The Orioles are 77-69 and 11 games out of first place in their division.
The Nationals are 77-69 and 11 games out of first place in their division.
Did anyone see this coming a few weeks ago?
The Nats are in second place. The Orioles have dropped to fourth, but they're only 2 1/2 games back in the wild card chase.
I write "only" in comparison to the Nats. Make no mistake, the Orioles are losing ground and running out of time.
They're also running out of healthy pitchers.
Bud Norris...
The Orioles have fallen 2 1/2 games behind the Rays in the wild card race after tonight's 6-5 loss to the Yankees at Camden Yards.
They trailed 5-1, battled back to tie the game and lost it in the ninth when Jim Johnson gave up a leadoff single, committed a throwing error and uncorked a wild pitch.
According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, Johnson had never allowed a run to score on a wild pitch until tonight.
Left fielder Alfonso Soriano robbed Manny Machado of a home run in the eighth before...
Is there still a reason to platoon Danny Valencia?
Valencia's three-run homer off Yankees set-up man David Robertson in the eighth inning tied the game 5-5, but Jim Johnson allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth on a wild pitch.
The Rays have won. The Indians are beating the White Sox 14-2. The Orioles are in danger of slipping further back in the wild card race.
Losing three straight to the Yankees would be crushing.
Valencia had four hits last night, the last coming against Robertson....
Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin retired the first two Yankees in the first inning tonight, allowed two singles and got the final out.
Chen gave up a leadoff single to Eduardo Nunez and Mark Reynolds' two-run homer in the second inning, then struck out the next three batters.
That's the good and the bad.
Here's just the bad:
Alex Rodriguez led off the third with a walk, Alfonso Soriano doubled, Robinson Cano walked and pitching coach Bill Castro strolled to the mound. Vernon Wells grounded...
The tarp is coming off the field at Camden Yards. We're playing baseball tonight.
The Orioles announced an approximate start time of 8:20 p.m. Wei-Yin Chen will oppose Phil Hughes.
Had the game been postponed because of rain, the teams would have played Monday and filled the open dates on both schedules.
The dugouts were filling with water earlier, and I came close to doing a little fly fishing. Otherwise, why put on the rubber pants?
(Insert age joke here)
The ceremony for Yankees...
With a victory tonight, the Orioles would clinch their first season series win over the Yankees since 1997. Prior to that year, they hadn't won a season series against New York since 1982.
Chris Davis needs one more home run to reach 50 and tie Brady Anderson's single-season club record set in 1996.
Also, Davis would become the third player in major league history with 50 homers and 40 doubles in a season, joining Babe Ruth (59 homers/44 doubles in 152 games in 1921) and Albert Belle (52...
Orioles reliever Darren O'Day underwent more tests today in an attempt to determine the cause of soreness and tingling in the index and middle fingers on his pitching hand.
O'Day won't fly with the team to Toronto later tonight, according to manager Buck Showalter, and may visit hand specialist Dr. Brian A Schofield in Sarasota.
Showalter hadn't confirmed O'Day's condition until this afternoon while meeting with reporters. He touched on the subject about halfway through his 30-minute...
Nick Markakis is back in right field tonight for the Orioles after the birth of his third son, Toby, yesterday afternoon.
Markakis was used as a pinch-hitter last night.
Wilson Betemit is serving as the designated hitter. He's hitless in nine at-bats since coming off the disabled list.
For the Orioles
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Chris Davis 1B
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Wilson Betemit DH
J.J. Hardy SS
Matt Wieters C
Brian Roberts 2B
Wei-Yin Chen LHP
Thanks for all the...
Boy, are the Yankees going to be mad when they have to forfeit all those wins after Alex Rodriguez begins serving his suspension.
Wait... what?
I've been crunching so many numbers lately, I'm surprised that I haven't chipped a tooth. Every lineup, every at-bat, every pitching change has me checking the splits on various Orioles.
It happened again last night.
Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano steps to the plate leading off the top of the ninth inning in a tie game, and I'm looking up...
The Yankees have changed starters for Thursday night's series finale. They're sending Phil Hughes to the mound instead of left-hander Dave Huff.
The Orioles are sticking with left-hander Wei-Yin Chen as they attempt to gain a split of the four-game series.
Tonight's pivotal moment came in the ninth inning when Robinson Cano led off with a home run against Tommy Hunter, leaving manager Buck Showalter open to second-guessing over his bullpen choice.
