O's hit new low, little else vs. Nats … The answer to the question seemed pretty obvious, just by looking at the faces of the Orioles after their latest deflating loss.  Brian Roberts sunk his head into his lap after the final out was made.  Jay Gibbons threw his head back and exhaled.

THE SUBWAY STREAKERS  —  YANKS ROLLING, METS REELING INTO WEEKEND  —  Fire and ice collide at Yankee Stadium tonight when the Mets invade The Bronx for the second set of Subway Series games.  —  Thanks to a season-high, nine-game winning streak, the Yankees are the hottest team in baseball …

En Route to Bronx, Mets Now Team in Trouble  —  There is bad baseball, and there is pitiful baseball, and there is painful, embarrassing baseball, and there is the kind of baseball the Mets have played this month, which is none of these things, but is instead just depressing.

Just a nip and tuck, or major surgery for White Sox?  —  With team still sinking, big decisions await GM at trade deadline  —  PITTSBURGH — A run for redemption has turned into a series of survival for the White Sox.  —  They open a three-game series Friday night at perennial National …

Extra-inning loss to A's is team's 20th in 27 games  —  Astros manager Phil Garner lamented about missed opportunities with runners in scoring position, bad pitches that were smacked around the ballpark and the shoddy defense his team played Thursday afternoon.  —  And that wasn't even the worst news of the day.

Sox stone cold  —  Beckett loses first; Drew gets earful  —  The bats have gone quiet, the pitching has stumbled, and the Yankees are winning every day.  —  All of that means the gloves have come off at Fenway Park, where a sellout crowd of 36,939 did not let last night's 7-1 Red Sox loss …

Speier's lingering absence remains an issue  —  Reliever doesn't seem any closer to returning to the bullpen after having to cut short a rehab assignment.  —  CINCINNATI — It's becoming more disconcerting as each day passes and there is no indication that Justin Speier is any closer …

Theo's Biggest Mistake  —  Letting Orlando Cabrera go was Theo Epstein's biggest mistake of his short career as a general manager, and we're feeling the effects of this to this day.  —  Let's backtrack a little bit.  On July 31st, 2004, the Red Sox traded away their icon, Nomar Garciaparra.

The Disastrous 1997 Marlins … The Marlins are making plans to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their 1997 title.  Has there ever been another team's World Series rings that has had such a disastrous effect on the Dodgers, if not the whole game?  The Marlins had the second highest payroll …

Big Papi promotes Holliday for derby  —  Boston - Matt Holliday made a sellout crowd stop chattering its teeth and show its fillings.  He crushed a Josh Beckett fastball into the Green Monster seats in the fourth inning Thursday night.  It only served to prove David Ortiz's point from a few hours earlier …

Sore shoulder puts Owens back on shelf  —  · Henry Owens' shoulder trouble has gone from front to back.  —  The Marlins' right-hander is back on the disabled list retroactive to Saturday with shoulder inflammation.  Owens was sidelined 20 days last month because of pain in the front of the shoulder.

Three Marlins ejected after plunking  —  Tankersley, Boone, skipper Gonzalez tossed following warning  —  MIAMI — The Interleague matchup between the Marlins and Indians on Wednesday night at Dolphin Stadium reached a boiling point in the sixth inning.  —  After warnings were issued …