In case anyone has been looking the other way or dealing with a severe case of clogged eardrums since, oh, around the first day of spring training, Manny Machado views himself only as a shortstop and doesn't want to go back to third base unless he tripled. Here's a partial list of other things Machado doesn't want to do: * Keep answering questions about whether he'd go back to third base. * Be 40 games below .500. * Wear a boa constrictor as a scarf. * Scarf down a boa constrictor. * Keep...

PITTSBURGH - It was the formula that worked so well in April and May - five dominant innings from Jeremy Hellickson, then four innings from the bullpen - but had been long forgotten as Hellickson spent June recovering from a hamstring injury and then made his first start of July while under the weather. Hellickson, though, is healthy again. And tonight he pitched like the early-season version of himself again. And because his teammates were able to score runs in bunches for a stretch during...

No Orioles minor league player has risen more this season in terms of general O's fans knowing about him than outfielder Ryan McKenna. His performance this year has skyrocketed him into the limelight and he is hitting his stride at the plate with the Double-A Bowie Baysox in July. McKenna, 21, was drafted by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Hampshire. The 5-foot-11, 185-lb. right-handed hitting outfielder had three...

How many times can Manny Machado prove to the world, or at least baseball's portion of it, that he isn't distracted by all of the trade talk and the obsession over his pending free agency? He offers denials at his locker and in the batter's box. Machado collected three more hits tonight, including game-tying home runs in the bottom of the fifth and seventh and against a team that's showing renewed interest in him. His contribution in the game-winning rally in the ninth inning was an...

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg accomplished exactly what he set out to do in his first rehab game returning from right shoulder inflammation that has kept him on the disabled list since June 9. Strasburg pitched 3 1/3 innings for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals in their comeback 7-4 win at the Lynchburg Hillcats Tuesday night. He allowed one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 57 pitches, 34 for strikes. That was right in the window the Nationals were wanting...

Frederick, MD. - Showing a fastball that sat mostly between 88 and 91 mph, Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman allowed six runs over 6 1/3 innings tonight for Single-A Frederick against Wilmington at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. While it fell far short of anything close to a positive outing, Tillman did put together a string of three scoreless innings after a shaky start. But with likely just one more rehab start left before his 30-day minor league rehab assignment runs out, Tillman has...

PITTSBURGH - Austin Voth was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse today for the fourth time this season. The right-hander has yet to actually make his major league debut, but it appears safe to say it'll finally happen this time around. Called up to swap roster spots with Jefry Rodriguez, who labored during Monday night's 6-3 loss to the Pirates, Voth is tentatively slated to start Saturday against the Mets (the next time Rodriguez's spot in the rotation comes up). However, it's possible the...

The Orioles host the New York Yankees tonight in the third game of a four-game series and an eight-game homestand leading into the All-Star break. The clubs split a doubleheader Monday, with the Orioles winning the opener 5-4 and losing the nightcap 10-2. The Orioles' (25-66) offense continued its season-long struggles in Game 2, producing just two runs on five hits. The Orioles have scored two runs or fewer in six of their last eight and nine of 12 games. They are 3-38 when scoring two or...

PITTSBURGH - Sean Doolittle knew something wasn't right in his left foot as far back as Friday, but he didn't think it was anything to be concerned about, that all would be fine if he took a couple days off. But by the time Monday arrived and Doolittle decided to see how the foot felt when he threw off a bullpen mound and simulated fielding bunts, he realized this problem was more serious than he initially thought. And so today the Nationals were forced to place their All-Star closer on the...

The Orioles announced their roster moves this afternoon, recalling left-hander Donnie Hart and selecting right-hander Jhan Maríñez's contract from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning right-handers Yefry Ramírez and Ryan Meisinger to the Tides Ramírez started Game 2 of yesterday's doubleheader and wasn't going to be available. The Orioles are back down to four starters and have nine relievers and three bench players on the roster. Ramírez is 0-3 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.255 WHIP in...