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...
The Frederick Keys host Potomac tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in game one of a best-of-five Northern Division playoff series. Oliver Drake (6-6, 4.36) will pitch vs. Potomac's Daniel Rosenbaum (3-2, 2.09) in the series opener.
Here is the schedule for this series:
Game one, Wednesday: Potomac at Frederick, 7 p.m.
Game two, Thursday: Potomac at Frederick, 7 p.m.
Game three, Friday: Frederick at Potomac, 7:03 p.m.
Game four, Saturday: Frederick at Potomac, 6:35 p.m. (if necessary)
Game five,...
When Joe Mahoney looks back on his 2010 season, bet he will fondly remember that month of July.
Not only did he get promoted from Frederick to Double-A Bowie on July 9th, but Mahoney took the Eastern League by storm and, for a few weeks, became the talk of the entire Orioles organization.
He went 3 for 3 with a homer in his first Bowie game, and, 14 games later was batting .453-6-14.
"It seemed like they were throwing everything down the middle and I wasn't missing pitches. Sometimes when...
Sweeping Los Angeles was nice. Winning games from the White Sox and Texas was a good accomplishment.
Winning versus AL East teams is most impressive of all.
The Orioles have now won three in a row from Tampa and New York, maybe the two best teams in the game, and are now 4-3 in a nine-game run versus Boston, Tampa and New York.
The Yankees have lost just four of 23 home series this year. That will become five if the O's win one of the next two games.
It wasn't just winning at New...
On a day when he appeared in discomfort several times throughout the game, Brian Roberts still went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI as the Orioles, behind Brian Matusz, beat the Yankees 4-3 in New York.
The O's got several clutch performances on a day where they knocked off the AL East leaders and the team with baseball's best record.
After a Roberts single gave the O's a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh, the Baltimore pen kept New York off the board in the final three frames.
Matt Albers pitched a...
A funny thing happened to the Bowie Baysox on the way to the playoffs.
They may not make it.
Trailing Harrisburg by one game for a playoff berth, they are trailing Richmond 4-3 in the last of the 8th in their final game of the regular season. With three more outs left, if they lose, they are eliminated from the race.
Mr. clutch, Joel Guzman is 3 for 4 today with 2 RBI and Brandon Waring has a solo homer, his 22nd. Caleb Joseph has two doubles.
Richmond scored four in the 4th. Now I'm ...
Somes notes on the Yankees and Orioles as the teams begin a three-game series today at New York.
*The Yankees are 86-51 and own baseball's best record. They are 30-19 in the second half and 29-21 vs. AL East clubs.
*Toronto's 7-3 win Sunday ended New York's eight-game win streak. The Yankiees are 14-5 over their last 19 games.
*They are 48-23 at home and are 16-4-3 in 23 home series this year. They are 105-47 (.691) since the start of last year at home and are 6-1 on their current...
It seems hard to believe, but it was 15 years ago today that Cal Ripken broke a record they said would never be broken.
He played in consecutive game number 2,131, surpassing Lou Gehrig's 56-year-old record.
The two-day celebration of 2130 and 2131 at Camden Yards was amazing and was voted Most Memorable Moment in baseball history by a fan vote.
Ripken threw out the first pitch on Sunday in Baltimore and later remembered that special time and those special two days.
"It was a...
The Bowie Baysox picked a bad time for their offense to go south.
Bowie was held scoreless on just two hits Sunday in a 1-0 loss at Richmond. Coupled with Harrisburg's 13-3 romp over Binghamton and Bowie is now one game back of the Senators for the final Eastern League playoff berth with one game to go.
Bowie needs to win Monday's Noon game at Richmond while Harrisburg loses its 1 p.m game at Binghamton. If that happens, the teams finish the regular season tied for second in their...
Some quotes from Chris Tillman, Nick Markakis and Corey Patterson after the Orioles 8-7 win over the Rays on Sunday.
It was the O's first series win this year vs. an AL East team other than Boston.
Tillman on his outing: "I felt good. Overall, I thought it went well. I think all my pitches were there. It kind of rolled over from Norfolk and I think that's a good thing.
"I just want to go out there and do my best, carry it over from Norfolk what I had going, and I think we're playing...