, Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Garrett Olson is finding his groove in a new organization, and he's making the transition look easy.

The left-hander tossed 6 1/3 no-hit innings Thursday night as the Tacoma Rainiers cruised to a 6-1 victory over the visiting Fresno Grizzlies.

Olson, a supplemental first-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles out of Cal Poly in 2005, finally yielded a single to the Grizzlies' Matt Downs with one out in the seventh inning. He finished his night having allowed a run on one hit with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 frames.

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But on Jan. 18, the Orioles traded him to the Chicago Cubs who flipped him to the Mariners just 10 days later.

The change of scenery seems to be suiting him well, and Olson said his new coaches have encouraged him to keep things simple and just pitch.

"I'm just trying to get on top of the ball and manage the game one pitch at a time rather than one at-bat or one inning," he said. "I've found a way to be more consistent getting on top of the ball this season."