In a game that began at 11:08 p.m. after a four-hour plus rain delay and ended at 2:15 a.m., the Yankees beat the Orioles 5-3 to take the first two games of this series. The game was played in a steady rain and the grounds crew had to enter the field often in the later innings to work on the wet surface. The Orioles fell behind 2-0, but tied it up on a Matt Wieters two-run homer in the sixth. They fell behind again 3-2, but a Nick Markakis RBI double tied it in the seventh. Buck Showalter...

Proving he can hit even at 1 a.m. Matt Wieters two-run homer in the top of the sixth tied this game at 2-2. The game that began at 11:08 p.m. continues to be played in a rainstorm at Yankee Stadium. Wieters is 2-for-3 tonight. Over his last 15 games, he is batting .382 (21-for-55) with six homers, five doubles and 17 RBIs. He has now driven in at least one run in 11 of his last 15 games. Wieters has three homers on the year against New York. Vlad Guerrero has two hits in the game, but Chris...

The Orioles endured another delay tonight, this one lasting 13 minutes as the Yankee Stadium grounds crew applied a drying agent around home plate and on the mound. As if that's going to do any good. The crew should have dumped a few sacks of it on the warning track. Matt Angle lost his footing while trying to track Francisco Cervelli's fly ball in the fifth inning, breaking back and in and sideways before dropping it and allowing Jorge Posada to score for a 2-0 lead. Posada reached on...

You really had to feel for Nationals prospect Brad Peacock. He made his major league debut in less than ideal conditions. He had to follow Stephen Strasburg. Doug Slaten allowed two hits and tallied one out in front of him. On a cold and rainy Tuesday night, the Nationals top strikeout artist in the minors allowed four hits, one walk and no strikeouts, including a two-run single by the Dodgers Andre Ethier that tied the game at 3. In 1 1/3 innings, Peacock was charged with one earned run....

The Orioles waited until first pitch, as always, to announce their roster moves. They created room on the 40-man roster by designating Blake Davis and Mark Hendrickson for assignment. Davis, 27, hit .254 (15-for-59) in 25 games for the Orioles this year. Hendrickson, 37, posted a 5.73 ERA in eight games and 11 innings. Hendrickson recently went through optional waivers so the Orioles could put him back on the 40-man. Now they've taken him off. The Orioles needed two spots on the 40-man...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled infielder Josh Bell from Triple-A Norfolk and infielder Pedro Florimon from Double-A Bowie, selected the contracts of right-handed pitcher Jeremy Accardo and left-handed Clay Rapada from the Tides and activated infielder/outfielder Chris Davis from the disabled list. To make room for Accardo and Rapada on the 40-man roster, infielder Blake Davis and left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson have been designated for assignment. Bell, 24, batted...

If an East Coast baseball game starts at 11 p.m. will anyone still be up to watch it? Or blog about it? Is this really in the best interests of the fans? You know the answer to that, so don't even worry about answering that one. Hey, got to protect the integrity of the pennant face, even if it comes at the expense of everyone's sanity. Since it seems they are going to try and play this game, here are some stats to ponder. Orioles' starting pitchers have given up 14 earned runs in 11 1/3...

It took 3 1/2 hours for the crew chief to decide that the Orioles and Yankees could start their game tonight. Tack on another 30 minutes for the Yankee Stadium grounds crew to get the field ready, and we're looking at a projected 11 p.m. start time. The decision to play or postpone rested in the hands of the umpires, since the Orioles are making their last visit to New York. And they're in no hurry to send everyone home. MASN's Gary Thorne says we've got a 30-minute window before more...

Anticipating more rain today, the Yankee Stadium grounds crew has installed a diving board and ladder behind the mound. Matt Angle had trouble tracking the ball in left field last night, but only because he was distracted by the shark's fin. The decision to play or postpone the game rested in the clammy hands of the umpires, since the Orioles were making their final trip to the Bronx. And they really, really wanted to work. It was raining buckets and the forecast for the rest of the night...

Nationals outfielder Laynce Nix, who tweaked his groin against the Atlanta Braves last week said rest is helping him and he expects to return the the lineup Saturday or Sunday against the Houston Astros. Nix said the slight groin injury is healing well and his body heals quickly when he shuts down completely for a few days. His achilles has been tender for awhile and this time off has also helped that injury. Nix said when he returns to Dallas, Texas., in the offseason, he has his own...