Opposite dugout: Yankees have eyes on wild card as Jeter plays last series at Camden Yards

Opposite dugout: Yankees have eyes on wild card as Jeter plays last series at Camden Yards
Manager: Joe Girardi, seventh year Record: 75-69 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: LF Brett Gardner (.269/.342/.442, 22 doubles, 8 triples, 16 HR, 56 RBIs, 81 R, 19 SB); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.278/.338/.429, 26 doubles, 15 HR, 67 RBIs, 38 SB); RHP Brandon McCarthy (6-4, 2.79 ERA, 1.18 WHIP); RHP Shane Greene (4-3, 3.57 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 3-8, 31 runs scored, 60 runs allowed Pitching probables Sept. 12: Brandon McCarthy vs. Kevin Gausman, 1 p.m., MASN HD Sept. 12: Bryan...
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Opposite dugout: Overhauled Yankees look to gain ground on first-place Birds

Opposite dugout: Overhauled Yankees look to gain ground on first-place Birds
Manager: Joe Girardi, seventh year Record: 61-56 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: LF Brett Gardner (.279/.355/.455, 18 doubles, 6 triples, 15 HR, 50 RBIs, 73 R); 1B Mark Teixeira (.230/.332/.444, 19 HR, 52 RBIs); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.280/.348/.412, 24 doubles, 10 HR, 52 RBIs, 30 SB); RHP Shane Greene (3-1, 2.89 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 3-6, 25 runs scored, 44 runs against Pitching probables Aug. 11: Chris Capuano vs. Bud Norris, 7 p.m., MASN HD Aug. 12: Shane Greene vs. Wei-Yin...
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Opposite dugout: Tanaka-less Yankees look to close in on first-place O's

Opposite dugout: Tanaka-less Yankees look to close in on first-place O's
Manager: Joe Girardi, eighth year Record: 46-45 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Mark Teixeira (.241/.339/.466, 17 HR, 47 RBIs); LF Brett Gardner (.285/.359/.426, 25 XBH, 36 RBIs, 54 R, 15 SB); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.284/.348/.403, 27 XBH, 41 RBIs, 24 SB); RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 4.20 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 2-4, 19 runs scored, 38 runs allowed Pitching probables July 11: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD July 12: Shane Greene vs. Chris Tillman, 4 p.m., MASN...
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Opposite dugout: Tanaka, Yankees welcome Birds to New York with first place within reach

Opposite dugout: Tanaka, Yankees welcome Birds to New York with first place within reach
Manager: Joe Girardi, seventh year Record: 38-33 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 1B Mark Teixeira (.250/.367/.460, 11 HR, 33 RBIs); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.279/.346/.396, 21 XBH, 31 RBIs, 20 SB); C Brian McCann (.223/.288/.367, 8 HR, 33 RBIs); RHP Masahiro Tanaka (11-1, 1.99 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 1-2, 13 runs scored, 21 runs allowed Pitching probables June 20: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., MASN HD June 21: Vidal Nuno vs. Bud Norris, 1 p.m., MASN HD June 22:...
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Opposite dugout: Yankees still looking to hit early stride

Opposite dugout: Yankees still looking to hit early stride
Manager: Joe Girardi, seventh year Record: 3-3 Last 10 games: 3-3 Who to watch: 3B Yangervis Solarte (.471/.526/.706, 4 doubles, 5 RBIs); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.333/.417/.429, 2 doubles, 3 SB); RHP Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 8 Ks, O BB); RHP Hiroki Kuroda (0-1, 3.00 ERA) Season series vs. O's (2013): 10-9, 72 runs scored, 77 runs allowed Pitching probables April 7: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 1 p.m., MASN HD April 8: Ivan Nova vs. Wei-Yin Chen, 1 p.m., MASN HD April 9: Masahiro Tanaka...
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The Orioles and the 1976 incident that got scoreboard replays banned

The Orioles and the 1976 incident that got scoreboard replays banned
Tucked in at the end of the press release announcing Major League Baseball's new instant replay system - MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski has the full rundown here - is a paragraph announcing the return of one creative use of technology that has been absent from big league ballparks for 38 years. "Clubs will now have the right to show replays of all close plays on its ballpark scoreboard, regardless of whether the play is reviewed," reads the passage. Though it makes little sense,...
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Will the Bronx Bombers turn into a Bronx bust this year?

Will the Bronx Bombers turn into a Bronx bust this year?
Has the day many Orioles fans have been hoping for finally arrived? Are the New York Yankees finally going to take a step back in the American League East? Have age and injuries finally caught up to this team? I am sticking to my opinion that I will believe the demise of the Yankees when I finally see it. This is a franchise that has averaged 97.5 wins the last four seasons and has made the playoffs in 17 of the last 18 seasons. But this time you can make a solid case that they could be in...
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Nats to host Yankees for March 29 exhibition

Nats to host Yankees for March 29 exhibition
The Nationals made an announcement a couple minutes ago, but it in no way relates to Adam LaRoche re-signing, Michael Morse's future or anything along those lines. Because LaRoche needs to fly to D.C. for a physical before his new two-year contract can be finalized, we'll probably have to wait a day or two before the Nationals make a formal announcement that they've reached a deal with the first baseman. Instead, this bit of news concerns an exhibition between the Nats and the Yankees,...
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Yankees return Brad Meyers to Nats (updated)

Yankees return Brad Meyers to Nats (updated)
The Yankees have returned right-handed pitcher Brad Meyers to the Nationals, according to reports out of New York. The Nats lost Meyers, 27, to the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft last winter. At that time, Meyers was expected to battle for a long-relief job in the Yankees' bullpen during spring training, but he spent nearly the entire season on the disabled list because of a shoulder injury suffered during a weight lifting session over the winter. Meyers appeared in just one professional game...
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Monday morning musings

