It seems some Orioles fans have not been able to forget what happened in the fifth inning at Camden Yards on the night of Sept. 8. The Yankees' CC Sabathia hit Nick Markakis with a pitch on his left thumb. Markakis suffered a broken thumb and has been out of the lineup ever since. Tonight, when the Orioles face Sabathia again in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, they want to beat him to win this series and not because they feel Sabathia intentionally hit Markakis. In fact, they...

ST. LOUIS - As Gio Gonzalez took a seat in the press conference room at Busch Stadium late this afternoon, he rubbed his upper arms and leaned down towards the microphone with a smile on his face. "I'm trembling right now," he said. "It's not my nerves, it's just the cold." Gonzalez will get the ball for the Nationals tomorrow afternoon for Game 1 of the National League Division Series. It'll be the first postseason start of his career, so you could forgive him if he was feeling a bit...

Though he's working on minimal sleep, Orioles manager Buck Showalter looks refreshed today. He certainly looks drier than I remember him. Showalter spoke with reporters for about 20 minutes this afternoon, again coming across as loose, confident and respectful of his opponent. In other words, just another day. Showalter settled on Jason Hammel as his starter for Game 1 after sorting through what he called "a lot of different variables." "We felt like all along we didn't try to push...

Brian Matusz said he knows he could be a busy man over the next week or so. The Yankees have some big guns that bat from the left side, including Ichiro Suzuki, who has hit .394 over his last 16 games, and Robinson Cano, whose bat is absolutely sizzling right now. Cano has posted nine straight multi-hit games, going 24-for-39 for a .615 average with seven doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs during that torrid stretch. "They have a pretty left-handed heavy lineup and some pretty good ones there...

ST. LOUIS - Before stepping foot on the field at Busch Stadium for their full team workout, the Nationals finalized their roster for the National League Division Series. The roster hasn't been filed with the league office, so it's not official as of yet. Manager Davey Johnson commented - perhaps half-seriously and half-jokingly - that since the Nats hadn't seen the Cardinals' roster yet, they weren't going to announce theirs. Johnson has, however, informed all of his players about their...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed that Jason Hammel will start Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees. The rest of his rotation? Too soon. Showalter indicated that Wei-Yin Chen will start Game 2, followed by Miguel Gonzalez in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. However, he also said the weather could influence those plans. Showalter didn't name a Game 4 starter, if the series extends that far. Hammel threw 45-50 pitches in a side session yesterday at full capacity,...

Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds got hit on his left hand by Texas pitcher Yu Darvish in the second inning last night. Reynolds stayed in the game and said this afternoon that he fully expects to play tomorrow night in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees. "Yeah, it's a little sore but it's fine. I'll be good to go," he said. What about that postgame celebration in Texas? "It was neat," he said. "We didn't get to have it when we made it to the...

During a press conference here at Camden Yards a few moments ago, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Andy Pettitte will start Game 2 for the Yankees followed by Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 and Phil Hughes in Game 4. CC Sabathia will be on the mound for New York in the series opener tomorrow night. Here are some other comments from Girardi. On the Orioles' improvement "Their pitching improved. Position players improved here. Look at what their bullpen did. You know, the games you are...

ST. LOUIS - Hello from Busch Stadium, where both the Nationals and Cardinals will spend today taking part in team workouts in advance of tomorrow's NLDS opener between the two teams. They've done some quick work around here getting the stadium ready for playoff baseball. Bunting is hanging from the facade of all the different decks, (there's bunting everywhere) and Major League Baseball's postseason logo has been painted on the grass down both the first and third base lines. I'll admit...

The Orioles get the pleasure of resetting their playoff roster for the Division Series that begins Sunday at Camden Yards. Weather permitting, of course. Before anyone asks, I can only assume that a postponement Sunday would push the first two games to Monday and Tuesday, with the Orioles and Yankees losing their workout day in the Bronx. Just a hunch. Let's cross that washed-out bridge when we come to it. Manager Buck Showalter can add starters Jason Hammel, Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman...