Back on July 29, the Nationals held a half-game lead over the Braves atop the National League East. As of this morning, that division lead is now 16 1/2 games, which if the season finished today would rank as the fifth-most lopsided NL East division title since 1969 and the most lopsided since 2002. Yup, in less than a two-month window, the Nats have gained 16 games on Atlanta, which is an indicator both of how well Washington has played in that time (the Nats have gone 35-17 since July 30),...

The Orioles today announced two options for fans to purchase American League Division Series tickets, which will be available exclusively online. Fans are encouraged to visit www.orioles.com/postseason for a Postseason seating chart, schedule, and additional ticket information. Both options are for fans to purchase only American League Division Series tickets (ALCS and World Series tickets will be made available for sale at a later date, as necessary). Option 1 - Guaranteed ALDS tickets Fans...

NEW YORK - With Steve Pearce missing his fifth consecutive game, Steve Clevenger makes a rare start at first base for today's matinee at Yankee Stadium. Clevenger has played just one inning at first for the Orioles this season and has made 10 appearances there (three starts) in 95 career major league games. David Lough is in left field while Jimmy Paredes is at third and Kelly Johnson is at second for the second straight game. Ryan Flaherty is at shortstop with J.J. Hardy not in the...

The last (and first) time the Nationals clinched the National League East championship, it was Oct. 1, 2012. It was the end of the season. Stakes were high. Adrenaline was ever-present. It was all new territory and they were able to secure the victory while also celebrating on their home turf at Nationals Park. The second time around, things were a little different. The Nats clinched their division on Sept. 16 in Atlanta at Turner Field with a couple of weeks still left in the season. Sure, it...

As the 2014 regular season nears its completion, the focus for the Orioles now shifts to the playoffs and with that, decisions need to be made on what the American League Division Series roster will look like. Despite the injuries and suspensions sustained throughout the season, the Orioles have managed to find adequate replacements throughout the journey, helping to ensure the winning ways have been maintained. However, there are still some uncertainties remaining ahead of the playoffs, in...

It is a big problem facing baseball - the games take too long. OK, not always and there can be plenty of drama and good play to make even a 3 1/2-hour game enjoyable, but the amount of games that take three-plus hours to play now seems endless. It is time for MLB to take some measures to improve this. This week, the sport did just that. Here is a press release from the commissioner's office. * Major League Baseball announced that Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig has conducted a...

NEW YORK - Bud Norris takes the mound this afternoon at Yankee Stadium unsure of his exact placement in the Division Series rotation. Or maybe he's been told and manager Buck Showalter has sworn everyone to secrecy. Chris Tillman is starting Game 1. Wei-Yin Chen will be announced at some point as the Game 2 starter. Showalter will use four starters in the Division Series unless there's a sweep. We're just waiting for confirmation on the order. Norris might warrant the Game 1 start if...

The Nationals recorded another victory, their 92nd on this playoff-bound season, 4-2 over the Mets. But after the game, concern turned toward center fielder Denard Span, who crashed hard to the ground and into the center field wall after making a diving catch to end the third inning. He left the game and was replaced by Michael A. Taylor. "It's all right, a little sore," Span said. "Banged it pretty hard when I came down, also scraped it pretty good, too. So just a little sore, iced it a...

NEW YORK - Having already clinched their division, the Orioles knew it was time to rediscover their winning ways after losing three of their past four games. Zach Britton picked up his 36th save in 40 opportunities tonight by striking out Derek Jeter on three pitches to strand the tying run and complete the Orioles' 5-4 victory over the Yankees. The Orioles are 9-2 this season after being shut out in the previous game. They're 26-0 when hitting three or more home runs. Nelson Cruz belted...

Nationals fans surely held their breath when they saw Denard Span get removed for a pinch-hitter in the third inning after making a remarkable, tumbling grab to end the top of the third, but the good news - on top of the 4-2 Washington win tonight - is that Span doesn't appear to have suffered a serious injury. Manager Matt Williams said after tonight's win that Span just banged and scraped his right knee while making that sliding catch on a Matt den Dekker liner to the warning track in...