Major League Baseball has announced the start times for Games 4 and 5 of the National League Division Series between the Nationals and Cardinals, and the schedule will bring the Sun Monster into play on Thursday. Game 4 is currently set to begin at 4:07 p.m., on Thursday, although it could be moved back an hour to 5:07 p.m., if the Tigers-Athletics series has ended by then. Essentially, if the Tigers, who hold a 2-0 lead in that series, win tonight or tomorrow, the Nats-Cardinals will play...

Aberdeen's own Cal Ripken Jr. was not there to greet them, but the New York Yankees made an unscheduled stop in Ripken's hometown on their way north early this morning as they were leaving Baltimore after Game 2 of the American League Division Series. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, on a conference call with reporters to take questions about the ALDS, explained what happened after last night's game. "I would say we got to the train station around 1:10 or 1:15," Girardi said. "We took off...

The Orioles had to cancel their workout this afternoon at Yankee Stadium because of "travel complications," according to a press release from Major League Baseball. Did the train catch fire? Actually, power outages cause major issues for everyone, including the media. My train also was canceled this morning, but I was able to get on a later one. One reporter on the beat drove to White Marsh and took a bus. Another reporter caught a ride with colleagues in an SUV. Welcome to baseball's...

The Orioles and Yankees left Baltimore with the best-of-five American League Division Series tied at one game apiece. By now you've read the wall-to-wall coverage of the ALDS on MASNsports.com from Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski. Here's a round-up of what other media outlets are saying about Game 2 of the ALDS between the Orioles and Yankees. * Buck Showalter knew what he was doing when intentionally putting the go-ahead run on base in the seventh, says Joel Sherman of the New York...

How good has Darren O'Day been for the Orioles this year? Throw out just about any superlative you want, and it likely fits. O'Day continues to be outstanding in the postseason. He has pitched in all three games against Texas and New York with a combined 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with no walks and three strikeouts. He came into the Texas game and preserved what was, at the time, a 2-1 lead. He kept the game tied 2-2 Sunday and struck out Alex Rodriguez in the seventh...

If the Orioles are going to be playing baseball next week, they're going to have to out-pitch the New York Yankees in the remaining two or three games of the American League Division Series. Despite the $116 million difference in the two team's payrolls, I'm confident that the Birds have the advantage when it comes to their arsenal of arms. Jim Johnson picked a tough time to have an off night, but the good news is that his rough outing was just that night. The Orioles' closer was charged...

ST. LOUIS - After three days in chilly Missouri, it's back to the DMV. I'm waiting at my gate for a 7:45 a.m. CT flight, which should get me back home just in time to shower, hop in my car and head to Nationals Park for today's optional workout and media availability. The Nats got home late last night and will take the field today, take some BP and get treatment on various bumps and bruises. We'll hear from Edwin Jackson after the workout, the guy who will get the ball for the Nats...

Jim Johnson loaded the bases with two outs in Friday night's wild card game before nailing down a 5-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. He allowed five runs, four earned, in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the American League Division Series, turning a 2-2 tie into a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees. By Johnson's standards, I guess this qualified as a slump. The guy hadn't permitted a run in the regular season since Sept. 8. He had been scored upon once in 26 appearances going into the...

Here is a sampling of some comments tonight from a victorious Orioles clubhouse after the 3-2 win evened the American League Division Series at 1-1. Darren O'Day said he was confident in Jim Johnson: "I could tell last night he was going to be fine. A lot of guys would be feeling sorry for themselves. But I was in the training room after the game, joking with him about fantasy football. He laughed at my stupid jokes, which really aren't funny, so I knew he wasn't dwelling on it and he was...

Here's the transcript from manager Buck Showalter's media session following the Orioles' 3-2 win over the Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series: Q. I know this is going to be a piercing look into the obvious, but how important was it to get out of here 1-1 instead of 0-2? SHOWALTER: "Well, you know, the math is you've got to win three or lose three, so I think ... you know what I'd be talking about if we weren't able to win. It's one win closer to winning three. We...