Chris Tillman became the first Orioles pitcher to record 16 victories since Mike Mussina won 18 games in 1999, but manager Buck Showalter couldn't heap praise on him until reporters were done grilling him about his heated exchange with Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Showalter confirmed that Girardi yelled at third base coach Bobby Dickerson, accusing him of stealing signs, after the final out was made in the bottom of the first inning. "He was yelling at the third base coach. Somebody's...

Orioles third base coach Bobby Dickerson said he had no history of bad feelings with Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who he said was yelling at him tonight almost from the start of the bottom of the first inning. Dickerson said that was a first for him. "Never (had that happen to me before)," he said. "Never heard of such a thing. "I was standing there coaching (third) in the first inning and I started hearing someone yelling at me and I looked in the dugout and Joe was yelling at...

Chris Tillman took the ball in the first inning and control of this game not long after. The right-hander retired 14 in a row before giving up a leadoff homer in the eighth. He left to a big ovation after that as he pitched the Orioles to a 4-2 win over New York tonight in the series opener before 17,456 at Camden Yards. Now 16-5 with an ERA of 3.66, Tillman gave up just four hits over seven innings-plus with no walks. His nine strikeouts tied his career high and he threw 110 pitches, 78 for...

At the start of Monday night's game, the Orioles were two games back in the wild card race with the Yankees on their tail, 2 1/2 games back. With the playoff race coming down to the wire, emotions were bound to spark. We saw that happen as Buck Showalter had to be retrained by the umpire while arguing with Joe Girardi before the second inning began. It is still unclear as to what exactly the altercation was about. Because we needed another reason to keep our eyes peeled to this series...

The Nationals' bats have made all the big noise tonight. But Gio Gonzalez quietly hasn't allowed a hit through six innings. Gonzalez has struck out seven and retired 17 straight as we go to the seventh. The only Mets hitter to reach base tonight was Daniel Murphy, who got on via a one-out walk in the first. Gonzalez has thrown 73 pitches, 52 for strikes. He's needed to sit through a couple long half-innings when the Nats have done some offensive damage, but it hasn't seemed to bug the...

So, who's irritating Yankees manager Joe Girardi the most tonight? Is it Orioles third base coach Bobby Dickerson, manager Buck Showalter or starter Chris Tillman? Right now, my money is on Tillman. Tillman has retired 14 batters in a row to carry a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. He struck out the side in the top half of the inning. The Yankees have one run and three hits off Tillman, who's walked none and struck out nine to tie his career high. Tillman also fanned nine...

The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the first inning tonight, but the score became secondary to what transpired between the two managers after the final out. Chris Davis flied to right field to end the inning. Suddenly, Orioles manager Buck Showalter bolted out of the dugout, his face reddening as he screamed at Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Girardi walked out of the visiting dugout in a much calmer state and said, "What?" Showalter pointed his index finger at Girardi and appeared...

Denard Span extended his hitting streak to 20 games in style. Then Ryan Zimmerman kept his hot streak going with some flash, as well. Span and Zimmerman hit back-to-back homers to open tonight's game, giving the Nationals, and starter Gio Gonzalez, an early 2-0 lead. Span's shot was a laser to right field that cleared the wall and skipped up into the netting above the bullpens. It's his fourth of the season and takes away whatever drama there might have been thanks to Span's hitting...

Let's get the runners in scoring position stat out of the way first: The Orioles went 0-for-11 yesterday with RISP, 2-for-29 over the last two games, 3-for-37 in the Chicago series and are batting just .109 (7-for-64) over the last seven games with RISP. Over the last 15 games, the Orioles are batting .174 with RISP and are 7-8 in those games, going 3-6 in the nine games in the stretch decided by two runs or less. Has to get better, right? It should come as no surprise when you see those...

The Orioles will have 19 games remaining after tonight, all of them against division opponents. Nobody said the path to the postseason would be a smooth one. Does manager Buck Showalter take it day-by-day? "It's hour-by-hour almost," he said. The Orioles have home series remaining against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox, and trips to Toronto, Boston and Tampa. As part of their September schedule, the Yankees will host San Francisco and end the regular season with a trip to...