Trey Mancini would have spent a portion of the All-Star Game media session this week tallying how many people he had to thank for assisting in his climb to established major league hitter. So many of them, whether within his own family or the baseball community. Though he's home for the break, he's still able to express his gratitude without making the trip to Progressive Field in Cleveland. And I've found that he isn't alone in his appreciation of Orioles minor league hitting coordinator...

The criticism is always there for the Orioles' Chris Davis. He knows it's deserved when you are batting .189/.274/.332 with an OPS of .605. This is a player that produced an OPS of 1.004 in 2013 and .923 in 2015. He knows it is coming because he signed the big contract and has underperformed by a big margin. But he can't get that back now. He's dealing with it and trying his best to handle it. "It's always a challenge," he said over the weekend in Toronto. "But as you get older and as...

Orioles lefty John Means will take the field tonight representing the club in the All-Star Game. Means is certainly an unlikely All-Star. He himself expressed surprise that he even made the Orioles' opening day roster. But the Orioles started giving Means the ball, he excelled early in the season against the Yankees and Red Sox, and he was off and running. Five of his first nine appearances this year came against the two American League East big boys. He allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings over...

Nationals shortstop prospect Carter Kieboom made a couple of nice impact plays in the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday in Cleveland. Kieboom scooped a grounder near the second base bag and threw the runner out to end the third inning and then followed that up with a single in his next at-bat in the top of the fourth. He came around to score the National League's first run in a 2-2 tie after eight innings. Kieboom finished 1-for-2 with a run scored. Kieboom has slashed .320/.431/.590 with 18...

As the baseball world turned on the Nationals, called for the manager's head and called for the general manager to sell off every valuable part he had for future pieces, those inside the clubhouse who wear the uniform didn't understand why everybody was so eager to abandon ship. Yes, they had just been swept by a Mets team that looked like it was in disarray itself. They had fallen to 12 games under .500 and owned the second-worst record in the National League. But while they admittedly knew...

So the first half has come to an end for the Orioles and they stand with a record of 27-62. They had seven losing streaks of four games or more, with one that lasted seven games and one that was 10 games. They had just three winning streaks of two games, one of three games and one of four games. That longest streak came at the start of the year, when they went 4-1 in New York and Toronto after losing on opening day. The Orioles were playing better as the half came to an end, going 5-4 in the...

The Orioles close out the first half with an open spot on their 25-man roster that's going to be filled by new pitcher Aaron Brooks. David Hess was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk yesterday without appearing in a game. Sort of like Josh Lucas, except he was designated for assignment over the weekend to make room for Brooks on the 40-man roster. Brooks' role with the Orioles hasn't been defined. The rotation coming out of the break includes Dylan Bundy on Friday against the Rays at Camden Yards,...

If anyone could use this break, it's Sean Doolittle. The closer was the most consistent part of the Nationals bullpen for 80 games, but recently he has been hit more frequently. He racked up 19 saves in 22 opportunities in the first half for a 3.13 ERA. But since June 23, Doolittle has allowed nine hits in his last seven games, with two runs and three walks. And yet he still notched three saves. On Sunday, Doolittle (6-2) picked up the win when the Nats rallied for three runs in the bottom of...

TORONTO - The Orioles lost a game today, but won a series at Rogers Centre, and as they hit their All-Star break, they left Toronto encouraged by their recent performance and hopeful for the second half. After beating the Blue Jays 4-1 Friday and 8-1 Saturday, they lost 6-1 today to hit the break with a 27-62 record. They have gone 5-4 the last nine games, winning series against the Indians and Blue Jays. "I think we played well the first two games here, and you win a series on the road, you...

If there's anyone out there who somehow missed the entire first half of the season and is wondering how things went for the Nationals, just plop them down in front of a TV and have them watch a replay of this afternoon's contest. This was the Nats' first half, condensed down to 2 hours, 37 minutes. The starter absolutely dominated for seven innings. The lineup hit a couple of home runs but missed opportunities to add on. The bullpen couldn't get through the eighth inning without blowing the...