After winning the first game of their playoff series with Potomac on Wednesday, Frederick lost the last three games of this series and the Keys season ended with tonight's 10-3 loss at Potomac.
The Nationals advance to face Winston-Salem for the Carolina League championship after taking the series, three wins to one.
Frederick starter Luis Noel gave up four runs over 2 2/3 and Keys starters allowed 17 earned runs over 11 1/3 in the series.
Ronnie Welty hit a solo homer and Tyler Townsend...
It's Jeremy Guthrie vs. Max Scherzer tonight at Detroit.
It's 0-0 after four innings, but each team has had scoring chances and they have combined to leave 11 on base.
The O's just loaded the bases on three singles with one out in the fourth, but Scherzer fanned Josh Bell and Cesar Izturis to end that threat.
Scherzer is 4-3, 2.15 in 11 second-half starts.
Guthrie has allowed five hits in four innings, but no runs to the Tigers so far.
Detroit is 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position...
After losing 7-1 at Potomac last night, the Frederick Keys need to win two games in two days to advance to the Mills Cup finals vs. Winston-Salem.
Frederick trails the best-of-five series, 2-1, heading into tonight's game four at Potomac where Luis Noel (3-2, 6.18) pitches for the Keys vs. right-hander Marcos Frias (7-5, 5.69).
Frias is 1-1, 7.31 in three starts vs. Frederick on the year.
How some Keys hitters have fared in this series:
Miguel Abreu: 3 for 12
Xavier Avery: 0 for 10
Pedro...
I've heard some fans say one reason the Orioles are playing so much better under Buck Showalter is because he is not afraid to kick some players' butts if needed and they know that.
While that may be true, it seems to me that, rather than confront players and get on them to make them play better, Buck has boosted the confidence of the players and convinced them they are pretty good, or they wouldn't be here.
Check out this article from Peter Gammons where he talks about Buck improving the...
Two innings after he dropped a foul pop that cost the Orioles, Matt Wieters hit a fly ball of his own that scored a run to give the Orioles the lead.
Wieters came up with the bases loaded and one out in the 8th and his sac fly to right gave the O's a 4-3 lead. Adam Jones followed with an RBI single as the two-run 8th lifted the O's to a 6-3 win at Detroit.
Jim Hunter asks Buck Showalter about the O's 6-3 win over the Tigers
The Orioles are now 10-2 in series openers under Buck...
After missing out on their first three-game sweep at New York in 24 years, the Orioles' road trip resumes at Detroit tonight where the Tigers host the O's in game one of a three-game series.
The Orioles were also looking for the season's first five-game winning streak, but didn't get it on Wednesday. They have won four in a row six times.
The Orioles have won eight of the past 12 games and are 21-14 under Buck Showalter They are 6-4-1 in 11 series since Showalter took over after...
The Potomac Nationals pushed across a run in the top of the 7th vs. Nate Nery to break a 4-4 tie as the Nationals beat Frederick tonight 5-4 at Harry Grove Stadium. The win evens their best-of-five Northern Division Championship Series at a game each.
The Keys took a 1-0 lead in the second when L.J. Hoes doubled and scored on Miguel Abreu's single.
Frederick took a 4-1 lead by scoring three runs in the 4th. Billy Rowell doubled and scored on an error and catcher Brian Ward added a two-run...
Frederick hosts Potomac tonight in game two of the Carolina League playoffs after last night's wild, 10-9 win.
It was a game where the teams combined for 15 runs in the first inning, then each scored once in the ninth. The Nationals scored to tie the game and Frederick's run won it in walk-off fashion.
Attempting to throw Miguel Abreu out on a sac bunt, league MVP, first baseman Tyler Moore of Potomac, hit Abreu with his throw and that allowed L.J. Hoes to score the game-ending run all the...
After giving up a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, the Frederick Keys scored on a throwing error to win the game in the last of the ninth. They won a game in which they trailed 8-0 after the top of the first inning.
L.J Hoes led off the ninth with a bloop single to right, his second hit. Then Miguel Abreu dropped a bunt and first baseman Tyler Moore threw toward first and the ball hit Abreu and went down the right-field line. Hoes scampered around all the way from first to score the...
Frederick took a 9-8 lead on Potomac to the ninth tonight, but Derek Norris led off the inning with a homer to right off Will Startup and this game is tied 9-9 in the ninth.
Potomac had not scored since its big first inning until that home run.
Frederick had rallied from the first-inning 8-0 deficit to lead but now the game is tied.
The Keys will bring up L.J Hoes, Miguel Abreu and Tyler Townsend in the last of the ninth to go for the walk-off win.
This game has settled down.
We have seen just one run scored since that explosion.
