Luke Scott was 2-for-13 with one home run lifetime against Mariano Rivera when the Yankees closer entered today's game with runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Scott drove the ball to left field, which the Yankees weren't expecting with speedster Brett Gardner playing so shallow. Gardner went into a full sprint, reached over his head and somehow made the catch for the final out. The game is definitely tied if the ball eludes Gardner's glove, and I like...

Mark Reynolds was hitless in his last 22 at-bats before launching an opposite-field, two-run homer off Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain in the seventh inning. Adam Jones singled with one out and Reynolds followed with a shot to right, his first homer since April 9 against the Rangers' Colby Lewis. Matt Wieters struck out, and manager Buck Showalter let Cesar Izturis bat, creating a spirited debate in the press box. One reporter agreed that Izturis should bat, which would allow Brian...

Too bad the Orioles forgot again to unpack their bats. You'd think the anthem or the opposing pitcher's warmup tosses would provide a reminder. Jake Arrieta has allowed three runs and five hits, with three walks and a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings. He's thrown 97 pitches, and it appears that Koji Uehara will replace him in the seventh. Give Arrieta credit for holding the Yankees to one run after the first, but again, an Orioles starter put the team in an early hole. And...

The Orioles are still not scoring runs, oh by the way. They trail today 3-0 after six innings. They have scored all three runs in this series on just one swing, an Adam Jones homer last night. Through six today, they have just two hits off Freddy Garcia, both by Luke Scott. The rest of the lineup is a combined 0-for-18. New York's defense has helped him with solid plays afield by Mark Teixeira and A-Rod. New York added to its lead on A-Rod's fielders choice RBI in the fifth. The O's had a...

The Orioles rallied in the second inning against Freddy Garcia, who hasn't exactly been sharp today. Garcia had thrown only 11 of his first 21 pitches for strikes. Luke Scott singled with one out in the second and Adam Jones walked on four pitches. Rally time. Or so you'd think. Mark Reynolds swung at the first two pitches and flied to right, extending his slump to 0-for-21. Matt Wieters walked on four pitches, but Cesar Izturis struck out on three. End of rally time. The Yankees still...

Here's a stat for you: Over the first 18 games of this season, Orioles' pitchers had allowed a total of five runs in the first inning. The Yankees have scored five first-inning runs in this series after taking a 2-0 lead in the first today versus Jake Arrieta. Last night, New York took a 2-0 lead four batters into the game on its way to a three-run first inning. Today, Derek Jeter led off the game with a single to center and Curtis Granderson followed with a two-run homer to right on a 1-1...

The Yankees took a 2-0 lead last night after 10 pitches from Brad Bergesen. They have a 2-0 lead today after four pitches from Jake Arrieta. Somebody wake me up from this nightmare. Derek Jeter singled and Curtis Granderson belted his seventh home run. Arrieta walked the next two batters, bringing pitching coach Mark Connor from the mound. Maybe the Orioles should have sent Arrieta home last night so he wouldn't be exposed to that 15-3 thrashing. Cancel his cable subscription. Force him to...

Adam Jones took over the Orioles team home run lead with four with his three-run shot last night off CC Sabathia. In recent games, we have seen Jones drop bunts for hits and also pick up key hits by driving the baseball to right and right center field. His homer last night went to right. It provides perhaps a glimpse into a future where Jones realizes his vast potential and puts it all together at bat. He has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games and his six RBIs over the last six...

Brian Matusz is throwing from 120 feet as the Orioles take batting practice on this glorious Easter morning at Camden Yards. Matusz will throw his first bullpen session on Tuesday unless the club makes an unexpected change to his schedule. Update: The club made an unexpected change. Matusz got through today's session without incident, but he'll repeat it Tuesday rather than throw in the bullpen. He made 60 throws in increments of 15 this morning from 60 to 120 feet, rested, then threw again...

The Washington Nationals today reinstated right-handed pitcher Todd Coffey from the 15-Day Disabled List. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Coffey missed the last 12 games after going on the DL with a strained left calf on April 17, retroactive to April 9. The 30-year-old is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in five relief appearances this season.