ST. LOUIS - As if the Nationals don't see enough young hurlers with upper-90s fastballs in their own division - with Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez, Craig Kimbrel and others - they had to deal with another one last night. Michael Wacha is just 22. He's made just 15 big league appearances. But when you throw 98 mph and can control a changeup that comes in around 88-89, you've got a good chance to be successful in the bigs. Add in a sharp curveball, and you can see why they're excited about...

The Orioles begin the next phase of the 2013 season and it's down to only five games. For the first time, they will arrive at the ballpark today knowing they won't return to the playoffs. They've been mathematically eliminated. It went from improbable after leaving Florida to impossible after the 10th inning. Five more games and they will clean out their lockers and scatter across the country. Five more games, and manager Buck Showalter may be in more of a reflective mood. Same...

In a way, it was somewhat symbolic of the 2013 season. In the defeat that officially eliminated the Orioles from the playoffs, they lost a lead, didn't score enough runs and came up one run short. They are going to come up short of the playoffs and not make it back-to-back postseason trips. They have lost six in a row and still need at least one win to be able to say they've had consecutive winning seasons. In the quiet of the Orioles clubhouse just minutes after last night's game, Nate...

ST. LOUIS - It's been a bit of a rough 24 hours for the Nationals. They were eliminated from postseason contention last night, and tonight, they came within an out of being the first D.C. team to be no-hit since 1966. Ryan Zimmerman saved the Nats from that distinction with his infield hit with two outs in the top of the ninth, a chopper that deflected off Cardinals starter Michael Wacha's glove. Shortstop Pete Kozma's throw to first was just wide of the bag, and Zimmerman evaded Matt...

ST. LOUIS - Davey Johnson, a Texas A&M guy, couldn't help but be impressed with what Michael Wacha, another A&M guy, did tonight, as the 22-year-old right-hander came just inches away from a no-hitter in the Cardinals' 2-0 win over the Nationals. Wacha was one out away from being the first Cardinals pitcher to throw a no-hitter in St. Louis in 30 years, but Ryan Zimmerman's slow tapper deflected off Wacha's glove, and Pete Kozma's barehanded grab and throw pulled Matt Adams off the first...

After the loss that officially eliminated them from playoff contention, J.J. Hardy was asked if tonight's 10-inning loss to Toronto kind of summed up the whole year for the Orioles. "You could look at it like that. We look at our team as we have a good team and we still believe that, but this just wasn't our year," Hardy said. "We played all the way from Feb. 15 or whenever we started to get to the playoffs. You know, it is hard to think that, after however many games we have played...

The Orioles are officially eliminated from the playoff race. They can still finish with a winning record, but they need one more victory. They've failed in their last six attempts, losing tonight to the Blue Jays 3-2 in 10 innings. One year after finally get back to the postseason, the Orioles will be home in October. "A time like right now, that's probably one of those reflective things that I'm not probably real good at right now," said manager Buck Showalter. "I understand the math...

The Orioles' losing streak is now six games to match a season high after they lost 3-2 in 10 innings to Toronto tonight to begin the final homestand of the 2013 season. Coupled with Cleveland's comeback win tonight, the loss officially eliminates the Orioles from playoff contention. Mark DeRosa singled in the go-ahead run off Francisco Rodriguez in the 10th. It scored Jose Reyes from third. Moments earlier, on a pickoff play at second, Reyes was ruled safe. Brian Roberts had the ball in...

The Orioles don't care how early reporters were flying out of Tampa this morning. They're in no rush to leave Camden Yards. We've got free baseball, with the Orioles and Blue Jays tied 2-2 in the top of the 10th. The Orioles are 8-6 in extra innings this season. They're 9-10 when tied after the eighth. They've now scored four runs or fewer in 17 of their last 21 games. All the scoring tonight came on back-to-back home runs by Brian Roberts and Nate McLouth in the third. Including...

ST. LOUIS - Apologies for that awful pun in the headline. This is how I entertain myself over the course of a 162-game season. Cardinals starter Michael Wacha has absolutely dominated the Nationals through four innings tonight, retiring all 12 batters he's seen, six of whom have gone down on strikes. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, has touched 98 mph with his fastball, shown impressive feel for his changeup and used...