He pitched on the mound at Camden Yards yesterday and tonight he agreed to a contract with the Orioles. The Orioles this evening came to terms with a local Baltimore product, 19th-round draft pick Josh Hader, a left-handed pitcher from Old Mill High in Anne Arundel County, MASNsports.com has learned. The 6-foot-3, 160-lb. Hader had tremendous stats this season, going 10-0 with an ERA of 0.39. and he fanned 125 batters over 72 2/3 innings. Hader pitched two shutout innings yesterday at Camden...

There are so many great things about baseball and maybe at the top of the list is some of the people you meet along the way. I have met many memorable characters in this game and today I was sad to hear the news that one I met has passed away. Brooklyn Cyclones radio broadcaster Warner Fusselle died Sunday from an apparent heart attack. He was 68. I got to know Warner during the three years I was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Aberdeen IronBirds from 2004 through 2006. Warner was...

Another catcher in the Nationals' system who has had an outstanding start to the season is David Freitas of the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. The 23-year old Freitas leads Carolina League backstops with a .282 average and has hit nine doubles, three homers and 22 RBIs in 46 games. On Monday, Freitas was named a starter for the California-Carolina League All-Star Game, which will be played June 19 in Winston-Salem, N.C. "David continues to make strides in all parts of his game and has...

Major League Baseball released the latest All-Star Game vote totals in the American League, and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters has dropped to third behind the Rangers' Mike Napoli and the Twins' Joe Mauer. Wieters was second a week ago, but Mauer has passed him with 912,997 votes. Wieters has received 904,425 votes. J.J. Hardy ranks third among shortstops. Robert Andino is fourth among second basemen, Adam Jones ranks fifth among outfielders, and Nick Markakis slipped to 15th among...

When hitting right-handed, Danny Espinosa feels like he's on top of the world. He's locked in, is seeing the ball well and is doing some serious damage when he puts it in play. "I feel like no one can get me out," Espinosa said this weekend. "I feel pretty good. I have a good approach up there. I know what I can hit, and I know what I can't hit. I feel good." The problem is, while he's excelling when hitting right-handed, Espinosa is struggling mightily when swinging from the left...

In the baseball world, interleague play is like the designated hitter: It creates controversy and debate, and it doesn't appear either is going away any time soon. Ever since becoming part of the landscape in 1997, players, managers and coaches have never liked the interleague format, which is based more on marketing and ticket sales than scheduling integrity. For example, they don't understand the fairness in the Braves having to play two interleague series against the Yankees while the...

Bryce Harper's back kept him out of the starting lineup yesterday. Today, Harper and his back are back. The 19-year-old returns to the Nationals' lineup today as Washington opens a three-game series against the Blue Jays. Tonight, they'll face Toronto righty Brandon Morrow, who is off to a very strong start to the 2012 season, going 7-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Manager Davey Johnson said after yesterday's game that he will be giving Roger Bernadina some more playing time in the coming days, and...

The most encouraging news on pitcher Zach Britton is he's in good health. As a bonus, he also says that his stuff is getting better. The results at Triple-A Norfolk might not reflect it, but he's looking beyond the statistics. First, here's what Britton says about his physical condition: "I'm feeling good. I definitely feel like I'm starting to get stronger. My arm is getting back in its natural slot, especially yesterday. I was definitely getting back to where I should be with my arm...

If you couldn't tell by his actions in the ninth inning yesterday, when he was ejected with his team one strike away from being swept, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine wasn't too pleased with the umpiring over the weekend. "I've got guys battling their butts off and it's not right," Valentine said after yesterday's game. "Good umpires had a real bad series this series, a real bad series. And it went one way. There should be a review." I doubt a review is coming, and personally, I...

The Orioles have now won nine extra-innings games in a row for the first time in team history. Here is what Matt Wieters said after yesterday's game when asked the key reason for the streak: "You know, it's the bullpen. The bullpen is doing a great job of just keeping teams where they are at. If you keep the other team from scoring, eventually someone will get the run. The bullpen has been great keeping us in games." If there is one segment of this team that has been rock solid...