The Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game is Saturday at Salt River Fields and high Single-A Potomac manager Tripp Keister will manage the East Division All-Stars. Keister has guided the Salt River Rafters (10-6) to a first-place showing to begin the fall campaign. He will be joined by right-hander Abel De Los Santos, who will represent the Nationals on the East squad. Anthony Rendon, Brian Goodwin, Bryce Harper, Derek Norris, Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen have represented the Nationals in...

Right-hander Dylan Bundy's seven-pitch outing in the Arizona Fall League yesterday certainly attracted attention. Even though he got three outs so fast that if you blinked, you may have missed it, some fans were no doubt excited that Bundy was back on a mound. It was his first outing in a game since he pitched four scoreless innings for Double-A Bowie on May 21 at Trenton. At that point, Bundy's comeback from Tommy John surgery on June 27, 2013 was just about complete. His command was coming...

Though the Nationals were expected to announce this week that they had selected former Padres skipper Bud Black as their new manager, multiple reports tonight suggest that talks between the parties have hit a snag and that the team will move instead to hire Dusty Baker. According to John Heyman of CBSSports.com, the reported deal between the Nats and Black has not been finalized and the team is thought to be turning its attentions to Baker, the former manager of the Giants, Cubs and Reds. Bob...

Dylan Bundy came out of yesterday's Arizona Fall League start feeling good about the condition of his right arm, his velocity and his overall performance. Bundy said he threw six fastballs among his seven pitches while retiring the Mesa Solar Sox in order in the first inning. His strikeout came on a slider in the dirt. "It was only seven pitches, so it was kind of quick," said Bundy, who was added to the Peoria Javelinas roster last week. "I was hoping they'd let me go back out there since...

Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy retired the side in order in his only inning today for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. Bundy needed only seven pitches to dispose of the Mesa Solar Sox. He threw five strikes. Bundy, 22, induced a fly ball to center field by Chad Hinshaw, struck out Daniel Robinson on four pitches and induced a fly ball to right field by Wilson Contreras. Lucas Sims replaced him in the bottom of the second inning. Orioles top catching prospect Chance...

The Orioles have reinstated pitcher Dylan Bundy from the 60-day disabled list as he prepares for today's start in the Arizona Fall League. Bundy, 22, has been added to the Peoria Javelinas roster and is in Mesa to face the Solar Sox. He's taking the roster spot vacated by pitcher Jon Keller, who's sidelined with a sore oblique muscle. Bundy flew to Arizona last Monday after completing a throwing program in Sarasota. He hasn't pitched in a game in six months. The Orioles placed Bundy on the...

The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated right-hander Dylan Bundy from the 60-day disabled list. Bundy, 22, was recalled from Double-A Bowie and placed on the 60-day DL on September 24 with a right shoulder strain. In eight starts with the Baysox this season, he went 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA (9 ER/22.0 IP) and 25 strikeouts. He is currently ranked by MLB.com as the No. 2 Orioles prospect. With this move, the Orioles now have 35 players on their 40-man Major League roster.

Catcher Spencer Kieboom has done nice job so far in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters. He has seven hits, one homer and four RBIs in eight games. He has four walks and six strikeouts and his on-base percentage is .379. Kieboom has had seven hits in his last six games. He hit .248 in 71 games for high Single-A Potomac. This is a great sign for Kieboom, who had to battle through a concussion this season while with Potomac. He is also getting a chance to compare notes with catcher...

This week, the news converges: The Kansas City Royals celebrate their first World Series title in three decades and the Nationals will announce that Bud Black will be their new manager. Black, a left-handed pitcher, was the Royals' No. 4 starter in 1985, the year the Royals beat St. Louis in seven games in the World Series. Black started Game 4 in Busch Stadium, getting beaten by John Tudor 3-0. Black pitched five innings and gave up home runs to Willie McGee and Tito Landrum. Black is known...

Pitching and defense still win championships, and you can add speed and smart baserunning as the other valuable components. The Royals taught the Mets a valuable lesson in the World Series, winning the title in five games. I picked them to do it in six. The zombie analogy still holds. You can't kill the Royals. They didn't just get hot at the right time. Love 'em or hate 'em, they were the best team in baseball. They also opened the doors to the free agent market, which now includes Chris...