For the first time in over three months, Chien-Ming Wang will start a major league game today. The Nationals will give the ball to their veteran sinkerballer and hope he can cool down a red-hot Brewers lineup. Wang threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, but he hasn't started a game since June 19. Wang battled hamstring and hip injuries this season, and when he has pitched, either at the major league or minor league levels, he...

BOSTON - Orioles second baseman Robert Andino has been cleared to play today, and he's starting at second base against Red Sox left-hander Felix Doubront. Andino sat out yesterday's game after being hit on the batting helmet Friday night. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Lew Ford RF Chris Davis DH Manny Machado 3B Robert Andino 2B Chris Tillman RHP For the Red Sox: Scott Podsednik CF Pedro Ciriaco 2B Dustin Pedroia DH Cody...

BOSTON - Rookie Steve Johnson is scheduled to make another start for the Orioles this week. Johnson and Wei-Yin Chen are listed as Monday's starters for the doubleheader against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Left-hander Joe Saunders will start Tuesday, and Miguel Gonzalez will pitch Wednesday on normal rest. Three rookie starters in a four-game series? Yeah, that sounds about right. In his eight relief appearances, rookie Steve Johnson is 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA (16.1IP, 2ER) and opponents are...

BOSTON - The Green Monster no longer terrifies the Orioles, who will attempt another sweep of the Red Sox today at Fenway Park. It happened back on May 4-6 for the first time since 1994. Now they have a chance to do it twice in the same season. The Orioles have won 16 of their last 21 games against the Red Sox, and nine of the last 10 in Boston. The Yankees outlasted the A's yesterday to maintain their one-game lead in the American League East, but the Orioles have a two-game lead in the...

So after Saturday's game, the Orioles are 16-2 in extra-inning games and Boston is 2-9. The Red Sox are 0-7 in extra-inning games at home while the Orioles are 11-0 on the road. That is just very, very impressive. The Orioles are now 23 games over .500. That is rather impressive. The Orioles have won six in a row. Also impressive. When this streak began, the Orioles were one game out of first and now they are ... one game out of first. The Yankees have seen that six-game win streak and...

BOSTON - Jim Thome hung around manager Buck Showalter's office this morning, waiting for him to write out the lineup like a rookie preparing for his first game. Maybe it felt that way after such a long stay on the disabled list. Making his first start since July 27, Thome delivered an RBI double that broke a 6-6 tie in the top of the 12th inning. The Orioles tacked on two more runs and extended their winning streak to a season-high six games with a 9-6 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway...

Some of the guys in the Nationals' clubhouse knew Gio Gonzalez was pretty darn good when he came aboard via a trade with the Athletics this offseason. Adam LaRoche, on the other hand, hadn't faced Gonzalez before and didn't know a ton about him, given the two guys played in different leagues. Now that Gonzalez has reached 20 wins and leaves the park today with a 2.84 ERA, LaRoche has a pretty good read on what type of pitcher the lefty is. "If he was anything like this in Oakland, it's...

BOSTON - Robert Andino took another concussion test today, and he's still waiting for doctors to give him the green light to play. Andino's mood hasn't improved much since he was drilled on the batting helmet by a Mark Melancon fastball in the ninth inning of Friday night's game. "I feel normal," Andino said, adding that he didn't know whether he passed the two concussion tests. Does he believe Melancon tried to hit him? "At this level, man, I think should you have command of your...

If you've seen Gio Gonzalez either in person or on TV this season, you might have noticed he's constantly smiling. It's hard to miss. There was a lot of that today after Gonzalez became the first pitcher in the majors to record 20 wins this season. He got a giant bear hug from pitching coach Steve McCatty immediately after the game, among many others, and was the target of a postgame water-cooler shower dished out by reliever Ryan Mattheus. But there was also a bit more. Gonzalez seemed...

BOSTON - Jim Thome was relatively quiet today upon his return to the lineup, going hitless in his first five at-bats with a double play and two strikeouts. He didn't get a ball out of the infield. It just took 12 innings for Thome to warm up. Thome ripped a ground-rule double to right field to score Adam Jones, who led off with a double off Alfredo Aceves, and give the Orioles a 7-6 lead. Pinch-runner Xavier Avery scored with two outs on Endy Chavez's single to right, and Chavez raced home...