Zach Davies will take the mound for the Keys tonight.  The twenty year old, six footer is 3-2 in eight games started this season.  He faced Salem in his last appearance and threw seven strikeouts in just 3.1 innings pitched.

Be sure to keep an eye out for designated hitter Michael Ohlman in tonight’s game.  He has recently come off the disabled list and will be batting in the third spot in tonight’s lineup.

In other Keys news, tonight is a very special night at the Grove.  Not only is it a Saturday night game, not only is it a firework night but tonight we have a very special guest… (drum roll please) The Man On Fire!

Yeah that is exactly what it sounds like. After tonight’s game the Man On Fire himself will run around the bases. You do NOT want to miss this one.

Be sure to come out to tonight’s game and support the Keys!!

*Do you Groupon? The Keys do. Check out this deal: two field seats to any Sunday-Thursday home game and a Keys hat for $20. Normally, that would run you $44. Buy it here.

*Read last night’s game recap on the Frederick Keys website here or on The Frederick News-Post’s website here.

On the mound for the Keys in tonight’s matchup is Zach Petersime.  The six foot four, 24-year old starter is looking for his second win of the season.

The Keys’ starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Salem Red Sox

Be sure to keep your eyes open for Michael Ohlman during tonights game.  Ohlman played in his first game back from the disabled list last night where he went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.  He will be the designated hitter in tonight’s lineup, batting in the fifth position.

*Do you Groupon? The Keys do. Check out this deal: two field seats to any Sunday-Thursday home game and a Keys hat for $20. Normally, that would run you $44. Buy it here.

*Read last night’s game recap on the Frederick Keys website here or on The Frederick News-Post’s website here.

Tim Berry will start for the Keys today

The skies are beginning to clear here in Frederick this morning so we will be playing baseball.  Today’s game is set to start at 11 a.m. gates open at 10. Hope to see you at the ballpark.

Lefty Tim Berry will start today’s game.  In eight starts, Berry is 2-2 with 46 strikeouts and a 3.50 ERA.  The 22-year old is rated by Baseball America as Baltimore’s 11th-best prospect entering the 2013 season.  The Keys ball club is 6-2 in games started by Berry.

Be sure to keep an eye on Michael Ohlman in today’s game.  After being recently taken off of the disabled list, Ohlman will be hitting in the fifth spot in the DH position.

Another player to take a look at is Johnny Ruettiger.  He will be batting in the number nine position playing left field.  Since moving out of the lead-off spot, Ruettiger is hitting .471 (11-23) with four RBIs. He is also in the middle of an eight game hitting streak.

Our very own broadcaster, Tim Murray, sat down with Ruettiger before last night’s postponed game.

Last night, Christian Walker went 4-4 with two RBI’s including a two out RBI in the bottom of the ninth that scored Travis Adair to send the game into extras.  Walker will bat tonight in the three spot.

Michael Ohlman is back in lineup for the Keys tonight after being reinstated from the disabled list.  He will bat in the six spot in tonight’s game.  In nine games this season, Ohlman hit .192 (6-33) with three RBI’s.

Another Key’s update, Keys’ outfielder Steve Bumbry has been promoted to Double-A Bowie.  The left-handed outfielder, originally from Lutheran, MD and son of former Oriole, Al Bumbry, played in 27 games for the Keys this season.  He batted .221 (21-95) with five home runs and 17 RBI’s. Wishing Bumbry the best of luck at the next level.

*Do you Groupon? The Keys do. Check out this deal: two field seats to any Sunday-Thursday home game and a Keys hat for $20. Normally, that would run you $44. Buy it here.

*Read last night’s game recap on the Frederick Keys website here or on The Frederick News-Post’s website here.

The Frederick Keys’ line-up for tonight’s game against the Potomac Nationals.

The Keys’ will start their six-game home stand tonight (May 21) at 7 pm against the Potomac Nationals.  After grabbing one of three games from the Red Sox in Salem Virginia, the Keys are looking forward to taking advantage of the home field advantage on a beautiful summer evening in Maryland.

