The Washington Nationals released the following statement this evening after clinching the NL East Division Championship: "We are so proud of this organization," said Ted Lerner, Managing Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals. "Watching them clinch their second NL East Division Championship in three years means so much to our fans, our city and our family. Mike Rizzo and Matt Williams should be commended for building and leading a championship club. Tonight, we celebrate this...

Here are some Orioles clubhouse quotes compiled amidst the celebrating: J.J. Hardy on winning the American League East: "Starting in spring training you work for this and this is the first goal. Now the next goal is to continue playing for a long time." Hardy on Ubaldo Jimenez tonight: "We all feel for Ubaldo. He's been working hard. He's been doing everything and team has asked and he's gone through a tough stretch. For him to throw the way he did tonight and get the win is awesome....

ATLANTA - With a 3-0 win over the Braves, the Nationals clinched their second National League East title in three years. Here is some postgame reaction from the clubhouse. Manager Matt Williams On whether he imagined this being possible: "With this team, I could imagine, yeah. I know there was a lot of hard work along the way. There was some trials and tribulations, too, but I am very proud of them. They've taken ownership of the way they want to play this game and how they go about and...

The Nationals have done it again. For the second time in three seasons, after a 3-0 shutout of the Atlanta Braves, the Nationals have won the National League East. They become the first team to clinch a division title and a playoff berth in the 2014 major league postseason, and they were able to win the pennant on Atlanta's home turf of Turner Field. Ian Desmond smacked a towering two-run homer and Tanner Roark (14-10) twirled seven shutout innings as Washington eliminated Atlanta from...

The Baltimore Orioles are the 2014 American League East champions. The Orioles picked up two early home runs and got five effective innings from Ubaldo Jimenez tonight to beat Toronto 8-2 in front of 35,257 screaming fans at an electric Camden Yards. This is the Orioles' ninth AL East title in team history and first since 1997. They improved to 91-60 for the season and clinched a berth in the American League Division Series with 11 games to play. The Orioles have won nine of 10 and 18 of...

If you told Orioles manager Buck Showalter before tonight's game that he'd get five innings of two-run ball out of starter Ubaldo Jimenez, he probably would have signed up for it in blood, to borrow one of his favorite expressions. Jimenez threw 30 pitches in the first inning and 30 more in the second. He faced 12 batters in two innings and issued four walks, but the Blue Jays scored only the two runs off him. Jimenez, making his first start since Aug. 16, retired the last 10 batters that...

Neither the Nationals nor the Braves have found a way to break through against tonight's starters at Turner Field, as the game remains scoreless in the fourth. Tanner Roark has allowed two hits, walked none and struck out three in three innings. He has thrown 41 pitches, 28 for strikes. Denard Span, Bryce Harper, Wilson Ramos and Roark each singled for the Nats, who have been kept off the board by veteran Aaron Harang. The Braves right-hander stranded two runners in each of the first two...

The 2014 Orioles are the 20th team in club history to win at least 90 games. A win tonight gives the Orioles their ninth American League East title. They've clinched at home only twice, in 1979 and 1969. They clinched in Washington in 1970, New York in 1971, Milwaukee in 1973, Detroit in 1974 and Milwaukee again in 1983 and 1997. The Orioles have clinched four of their 11 playoff series wins in Baltimore - the 1997 Division Series, 1970 Championship Series, 1970 World Series and 1966 World...

The magic number is down to two and the Nationals are in position to wrap up their second National League East title in three seasons tonight on their archrival's turf. The club has gotten there with a day-by-day approach, refusing to look too far ahead. Even with clinching such a realistic possibility, manager Matt Williams still isn't ready to do more than dance around the topic. "We have to play good. (Aaron Harang's) pitched really good against us, this team's played really well...

Nick Markakis is in his ninth season with the Orioles and he's finally going to get to play in the postseason, it appears. With the Orioles magic number at one, their next win will give the Orioles their ninth division title. Markakis has played for losing Orioles teams, and was on the 2012 squad, but his season ended when he got hit by a pitch a few weeks shy of that postseason. "I think it means a little more to me because this is all I know," Markakis said this afternoon. "This is the...