Here are a few impressions after the Orioles scored 21 runs the last two nights in back-to-back wins over Toronto, which gave them their first winning road trip since last July 19-25. * The Orioles just completed a 15-game stretch of games against American League East opponents in which they went 9-6, winning three series, losing one and tying one series. That is impressive anytime in this division, but even moreso considering the O's played all that stretch without Manny Machado and six of...

How many Orioles fans are bypassing Camden Yards tonight and heading to Frederick for Manny Machado's first injury rehab game? Machado is scheduled to play nine innings at third base. He won't be babied on this assignment. Machado is expected to spend the entire weekend with the Keys, so plan accordingly. Once Machado was cleared to slide into the bases and play in extended spring training games, the Orioles aimed for him to come off the disabled list in the first week of May. That's...

For the second night in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays hit second-inning homers to put the O's behind early. But for the second night in a row, the Orioles rallied to win at Rogers Centre. Down 3-0 after two innings and 3-2 going to the top of the seventh, the Orioles offense erupted for five runs in the seventh and four in the eighth as they routed Toronto 11-4 tonight. This is the first time the Orioles have scored 10 or more runs in back-to-back games since Aug. 14-15, 2008 at Cleveland and...

Except for Jonathan Schoop's long home run to left field, the Orioles aren't mashing the ball tonight. They're getting on base, taking the extra base and taking the lead against the Blue Jays. David Lough is the poster child for manufacturing runs. He walked in the fifth inning, stole second base, raced to third on a fly ball to left and scored. He doubled with one out in the seventh, stole third base and scored. Oh yeah, and he's playing Gold Glove defense in left field. The Orioles...

The Nationals got on the board in the third inning against Padres lefty Eric Stults. Pitcher Jordan Zimmermann got it started with a single past diving shortstop Everth Cabrera and into left field. Denard Span reached on a fielder's choice, erasing Zimmermann at second. Span then stole second and Stults' pickoff throw sailed past the first baseman, allowing Span to go to third. He scored on a towering fly ball to left field off the bat of Anthony Rendon and the Nationals led 1-0. Zimmermann...

Part of David Lough's appeal to the Orioles is his ability to run down fly balls or hits in the gap and to make strong and accurate throws. Lough put his defensive skills on display in the bottom of the first inning tonight at Rogers Centre on Edwin Encarnacion's two-out double. Lough fired the ball to shortstop J.J. Hardy, who cut down Melky Cabrera at the plate for the Orioles' eighth outfield assist. The Orioles and Angels were tied for the major league lead with seven outfield assists...

Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton began Wednesday's ninth-inning rally against the Angels with his first home run of the season, a no-doubter down the right field line and into the Nationals bullpen, cutting the Angels lead to 4-2. The Nationals were able to score three more runs and come back to win 5-4. Lobaton connected on a 0-2 count after starting the night 0-for-3 at the plate. He said more time with Nationals hitting coach Rick Schu helped him to make an important adjustment in his...

Nationals manager Matt Williams updated the recovery of starting right-hander Doug Fister, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain. Williams said Fister threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday and "felt good." This means that Fister is on track to make a rehab start Sunday for high Single-A Potomac on Sunday in Woodbridge, Va. The plan is for Fister to go four innings with a 60-pitch limit. Fister would then have one more rehab start and go five innings. All of these...

The Orioles look to get back over .500 and complete a winning road trip if they get a win tonight at Toronto. They are also looking for their third series win of the season. But once again, fans will be closely watching an O's starting pitcher. The Orioles are still in need of starters getting deeper into games. Six times over the last seven games, the O's starting pitcher has worked fewer than six innings and that has happened 13 times on the season. O's starters have no quality starts...

Nelson Cruz has registered at least one RBI in six consecutive games. The last Oriole to record an RBI in seven straight games was Mark Reynolds from Sept. 15-22, 2012. Can Cruz tie Reynolds tonight? Cruz has 20 RBIs in April for the first time in his career. Miguel Tejada holds the club record for RBIs this month with 31 in 2005. Chris Davis has hit 18 homers and Adam Jones 14 against the Blue Jays since the start of the 2012 season. No other major leaguer has accumulated as many as 10 against...