Boy, does Carlos Beltran dominate the postseason or what? Not only did Beltran go 2-for-6 in last night's National League Championship Series Game 1, driving in two of the Cardinals' three runs in a 3-2 win, including the game-winning run in the 13th inning, but he also threw out a runner at the plate in the top of the 10th, keeping the game tied at that point. What a tremendous play that was, and what a tremendous game we got to see. In his postseason career, spanning 40 games, Beltran is...

Maybe they should rename the Arizona Fall League taxi squad the "limousine squad." Slated to play only Wednesdays and Saturdays, center fielder Steven Souza Jr. instead played Friday for Mesa, and contributed two hits and three RBIs in a 7-3 defeat of the Surprise Saguaros in Arizona Fall League play. Because it was a short week, Friday's game counts as Saturday's game for Souza. Taxi squad players get to start two games per week, and Souza is one of the taxi squad participants for Mesa....

I talked to someone in the Orioles organization earlier this week who pointed out the advantage of having a true No. 1 starter. Look at the Cardinals with Adam Wainwright, the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw, the Tigers with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Yeah, the Tigers have quite an advantage. It's all laid out for us in the playoffs. The bigger the stage, the bigger the performances. But how is a team like the Orioles supposed to get its hands on arms of that caliber? They won't dish...

Someone pass me that can of worms and let me open it. Let's discuss bunting and my take that sometimes it's OK to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Let's get this out of the way: Any manager that would ask a player to make an out to advance a runner or runners has not gone mad. And just because you play for one run doesn't make you a bad guy. That one run might be the one to win you the game. Or you might go on to score five runs. You might get none by bunting, and you might get none by...

First baseman Chris Davis informed the Orioles that he's having no problems with his left wrist after spraining it during the final game of the 2013 season. Davis suffered the injury as he reached for a throw from catcher Steve Clevenger in the fourth inning. Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury ran into Davis' mitt, bending back the wrist. Davis left the game and X-rays were negative. "Chris reported to us that his wrist is fine," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "He's in no pain. And...

Like the Nationals, the Mariners are looking for a new manager this offseason. They were interested in having their new manager be their old manager, however. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mariners made a major effort to try and convince former manager Lou Piniella to return to the dugout and take the reins of that struggling franchise. The 70-year-old Piniella declined, however. With Davey Johnson stepping away from the Nationals' managerial job and Charlie Manuel...

For the second game in a row, Mesa's pitching and hitting was far better than their opponent. The Solar Sox rolled past the Salt River Rafters 8-1 in Arizona Fall League play behind Matt Purke. The left-hander was outstanding, going three innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Purke tossed 46 pitches, 30 for strikes, inducing six groundouts and two flyouts. That is also back-to-back games a Nationals southpaw prospect was a winner, as Mesa...

Did anyone else have mixed emotions following last night's news that Orioles third baseman Manny Machado elected to undergo surgery on his left knee? Is the Rolling Stones' song "Mixed Emotions" now running through your head, too? Rest and rehabilitation sounded a whole lot better than surgery, and his availability for opening day on March 31 could be in jeopardy. That's the part that hit me like a blitzing linebacker. However, Machado hyperextended the same knee two years ago at...

The Orioles just sent out a series of tweets announcing that third baseman Manny Machado had decided to undergo reconstructive surgery on the medial patellofemoral ligament in his left knee. Dodgers orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery Monday at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles. Doctors estimate a four-to-six month rehabilitation. "I sent my MRI results to a couple of doctors and knee specialists and we decided that in the long run and for my future as a...

More than a few Orioles prospects over the years have been frustrated at times by the degree of difficulty in hitting a home run at Triple-A Norfolk's Harbor Park, the home of the team's International League affiliate. Starting next season, it will be a little easier to hit one over the wall in Norfolk. The ballpark is currently undergoing upgrades and improvements that will feature a completely new field with a new natural grass turf and infield dirt, while the fences are being moved in...