masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIn a bit of a surprise, Ryan Flaherty returned to the Orioles today. He will bat eighth and start at second base tonight against the Nationals. He got the phone call from Norfolk manager Ron Johnson to head to the airport and here he is, already back at Camden Yards.

Flaherty was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk while Yamaico Navarro was optioned back to the Tides. Flaherty was sent to the minors following the game on May 18. In eight Triple-A games, he batted .265 with two homers and five RBIs….In a bit of a surprise, Ryan Flaherty returned to the Orioles today. He will bat eighth and start at second base tonight against the Nationals. He got the phone call from Norfolk manager Ron Johnson to head to the airport and here he is, already back at Camden Yards.

Flaherty was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk while Yamaico Navarro was optioned back to the Tides. Flaherty was sent to the minors following the game on May 18. In eight Triple-A games, he batted .265 with two homers and five RBIs. He had four multi-hit games and homered in two of his last three games.

He went 9-for-34 with Norfolk with a .756 OPS, batting .188 against left handers and .333 against right-handed pitching.

“I didn’t know when it was going to happen. It’s a nice little surprise and good to be back,” Flaherty said.

“Yeah, you know, I tried to work on some things in the week or so I was down there. Go down there, get my feet back under me and come back and try to help this team.”

Did he work on the physical and mental aspects of his game with Norfolk?

“I think both, some stuff physical, but a lot of mental stuff. Things like that, just trying to work on some things,” he said.

When he left the Orioles, he was batting just .133 in 30 games. He went 0-for-4 on May 15 with three strikeouts against San Diego and he heard some boo birds that day.

He agreed that maybe getting a short break from the pressure of the big leagues did him some good.

“I’m sure every time you get out of the environment for a little bit, it can take some of the pressure off,” he said. “But you want to play good wherever you are, down there, too.”