A few moments before he was hit by a ball during batting practice today, Manny Machado talked about hitting the ball. Or, that is, his recent struggles to do just that. Machado is 3-for-28 over his last seven games and 9-for-58 over his last 14 games. "I'm not hitting the ball. Plain and simple," Machado said. "Not doing what I am supposed to do. That is what it is. I need to get back to my routines. Everybody goes through it." He still leads the majors with 39 doubles and has seven...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter met in his office with executive vice president Dan Duquette before his pregame session with the media. Duquette briefed him on the latest trade talks, which haven't yielded another addition since the Orioles acquired reliever Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers for minor league infielder Nicky Delmonico. It's still not a topic of conversation in the Orioles' clubhouse. "I think guys know, one, there's not a whole lot they can do about it, and two,...

Dave Trembley is back in Baltimore. This time the former Orioles manager is here as third base coach of the Houston Astros. Today, one of his former O's players, Matt Wieters, had some nice things to say about his former skipper. "Dave was a manager that got you motivated to play every day," Wieters said. "We weren't the best of teams when he was here, but he made sure everyone in this clubhouse played the game right way and I think that went a long way to making this team what it is...

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was hit by a ground ball today that took a bad hop during batting practice. He walked off the field and is being checked by the club's training staff. Reporters had just finished talking to former Orioles manager Dave Trembley, now the Astros third base coach, in front of the visiting dugout when Machado was struck. Adam Jones was in the cage. The ball may have hit Machado in the arm as he tried to spin away from it. More to come. Not much to report on...

The organization and staff assignments have been made for the 2013 Arizona Fall League. Nationals farmhands will play alongside prospects from the Cubs, Tigers, Angels and Athletics as the Mesa Solar Sox in the six-team league. Their home stadium will be Hohokam Stadium and the Solar Sox are in the East Division. Bill Richardson from the Angels is Mesa's manager. Mike Maroth from the Tigers will be the pitching coach. Troy Gingrich from Triple-A Syracuse will be the Solar Sox's hitting...

DETROIT - Hello from the Motor City, where the weather is gorgeous and the city, not surprisingly, just feels empty. This is the first time I've been to Comerica Park, and for what it's worth, I'm really impressed. Nice layout, decent sight lines and lots of concrete sculptures of tigers all over the place. Got to love that. Tonight's Nationals lineup includes Chad Tracy as the designated hitter, with Tracy hitting ninth. Other than that, the lineup remains the same as it has over the...

Ryan Flaherty is making a rare start for the Orioles tonight, replacing Chris Davis at first base in the series opener against the Astros at Camden Yards. Davis will serve as the designated hitter instead of Henry Urrutia. Flaherty hasn't started since July 5. He's had three at-bats since that date, the last coming on July 13. His last appearance came nine days later. Flaherty has appeared in one game at first base this season, going 0-for-1. Davis hasn't homered since the All-Star break...

The Orioles no longer will be facing Astros right-hander Bud Norris tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards. The Astros just announced that Lucas Harrell will replace Norris tonight. No explanation was provided, but Norris has been the subject of intense trade speculation as the non-waiver deadline approaches Wednesday afternoon. The Orioles have inquired about Norris, but the Astros reportedly are asking for more than the club is willing to deliver. Former Oriole Erik...

Starting tonight, the Orioles will play five of their next six series against teams that currently have losing records. Their next 11 games will be against clubs with losing records until they face Arizona starting Aug. 12. The Orioles begin a 17-game stretch tonight against (in order) Houston, Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco, Arizona and Colorado. That takes the Orioles into a grueling 15-game stretch beginning Aug. 19 against Tampa Bay, Oakland, Boston, New York and Cleveland. This...

Jon Lester and the Red Sox shut out the Orioles in the finale of the three-game series in Baltimore, highlighting one of the O's few offensive weaknesses - their numbers against left-handed pitching. The Birds were held to four hits against Lester, walked just twice and struck out eight times. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and grounded into three double plays. Forty-one of the Orioles' 58 wins have come against right-handed pitching, and they have gone 17-15 this season...