Koji Uehara

Rough night for B-Rob Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, who was 11-for-22 with four walks in the homestand, went hitless in five at-bats, ending his six-game hitting streak. The key at-bat came in the fifth, when he struck out with the bases loaded and two out. He did pick up an RBI with a bases-loaded groundout in the ninth. In the field, he botched a potential double-play ball that ignited the Mets' four-run rally in the fourth. punchout with a fist In the second inning, Melvin Mora attempted to swing at a pitch from Mike Pelfrey, but the ball hit him in the right hand.

Before last night's loss to the Yankees, Buck Showalter had made all the right moves when managing the Orioles bullpen. He was playing the matchups, using his top relievers in key situations before the ninth inning and going with his gut in save situations. But last night, Showalter's moves ended up looking like the wrong ones because Kevin Gregg blew a save opportunity in the ninth inning and Michael Gonzalez allowed the game-winning run in the tenth. The 6-5 loss was the Orioles' fourth straight.

Mon Yankees, 4:05 p.m., Ch. 13, MASN Starters: Yankees' CC Sabathia (17-10, 2.70 in 2008) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (10-12, 3.63) The Orioles will get their first look at the retooled Yankees, who spent $423.5 million on three players this offseason. Sabathia, who signed a seven-year, $161 million deal, is 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA in nine career starts against the Orioles. New York's lineup will have a new look as manager Joe Girardi has moved Derek Jeter atop the order and shifted Johnny Damon to the second spot.

Six Orioles pitchers threw eight shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, but it was center fielder Jeff Salazar who should be credited with the save. Salazar, a veteran signed to play center in Triple-A Norfolk, made several strong running catches in the Orioles' 3-1 win before an announced 8,232 at Hammond Stadium, including an over-the-back snag of a soaring fly ball by Michael Cuddyer to end the first inning. Salazar's grab was the key play that settled starter David Hernandez, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and walking one. "I told Salazar, 'As long as you catch the ones going over your head, we'll be OK,' " Hernandez joked.

How it happened: The Orioles didn't give Brad Bergesen much support -- the team's only two runs coming on a second-inning homer by Ty Wigginton, his 10th home run of the season -- but the starting pitcher didn't need it. Bergesen pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings on the way to his second victory of the season -- and second in two starts since returning from his brief demotion to Triple-A Norfolk. Reliever Will Ohman struck out Jim Thome to record the third out of the seventh inning.

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 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.

NEW YORK - In an attempt to fill holes in the rotation and infield for now and in the future, the Orioles traded reliever Koji Uehara and $2 million to the Texas Rangers on Saturday for first baseman Chris Davis and right-handed pitcherTommy Hunter. Later in the evening, the Orioles announced that they had traded first baseman Derrek Lee to the Pittisburgh Pirates for Single-A first baseman Aaron Baker. Uehara, 36, has developed into one of the best relievers in baseball this season, going 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 43 appearances.

- Brad Bergesen felt more comfortable the second time around, pitching 2 2/3 innings and giving up just a home run to David Ortiz in the Orioles' 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday at City of Palms Park. Bergesen threw 41 pitches - 27 of them for strikes - and benefited from a big afternoon by designated hitter Luke Scott to get the victory in his second exhibition start after entering the rotation late because of a shoulder injury. "Actually, [I felt] a lot better than the first outing, as far as mechanics go," he said.

Six Orioles pitchers threw eight shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, but it was center fielder Jeff Salazar who should be credited with the save. Salazar, a veteran signed to play center in Triple-A Norfolk, made several strong running catches in the Orioles' 3-1 win before an announced 8,232 at Hammond Stadium, including an over-the-back snag of a soaring fly ball by Michael Cuddyer to end the first inning. Salazar's grab was the key play that settled starter David Hernandez, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and walking one. "I told Salazar, 'As long as you catch the ones going over your head, we'll be OK,' " Hernandez joked.