The last time Davey Johnson managed a playoff team, the year was 1997 and he was in Baltimore. Johnson led the Orioles to a 98-win season and a spot in the American League Championship Series. He was named AL Manager of the Year after that season, and then, due to a disagreement with ownership, was promptly was out of a job the same day that he was given the award. Fifteen years later, Johnson again has managed his team to the postseason and again finds himself in the Manager of the Year...

For Manny Machado, it all started in early June. What began then at Double-A Bowie was a process of Machado starting to take early work before batting practice at third base and it all eventually led to his call-up to Baltimore, where the natural shortstop would play third base. He is playing there after starting in all of two games this year at Bowie at third. But Machado obviously took to the position and the Orioles' minor league coaches could see in early June that he would do well at...

The Nationals have been talking for the last couple weeks about how they didn't have their eyes set on a mere playoff berth. Loftier goals were ahead, they said, like the NL East title. Once they clinched a wild card spot tonight, they weren't about to get too caught up in this moment. After all, as Ian Desmond noted tonight, "This pretty much means that if we lose every game from here on out, we get to play one more game." Still, the Nats couldn't help but pop open a little champagne...

When Davey Johnson walked into the press conference room following tonight's 4-1 win over the Dodgers, a large group of fans looking on through a glass window in the Presidents' Club started applauding. "What's the big deal?" Johnson said, a giant smile creeping across his face. Oh, nothing. You just locked up a postseason berth for the first time in team history and gave D.C. its first playoff baseball team in the last 79 years. That's all. "That was fun but that's not what I had...

With Miguel Gonzalez taking the mound tonight at Fenway Park - figuratively speaking, of course, since removing the actual mound would be both time consuming and some sort of Major League Baseball violation - I figured it was appropriate to pass along a few of the Orioles' international signings that may have flown under the radar. Fred Ferreira, the Orioles' executive director of international recruiting, signed Gonzalez in early May after scouting him in the Mexican League and Caribbean...

Left-hander Ross Detwiler became the fourth Nationals pitcher to win at least 10 games this season, twirling six innings and allowing just one run in a 4-1 playoff-clinching win at Nationals Park. Detwiler did not allow a hit through three innings, allowed a solo homer to Mark Ellis in the fourth, but then only two other singles to improve to 10-6. At one point, he threw his fastball 13 out of 15 pitches, and 43 times on the night. He walked just one hitter to lead off the sixth, which could...

Congratulations, D.C. For the first time in 79 years, you now officially are the home of a playoff baseball team. The same Nationals who lost 103 games three seasons ago are now heading to the postseason, this after notching a 4-1 win over the Dodgers tonight. There is no giant pile-up on the field as the Nats celebrate, and we don't expect to see any champagne in the clubhouse. The Nats have their eyes set on a bigger goal - winning the National League East, and there's still a little ways...

Mark Ellis ended Ross Detwiler's perfect night with a solo homer leading off the fourth inning. Outside of that, the Dodgers have done almost nothing against Detwiler thus far. The Nationals lefty has faced just two over the minimum through five innings, needing just 63 pitches to get to this point. He has a 4-1 lead going to the sixth. Detwiler was absolutely dominant in his first three innings of work, retiring all nine hitters he faced, with four strikeouts. It was a fairly small...

Brooks Robinson was so revered in Baltimore that his first name is all that's necessary to reference him as an Orioles legend and Hall of Famer. Before honoring the man himself at the final Legends Park statue ceremony on Sept. 29 at Camden Yards, the Orioles are honoring his name with a clever sweepstakes. Former Associated Press sportswriter Gordon Beard once wrote, "Brooks never asked anyone to name a candy bar after him. In Baltimore, people named their children after him." Playing...

One part of last night's blown call at home plate that Nationals manager Davey Johnson failed to mention after the game was that he actually received an apology from home plate umpire Alan Porter. Porter blew a call in the top of the fourth inning, giving the Dodgers a run when Adrian Gonzalez was clearly tagged out before Matt Kemp crossed home plate. The umpires declined to comment to reporters after the game, but Porter apparently fessed up to his error shortly after it...