After a hot game against the Red Sox on Sunday, Zane Chavez is hoping to have similar success in the five spot of tonight’s line-up.  Chavez went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.  The 27-year old catcher is batting .295 this season with 38 hits.

Keys 3B Nicky Delmonico spoke with Tim Murray prior to Friday’s game

It was not a pretty series opener for the Keys against the Salem Red Sox. The Salem Sox topped the Keys, 10-2. In the top of the second, Brenden Webb tied up the game at one with a RBI double down the right field line. C Allan de San Miguel scored on the play.

Webb finished up the game 2-for-4. Friday night was also the first time Webb started in center field during the 2013 season. His last start in CF came on August 18, 2012.

Prior to Friday night’s game, Keys 3B Nicky Delmonico chatted with Tim Murray on the Frederick Gorilla Pregame Show. Delmonico talked about coming back from his concussion, growing up in a baseball family, and his transition to third base.

Keys starter Tim Berry takes the hill for Frederick in Lynchburg tonight.

Tyler Wilson gave his performance of the season for the Keys last night, but Kyle Kubitza spoiled what looked like was going to be the Keys’ third straight win with a walk-off solo homer in the ninth inning. Frederick can still take the series tonight with a win. Tim Berry (2-2, 2.95) starts for the Keys.

*From last night’s game:

READ: The recap here. The box score here. And a story by Kent Zakour of The Gazette on Tommy Winegardner’s j0urney to the pitching mound in Frederick is here.

LISTEN: To last night’s Keys highlight of the game, Johnny Ruettiger’s two-RBI single.

Also, an interview with Keys reliever Zach Fowler.

For tonight’s game:

• Leads starters in ERA, ninth in the Carolina League.
• Struck out 11 Hillcats on April 17 but allowed four runs in six innings, taking his first loss on the season.
• Rated by Baseball America as Baltimore’s 11^th-best prospect.
• Drafted in the final (50^th) round of the 2009 draft by the Orioles after senior season of high school, during which he threw a no-hitter and then had Tommy John surgery.

LAST APPEARANCE FOR BERRY:

• Pitching in his 10th game of the season and making his third start; 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA as a starter and 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA as a reliever.
• Threw six scoreless, no-hit innings in his first start of the season on May 3 against Winston-Salem. Allowed 7 runs in 3.1 innings against Myrtle Beach six days later.
• Signed by Atlanta as a free agent out of independent leagues where he played two seasons. Pitched in 11 games in the Mexican League after signing.

Tyler Wilson starts tonight for the Keys knowing a win would put Frederick in first place.

Behind Eduardo Rodriguez’s stellar start, the Keys beat Lynchburg on the road last night, 7-2. Another win over the Hillcats tonight would put Frederick (20-17) a half game ahead of Lynchburg (20-16) and back into first place in the Carolina League North. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m.

*As for last night’s win:

READ: The recap’s here. Box score is here. Rodriguez has now won three starts in a row.

LISTEN: Christian Walker’s first Carolina League home run

*And as for tonight’s game, some notes:

• Has yet to make it out of fifth inning in a road start, exiting after four innings after allowing five runs, four earned, at Winston Salem in last start.
• Went 7-7 with a 3.49 ERA and a WHIP of 1.03 in ’12, making 19 starts for Frederick and striking out 114.
• Rated by Baseball America as the Orioles’ 26^th-best prospect.
• Won 22 games at UVA despite only starting as a senior, when he went 10-0 with a 2.24 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 16 starts. Drafted by the Orioles in 2011 in the 10th round.

LAST APPEARANCE FOR WILSON:

• Worked around eight base hits and a two walks over 5.2 innings at Carolina in his last start to pick up his third win of the season.
• He beat the Keys on April 17 for his first win of the season, striking out seven over five innings and allowing just an unearned run.
• Went 5-9 with a 4.04 ERA in 17 games, 15 starts, for Class-A Rome in 2012.
• Was drafted in the 16th round by Atlanta in the 2011 draft out of St. Joseph’s, where he split time as a starter and a reliever.

Chaz Packan sat down with first baseman Connor Narron for Q&A session in this edition of Rounding The Bases.

