After Saturday's marathon, rain-delayed, 10-inning victory over the Marlins, the Nationals lineup will have a different look for the Sunday series finale. Both third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and shortstop Ian Desmond will get the day off, meaning a new left side of the infield. Chad Tracy will play third and Danny Espinosa will man shortstop, with Steve Lombardozzi taking over for Espinosa at second base. Here's the lineup that will face right-hander Ricky Nolasco: 2B Steve Lombardozzi CF...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has settled on Nate McLouth as his leadoff hitter for today's game against the Yankees at Camden Yards. McLouth is starting in left field. Chris Davis is playing right as the replacement for Nick Markakis, who broke his left thumb last night. Well, CC Sabathia broke Markakis' thumb, but you get the idea. Wilson Betemit is the designated hitter today. He's 3-for-6 with two home runs lifetime against Yankees right-hander Freddy Garcia. For the Orioles: Nate...

Wow. There was a lot to digest and soak in during and after Saturday night's game. A controversial ending. The Nick Markakis injury. Lew Ford helps beat CC Sabathia. Joe Girardi is screaming at reporters. Mark Reynolds homered. Again. Pedro Strop struggled. Again. Oh, yes, and the Orioles tied the Yankees for first place. Again. Now the Orioles have to show their resilience. Again. Having seen them do that about 20 times this season, I wouldn't bet against them overcoming the loss of...

The Orioles could have used a rainout last night. A heavy, heavy downpour - like the kind you normally find inside the Rogers Centre dome. Animals paired off. That sort of thing. They played nine uninterrupted innings despite the ominous forecast, which never seems to be accurate, and lost their starting right fielder and leadoff hitter to a broken thumb. A split doubleheader today would have been a blessing by comparison. Sharing the parking lots with tailgating Ravens fans on Monday would...

In the Orioles clubhouse the topic was not so much a win over the Yankees, first place or how the last play unfolded. It was about the injury to Nick Markakis and how the Orioles will now try to overcome that difficult blow to their season. Here are comments from Adam Jones: "We have to rally around him. It (stinks), what do you want me to say? It's September and one of our best players is down for the the rest of the year. It (stinks). What can we do about that? Complaining won't heal his...

Nick Markakis knew right away the news would not be good after he was hit on the left thumb by a CC Sabathia tonight in the fifth inning of the Orioles 5-4 win over the Yankees. "When it first happened I knew I broke it," Markakis said. "I couldn't bend my finger. Pain wise, it is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I knew it was definitely broken as soon as I took my batting glove off. I knew as soon as he hit it. I knew how it hit me. One of those accidents. "It (stinks). It's an...

X-rays taken on Nick Markakis' left hand revealed a break in the middle of his thumb, which will cost him the remainder of the regular season and could severely impact the Orioles' chances of making the playoffs. Markakis could be out a minimum of six weeks, according to manager Buck Showalter. More pictures will be taken Sunday to determine whether Markakis needs surgery. "It breaks my heart, personally," Showalter said. "We've been a sum of the parts team all year and we certainly...

He may have entered this game with a career mark of 16-3 and 2.97 ERA against the Orioles, but this year CC Sabathia is 0-2 with an ERA of 6.38 vs. the Orioles. They beat him in come-from-behind fashion, 5-4 tonight, to take two of the first three in this series and once again the clubs are tied for first in the AL East with identical 78-61 records. The game hung in the balance in the top of the ninth as New York scored once to pull within one with runners on first and third with one out. But...

The good feeling that developed from the Orioles taking a 3-2 lead has vanished from Camden Yards. CC Sabathia drilled Nick Markakis on the left hand with a 93 mph fastball with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Markakis immediately jumped out of the batter's box, shaking his hand, as head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter raced out of the dugout. Bancells removed Markakis' batting glove, checked the hand and walked him into the dugout and through the...

When the word finally came down from the umpires that Saturday's game would resume after what wound up being a rain delay of 2 hours, 33 minutes, Nationals manager Davey Johnson noticed a spring in the steps of everyone in the clubhouse. Never mind that the Nationals were three outs away from absorbing a loss to the Miami Marlins on a day when it was announced that their ace, Stephen Strasburg, was done for the season. Never mind that the deluge interrupted whatever momentum Washington had...