Here is a stat that may surprise some people: The Orioles lost just one series against the Yankees among the six they played this year. The Orioles got swept in the first series of the season at Camden Yards in April, losing two of those games in extra innings. They never lost another extra-inning game the rest of the year after those losses on April 10 and 11. In those six series, they went 0-3, 2-1, 1-1, 2-1, 2-1 and 2-2. You have to wonder how much the Orioles' lefty starters, Joe...

The postseason can sometimes be the coming-out party for a player who had a pretty good regular season but then turns it up a notch in the playoffs. Sometimes it is a player who wasn't even with the postseason team when the season began. Take the amazing run of right fielder Cody Ross, who arrived in San Francisco on August 10, 2010 and played just 33 games with the Giants, hitting .288 with three home runs. Then, he turned in one of the most amazing postseason performances in quite some...

Sunday should be a pretty special day in D.C./Maryland sports. The Redskins play the Falcons at 1 p.m. The Ravens play the Chiefs, also at 1 p.m. The Nationals start their NLDS series with the Cardinals at 3:07 p.m. The Orioles open their ALDS set with the Yankees at 6:07 p.m. That's a lot happening in one 12-hour span. And for the first time in a long time, the football teams will be taking a backseat to meaningful October baseball. Just eight days after the Nationals flew into St. Louis...

ARLINGTON, Texas - The alarm on my phone jolted me from a deep sleep, one that lasted under three hours. My champagne-soaked clothes are stuffed in a bag inside my suitcase. I look forward to unleashing that aroma once I'm back in Sykesville. I'll be filing blog entries from Camden Yards later today. The Orioles are holding a workout that Adam Jones wished would be open to the public. He's champing at the bit to play in front of a capacity crowd at Camden Yards. What's one more...

A lasting image of the Orioles' win last night: The look on Buck Showalter's face as he watched his players celebrate on the field after the wild card win over Texas. That look should go under "proud" in the dictionary. The pride on Showalter's face could have spoken for every O's fan at that moment. It was a night and win 15 years in the making. Everywhere you looked, there were clutch performances. Nate McLouth drives in two and scores one. J.J. Hardy drove in the first run. An Adam...

ARLINGTON, Texas - Players kept asking, "Where's Buck?" Once they found him amidst the bedlam inside their clubhouse, they rushed him with bottles of champagne and absolutely soaked him. Showalter had won his first playoff game since 1995. Naturally, he deflected the credit, passing it first to his starting pitcher. "You know, in regards to what happened during the course of the game, it all starts with Joe Saunders and the outing he gave us," Showalter said. "He's had two good outings...

ARLINGTON, Texas - If anyone wondered whether the Orioles would celebrate a wild card game victory, they did so with great enthusiasm and impressive aim. Champagne and beer soaked the walls, the floor, the players, coaches, manager and executive vice president. Team employees, and yes, every member of the media. I learned that my shoes aren't liquid-proof. I'm just glad I don't have to drive back to the hotel. "Officer, I'm sure you get this all the time, but..." Jim Johnson was...

ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles manager Buck Showalter always says he can't wait to find out what the boys have in store for him. Tonight, they won the wild card game and finally got to celebrate. No wonder he couldn't wait. Joe Saunders held the Rangers to one run over 5 2/3 innings, and the bullpen worked its usual magic in a 5-1 victory over the Rangers. Darren O'Day retired six of the seven batters he faced, permitting only an infield hit to Ian Kinsler in the eighth with the Orioles...

The veteran pitcher, who in the minds of some, was a very controversial choice to pitch tonight, got the job done for the Orioles. Joe Saunders, ignoring his poor career stats vs. Texas, held the Rangers to just one run in a very gutty effort as the Orioles beat Texas 5-1 in the AL wild card game. With this win, in their first playoff game since 1997, the Orioles now advance to meet the Yankees in the American League Division Series. The O's host Game 1 Sunday night at 6:15 p.m. at Camden...

ARLINGTON, Texas - Manager Buck Showalter is being rewarded for his faith in Joe Saunders. Saunders had held the Rangers to one run in five innings, and the Orioles have taken a 2-1 lead in the sixth on Adam Jones' sacrifice fly. J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis opened with singles, and Jones lifted a fly ball to right field to break the scoreless tie. Yu Darvish, who had retired 15 of 17 batters heading into the sixth, needed the attention of the Rangers' head athletic trainer and manager Ron...