On Friday May 10^th I had the chance to sit down with Keys First Baseman Connor Narron for a “Keys Q & A” for this week’s edition of Rounding the Bases. Narron was sent to Delmarva on Sunday.

CP:  How do you feel about playing for the Frederick Keys?

CN: “I love it because my father was a manager here it’s a good opportunity to play in this ballpark and be close to home”.

CP: How does it feel from a personal perspective that your father was the first manager in Keys history and this is the 25^th season of Keys Baseball?

CN: “I actually didn’t know he managed here until everybody around here told me and its pretty cool to put the same uniform on that he did 25 years ago”.

CP: What are your earliest memories of baseball?

CN: “Being in the clubhouse with my dad seeing all the big league players and future hall of famers and how they go about their business”.

CP: Having been around the game of baseball growing up, who did you look up to in the major leagues as your role model?

CN: “Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and A-Rod before the steroid rumors because they all played for my dad”.

CP: Each player takes a different approach to hitting whether hot or cold, as a player how do you approach each at bat depending on the situation?

CN: “I try to see what the pitcher can throw for a strike during warm-ups and during the game I see if he’s throwing strikes if he is not throwing strikes I sit on a fastball the rest of the at-bat”.

CP: What are your thoughts on the team’s performance so far this season?

CN: “Our pitching is doing a great job so far, our hitting has not really came about but once we start hitting we will be pretty dangerous”.

CP: What was your first reaction to being drafted by the Orioles in the 2010 draft?

CN:  “Growing up I always wanted to play professional baseball and win a world championship my dad was with the big league club in 1991 so it’s a true blessing to be on a ball club my dad was with and be close to home”.

 *The Keys begin six-game road trip tonight at Lynchburg at 6:05 p.m. Game notes below:

• Has won his last two starts, combining for 13 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 BB and 10 K
• Rated by Baseball America as the fifth-best prospect in Orioles organization and third-best pitching prospect behind 2012 Keys Dylan Bundy & Kevin Gausman.
• Potentially could be the first Venezuelan player signed, developed and promoted to the majors by Baltimore.
• At age 20, he is the youngest player on the Keys’ roster by two months; Zach Davies, also 20, is the second youngest.

LAST APPEARANCE FOR RODRIGUEZ:

• Won his first three starts of the season before lasting just an inning his last start on Saturday, allowing four runs on five hits to Carolina.
• Pitched for Class-A Rome in 2012 and finished the season in the rotation, starting seven games. Went 2-1 with 4.31 ERA as a starter and 3-0 with a 3.79 as a reliever
• Drafted in the 21st round out of UNC-Greensboro by Atlanta in 2011
   

DELMONICO GOING DEEP: After missing three weeks with a concussion, Nicky Delmonico has returned to the lineup and tallied a single hit in both of the Keys’ games – a home run. Delmonico’s four long balls this season tie him for the team-lead. He hit a pair of homers against Lynchburg at Harry Grove Stadium in April.

 Shake your Keys.

Fans were here early for the Manny Machado bobbleheads on May 11th.

Welcome to the first Keys Monday Mailbox. On Mondays throughout the season, we will be fielding fan questions about the team, front office and other various topics. Let’s get to it.

On game days, what time do players arrive at the stadium and do any have game day rituals they follow? – Lari Lee

Players normally arrive around 1pm for 7pm games, so approximately 5-6 hours before first pitch. Upon arrival, some players work on their hitting in the batting cage while others can be seen doing their various workout activities around the stadium. A few players are seen doing what is known as a  tour de stade, which is when you run up and down all of the steps in the stadium. For you Lost fans out there, Jack Shepherd did this in the show during some of his flashbacks. Players and coaches head out for BP and infield practice around 4pm, with the visiting team following them at 5pm. After that, if the players need treatment from the training staff, they get that – if they don’t need that, the guys have a snack, break out a deck of cards and get ready for the game.

