ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If the Orioles and Yankees finish tied for first place in the American League East, a one-game playoff will begin Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. at Camden Yards. For this scenario to unfold, the Orioles must win tonight and the Yankees must lose to the Red Sox. The American League wild card game will start at 8:37 p.m. on Friday. The Orioles would host it if they win tonight and the Yankees defeat the Red Sox. Game 1 of the AL Division Series will begin at 6:07 p.m....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Steve Johnson threw a light bullpen session today and did some fielding drills to test his left knee. Johnson said he felt "really good" and is ready to pitch if the Orioles need him. Johnson is wearing a "Hammel brace," as he called it, similar to the one used by Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel. "It was just to get off a mound and see how everything felt and it was really good, didn't feel it one time," Johnson said. "So, just going to continue treatment, too, and...

Game 162 is in the books. All that's left now is the postseason run. By way of this afternoon's 5-1 win, the Nationals have earned the No. 1 seed in the National League and at least a tie for the best record in the majors. Even if the Reds win tonight, finishing in a tie with Washington with an identical 98-64 record, the Nats will get the top seed in the NL because they won the season series between the two teams. That means the Nationals will play the winner of the Braves-Cardinals wild...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Chris Davis will attempt tonight to become the first Oriole to homer in seven straight games. Davis is 5-for-13 with a double lifetime against Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Jim Thome DH Mark Reynolds 1B Ryan Flaherty 2B Manny Machado 3B Chris Tillman RHP Jones is 8-for-26 with a double and three homers against Hellickson.

Yes, the losing streak is over. As my colleague Byron Kerr wrote, Teddy won the Presidents Race today. Print Byron's story out. Frame it. Tell the grandkids about this moment one day. The crowd got all riled up by Teddy's big victory, and apparently the players did, too. (Either that, or they just got better pitches to hit and put the barrel on them. One of the two.) The first three Nationals to come to the plate after Teddy's win - Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse and Tyler Moore - went...

Here's a good question. Does the Orioles' success this season mean they have put losing records in the future behind them for a while now? It seems there is a good chance that is true. I don't see this season as a fluke. The Orioles now have good pitching depth, in the rotation and bullpen. No, they don't have an ace like CC Sabathia or Justin Verlander, but it didn't keep them from winning 93 games. They have Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman on the way toward that rotation as well at some...

It's been widely assumed that the Nationals will go with a postseason rotation made up of Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler, though not necessarily in that order, as the starting pitching spots for Games 3 and 4 have yet to be determined. It's possible, however, that John Lannan finds himself in the playoff rotation, as well. Lannan has gone 9-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 16 career starts against the Braves, and he held Atlanta to two runs over seven innings in a win...

It has happened. No, not the Nationals winning the division. No, not the first playoff game in D.C. since 1933. It is the larger-than-life fourth-inning hero, the legendary former president, represented with oversized clothing from his bygone era and a huge melon head, steel-wire rope spectacles and neon green running shoes. Teddy Roosevelt has won the race he had lost 525 times in a row. Forget 61. Forget 2,130. Try 525. It is over. In the most amazing of races, Roosevelt crushed his...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - I'm getting ready to check out of my hotel, grab lunch, head to Tropicana Field for the game, drop off my rental car and check into the Marriott hotel inside the Tampa airport. I've got an early-morning flight home tomorrow, but my plans will change if the Orioles lose tonight. It's a must-win game for the Orioles if they've got any chance of winning the division or hosting a wild card game, not to mention simplifying my travel schedule, which probably isn't one...

Manager Davey Johnson is not thrilled about the playoff setup in 2012 and that is why he was adamant all year long about winning the division so his team would not have its whole season riding on a one-game wild card so early in the playoffs. "I hate it," Johnson said. "I am old school." Of course, Johnson knows that whether it is a Game 7 or an elimination game in a series, that must-win game is eventually going to occur, but the wild card play-in game would have been an uncomfortable...