So, Frederick and Potomac are tied 8-8 and we've now played four innings at Harry Grove Stadium.
Here is the recap from the wacky 44-minute first inning.
Lefty Cole McCurry, who replaced Keys starter Oliver Drake in the first, has pitched well. He has given up just one hit and no runs over 3 1/3 innings.
Righty Pat Lehman came on for Potomac to start the second after starter Danny Rosenbaum was charged...
Six batters into this game, Frederick was trailing Potomac, 5-0.
Oliver Drake is struggling with his control. He walked three of the first four batters, gave up an RBI single and then a Grand Slam to Jamar Walton for the 5-0 edge.
After a diving catch by left fielder Kyle Hudson, Robby Jacobsen hit a solo homer to center for a 6-0 lead.
After two more walks, manager Orlando Gomez walked to the mound and Cole McCurry came on. Drake threw 41 pitches, just 18 for strikes.
Drake's ERA in the...
Even though Frederick played better in the first half, with a record of 41-29 as opposed to 31-39 in the second half, Keys third baseman Billy Rowell says his team is upbeat and excited about the playoffs as the Keys host Potomac tonight in game one of a best-of-five series.
"It's a good atmosphere right now. Both teams have good hitters so I think it's going to be a game where we have to score some runs. Maybe we can get into their bullpen early so by game three we can be deep into their...
After nearly driving off I-70 as I heard Joe Angel's call of that Swisher homer, I managed to stay in my lane long enough to make it here to Frederick for the start of the Carolina League playoffs.
Here are the lineups for game one of tonight's best-of-five series:
Potomac Nationals:
2B - Dan Lyons
C - Derek Norris
RF - Bill Rhinehart
1B - Tyler Moore
DH - Sean Rooney
LF - Jamar Walton
SS - Jose Lozada
3B - Robby Jacobsen
CF - Chris Curran
P - Danny Rosenbaum
Frederick Keys:
CF - Xavier...
The Frederick Keys just got a little better.
They have added 20-year-old outfielder Xavier Avery from Bowie for the playoffs. Avery spent most of this year with Frederick and in 109 games batted .280-4-48 with 73 runs and 28 steals.
Frederick also added RHP David Walters from Delmarva and infielders Miguel Abreu and Buck Britton rejoined the team from Triple-A Norfolk.
Walters went 2-1, 4.91 with four saves in 25 2/3 innings with the Shorebirds.
Mychal Givens and Jonathan Schoop, who...
Some O's stats and facts to consider as they now have a 21-13 record since Buck Showalter took over. That is the second best record in the AL in that time, best among AL East clubs and a winning percentage of .618.
The O's last playoff team, the 1997 Orioles, went 98-64 for a .605 winning percentage.
The last two games, the young guns of Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta are a combined 2-0, 3.65 vs. NY while Burnett and Sabathia are 0-2, 6.08.
Sabathia and Burnett have made 590 career starts...
In baseball's version of a stunning upset, the Orioles beat CC Sabathia, denied him his 20th win, ended his 21-game home unbeaten streak and now have a chance to sweep the Yankees in New York for the first time in 24 years.
Yes, the O's had a good night in the Bronx.
Jake Arrieta allowed just two runs for his second win this year vs. the Yankees and the Birds scored three in the first off Sabathia in a 6-2 win.
Gary Thorne talks with Buck Showalter after the O's 6-2 win over the...
As expected, another Major League team has taken over in Bluefield, where the O's affiliate recently played its last game with Baltimore as its parent club.
Toronto has signed a four-year working agreement to supply players to the Appy League team and rename them the Bluefield Blue Jays.
Had no big league team taken over there, the Orioles would have stayed on with Bluefield, but that was not expected to happen.
Here is the story about Toronto adding Bluefield from MLB.com.
This would not be an upset on a par, say, like the Jets over the Colts in Super Bowl III, but the O's and Arrieta over the Yankees and Sabathia would be an eye opener.
My eyes opened wide when Nolan Reimold hit that shot halfway to Brooklyn for a 5-1 lead.
Keep in mind, Sabathia had these stats entering this start:
*11-0, 2.27 this year in 14 home starts.
*He is unbeaten in his last 21 starts at home dating to last year's All-Star break, going 16-0, 2.05 with a .197 batting average...
Despite the fact he almost never plays, Jake Fox remains an upbeat, optimistic, hard-working guy.
He says he feels certain the Orioles will give him a chance, but it sure hasn't happened yet.
Fox has just 19 at bats since August 1 and has started just one of the last 17 O's games.
"I know at some point, I will get my opportunity to show them what I can do. I know it's coming. I've had conversations with Buck and I know it's going to happen," Fox told me during the last...
