Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon's rehab from a fractured left ankle is gaining momentum, and this week will become a bigger test for the young third baseman to see how the injury reacts to sustained play in the field. Short-season Single-A Auburn manager Gary Cathcart confirmed that Rendon will play six innings tonight and Thursday morning at third base. He will be the designated hitter Friday. Then, on Saturday, Rendon is scheduled to play a full nine innings at third base for the first...

NEW YORK - The Orioles are going for their first sweep of a three-game series in the Bronx since June 6-8, 1986. If it happens today, it would mark the first time that the Orioles have swept the Yankees and Red Sox on the road in the same season since 1980, according to Elias. The Orioles have won four straight games in the Bronx, their longest winning streak since taking six in a row from Sept. 16, 1996-Sept. 6, 1997. The Orioles are 5-5 when going for a sweep this year, including 2-4 on...

NEW YORK - So much for my theory that Taylor Teagarden would catch an early game today. Matt Wieters is behind the plate. His rest will come tomorrow with an open date on the schedule. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis DH Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Wilson Betemit 3B Mark Reynolds 1B Endy Chavez LF Omar Quintanilla 2B Zach Britton LHP For the Yankees: Derek Jeter SS Curtis Granderson CF Nick Swisher DH Robinson Cano 2B Andruw Jones RF Russell Martin...

Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline has passed, but doesn't mean players can't change teams. The Orioles could still get a third baseman, and the Nationals a catcher. But there's a slight twist in the process. In August, players can be traded if they clear waivers. For example, if the Nationals wanted to trade a big league player for Boston catcher Kelly Shoppach, all big league players in the deal would have to clear waivers. The Nationals and Red Sox would have to let other teams know...

Forgive me while I sin momentarily and dream of baseball that has yet to played. And, no, I'm not talking about Washington baseball in October or the remaining games of the 2012 season. I'm talking about way out into the future, decades down the line. The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., inducted two new members on July 21. Then a week or so later, a friend and fellow baseball enthusiast packaged the Cooperstown 2012 induction program up and sent it to me in the mail....

Of course Dan Duquette stood pat at the non-waiver trade deadline. Of course. What, after all, did you expect him to do? I'm on record saying the Orioles should be buyers. I still think that's true, and grooves like the current one against the Yankees are a big reason why. This group just doesn't fold, and I find the prospect of what they might do with a little more talent tantalizing. That said, I'm not the least bit surprised that Duquette didn't pull a trigger. If he's shown us...

Given his age and experience level, Bryce Harper's rookie season has been pretty impressive. Harper has appeared in every game but one since his promotion to the big leagues and has found a way to make an impact on nearly all of them. Even when he isn't hitting, he's able to make highlight-reel defensive plays and put pressure on the defense with his full-throttle baserunning. There have been plenty of positives. But after a hot start to his major league career, even the rookie can admit...

That is probably a good name for this 2012 Orioles team.: a team with a ticker. It means a team with heart. A team that shows character and a will to win with team chemistry. It is probably a bit cliched to say that, but the Orioles play like that. They've shown a ticker in abundance in recent days. They showed it as much Friday as probably in any game this year. In the opener of a big series with Oakland, they fell behind 5-0 only to rally to lead 6-5. After falling behind again 8-6, they...

The overwhelming theme of both Davey Johnson and Stephen Strasburg's sessions with reporters after tonight's game was that Strasburg needs to do a better job of managing his emotions when things aren't going his way. Johnson commented that Strasburg "lost a little poise" tonight. Strasburg wasn't about to disagree with that theory, acknowledging that after allowing a few runs early, he got a bit rattled and got out of his gameplan instead of just rolling with the punches. "Yeah, it's...

NEW YORK - For whatever reason, the Orioles are playing a 1:05 p.m. game in the middle of the week. Had I planned it better, I would have taken the train back home tonight, spent the off day there and flown to Tampa on Friday. But enough about me. How about those Orioles? They've won three games in a row, and this is the first time they've won consecutive series in the Bronx in the same season since 2007. Today, they go for the sweep. "Any game you play that's with a division rival,...