Brian Roberts could be down to his last two days in an Orioles uniform. But then again he may not. It is a unique situation with a season ending, but we don't know if Roberts, who has been in the organization since 1999, will return next season. Roberts said today, if it turns that the Orioles move on without him, he would understand that. "Oh sure. It's business," he said. "It is going to come at some point, whether it is now or later. I'm sure they would have good reasons for both,...

PHOENIX - Dan Haren will look to cap a disappointing season on a positive note tonight when he takes on the Diamondbacks in what will likely be his final start as a National. A free agent this offseason after his one-year, $13 million deal with the Nats comes to an end, Haren will be shopping around for a new team, but he knows he likely won't have many suitors after going 9-14 with a 4.87 ERA and 28 homers allowed in 162 2/3 innings to this point this season. He's 1-1 with a lifetime 5.00...

The Orioles' expanded roster is being stretched thin. Manager Buck Showalter has five players who are unavailable for health reasons, including Michael Morse, who's been shut down with lingering soreness in his left wrist. Morse didn't inform the club of his injury until three or four days ago, according to Showalter. Morse, who's still with the team, will to be examined by hand specialist Dr. Brian Schofield in Sarasota. He also will go to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion and decide...

Jason Pridie is in left field again tonight against a left-hander, Boston's Jon Lester, and Steve Pearce is serving as the Orioles designated hitter. Anyone seen Michael Morse? For the Orioles Brian Roberts 2B J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis 1B Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Danny Valencia 3B Nick Markakis RF Steve Pearce DH Jason Pridie LF Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Red Sox Shane Victorino CF Stephen Drew SS Dustin Pedroia 2B Mike Napoli DH Jonny Gomes LF Daniel Nava RF Brandon Snyder 1B David Ross...

PHOENIX - Just prior to his fifth-inning home run Friday night, Jayson Werth noticed that the bat that he was using had splintered. It was the same bat he'd used for weeks, a much longer life span than most bats Werth handles, and had delivered many big hits over what has been a personal hot stretch. Werth needed a new piece of lumber, so he called for the bat boy. "I think his name was Bobby," Werth said, dropping a "The Natural" reference on everyone. "He ran out the Savoy Special to...

PHOENIX - In some ways, tonight's start exemplified Stephen Strasburg's season. Strasburg had a couple of moments where he struggled to locate and had a shaky stretch in the third inning where he walked two batters and hit Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin with a 1-2 curveball. He had just four strikeouts in seven innings of work. But he finished the night going a solid seven innings, allowing just two runs in an 8-4 Nationals win. It wasn't the smoothest of starts for Strasburg, but it...

PHOENIX - Not only did tonight's 8-4 Nationals win finish off Stephen Strasburg's season on a high note and feature Jayson Werth's 25th homer of the year, it also brought Davey Johnson one win away from reaching a statistical milestone that somewhat strangely holds a decent amount of importance for him. With one more win this season, Johnson would be guaranteed to finish at least 300 games above .500 for his managerial career. If the Nats don't get the win tomorrow, Johnson will send...

Scott Feldman made his final start of the season last night, and it wasn't pretty. It also wasn't indicative of his time spent in an Orioles uniform. Feldman had allowed three earned runs or fewer in his last eight starts before the Red Sox shelled him. The Orioles won't judge him on it. The question is, will they re-sign him? Feldman will become a free agent following the season, and he's a favorite of manager Buck Showalter. The Orioles would like to retain him, but maybe not if...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Friday he plans to tender a 2014 contract to closer Jim Johnson, who has 99 saves over the last two seasons. He made the right move. Johnson is arbitration-eligible again and if the Orioles elected not to offer him arbitration - and "non-tender" him - he would become a free agent. At that point, any team could sign Johnson at any price and his critics should know that a lot of teams likely would have come calling. Maybe even a few in the...

PHOENIX - This will wrap up Stephen Strasburg's 2013 season. The right-hander went seven strong innings tonight, and leaves with the Nationals holding an 8-2 lead mid-way through the eighth thanks to Wilson Ramos' three-run shot. It was Ramos' 16th homer of the season, and it's turned this game into a blowout. Outside of a blip in the third inning in which he walked two, hit the pitcher and allowed two runs, Strasburg pitched pretty darn well tonight. He allowed just the two runs on six...