NEW YORK - Closer Jim Johnson, coming off a blown save and raising more concerns about his second-half performance, was handed the ball and a one-run lead tonight in the ninth inning. After one batter, the Yankees had the tying run on second base. After three batters, they had the winning run at first base. Nick Swisher led off with a ground-rule double to right-center field. Raul Ibanez struck out, but Eric Chavez walked. Ichiro Suzuki bounced into a 6-4 force and later stole second, and...

Even though half the hits he gave up tonight were home runs, Miguel Gonzalez still was on his game for most the evening, keeping the Yankees off balance with some offspeed pitches which produced eight strikeouts as the Orioles beat New York 5-4 in the opener of a three-game series. With the win the Orioles improved to 4-1 in their last five games against New York and 4-5 on the season overall. They are now 8-5 over the last 13 games and 54-49 overall. Gonzalez gave up six hits and four runs...

NEW YORK - Wilson Betemit homered into the second deck in right field leading off the top of the third inning tonight to tie the score, 1-1. Betemit had one homer since June 26 and one RBI since July 22. He's totaled four RBIs since June 29. Betemit has two hits in seven career at-bats against Yankees right-hander Freddy Garcia - both of them home runs. The Yankees claimed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning after Miguel Gonzalez was called for balk with two outs that allowed Raul...

NEW YORK - The Phillies sent pitcher Joe Blanton's medical records to Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens this afternoon, according to a source. This is another indication that a trade is close to being finalized. That's it for the Blanton update. Jim Thome had a trigger point treatment and a cortisone injection in his neck yesterday, "but it wasn't much better today," said manager Buck Showalter. "A little bit. Not much." Thome will return to Baltimore tonight and undergo an MRI...

NEW YORK - The Phillies sent pitcher Joe Blanton's medical records to Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens this afternoon, according to a source. This is another indication that a trade is close to being finalized. That's it for the Blanton update. Jim Thome had a trigger point treatment and a cortisone injection in his neck yesterday, "but it wasn't much better today," said manager Buck Showalter. "A little bit. Not much." Thome will return to Baltimore tonight and undergo an MRI...

It has been a long time since the Orioles played at Yankee Stadium. Three months, in fact. But the last trip there, unlike many others over the years, went quite well for the Orioles. On April 30 Baltimore lost the series opener in the Bronx 2-1, but they then beat New York 7-1 and 5-0 on back-to-back nights to improve to 16-9 on the year. The Orioles held the Yankees to three total runs in the series and it was the first time in 34 years that the Orioles held the Yankees to two runs or less...

NEW YORK - Designated hitter Jim Thome is returning to Baltimore and will undergo an MRI on his neck tomorrow to determine the cause of spasms that have kept him out of the lineup for the past three games. Thome is listed among the reserves tonight, but he won't be available to play. Thome tried to hit earlier today before giving up and meeting with manager Buck Showalter. "It's really not getting any better, to be honest," Thome said. "Maybe a little bit of improvement, but not much. I...

The Orioles have posted their lineup for tonight's 7:05 p.m. game against the Yankees, and it doesn't include designated hitter Jim Thome, who is still sidelined with neck spasms. Thome will miss his third straight start. Here's the lineup: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis DH Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Lew Ford LF Wilson Betemit 3B Mark Reynolds 1B Omar Quintanilla 2B Miguel Gonzalez RHP

Right-handed pitcher Josh Wilkie has been given his release by the Nationals. Director of player development Doug Harris confirmed today that Wilkie is no longer with the organization. Wilkie was suspended for 50 games June 2 for using a banned substance, which Wilkie described as Spice, a synthetic form of marijuana. He was eligible to return to the team last week after staying in shape pitching in Venezuela. Wilkie last pitched for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs on May 29, and was 0-2 with...

The rumors continue to swirl throughout the day as the clock ticks down on tomorrow's trade deadline, which now sits a little less than 25 hours away. The new bit of news around the majors is that the Phillies are seriously entertaining trade offers for starter Cliff Lee, who has struggled this season and has just a single win and a 3.95 ERA. Lee hasn't been at his best this season and still has three additional years and $87.5 million left on his contract. Still, if you had told me before...