Rosters have expanded and the Nationals have added four players to their active roster. Left-hander John Lannan, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez have been officially recalled, while outfielder Mark DeRosa has been activated off the 15-day DL. The Nats also announced that catcher Jhonatan Solano has been reinstated from the DL and optioned to Double-A Harrisburg. More to come. Here's the Nationals lineup for this afternoon: RF Jayson Werth CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan...

NEW YORK - Troy Patton threw on flat ground from 60 feet on Thursday, and the Orioles will check on his right ankle today before confirming the next phase of his rehab schedule. "First time he's gotten the ball in his hand and able to put pressure (on the ankle). First time he's thrown and landed on the ankle," said manager Buck Showalter. "That was a good first step. I haven't gotten the report today. We should get something a little after noon today, with him and (Stu)...

This afternoon's live blog: It's almost time for Game 2 of the weekend series in New York. A win would pull the Orioles to within one game of first place and within one victory of a three-game sweep. I will keep this blog "live" during this afternoon's game and will add stats, notes, facts and commentary here all during today's game. I hope the readers keep a steady stream of comments and questions coming here as well. Check back often and hit refresh to get the latest and see the latest...

NEW YORK - Matt Wieters is catching a day game after a night game this afternoon. Omar Quintanilla gets another start at second base. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Nate McLouth LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Chris Davis DH Mark Reynolds 1B Omar Quintanilla 2B Manny Machado 3B Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Yankees: Derek Jeter DH Nick Swisher 1B Robinson Cano 2B Andruw Jones RF Curtis Granderson CF Russell Martin C Jayson Nix 3B Eduardo Nunez SS Ichiro Suzuki...

When reporters entered the Nationals' clubhouse after last night's 10-0 shellacking of the Cardinals, the Braves-Phillies game was showing on every TV in sight. As we huddled around Ryan Zimmerman, asking the third baseman about a third straight Nats win, Phillies outfielder John Mayberry crushed a fly ball to deep left in the 10th inning of a tie game. Shouts came out from different parts of the clubhouse. "Get him! Get him!" one player yelled, as the ball traveled towards the left field...

In a big game to start a big series the Orioles came up with a big performance. None bigger than Miguel Gonzalez, who despite not pitching since Aug. 20, fired seven shutout innings at the Yankees in the Orioles' 6-1 win. Gonzalez went 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA in five August starts and the Baltimore is 7-3 in his 10 starts this year. He had a WHIP of 1.09 and batting average against of .220 during the month. Since losing their first four games against New York this year, the Orioles are 6-2...

Over the last two nights, the Nationals have outscored the defending World Series champion Cardinals 18-1. A dormant offense has come alive. The top-notch starting pitching has returned, as have the smiles. Tonight, it was Gio Gonzalez wearing the smile for the Nats. To be truthful, Gonzalez always wears the smile, but tonight it was well-earned. The lefty threw the first shutout of his career, allowing just five hits and three walks over his nine sterling innings, striking out...

During the Nationals' five-game losing streak, the Nationals managed six runs. Since that spiral, the Nationals have won three in a row, and have scored at least eight runs in each of the wins, outscoring opponents 26-5 in that span. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 with two-run home run in the eighth off of the Cardinals' Jason Motte as the Nationals went on to shutout the Cardinals 10-0 on Friday night. Zimmerman said every losing streak has a message. The Nationals did not...

NEW YORK - We have a 1:05 p.m. game in the Bronx today. I hope you slept fast. I wanted to give you something to read with your morning coffee before I post the lineup. Here's a quote yesterday from manager Buck Showalter, which came after a reporter asked whether he tends to look up or down at the standings. In other words, is he more focused on the Yankees or the teams he's trying to stay ahead of in the wild card race. Showalter fired off his answer without hesitation, and he repeated...

NEW YORK - Miguel Gonzalez hadn't pitched in 11 days before taking the ball tonight at Yankee Stadium. Some pitchers would be too strong, would lose their feel and their command. Others, like Gonzalez, simply dominate. Gonzalez tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out a career-high nine batters and lowering his ERA to 3.31. "We had a couple changes," he said. "We have some new guys on our ballclub. I think that's what set me back a little bit more. They told me they were going to...