Single-A Hagerstown Suns right fielder Kevin Keyes has made the most of his opportunity in his second season in the Nationals organization after a rough opening campaign in Vermont. "Last year this time I was disappointed (with my play). I didn't do so well in Vermont. It was a wake up call," Keyes said. "I worked very hard to get better and it has paid off. I have concentrated on improving my swing and defense." Keyes said it was difficult to get his approach at the plate down on a...

For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Robert Andino 3B Nolan Reimold LF Ryan Adams 2B Zach Britton LHP Brian Roberts is at Tropicana Field. He's scheduled to meet with reporters in manager Buck Showalter's office around 5:10 p.m. His interview will air on O's Xtra on MASN2, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Update: Roberts told reporters that he's continuing to progress, but while he hasn't ruled out playing...

The Washington Nationals today recalled outfielder Roger Bernadina from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Bernadina is batting .247 with nine doubles, two triples, five home runs, 20 RBI, 16 stolen bases and 35 runs scored in 71 games this season with Washington. The 27-year-old has excelled at Nationals Park in 2011, hitting .320 with eight doubles, four home runs and...

I've warned you that math isn't my thing, and it challenged me again this week during the flurry of 40-man roster moves. It reminded me of the ol' shell game. Guys were moving on and off the roster so fast, my eyes began to cross. I thought Mark Hendrickson's addition after his 48-hour removal, and the Michael Gonzalez trade, left the Orioles without any more room for an outsider. I had Hendrickson pegged as the 40th. Mike Ballard and Mitch Atkins came off, Kyle Hudson and Rick VandenHurk...

With four games to go, the Single-A Frederick Keys are putting the finishing touches on an excellent regular season and gearing up for the Carolina League playoffs. At 79-56, the Keys have the best record in the league despite losing five of the last six games. Frederick won the first half and leads the second half by a half-game over Potomac at 38-28. The Keys are already assured of having their best record ever. The 2005 team went 79-61 and this team will finish better than that even if it...

I assume everyone's going to the ballpark Tuesday to see Stephen Strasburg pitch, right? I've got my ticket. Reports indicate Strasburg will be limited to five innings or 80 pitches, which means we're unlikely to see any 14-strikeout, no-walks craziness on the second coming. But hey, you never know. If he keeps his pitch count low enough, five innings provides 15 outs to work with. If Strasburg strikes out just a handful of batters, it will be OK with me. Even a no strikeout game would...

I'm dealing with serious laptop issues today, so you'll have to be patient with me. I had to borrow my daughter's computer, which made her a little uncomfortable. I could tell. And I don't know why. It's not like a teenage girl has anything to hide from her father. I had to charge the battery, download Verizon wireless and basically bring it back to life. Unfortunately, it doesn't have everything that I need to make this blog function at its usual efficiency, but I'm getting some...

The Single-A Potomac Nationals have not only advanced to the postseason again, but now have their sights set on the Northern Division crown after a 5-1 victory at Lynchburg. Paul Demny was at the top of his game over seven innings, allowing just five hits, no runs, one walk and six strikeouts for his 10th win of season. Zach Walters had three hits and scored two runs to lead Potomac's offense. With the win and Frederick's loss in Kinston, the P-Nats move within a half-game of the Keys for...

Does anyone really have an answer to that question? Everyone has a theory, but can anyone really say that any one of them will make the Orioles a competitive team in 2012? Yu Darvish is the latest Japanese superstar rumored to be on his way to America. The half-Iranian, half-Japanese Darvish will likely command a ridiculous posting fee to even begin negotiations. I don't see the Orioles doing that, so put it out of your minds. The Orioles are more likely to be involved with a free agent like...

I appreciated the many responses I got on Twitter yesterday when I tweeted my confusion over the Orioles' acquisition of right-handed pitcher Pedro Strop. It was announced that he was claimed on waivers but also some reports said he was claimed as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mike Gonzalez to Texas. I was confused about that. If he was the player to be named later, why did the O's have to then also claim him on waivers, I wondered. As an aside here, yes it is a slow...