Orioles third baseman Manny Machado left tonight's game in the bottom of the third inning with an injury to his right knee. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter helped Machado off the field. I'll pass along an update as it becomes available. Machado shattered his bat while swinging at a pitch from Yankees starter Chris Capuano. His right knee appeared to buckle, causing Machado to fall on his back. Machado grabbed the knee and was in obvious pain as Bancells and...

The Yankees have taken an early lead tonight against Orioles right-hander Bud Norris, with Brett Garnder's leadoff triple in the top of the first inning followed by Derek Jeter's bouncer to third. The Orioles have won a season-high seven consecutive series. They've got three games scheduled against the Yankees at Camden Yards before Thursday's off day. Try to ignore the weather forecast for Tuesday. Shield your eyes. I don't have any information on rescheduling if the game is...

No one is calculating magic numbers in the Orioles clubhouse these days but O's center fielder Adam Jones talked about the club holding the largest division lead of any team in baseball. As they open a three-game series at home against the Yankees tonight they lead Toronto by five games and New York by six games. "Well, we are in a unique position," Jones said. "A position that most of us haven't been in. We're just grinding it out. We're expecting to go out there and play good...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is optimistic that shortstop J.J. Hardy will return to the lineup Tuesday night. X-rays on Hardy's sprained left thumb yesterday came back negative. No further tests are scheduled, though an MRI is next if the thumb doesn't improve. "J.J. wasn't real happy with me yesterday when we scratched him late," Showalter said. "Didn't like the cage work and what Jimmy (Presley) was saying and the potential of getting jammed off the end of the bat and have that...

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy is not in the starting lineup for the second day in a row due to a sprained left thumb. Before the lineup was posted today he indicated it was doubtful he would be in it. "I hope tomorrow," Hardy said. "Every day I hope I wake up and it's fine and I can play that day. Little sore today, probably about the same as yesterday. Just still trying to get past that point where I feel like I can go out and play and not hurt it worse." If he were absolutely needed...

Shortstop J.J Hardy won't be in the starting lineup tonight when the Orioles open a three-game series against the New York Yankees. Hardy's sprained left thumb has not sufficiently healed, and Ryan Flaherty will start in his place at shortstop. Hardy said the thumb feels about the same as it did yesterday. He would have to alter his grip if he held a bat, but the Orioles don't want him to do that. First baseman Chris Davis, whose average is down to .193 (its lowest point since April 3), will...

On Thursday, August 28, the Orioles will host "Birdland Social" the second ever Social Media Night at Oriole Park. An exclusive pre-game party on the centerfield Roof Deck will host 250 of the Orioles' most avid social media followers. Orioles All-Star centerfielder Adam Jones (@SimplyAJ10) will take part in an exclusive Q&A session with those in attendance. Tickets for the Birdland Social pre-game party start at $50 and include access to the party, a Eutaw Street bleacher seat, an...

Baseball is a game dominated by numbers: match-ups between pitchers and batters, forgettable and memorable streaks, and win-loss records, especially during the dog days of August. But statistics are only one facet of the national pastime; they help frame and shape the game, but they don't define it. Though we're caught between old-school stats and the sabermetric revolution - where there seems to be a number to explain everything, however convoluted the reasoning behind the figure - nothing...

Nationals prospect Wilmer Difo is riding a six-game hitting streak and continues to impress at low Single-A Hagerstown. He is batting .407 (11-for-27) in those six games. He had three hits at West Virginia and four hits against Kannapolis just in the last week. Difo hit a two-run shot to break a 4-4 tie in that Kannapolis game, and the Suns ended up winning 9-4. Hagerstown director of broadcasting/media relations Eli Pearlstein said Saturday's performance by Difo was the best he has seen this...

As an out-of-town fan living in Arizona, I always make it a point to come back into Baltimore for an Orioles game at least once a year. The opportunity to come to Camden Yards, where I saw so many games growing up and spent a great deal of my childhood, is always a treat and a chance I don't pass up. There was little debate as to when I'd be coming back for a game this season once I saw what was planned for the O's 60th anniversary celebration. Getting back in August, when the heat in the...