Reliever Henry Rodriguez and catcher Wilson Ramos will not play winter ball, according to manager Davey Johnson. Rodriguez is recovering well from surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow. "Henry is doing great," Johnson said. "He was on the bench last night and I shook hands with him and he reached out with that iron fist. He is getting full extension already." Johnson said Rodriguez should be ready for spring training. As for Ramos, who was seen moving pretty well around a...

Despite all the madness that went on in the Nationals' clubhouse last night, it looked good as new this afternoon. The only indication that gallons of champagne, beer, juice and water had been spilled everywhere just 16 hours earlier was the faint odor of beer. Clubhouse manager Mike Wallace stayed until 5:30 this morning cleaning up, and a cleaning crew worked through the night to get the place looking nice and spiffy by the time players showed up this afternoon. Gio Gonzalez got to the...

Now that the Tampa Bay Rays have been officially eliminated, will they be easier for the Orioles to beat? Don't count on it, and I would imagine no one in the O's clubhouse is, either. Just the fact the Rays are pitching James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson the next two nights makes them tough to beat. Don't you think that it is somewhat ironic that last year the Rays were praising the Orioles for how hard and well they played late in the year against Boston, and now the Rays could keep the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter expects to announce Wednesday's starter after tonight's game against the Rays, and all signs point to Chris Tillman because of the importance attached to the regular season finale. That is, if it's the last regular season game. The Orioles could finish tied with the Yankees for first place in the American League East and meet Thursday in Baltimore. Showalter's head must be spinning. He had no idea that the forecast in New York tonight...

Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that outfielder Bryce Harper has been named National Rookie of the Month for the month of September. It was the second time Harper has won the honor this season, also taking home the distinction in May. Harper hits .330 (35-for-106) in 28 games in September, with seven homers, 26 runs, 69 total bases, a .651 slugging percentage, seven doubles, three triples, four stolen bases and 14 RBIs. His 26 runs scored was tops in the majors and he was second in...

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has been voted National League Rookie of the Month for the month of September. In 28 September contests, Harper led the Majors with 26 runs scored while ranking second among all National Leaguers with a .651 slugging percentage and 69 total bases. Harper's seven homers and 35 hits ranked first among N.L. rookies, while his .330 (35-for-106) batting average was good for second. The 19-year-old added seven doubles, three triples and 14 RBI to his...

Seems like only yesterday that Roch Kubatko was bringing class in "School of Roch" to order in Sarasota. But that was more than seven months ago, and a lot has happened in the interim - not the least of which is the fact that the Orioles will make their first appearance in the postseason since 1997. Now, how they'll do that remains to be seen, since the season's not yet over. The O's could win out in St. Pete against the Rays and hope the Yankees lose their final game at home against...

Davey Johnson got hit with a champagne shower three times last night. After he got dried off from the first attack, Adam LaRoche ambushed Johnson and soaked him again. Johnson may not have loved it, but he took it in stride. "He got me good," Johnson said. Then, rookie reliever Christian Garcia, a guy battling for a spot on the postseason roster, was gutsy enough to soak his 69-year-old skipper yet again. "'Son, that's a no-no,' " Johnson recalled himself saying, chuckling as he...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jason Hammel said his right knee feels great after yesterday's simulated game in Sarasota, where he threw 73 pitches in five innings. He may throw a bullpen session on Wednesday and will be available to start for the Orioles beginning on Saturday. "As of today, for the day after, it feels great. No setbacks, no soreness, no swelling," he said. "If needed, I'm ready to go. I feel good. I'd say right now it's as good as it's going to get before a full rest in the...

Now that the Nationals have locked up the National League East title, they're going about preparing for the postseason. Step one: sitting Gio Gonzalez. Davey Johnson has decided to rest Gonzalez, tonight's scheduled starter, and will instead have left-handed reliever Tom Gorzelanny start against the Phillies. Gonzalez could have started tonight and thrown just a couple innings to stay fresh for a possible Game 1 start Saturday or Sunday, but Johnson will instead give the ball to...