In the quiet of the Orioles clubhouse, Jim Johnson was asked what went wrong in the ninth inning tonight. "PFPs (pitcher's fielding practice). The bunt play back to me," Johnson said. "Being aggressive trying to get the lead out. The ball slips and it kind of started the whole inning." After Brendan Ryan singled leading off the ninth of the 5-5 tie, Johnson threw wildly to second on a bunt play to put two men on. Later, his wild pitch scored the go-ahead run in the 6-5 Yankees win. "I...

The Orioles have fallen 2 1/2 games behind the Rays in the wild card race after tonight's 6-5 loss to the Yankees at Camden Yards. They trailed 5-1, battled back to tie the game and lost it in the ninth when Jim Johnson gave up a leadoff single, committed a throwing error and uncorked a wild pitch. According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, Johnson had never allowed a run to score on a wild pitch until tonight. Left fielder Alfonso Soriano robbed Manny Machado of a home run in the eighth before...

The Orioles won't win the division this year, but on this day in 1969, they clinched the first American League East title. After a loss to Washington by the defending World Series champion Detroit Tigers gave them the division, the O's went out and beat Cleveland 10-5 for good measure, their seventh win in what would become a season-best eight-game winning streak. The win extended the O's division lead to 18 1/2 with 17 games remaining. Baseball had no divisions - only a 10-team AL and a...

Down to their final four outs, the Orioles offense came to life and one big swing was the key. But closer Jim Johnson allowed an unearned run in the top of the ninth as the Yankees beat the Orioles in a wild 6-5 game tonight at Camden Yards. With the game tied at 5-5, No. 8 hitter Brendan Ryan led off the ninth with a single off Johnson and Johnson's throwing error to second on a bunt by Chris Stewart put two runners on. A sac bunt by Curtis Granderson advanced the runners and Ryan scored the...

Is there still a reason to platoon Danny Valencia? Valencia's three-run homer off Yankees set-up man David Robertson in the eighth inning tied the game 5-5, but Jim Johnson allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth on a wild pitch. The Rays have won. The Indians are beating the White Sox 14-2. The Orioles are in danger of slipping further back in the wild card race. Losing three straight to the Yankees would be crushing. Valencia had four hits last night, the last coming against Robertson....

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin retired the first two Yankees in the first inning tonight, allowed two singles and got the final out. Chen gave up a leadoff single to Eduardo Nunez and Mark Reynolds' two-run homer in the second inning, then struck out the next three batters. That's the good and the bad. Here's just the bad: Alex Rodriguez led off the third with a walk, Alfonso Soriano doubled, Robinson Cano walked and pitching coach Bill Castro strolled to the mound. Vernon Wells grounded...

The tarp is coming off the field at Camden Yards. We're playing baseball tonight. The Orioles announced an approximate start time of 8:20 p.m. Wei-Yin Chen will oppose Phil Hughes. Had the game been postponed because of rain, the teams would have played Monday and filled the open dates on both schedules. The dugouts were filling with water earlier, and I came close to doing a little fly fishing. Otherwise, why put on the rubber pants? (Insert age joke here) The ceremony for Yankees...

With a victory tonight, the Orioles would clinch their first season series win over the Yankees since 1997. Prior to that year, they hadn't won a season series against New York since 1982. Chris Davis needs one more home run to reach 50 and tie Brady Anderson's single-season club record set in 1996. Also, Davis would become the third player in major league history with 50 homers and 40 doubles in a season, joining Babe Ruth (59 homers/44 doubles in 152 games in 1921) and Albert Belle (52...

For the Orioles, a door is ajar. The Tampa Bay Rays have left it open. Losers of 13 of their last 17 games, the Rays have allowed other clubs, including the Orioles, to remain very much alive to gain the second American League wild card. Tampa Bay currently holds that spot, but is just one game ahead of New York, and 1 1/2 games up on Cleveland and the Orioles, and two games ahead of Kansas City. Brian Roberts today talked about the O's missing some chances, but still having some with 17...

Orioles reliever Darren O'Day underwent more tests today in an attempt to determine the cause of soreness and tingling in the index and middle fingers on his pitching hand. O'Day won't fly with the team to Toronto later tonight, according to manager Buck Showalter, and may visit hand specialist Dr. Brian A Schofield in Sarasota. Showalter hadn't confirmed O'Day's condition until this afternoon while meeting with reporters. He touched on the subject about halfway through his 30-minute...