Whatever momentum O's starter Scott Feldman had going in recent starts sure didn't last long tonight. Feldman gave up eight runs and eight hits over just 2 1/3 innings as Boston beat the Orioles 12-3 in the first game of the last series of the year in front of 30,774 at Camden Yards. Chris Davis hit a solo homer in the sixth, his 53rd of the year. Davis is the first player in the the majors with 53 homers and 138 RBIs since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Davis also moved past Frank Robinson with...

Each home run by Orioles first baseman Chris Davis causes me to grab the game notes to make sure he hasn't set another record. He just did. Davis hit his 53rd home run tonight, a solo shot off Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz that reduced Boston's lead to 8-3 in the sixth inning. It's also his 28th homer in Baltimore. Why is that significant? Because Davis was tied with Frank Robinson for the single-season franchise record at 27. Robinson did his damage at Memorial Stadium in 1966. Davis...

PHOENIX - We know either Gio Gonzalez or Tanner Roark will start for the Nationals in the season finale Sunday. We still just don't know which of the two it'll be. Essentially, it boils down to how the Nats fare in the first two games of this series. If they win or lose both games, it sounds like Davey Johnson will start Roark on Sunday. If the Nats split the first two games of this three-game set, Gonzalez will probably get the ball. The reason? Johnson is currently 300 games over .500...

The Red Sox are serious about securing the top seed in the American League playoffs. Real serious. They sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning and jumped Orioles starter Scott Feldman for five runs, the last three coming on Daniel Nava's home run to right field. Five straight batters reached after Feldman retired leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury. Mike Napoli doubled to score Dustin Pedroia and Nava followed with his 12th home run on a 75 mph curveball. Left-hander Zach Britton...

PHOENIX - The final series of the Nationals' 2013 season begins tonight. Three games here at Chase Field against the Diamondbacks are all that separates the Nats from the offseason and the frustration that surely comes from watching postseason baseball from home. Stephen Strasburg will make his final start of the season tonight, while the Diamondbacks will send left-hander Patrick Corbin to the mound. Jeff Kobernus will lead off and play left field tonight, and Bryce Harper will play...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette watched part of Wednesday night's game with agent Scott Boras, who was in town to visit clients from both teams. Boras represents catcher Matt Wieters, first baseman Chris Davis and pitchers Wei-Yin Chen, Francisco Rodriguez and Zach Britton. Rodriguez is a pending free agent. "They're some of our core group," Duquette said. "It was just an informal meeting. We're turning our attention to having a good team next year." Asked about how...

It wasn't that long ago that the Orioles won just two games all year against the Boston Red Sox. They went 2-16 against Boston in 2009. But if they win one game in this season-ending weekend series, the Orioles will have won back-to-back season series against the Red Sox for the first time since 1991-92. The Orioles went 13-5 against Boston last year and are 9-7 in 2013, going 4-3 in Baltimore and 5-4 in Boston. Going further back, the O's are 28-15 over their last 43 games against Boston....

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed this afternoon that the Orioles will tender a contract to closer Jim Johnson for the 2014 season, viewing him as part of a core group that he wants to keep in Baltimore. Johnson's status was uncertain after nine blown saves and the prospect of receiving another substantial raise from the $6.5 million he's earning this season. That's a significant chunk of money for a ninth inning specialist. "Jim Johnson is one of our core players,"...

After a strong finish at Triple-A Norfolk that has carried over into a solid September with the Orioles, right-hander Josh Stinson hopes he has finally found a permanent major league home. He pitched 13 innings for the Mets in 2011, 9 1/3 for the Brewers in 2012 and 16 for the Orioles this year. Late in spring training in March, Stinson was with three teams in about the span of a week. On March 29, he was claimed by Oakland on waivers from Milwaukee and then on April 4, he was claimed by the...

Right-hander A.J. Cole made one of the most impressive jumps this season, moving up from high Single-A Potomac to Double-A Harrisburg. This was a far cry from his previous season with the Oakland A's organization, when he dropped down from high Single-A to low Single-A. But fortunately, in the Michael Morse triangle trade that also involved Seattle, Cole was made available to the Nationals again and general manager Mike Rizzo snatched him back. Potomac manager Brian Daubach had Cole when he...