Brian Matusz wasn't used and Troy Patton...
After Bud Norris threw his bullpen session this afternoon, the Orioles decided to skip his next turn because of discomfort in his right elbow.
Jason Hammel will start the series opener on Friday in Toronto. Norris will be shut down and allow the elbow to "quiet down," said manager Buck Showalter.
"How do I put it? Elbow," Showalter said when asked why the Orioles changed starters. "Had a work day. It barked a little bit in Arizona but resolved itself real well. And then the work day...
Scott Feldman allowed only three hits tonight for the Orioles. Unfortunately for the veteran right-hander, those hits included solo home runs by Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez.
Feldman left the game after walking Brett Gardner with two outs in the top of the eighth. Tommy Hunter retired Alex Rodriguez on a liner to center field to keep the score tied.
Feldman allowed three runs and three hits in 7 2/3 innings, with two walks, six strikeouts and two home runs. He threw 112 pitches, 69...
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis swings the bat, makes contact with a pitch and climbs another list in franchise history.
He can't help himself.
Davis' two-out, two-run double off Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte in the bottom of the third inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead. It also made Davis the only Oriole to register a 40-double, 40-home run season.
Only 26 different players in baseball history have done it.
Brian Roberts and Manny Machado singled with two outs before Davis lined...
Apparently, Nick Markakis couldn't talk his way into the Orioles lineup tonight after arriving at Camden Yards following the birth of his third son. He may have to settle for pinch-hitting or defensive duty.
A nap wouldn't be a bad idea, but sleep will have to wait.
The Yankees manufactured a run off Orioles starter Scott Feldman in the top of the first inning on a leadoff walk to Brett Gardner, a stolen base and two ground balls to shortstop J.J. Hardy. Robinson Cano gets the...
Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis and wife Christina are the proud parents of a baby boy, Toby, born this afternoon in Baltimore. Toby Markakis weighs 8 pounds.
"Everything seems to be fine," Showalter said. "I can tell how tired Nicky was because he texted 7 pounds and 16 ounces. That is 8 pounds, right? That's a big boy."
Markakis was waiting for his sister-in-law to arrive at the hospital before heading to Camden Yards, if he's comfortable leaving after talking to the doctors....
Nick Markakis was up early this morning to be with his wife, Christina, for the birth of their third child. Doctors were supposed to induce labor today.
Michael Morse is starting in right field. Danny Valencia is batting fifth as the designated hitter.
Left-hander Andy Pettitte is 28-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 44 career games against the Orioles. He's 16-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 24 appearances at Camden Yards.
Adam Jones is 9-for-26 (.346) with a triple against Pettitte. Morse is 4-for-9. J.J. Hardy...
Major League Baseball has changed the starting time of the Sept. 21 game between the Orioles and Rays at Tropicana Field from 7:10 p.m. to 1:05 p.m. to... wait for it... accommodate a FOX national television broadcast.
The game, the second of four between the two clubs to close the road portion of the Orioles' regular season schedule, will no longer air on MASN2.
Also, a reminder that Saturday's game in Toronto will start at 4:07 p.m. and air on MASN2. It originally was slated for 1:07...
The Orioles have expanded their roster to 34 players, including 16 pitchers. They can bring up more this month. Guys have gathered in Sarasota to work out and wait for a call.
And yet, manager Buck Showalter felt short-handed last night while trying to protect a one-run lead against the Yankees.
That's a pretty neat trick in September.
Showalter isn't going to broadcast injuries and alert the opposing manager, but he told reporters after a 7-5 loss that the Orioles had "a couple of pieces...
Orioles manager Buck Showalter wanted to avoid using a couple of relievers tonight, which explained why he sent Kevin Gausman back out for the eighth inning. He noted how Francisco Rodriguez struggles to hold runners, which explained why Gausman stayed in the game to face Alfonso Soriano.
In the end, the Orioles suffered a 7-5 loss to the Yankees at Camden Yards and remained 1 1/2 games behind the Rays for the last wild card spot.
Darren O'Day has pitched twice since Aug. 28. He's...
Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova started off Chris Davis with an 81 mph curveball in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Davis supplied all the power, homering to center field with Henry Urrutia aboard to give the Orioles a 4-1 lead.
Davis has 49 home runs this year to tie Frank Robinson for second place on the club's single-season list behind Brady Anderson, who hit 50 in 1996.
Davis and Robinson share the record for most single-season home runs hit in Baltimore with 27. Robinson did his damage...