Monday morning musings
Here are some thoughts to get this Monday morning started. Feel free to leave your own comments on one or all three of the topics. Is now the time to sign Matt Wieters to a long-term deal?: I don't think it is. Matt Wieters ended the 2012 season with 3.129 years of service time and can't be a free agent until after the 2015 season. He is just now arbitration eligible for the first time. When the Orioles signed Adam Jones to a six-year deal in late May, at that point he had less than two...
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Outdone by Chen, Girardi and Yankees head home looking to break deadlock with Birds

Outdone by Chen, Girardi and Yankees head home looking to break deadlock with Birds
The Yankees and Orioles have now played 20 times in 2012 between the regular season and playoffs, and the series is deadlocked at 10 wins apiece. Neither team seems to be able to gain much of an upper hand. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has seen that continue in the American League Division Series, which now heads to New York with the teams knotted at 1-1 after Baltimore earned a 3-2 win in Monday's Game 2. "We get to go home and we've played very well at home, and we're going to have to...
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Baltimore, New York have rich postseason history

Baltimore, New York have rich postseason history
With Friday's win deep in the heart of Texas, the Orioles thrust themselves into a showdown with the hated New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. When most people think of a New York team in the postseason, it seems that the natural opponent or rival always seems to be their Boston counterpart. It always seems that people want to see Knicks/Celtics, Rangers/Bruins, and of course Yankees/Red Sox. What most people don't know or remember is that Baltimore and New York have a...
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Girardi, Yankees address key moments in eighth and ninth of Game 1 win

Girardi, Yankees address key moments in eighth and ninth of Game 1 win
The Yankees are quite aware of how well Orioles closer Jim Johnson has pitched this season. Three of his club-record 51 saves during the regular season came against New York as he pitched to a 1.29 ERA over seven appearances versus the Yankees. So his losing effort in Sunday's Game 1 loss - five runs allowed (four earned) in just one-third of an inning - was more a blip than the norm when it comes to Johnson facing the AL East champs. "It was a really good game, a...
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Joe Girardi sets his rotation for first four games and talks about the Orioles

Joe Girardi sets his rotation for first four games and talks about the Orioles
During a press conference here at Camden Yards a few moments ago, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Andy Pettitte will start Game 2 for the Yankees followed by Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 and Phil Hughes in Game 4. CC Sabathia will be on the mound for New York in the series opener tomorrow night. Here are some other comments from Girardi. On the Orioles' improvement "Their pitching improved. Position players improved here. Look at what their bullpen did. You know, the games you are...
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What can we take out of the weekend?

What can we take out of the weekend?
Well, I think it's fair to say this weekend didn't go exactly as the Nationals had hoped. Coming off six straight road wins over American League East teams, the Nats returned home with a chance to make a statement against another red-hot division leader, one with plenty of talent and experience on the big stage. Instead, it was the visiting Yankees who made the statement. The Nats were outscored 16-6 in the Yankees' three-game sweep, made four errors to New York's one and went a combined...
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LaRoche after sweep by Yankees: "We got some work to do"

LaRoche after sweep by Yankees: "We got some work to do"
The Nationals rolled back into town after sweeping six in a row on the road. With the Yankees arriving just as hot, there was anticipation the Nats had a chance to make a statement. This statement would not just be to the mid-Atlantic region, but to the nation, if they could compete and beat the team that usually sets the tone for all of Major League Baseball. The Nationals competed for sure, but came up short, scoring just six runs in the series and falling in all three games. Panic time?...
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Swept away by the pinstripes

Swept away by the pinstripes
The much-anticipated battle of first-place teams at Nats Park this weekend turned out to be a complete dud for the Nationals. The Yankees punctuated a dominating weekend in the nation's capital with a 4-1 win today, finishing off a three-game sweep. This marks the third time the Nats have been swept this season, and the first of those sweeps which has come at home. Ivan Nova went 7 2/3 innings for the pinstripes today, holding the Nats to one run on seven hits, while Curtis Granderson,...
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Another quality start, another deficit

Another quality start, another deficit
In this series, the Nationals have thrice gotten six strong innings from their starter. Gio Gonzalez allowed three runs over six-plus frames on Friday, Jordan Zimmermann also allowed three runs in six innings yesterday, and today, Edwin Jackson gave up just two runs in six. All three times, the starter has left the game in line for the loss. Today, Jackson gives way to Tom Gorzelanny in the seventh with the Nats trailing 2-1. Washington has managed six hits off Yankees starter Ivan Nova,...
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Roster move coming (with Nats lineup)

Roster move coming (with Nats lineup)
The Nationals will be making a roster move before today's series finale against the Yankees. Reliever Ryan Mattheus is listed on the lineup card among the available relievers for today's game. Mattheus will need to be activated off the disabled list, which he's been on due to plantar fasciitis since late May. Brad Lidge, who has allowed five runs over the last two days, is not listed among the available relievers for today. He was seen meeting with general manager Mike Rizzo this...
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A quick turnaround

A quick turnaround
I'd like to start by wishing a Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially my dad, who currently gets his baseball fix by working as an usher at Nats Park. When it was clear my career as a baseball player wasn't going to take off, (strangely enough, there isn't much of a need for scrawny infielders with an average glove and no power), he made sure to tell me not to give up on my dream of working in sports. Thanks, Pops. It's not easy playing a 1:30 p.m. game the day after a...
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