Here it is, Nats fans - today is last the day of the 2012 regular season. Your Nationals secured their first-ever National League East division title and hold the best record in baseball. Can anyone honestly say this is what they thought would happen this season? After Monday night's clinch of the NL East title, outfielder Jayson Werth mentioned that his decision to play baseball for Washington was motivated by the desire to play for a team that had a chance to win for a long time. "And it...

Adam LaRoche popped champagne with his teammates last night, celebrating the Nationals clinching the NL East division title. He didn't exactly have any bubbly waiting for him in the clubhouse tonight after reaching 100 RBIs for the season, but he still took pride in a nice individual goal which he feels also symbolizes how effective the Nats have been offensively as a team. "It feels pretty good," LaRoche said. "That's something that, again, anybody in the middle of the lineup, it's...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles remain one game behind the New York Yankees in the American League East with one game to play. They could at least guarantee the top wild card seeding with a victory tonight. They could end up tied with the Yankees and force a one-game playoff Thursday in Baltimore. They could lose and end up in Oakland or Texas for the wild card game. Manager Buck Showalter isn't sure when or where the Orioles will play after tonight, but he's still meeting this morning...

Wow, how are you holding up Orioles fans? So much tension, drama and nervous times with both the Orioles and Yankees games decided by one run and going down to the last pitch last night. The Red Sox didn't roll over, but they did blow the game, leading by two in the ninth and losing in the 12th to New York. It would be a shame if the Orioles get to play in just one playoff game this year, but that possibility is now staring us right in the face. The only way to win the AL East now is force a...

Last night, a team made up of the Nationals' regulars was held scoreless and managed just five hits in a 2-0 loss to the Phillies. Tonight, a lineup filled with bench players did the job in a 4-2 win. "How about that goon squad?" said manager Davey Johnson, calling the bench guys by their self-appointed nickname. "Told you they were tough." A night after clinching the division, the guys that round out the roster got a chance to see some action, and they made the most of their...

Mark DeRosa did not remember the last time he started at shortstop. He thought it was 2005. When told it was Sept. 2, 2006, DeRosa nodded his head and said, "OK, that sounds about right." So for the first time as a starter at shortstop in six seasons, DeRosa went 2-for-4 with a single, double and run scored in the Nationals' 4-2 victory over the Phillies. He did have one errant throw from the position, but was in the middle of a 1-6-3 double play to end the second inning. "I botched...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez pitched extremely well tonight, but he had to appreciate the gem spun by Tampa Bay's James Shields. "I was like, 'He's doing great. I've got to do better than him,' " Gonzalez said. "I think he did a pretty good job going out there and throwing a complete game. I'm happy for him. Fifteen strikeouts for him. He did a great job tonight." Gonzalez is so calm on the mound, I keep waiting for a member of the medical staff to rush out...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter called James Shields' performance tonight for Tampa Bay "probably the best-pitched game that we've had pitched against us all year." Fortunately for the Orioles, it didn't result in a loss. Chris Davis' home run off the roof of the restaurant in center field held up. One run was all that the Orioles needed. Shields was masterful with 15 strikeouts and only two hits allowed in nine innings. He threw 106 pitches, 70 for strikes. "To have...

What do sports mean to a city, after all? Of what value is a team? What do we really gain from having handsomely compensated athletes organize themselves in uniform to play games in a city most of them don't call home? In a word, it's community. From economic impact to camaraderie, everyone can find their own favorite reason why sports matter. Regardless of which one you favor, a team is one of the few things that still has the power to impart a real sense of "us." Rooting can be a...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Every television in the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field is tuned to the Yankees-Red Sox game. Brian Roberts sat on one of the chairs, watching as the Red Sox tried to hold a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. They couldn't do it. Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer to tie the game. Chris Tillman is the confirmed starter for Wednesday night. No matter what happens in the Bronx, he's taking the mound at Tropicana Field. "It's exciting," he said. "I've...