The Nationals have named outfielder Steven Souza Jr. their minor league Player of the Year and right-hander Lucas Giolito minor league Pitcher of the Year. The club also named infielder Wilmer Difo the recipient of the second annual Bob Boone Award. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, vice president of player personnel Bob Boone, assistant general manager/vice president of player development Doug Harris and director of player development Mark Scialabba made the announcement. The...

NEW YORK - Well, that escalated quickly. The Orioles sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth inning and destroyed a 3-0 deficit, scoring six runs on seven hits and forcing Yankees manager Joe Girardi to go to his bullpen. Girardi may have reacted too late, considering how much he normally enjoys that little stroll to the mound. Shane Greene was charged with all six runs. His replacement, David Huff, gave up a single to Nelson Cruz before retiring Steve Clevenger. Cruz led off...

The Washington Nationals today named outfielder Steven Souza Jr. their Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The club also named infielder Wilmer Difo the recipient of the second-annual Bob Boone Award. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President of Player Personnel Bob Boone, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Player Development Doug Harris and Director of Player...

NEW YORK - Chase Headley singled with two outs in the first inning and scored on Mark Teixeira's double to right field to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead over the Orioles. Steve Johnson underwent surgery this morning in New York to shave down a bone spur behind his right shoulder. Johnson is expected to be full-go for spring training. Earlier today, Chris Tillman talked about his starting assignment in Game 1 of the Division Series. "It means a lot," he said. "I'm excited about it, looking...

Right-hander Bud Norris (14-8, 3.62 ERA) pitches against right-hander Shane Greene (5-3, 3.24 ERA) today as the Orioles face New York at Yankee Stadium. Norris is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three career starts against New York, all coming this season. In 17 innings, he has allowed 12 hits and four runs with five walks and 19 strikeouts. Yankees batters are hitting just .197 against him. In 13 starts against the American League East this season, Norris is 8-1 with a 2.72 ERA and the O's have gone...

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter continues to withhold the official announcement on his Division Series rotation. However, he said today that he's leaning toward going with 11 pitchers on his staff. Showalter will use four starters in the series, giving him a seven-man bullpen. By using 11 pitchers, Showalter would be able to keep an extra position player. The decision may come down to David Lough or Quintin Berry as an extra outfielder. Showalter also said he's leaning toward...

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...