Koji Uehara

When Koji Uehara, the Orioles' first dip into the Asian talent pool, arrived in Baltimore in 2009, one of my favorite things to watch that season was Koji interacting with his new Orioles teammates, especially the awkward high fives like the one pictured above (a photographer snapped that one last August). In my defense, should-have-been relievers Mark Hendickson and Alfredo Simon and the immortal Adam Eaton joined Uehara in the Opening Day rotation that year, so pretty much any distraction from the actual baseball part was quite welcome.

The last time Koji Uehara was around the Orioles, he was saying tearful goodbyes in the visitor's clubhouse at Yankee Stadium last July. This week, Uehara was back at Camden Yards, this time with the Texas Rangers, the club that acquired him from the Orioles for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter at the nonwaiver trade deadline. There were some hugs and handshakes this week, but Uehara said, he is a Ranger now. Uehara, the former Japanese star who spent his first 21/2 big league seasons in Baltimore, didn't fare as well in two months in Texas.

— Not wanting to take any chances with a 35-year-old who has an extensive injury history, there was a time earlier this season when the Orioles wouldn't pitch Koji Uehara on back-to-back days. But not only has Uehara's role changed — from setup man to closer — but so has his workload. Uehara pitched in six of his team's past eight games before he was given the afternoon off in the Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers today. With Uehara unavailable, Orioles manager Buck Showalter never had to tip his hand on whom he would have used in a save situation because the Tigers scored five times in the eighth inning to turn a one-run deficit into a four-run lead.

Chris Davis strolled to his locker in the Orioles clubhouse Monday and was immediately surrounded by a large scrum of TV cameras, tape recorders and notepads. He looked at the media mob and flashed an amused smile. “What do you guys want to talk about?” he asked. “Hitting?” Uh, not exactly. No, in the hours before the Orioles began a four-game homestand against the Texas Rangers, Davis' two-innings of improbable relief pitching in the O's thrilling 9-6, 17-inning win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday was still the main topic of conversation at Camden Yards.

Koji Uehara might not be the same pitcher he was several years ago, but he can still be an effective member of a major league rotation, according to Japan's most famous American baseball personality. It's tough to gauge whether a Japanese player can make the transition to the major leagues until it happens, said Bobby Valentine, the former big league skipper and player who manages the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League. But Valentine believes Uehara, who is expected to take a physical early next week in Baltimore before his two-year, $10 million contract with the Orioles is announced, is a smart investment for a club that desperately needs starting pitching.

— The Orioles' plan before the season began was to pitch Koji Uehara late in games, allow him to face both left-handed and right-handed hitters, and occasionally use him for multi-inning outings. It's taken about four months for Uehara to settle in that role, but it's proven to be a good fit. Not experiencing any problems with his right elbow, the right-hander has posted an 0.61 ERA and struck out 15 in his last 12 appearances spanning 14 2/3 innings. He threw two shutout innings and retired six of the seven hitters that he faced in the Orioles' 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday and he's now strung together 6 2/3 scoreless innings.

Koji Uehara had a history of leg problems, so Japanese reporters were not surprised he was getting treatment yesterday for a hamstring strain. He says he'll have plenty of time to build his stamina for the regular season. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

Chris Davis strolled to his locker in the Orioles clubhouse Monday and was immediately surrounded by a large scrum of TV cameras, tape recorders and notepads. He looked at the media mob and flashed an amused smile. “What do you guys want to talk about?” he asked. “Hitting?” Uh, not exactly. No, in the hours before the Orioles began a four-game homestand against the Texas Rangers, Davis' two-innings of improbable relief pitching in the O's thrilling 9-6, 17-inning win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday was still the main topic of conversation at Camden Yards.

Wed Yankees, 7:05 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang (8-2. 4.07 in 2008) vs. Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 for Yomiuri Giants) Thu Yankees, 1:35 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) vs. Alfredo Simon (0-0, 6.23) Fri Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38) vs. Mark Hendrickson (7-8, 5.45) Sat Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' TBA vs. Guthrie (1-0, 4.50 in 2009) Sun Rays, 1:35 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' TBA vs. Uehara

All games on 105.7 FM Wednesday vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang (8-2. 4.07 in 2008) vs. Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 for Yomiuri Giants) Thursday vs. Yankees, 1:35 p.m., MASN Starters: Yankees' A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) vs. Alfredo Simon (0-0, 6.23) Friday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Andy Sonnanstine (13-9, 4.38) vs. Mark Hendrickson (7-8, 5.45) Saturday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Starters: Rays' Jeff Niemann (2-2, 5.06) vs. Guthrie (1-0, 4.50 in 2009)

After getting swept by the New York Yankees this week to end Baltimore's season-opening, six-game homestand, the Orioles need to get away, right? Maybe not. The Orioles will open their first road trip of the season - a three-city, 10-game swing - in the House of Horrors that's otherwise known as the Rogers Centre. Maybe the ghost of Cito Gaston still haunts the O's. Maybe it's years of lingering hangover from the end of the 1989 “Why Not?” season. Whatever it is, the Orioles have been horrible north of the border.

Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg has been a major league closer long enough to know the formula for long-term, late-inning success. The key ingredient: a short memory. This time last year, Gregg was coming off arguably his best major league season, setting a career high with 37 saves with the Blue Jays. The Orioles rewarded him with a two-year, $10 million contract with a third-year option. A year later, he enters spring training as an enigma. His seven blown saves last year opened the door for Jim Johnson to take over save chances late in the season.

Fox Sports has reported that free-agent right-hander Edwin Jackson has multiple three-year offers available. Not sure if the Orioles are one of the teams that have made an offer, but it would make sense if they were. The Orioles like Jackson and would love to have another right-handed innings eater toward the top of their rotation. The Orioles haven't dismissed the idea of a fourth year for Jackson -- which is normally out of their comfort zone -- because he is 28. But I've been told a three-year deal with an option for a fourth would be much more palatable.

The Orioles' new starting pitcher, Tsuyoshi Wada, likely won't make his Camden Yards debut until the first full week of April, and it won't be known for several months how well he'll make the transition from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball to major league baseball. But the first impression of the 30-year-old, soft-tossing left-hander is that he'll work to assimilate - as evidenced by his opening statement Thursday at his introductory news conference at Camden Yards, which he delivered in English.

The Orioles announced shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday that they had signed 30-year-old Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada. An introductory conference will be held at Camden Yards at 4 p.m. on Thursday. It won't be as big of a deal as when the Orioles signed Koji Uehara in January 2009. Uehara was the first Japanese player signed as a free agent by the Orioles. And he was a superstar in his home country - at one point the best pitcher on the best team in Japan. Wada is well-regarded in his home country.

With news that the Orioles have agreed to terms with Japanese lefty Tsuyoshi Wada, that they are pursuing Taiwanese lefty Chen Wei-Yin and that they attempted but failed to sign Korean Chong Tae-Hyon, it's obvious the club's international program is stepping up to a new level under new executive vice president Dan Duquette. There needs to be some caution here, though. The three players mentioned above - and Koji Uehara, who was signed by the Orioles before the 2009 season - are all established pros.

The Orioles have agreed to terms with Japanese lefty starter Tsuyoshi Wada, which reopens their pipeline to Japan, according to an industry source. He will sign a two-year, $8.15 million deal with a 2014 option worth $5 million, the source said. It is the Orioles' first foray into the Japanese market since signing Koji Uehara before the 2009 season. Wada may not end up as the only pitcher from Japan's Nippon Baseball League on the roster. The club is also seriously interested in Taiwanese lefty Chen Wei-Yin, who pitched for the Chunichi Dragons.