The Orioles will carry 11 pitchers in the American League Division Series that begins later today at Camden Yards, and left-handed relievers Brian Matusz and T.J. McFarland aren't included. Ubaldo Jimenez has made the final cut and apparently will work out of the bullpen. Anyone surprised by these developments? I wrote this morning that manager Buck Showalter was likely to reduce the number of left-handers due to the Tigers being predominately a right-handed team. Closer Zach Britton and...

After three days of relative quiet, Nationals Park will open its doors to the media again late this morning, as the Nats will hold their league-mandated workout leading up to the National League Division Series. Nationals players had Monday off, then a heavy workout at the park on Tuesday, followed by an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday. Those sessions were closed to the public and the media. Now they'll have a light workout on the field again today, this one with plenty of cameras and...

Just as it is unfair to judge a painting until the artist makes the final stroke, it is unfair to judge a baseball team until it's played its final game. On Sunday, the Nationals finished off the regular season with a masterful pitching performance by Jordan Zimmermann, as he threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history. It was truly the perfect ending to what had become a dominant season. Step behind a tapestry and the artist's plan will be lost in the mess of threads, but step around to...

The first pitch of Orioles postseason is just hours away. For me, like just about everyone in Birdland, it can't come soon enough. Who else has had trouble sleeping this week? It feels like forever since the O's took the field, even longer since they were at Camden Yards. While the American League East champs have prepared for the Detroit Tigers to come to town, this nervous fan has spent days researching the Birds opponent from every possible angle. After reading thousands of words in...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter must turn in his roster for the American League Division Series by 10 a.m. today. It's pretty much set in his mind, along with a rotation that he's already passed along to Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. He's just in no rush to share it with reporters. Showalter wants to make certain that he's not forced into any late changes. Everyone made it through yesterday's workout without incident. It's safe to go with his original list. Showalter said he's been debating...

The starting times have been determined for the first three games of the American League Division Series between the Orioles and Tigers. First pitch for Game 2 on Friday at Camden Yards is set for 12:07 p.m. following the Giants' victory tonight over the Pirates in the National League wild card game. It would have started three hours later if Pittsburgh had been victorious. Game 1 on Thursday is set for 5:37 p.m., and Game 3 on Sunday at Comerica Park is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. The times for...

The Nationals' opponent in the National League Division Series is finally set. It'll be the Giants coming to D.C. to face Matt Williams' ballclub. San Francisco advanced with an 8-0 win over the Piratesin the NL wild card game. Half of those runs came from one Brandon Crawford swing of the bat, as the Giants shortstop crushed a fourth-inning grand slam to put his team on top and give the dominant Madison Bumgarner more than enough run support. Bumgarner was terrific, and the good news for...

If the Orioles want to get the lead in the American League Division Series against Detroit, all they have to do is beat last year's AL Cy Young Award winner in Game 1 today. After that, they face another former Cy Young winner. And then another. If the series gets to a fourth game they are expected to face Rick Porcello and, hey, he's never won a Cy Young Award. The Detroit starter today, right-hander Max Scherzer (18-5, 3.15 ERA), won the award in 2013. Game 2 starter Justin Verlander...

We are officially less than 24 hours away from the beginning of the Orioles' 2014 postseason run. This is it, Baltimore. After you pinch yourself, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Trust me, you won't regret it. We'll be giving fans behind-the-scenes glances at the O's playoff run through our social media networks. On top of that, we'll be running a live Operation October blog each day, allowing you to keep up with us all in one place. So without...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter and Game 1 starting pitcher Chris Tillman were brought into the interview area - it's not actually a room - before today's workout at Camden Yards. The clubhouse opened to the media for an hour, but it will be closed prior to the Division Series games, per Major League Baseball rules. Here's a portion of the transcripts from today's interviews, starting with Showalter: On whether the intensity is picking up "I don't feel like it's picking up. I mean,...