The Orioles could have used a rainout last night. A heavy, heavy downpour - like the kind you normally find inside the Rogers Centre dome. Animals paired off. That sort of thing. They played nine uninterrupted innings despite the ominous forecast, which never seems to be accurate, and lost their starting right fielder and leadoff hitter to a broken thumb. A split doubleheader today would have been a blessing by comparison. Sharing the parking lots with tailgating Ravens fans on Monday would...

In the Orioles clubhouse the topic was not so much a win over the Yankees, first place or how the last play unfolded. It was about the injury to Nick Markakis and how the Orioles will now try to overcome that difficult blow to their season. Here are comments from Adam Jones: "We have to rally around him. It (stinks), what do you want me to say? It's September and one of our best players is down for the the rest of the year. It (stinks). What can we do about that? Complaining won't heal his...

Nick Markakis knew right away the news would not be good after he was hit on the left thumb by a CC Sabathia tonight in the fifth inning of the Orioles 5-4 win over the Yankees. "When it first happened I knew I broke it," Markakis said. "I couldn't bend my finger. Pain wise, it is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I knew it was definitely broken as soon as I took my batting glove off. I knew as soon as he hit it. I knew how it hit me. One of those accidents. "It (stinks). It's an...

X-rays taken on Nick Markakis' left hand revealed a break in the middle of his thumb, which will cost him the remainder of the regular season and could severely impact the Orioles' chances of making the playoffs. Markakis could be out a minimum of six weeks, according to manager Buck Showalter. More pictures will be taken Sunday to determine whether Markakis needs surgery. "It breaks my heart, personally," Showalter said. "We've been a sum of the parts team all year and we certainly...

He may have entered this game with a career mark of 16-3 and 2.97 ERA against the Orioles, but this year CC Sabathia is 0-2 with an ERA of 6.38 vs. the Orioles. They beat him in come-from-behind fashion, 5-4 tonight, to take two of the first three in this series and once again the clubs are tied for first in the AL East with identical 78-61 records. The game hung in the balance in the top of the ninth as New York scored once to pull within one with runners on first and third with one out. But...

The good feeling that developed from the Orioles taking a 3-2 lead has vanished from Camden Yards. CC Sabathia drilled Nick Markakis on the left hand with a 93 mph fastball with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Markakis immediately jumped out of the batter's box, shaking his hand, as head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter raced out of the dugout. Bancells removed Markakis' batting glove, checked the hand and walked him into the dugout and through the...

When the word finally came down from the umpires that Saturday's game would resume after what wound up being a rain delay of 2 hours, 33 minutes, Nationals manager Davey Johnson noticed a spring in the steps of everyone in the clubhouse. Never mind that the Nationals were three outs away from absorbing a loss to the Miami Marlins on a day when it was announced that their ace, Stephen Strasburg, was done for the season. Never mind that the deluge interrupted whatever momentum Washington had...

Stephen Strasburg left little doubt that he still disagrees with the Nationals' decision to shut him down for the season. Regardless of whether the plan was accelerated - the Nats pulled the plug on his 2012 season Saturday, even though they had previously announced he would make his final start Wednesday at Citi Field against the Mets - or not, the idea of sitting while his team continues to play leaves a sour taste in the ace's mouth. "I don't know if I'm ever going to accept it, to be...

Right-hander Nathan Karns is most thankful to be able to complete a full season with the Nationals organization. Karns missed 2010 because of shoulder surgery and half of the 2011 season rehabbing from the surgery. Karns, who was honored Friday as the minor league Pitcher of the Year within the organization, said being healthy this season will really important to advancement of his career. "To have a full season and stay healthy was an accomplishment for me," Karns said. "I have to thank...

There won't be any talk of a perfect game for Joe Saunders tonight. Saunders retired the first 17 batters he faced in Monday's start in Toronto, but the Yankees took a 1-0 lead against him in the first inning. Derek Jeter continued his Saunders assault with a leadoff single, making him 9-for-20 lifetime against the veteran left-hander. Jeter moved to third on a one-out double by Mark Teixeira, who was activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, and scored on Alex Rodriguez's fly...