You may not remember this now - not after what happened in the American League Division Series last year - but the Orioles fared pretty well against CC Sabathia in the 2012 regular season. Sabathia made three starts against the Orioles then and went 0-2 with an ERA of 6.38 allowing 13 earned runs and four homers over 18 1/3 innings. But then he won Games 1 and 5 of the ALDS against the Orioles going 2-0 with an ERA of 1.53 and WHIP of 0.85 in those two games. He also beat the Orioles this...

Tonight's Nationals lineup will feature Bryce Harper. It will not feature Danny Espinosa or Kurt Suzuki. Harper returns to the Nats lineup after missing the last two games with a sore left knee, an injury suffered during his collision with the right field wall in Dodger Stadium a week ago. The 20-year-old will return to his normal No. 3 spot in the order and will play right field. Steve Lombardozzi will hit in front of Harper and will play second base. Lombardozzi will replace Danny...

The Orioles have lost five in a row for the first time since May 26-June 1, 2012, when they lost six in a row and they have dropped six straight at home for the first time since April 9-14, 2010. The last time the Orioles lost seven in a row at home was August 22-September 7, 2007 when they lost 11 in a row. Right now they are sitting on a winless homestand at 0-5 and the last time they started a homestand going 0-5 was was also April 9-14, 2010, when they lost three each to Toronto and Tampa...

Miguel Gonzalez said this afternoon he is ready to re-enter the Orioles' rotation and pitch against the Yankees tomorrow night. He has been on the disabled list with a right thumb blister since May 9 which was backdated to May 4, the day after his last start. He never made a minor league rehab start but Gonzalez threw in a simulated game at Camden Yards on Friday and got back on the mound Sunday. "I threw a little bit yesterday," he said. "Spinned a couple (threw curveballs) and just...

Home hasn't been sweet to the Orioles, who are 9-11 at Camden Yards this season. They also began the 2011 season with a 9-11 home record. The Orioles have dropped six straight at home for the first time since April 9-14, 2010. The last time they lost seven straight at Camden Yards was Aug. 22-Sept. 7, 2007, when they dropped 11 in a row. The last time that the Orioles began a homestand with five straight losses also was April 9-14, 2010, when they lost three each to Toronto and Tampa...

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Orioles manager Buck Showalter has moved J.J. Hardy to third in the lineup tonight against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia. Hardy has batted sixth in 13 games this season and seventh in 30. Alexi Casilla, who's 14-for-24 against Sabathia, is starting at second base. For the Yankees Brett Gardner CF Robinson Cano 2B Travis Hafner DH Lyle Overbay 1B Curtis Granderson LF David Adams 3B Ichiro Suzuki RF Reid Brignac SS Austin Romine C CC Sabathia LHP For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny...

For the first time since 2011, left-hander Sammy Solis, rated as the No. 8 prospect in the Nationals system by Baseball America, will start for high Single-A Potomac on Tuesday night, according to Nationals director of player development Doug Harris. Solis, who has recovered from Tommy John surgery, has been throwing in games in extended spring training at the Nationals' training facility in Florida. The Nationals have scheduled Solis for three innings with Potomac as the P-Nats begin a...

Orioles pitching has been the elephant in the room all season long, and to a certain degree, it came to a bit of a head last week and this weekend. First off, while starters going deep into games has been an issue all season, I'm also a firm believer in not letting one bad start get you down. While Jason Hammel has struggled through his last few starts, he never struggled as much as he did Friday night against Tampa Bay. However, he can't allow that to seep into his mind, otherwise he won't...

So how will the Orioles match up with the Yankees over the next three nights? Last season, these teams matched up very well. They split 18 regular season games and the Orioles scored 92 runs to New York's 90. They met in a hard-fought playoff series that was decided in the fifth and final game. But right now, as they get set to open a three-game series at Camden Yards tonight, the Orioles have lost five in a row and their rotation has pitched to an ERA of 6.95 over the last nine games. Even...