The Orioles last had a lead of at least 10 games atop the American League East on Sept. 22, 1979. With a win and a New York Yankees loss last night, their current lead grew to 9 1/2 games, the largest since Sept. 6, 1997. Since June 30, the Orioles own the best record in the majors at 38-18 (.679). Their magic number to clinch the AL East is 17. So, yeah, it's getting close to celebration time now, but no one with the Orioles - from the clubhouse to the manager's office - is getting too far...

Not much news to report this afternoon from Camden Yards. Adam Jones is serving as the designated hitter, just as Nick Markakis did last night. It's a chance to "rest" the regulars. Jones had an ice pack wrapped on his left knee today. A night removed from center field may be beneficial. "He gets a lot of things treated," said manager Buck Showalter. Jones is 5-for-11 with a home run in three games as the DH this season. "I didn't ask him," Showalter said. "If I ask him, I know...

Orioles relief pitcher Andrew Miller last pitched on Monday night. He went two-thirds of an inning, throwing seven pitches against Minnesota. On his last pitch, he felt something in his left hamstring. He was apparently not available to pitch last night, but he said whatever it is that bothered him is no longer a concern. "I think I just barely tweaked it, grabbed it a little bit on the last pitch," Miller said this afternoon. "Not really too concerned with it. All in all, feel better...

Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann looked workmanlike in his 1-2-3 dispatch of the Dodgers in the first inning Wednesday from Chavez Ravine. Zimmermann has a career 5.61 ERA in five starts against the Dodgers, so he would certainly like to change that and give the Nationals their fourth win in the past six games. The Dodgers rookie Carlos Frias did well in the first inning. In the second, Bryce Harper reached on an infield single and Tyler Moore, starting at first base for Adam LaRoche...

Shortstop J.J. Hardy is batting sixth tonight in his return to the Orioles lineup after being sidelined by a spasm in his lower back. David Lough is starting in center field and Adam Jones is serving as the designated hitter. Last night, Nick Markakis was given some rest by being the DH. Kelly Johnson will start at third base tonight. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF David Lough CF Adam Jones DH Nelson Cruz LF Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Kelly Johnson 3B Caleb Joseph C Jonathan Schoop...

Ryan Zimmerman is continuing the strengthening phase of his recovery from a torn right hamstring, and Nationals manager Matt Williams said Wednesday that the team would re-evaluate the next steps in the process once they return to D.C. on Friday for a six-game homestand against Philadelphia and Atlanta. "The last MRI was good," Williams told reporters in Los Angeles before the Nats faced the Dodgers in the finale of a three-game series. "He's continuing his strengthening. He's jogging and...

LOS ANGELES - That sore back will cost Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche his second consecutive start. Tyler Moore is at first base for the finale of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. LaRoche's absence means shortstop Ian Desmond moves to the cleanup spot, with left fielder Bryce Harper hitting fifth. The Nats are hoping to take the series from the Dodgers, who are in first place in the National League West, and improve to 4-5 on their current road swing. For the Nationals CF Denard...

LOS ANGELES - Over the last few weeks, Bryce Harper has looked more like the guy he expects to be and the world expects to see. After missing two months with a torn ligament in his thumb, the Nationals cautioned that Harper wouldn't return and be full-go right out of the gates. He needed a bit to get his timing back, to get his body back in gear and to regain strength in his hand. Looks like that process is coming along nicely. Over his last 23 games, Harper is batting .310/.352/.571. And over...

When you've got a team like the Nationals, who started in 2005 and didn't really start getting good until 2012, team storylines tend to take on a life of their own. If a team isn't losing, that's one topic of conversation. If a team is so bad that there players are laughable, that's another. But throughout the Nats' time, they dug their way out of the gutter and become a feel-good story of sorts. In 2005, when Ryan Zimmerman was called up, he became a story. His prowess down the line,...

As each week passes by, I can't help but feel increasingly excited and more confident about what awaits this magical Orioles team. As is so often the case when your team has held a division lead for a significant period of time, the pessimist inside can't help but worry that they could slip up down the stretch and allow the unthinkable to occur. At the conclusion of play last Wednesday night, the Orioles held a six-game division lead over the Yankees - a figure that had shrunk from a...