Triple-A Norfolk center fielder Felix Pie left tonight's game in the top of the fourth inning with a strained hamstring. My guess is he'll be listed as day-to-day. Pie grounded to short to end the bottom of the third, making him 0-for-2 and leaving his average at .250. Tyler Henson moved to center as Pie's replacement, Brandon Snyder went from first base to left field, and Adam Donachie took over as the first baseman and leadoff hitter - something you're not likely to see happen again with...

The Orioles scored six runs Thursday against Toronto. They may not get to that total tonight facing Tampa's David Price. He is a pitcher on a roll right now. Price has an ERA of 1.45 over his last four starts and has allowed a batting average of just .173 in those starts. He went 3-2 with an ERA of 2.13 in six August starts. He is coming off an outing where he set a Tampa single-game record with 14 strikeouts. He pitched seven shutout innings of three-hit ball Sunday at Toronto with the 14...

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...