As for game day rituals, Keys pitcher Tyler Wilson is the one that comes to mind. Before each game, he has a peanut butter sandwich, sends the same text message to his mom and he also jumps over the foul line when he goes on and off of the field. Whether you consider it a ritual or not may be up to you, but many players change their walk-out songs a few times a year, if not more. Since joining the Keys last season, Wilson has stuck to the song “My Life Be Like (Ooh-Aah)” by the Grits. Take a listen if you’d like. We may have to research some more of these, because I am sure there are some good ones.

What show does pitcher Zach Fowler like more, Seinfeld or 7th Heaven? – Former Keys pitcher Matt Bischoff, who was promoted to Double-A Bowie in April

When asked this question, Fowler answered Seinfeld, hands down. Then he was asked by fellow reliever Jesse Beal if he liked Dawson’s Creek better than Seinfeld, to which Fowler responded “that show’s terrible”.

What do you think is the better show, fans? Give us your answer below.

When does the grounds crew show up on game days? – Tyler Jones

Our head groundskeeper and groundskeeping assistant report to the stadium with everyone else on gamedays at 9 or 10am. When it comes to the game day crew, which consists of two more members, they report an hour and a half before the game begins. After clocking in, they remove the nets and cage from the field from batting practice, drag and water the field, get the mounds in shape for the game and chalk the foul lines.

The intense winds from Friday’s storm caused the tarp to have a life of it’s own.

If the game happens to have a rain delay, then the entire front office staff becomes the groundscrew and helps out with the tarp. This past Friday, the wind got the best of the tarp for a few minutes, resulting in what we like to call the “tarp monster”. See above picture.

How does a person become Keyote? Is it tryouts or do you draw straws in the office to see who’s it? – Shawn Lantz

Kids, you may want to shut your eyes for this one. As you can probably tell, Keyote is worn by many different people. We have two game-day employees that perform as Keyote just for game days and occasional community appearances. When it comes to off-season appearances and the bulk of the in-season appearance, Keyote is usually a member of our Marketing & Business Internship program or a member of our marketing team. As for tryouts, being Keyote is just like interviewing for a regular job. We look for a person that preferably has some mascot experience along with an enthusiastic attitude brought to the table.

The closest thing done to what you say is “drawing the short straw” is during off-season appearances. Sometimes a game of rock, paper, scissors is played to see who dons the suit that specific day and then it is decided on a rotational basis afterwards.

Being Keyote involves a lot on game days, including jumping out of our Keys van and running down the foul line to the home plate area. Keyote has an entrance video that is played pretty much every game during pre-game ceremonies. Thanks to Hi-Lo Auto Sales for the sweet ride!

Want to submit a question for the next Keys Monday Mailbox? Send your question to bapter@frederickkeys.com! 

*Notes for tonight’s 7 p.m. game at Harry Grove Stadium – Keys vs. Blue Rocks

• Picked up a win in last start despite allowing 5 runs in 5.2 innings.
• Has pitched very well with runners on base (.204 against) and runners in scoring position (.206 against).
• Orioles scrapped his slider last year to develop his curveball. Best off-speed pitch is his change-up.
• Rated by Baseball America as Orioles No. 20 prospect entering 2013; was drafted by Baltimore in 26th round of 2011 draft.

LAST APPEARANCE FOR DAVIES:

• Lost his second game of the season in last start, walking five and allowing three runs in 4.2 innings against Potomac. Leads the Carolina League in walks allowed (23 in 25.2 innings pitched).
• Went 5-4 with 2.09 ERA, striking out 89 batters in rookie-level Idaho Falls after being drafted last summer.
• His fastball sits in the mid-90s and peaks around 98 mph and his best off-speed pitch is his slider.
• Control problems plagued him early in his career at Vanderbilt, but a strong finish to his junior season led to Kansas City selecting him in the second round of the 2012 draft. Teammate of Keys infielder Jason Esposito.

HARDWOOD CONNECTION: Two of the top scorers in Oklahoma High School history will be in baseball uniforms at Harry Grove Stadium tonight. Blue Rocks outfielder Lane Adam is No. 5 in the sooner state’s history and Keys manager Ryan Minor is 12^th.

*And the starting lineup: