Brian Roberts

With second baseman Ryan Flaherty struggling at the plate, Orioles manager Buck Showalter has deflected the attention to highlight Flaherty's improved defense. But in Thursday night's 6-2 loss to the Royals, Flaherty placed the spotlight to himself. After a sixth-inning third-strike call that ended the frame with a runner on second in a 4-2 game, the normally cool-headed Flaherty slammed his helmet and bat to the ground in frustration. “He thought it was a strike, I didn't,” Flaherty said.

MINNEAPOLIS - Steve Johnson might have been the best feel-good story in an Orioles season filled with them last year. The local boy, St. Paul's graduate and son of a former Oriole stormed onto the big league stage and won all four of his decisions, providing a huge boost during a pennant push. His 2013 hasn't been as smooth. It was delayed for weeks by a lat injury and, when he returned to the big leagues Saturday, he lasted just four innings in the Orioles' 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins before an announced 32,221 at Target Field.

Oft-injured Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is expected to miss at least another six weeks after making the decision Wednesday to have surgery to repair a muscle in his injured right hamstring. Roberts, who was injured while sliding into second base on a stolen base April 4 in Tampa Bay, visited specialist Dr. Daniel Cooper on Tuesday because he wasn't satisfied with how his recovery was progressing. Cooper will perform the surgery Thursday in Dallas to repair the semitendinosis muscle in his right hamstring.

With second baseman Ryan Flaherty struggling at the plate, Orioles manager Buck Showalter has deflected the attention to highlight Flaherty's improved defense. But in Thursday night's 6-2 loss to the Royals, Flaherty placed the spotlight to himself. After a sixth-inning third-strike call that ended the frame with a runner on second in a 4-2 game, the normally cool-headed Flaherty slammed his helmet and bat to the ground in frustration. “He thought it was a strike, I didn't,” Flaherty said.

Brian Roberts' continuing injury saga will take on another chapter today when the Orioles second baseman visits a hamstring specialist in Dallas to determine why he is not responding as quickly as he had hoped after rupturing a tendon behind his right knee April 4. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Tuesday that Roberts has spoken on the phone with Dr. Daniel Cooper - who operated in November to remove scar tissue from the hamstring of Tampa Bay...

It would help readers of The Baltimore Sun to have The Sun investigate more deeply the problems of Brian Roberts ("Roberts likely to miss FanFest," Jan 12). We all know there is something wrong here, but no one wants to talk about it. What are we hiding? What are we covering up? To continue to pass this problem off as a result of a concussion seems odd to some of us - I say this gingerly because I am a big fan of Brian - but I think that he may be hurting. To read in today's paper that he will not be able to attend FanFest because "doctors had advised him that the event could cause further stress" and have this followed by the comments of General Manager Dan Duquette just shows the confusion in discussing the Brian Roberts issue.

Let me begin by saying I am not in the land of sunshine and swaying palm trees, watching the Orioles work out in Sarasota, Fla. No, I'm here in sunny Baltimore, where I curse on the days I scrape ice off the car windshield and where I get most of my Orioles news from the outstanding reporting of The Sun's Eduardo A. Encina and my buddy Peter Schmuck. Still, like everyone who follows the O's, I am riveted by the Brian Roberts saga. Will he be able to play this season after suffering those horrible concussion symptoms?

Those searching for clarity - and answers - from Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts' presence at the club's first full-squad workout Friday were given few. Sidelined since May when a slide into first base triggered a second set of concussion symptoms, Roberts' baseball future remains uncertain . On Friday morning, Roberts took part in pre-workout activities with his teammates at the Ed Smith Stadium Complex, an act that was undecided until...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- As the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field cleared out and the Orioles packed up for their flight back home to Baltimore, second baseman Brian Roberts slowly limped to his locker, visibly downtrodden. Roberts had just been carried off the field after injuring his right hamstring while stealing second base in the ninth inning of the Orioles' 6-3 win Thursday over the Tampa Bay Rays. Roberts, who was looking forward to playing in his first home opener since 2011, now appears to be out indefinitely.

Brian Roberts will begin his rehab assignment Wednesday night at Double-A Bowie against Richmond. The Orioles made the announcement a few minutes ago. Roberts (concussion symptoms) has not played since May 16, 2011, against the Boston Red Sox. He likely will play only a few innings Wednesday. He is expected to speak with reporters at 7 p.m. tonight.

Oft-injured Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is expected to miss at least another six weeks after making the decision Wednesday to have surgery to repair a muscle in his injured right hamstring. Roberts, who was injured while sliding into second base on a stolen base April 4 in Tampa Bay, visited specialist Dr. Daniel Cooper on Tuesday because he wasn't satisfied with how his recovery was progressing. Cooper will perform the surgery Thursday in Dallas to repair the semitendinosis muscle in his right hamstring.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he spent 20 minutes on the phone with injured second baseman Brian Roberts on Wednesday discussing all the possible paths he could take with his lingering right hamstring injury. At the end of the conversation, the decision was made that surgery to repair a ruptured semitendinosis muscle in his right hamstring was the best option moving forward. The recovery time from the procedure is roughly six weeks. And given the fact that Roberts has played in just 118 games since 2010 and just 20 since the beginning of the 2012 season, there will be lots of people saying that this might be the end of Roberts' career in an Orioles uniform.

Brian Roberts' continuing injury saga will take on another chapter today when the Orioles second baseman visits a hamstring specialist in Dallas to determine why he is not responding as quickly as he had hoped after rupturing a tendon behind his right knee April 4. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Tuesday that Roberts has spoken on the phone with Dr. Daniel Cooper - who operated in November to remove scar tissue from the hamstring of Tampa Bay...

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada's recovery from Tommy John surgery is expected to take a significant step forward next week. Wada is slated to make one more start in extended spring training on Friday and after that he will likely be assigned to one of the team's minor-league affiliates to begin a rehab assignment. On Friday, Wada will go between five and seven innings and throw about 80 pitches, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks good," Showalter said.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It's far too early to suggest that Orioles first baseman Chris Davis could miss significant time with the r ight knee injury he suffered while running out a ground ball on Friday night, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter used Friday night's postgame to give a familiar rallying cry just in case his team will be without its top run producer. Davis will have an MRI on Saturday morning, and while Showalter was optimistic about the unknown, he was also realistic about the possible.

Zach Britton had been wondering for four days whether he'd get into a big league game against the Oakland A's. He didn't. And that's not a bad thing. Because now the 25-year-old lefty gets the call to start Monday night at Safeco Field against the Seattle Mariners in what will be Britton's 2013 big league debut. "I am definitely excited. I just want to kind of continue what I was doing in Norfolk and not try to change anything," said Britton, who was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three Triple-A games.

Buck Showalter made it official today in his pre-game meeting with reporters - well, he made it almost official today. Zach Britton, as expected, will make his 2013 debut as the club's starter Monday at Safeco Field against the Seattle Mariners and Britton's old Orioles teammate, Joe Saunders. However, that still could change if the Orioles play a long, extra innings game today in Oakland and need Britton in an emergency. In that case, they would have to scramble for a starter Monday.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he still has not made a decision who will pitch Monday at Seattle. A lot depends on whether Zach Britton will be needed today in relief. Freddy Garcia, who is slated to pitch Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk, is the other candidate. Wilson Betemit (right knee) has progressed to exercise activities in a pool, including the underwater treadmill. He is in Sarasota, Fla. There is no set timetable for his return. Brian Roberts (hamstring) has started light jogging in Sarasota.