A rare off night for Bundy at Frederick

On the night the Orioles selected his brother Dylan in the first-round of the draft, Bobby Bundy picked up his sixth win for the Single-A Frederick Keys with another strong outing last Monday. But after walking just 13 batters in 62 2/3 innings in his first 11 starts, Bundy struggled with his control last night and took the loss as Lynchburg beat Frederick 3-2 in front of 6,752 at Harry Grove Stadium. "I was really trying to keep the ball down. I had a couple of calls that could have gone either way," Bundy said. "I wasn't able to smooth things out today with pitch command. Didn't feel like I was way off, but it wasn't quite there. I did the best I could with what I had today." He gave up four hits and three runs (two earned) with three walks and strikeouts in 4 2/3, throwing 90 pitches. Bundy falls to 6-4 with an ERA of 2.81. "His curve ball wasn't there and he struggled to locate his pitches. At one point, he lost his composure a little bit. That can happen when you pitch behind on guys and it can cost you some runs," Frederick manager Orlando Gomez said. It was a rare off night this year for Bundy who has given up two earned runs or less in eight of his 12 starts and had pitched to an ERA of 2.25 over his previous five starts. The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind for Bundy as he was a popular subject for interviews about his brother while he was trying to concentrate on his own game. "It's been a joy (the last few weeks), I really have been trying to enjoy it," Bundy said. "It's been a cool ride here. He's enjoyed it and we both are happy he got picked by the O's. I really feel like he's going to do well and I can't wait 'til he's here." After going 4-6 with a 3.65 ERA last season for Single-A Delmarva, Bundy feels he's taken his game another step forward in 2011. "Yeah, definitely. A step, maybe a leap forward," he said. "I feel like I've had a strong year, hope to continue it after the All-Star break and see where things take me." Soon this season will take him to the Carolina League vs. California League All-Star Game June 21 in Modesto, Calif. "It's great, it's my first All-Star selection," Bundy said. "It's something to enjoy this time of year. With Dylan getting drafted we both are going the right direction. As a family, we can enjoy it." Some other notes from Frederick last night: * The Keys lost for just the second time in the last 11 games and saw a six-game home win streak snapped. They still have the best record in the league at 38-24 and lead their division by five games with eight to play in the first half. * The Keys need two more wins over the next eight games to produce their third 40-win first half in the team's 23-year history. The Keys were 45-24 in 1997 and 41-29 last year. * Joe Mahoney has reached base eight times in nine plate appearances the last two nights after coming off the disabled list. He is 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and four walks the past two games. * Steve Bumbry went 1-for-3 with a run scored and is batting .441 (15-for-34) over his last 10 games with five doubles, a homer and six RBIs. * Keys manager Orlando Gomez is seven wins away from 900 in his managerial career.