Bringing on the Bronx

BOSTON - The euphoria of winning another series at Fenway Park - and it's becoming the norm - quickly died down for the Orioles last night. No time to celebrate with the team boarding a flight to New York. It's on to the next city and the next set of obstacles. "We move on to another challenge in New York," said manager Buck Showalter. "A team that's playing well, and try to deal with the issues that teams face - weather, hostile environment. But our guys will be ready." The Yankees didn't change their rotation for the series despite consecutive rainouts, and it didn't go unnoticed by Showalter. It hardly took him by surprise, and it says plenty about how the Orioles are viewed within the division that New York is breaking out its big guns against them. CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda will start the first two games. Yankees manager Joe Girardi had no intention of pushing them back in favor of Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes. Sabathia is 16-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 25 career starts against the Orioles, and you know what he did in the American League Division Series. Andy Pettitte, who starts on Sunday, is 27-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 42 games. The Orioles return to Camden Yards on Tuesday to begin a three-game series against Tampa Bay, and Showalter hinted that the Rays also are sending out their top starters. Making the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons comes with a price. Or David Price. The forecast tonight is ugly. I've heard a 100 percent change of rain. Then again, I heard the same thing for the Orioles' home opener, and I had to apply sunscreen. Showalter is braced for bad weather and how it could affect the weekend series. Would the teams play a doubleheader on Sunday, since the Yankees already had two games washed away this week? Just another potential challenge. There's one around every corner. My train leaves here at 7:20 a.m. See you in New York.