As I sifted through my notes and old quotes from the season's first half, I found manager Buck Showalter's recent comments on shortstop J.J. Hardy. I've been talking about Hardy a lot lately because I'm frequently asked whether the Orioles should move Manny Machado to shortstop. I tend to agree with Cal Ripken Jr., who sees no reason to mess with the left side of the infield. "I want to see (Machado) apply his overall skill set, his aptitude for playing baseball from the shortstop...

Here is a quick glance at three minor league starting pitchers and their progress the last couple of days: Right-hander Lucas Giolito pitched for three innings on Monday for the rookie-level Gulf Coast Nationals, his longest outing of the season, scattering three hits but not allowing a run, with one walk and three strikeouts. Giolito has not allowed a run since his first outing of the season. His totals have climbed to 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 5 1/3 innings, with five hits, two runs, only one...

For those questioning the decision to name Mariano Rivera the Most Valuable Player of last night's All-Star Game, let me ask you this: Who would you have selected? No player on either team had more than one hit. Two of the three runs that were scored all game came in on a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout. Should Jose Bautista earn MVP honors for flying out to center, plating the game-winning run in the fourth inning? The only run-scoring hit came off the bat of Jason Kipnis, whose...

Did Yankees closer Mariano Rivera receive the Most Valuable Player or Lifetime Achievement Award at last night's All-Star Game? Either way, I'm fine with it. There wasn't a clear-cut choice for MVP, though you could argue for Chris Sale or, yes, Adam Jones. Jones doubled and scored a run, which was plenty in a 3-0 win. Then again, he also struck out twice. Rivera was a sentimental choice and I'm a sentimental guy. Did you know that former Orioles shortstop and current MASN analyst Mike...

No matter what else happens in the All-Star Game, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will be a prime topic of conversation after turning in the most outstanding defensive play of the night. An absolute dazzler. Machado backed up to the edge of the outfield grass to backhand a two-hopper from Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt along the line, the ball almost hitting him in the chest, and fired a perfect strike to first base for the out. Again, Machado displayed keen instincts and soft hands. Again,...

The National League All-Stars trail 1-0 after four innings in the Midsummer Classic, and much like the Nationals, the lack of offense has been an issue for the NL squad tonight. Only one National League hitter has reached base tonight - Carlos Beltran - and the NL squad wasn't able to make anything of that lone opportunity, even after pinch-runner Andrew McCutchen stole second base. Facing White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, arguably one of the toughest southpaws in the game right now, Bryce...

The Orioles are 0-for-3 so far tonight in the 84th All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York. First baseman Chris Davis flew to center field on an 0-2 pitch from National League starter Matt Harvey with two on and one out in the first inning. Harvey threw Davis 98 and 99 mph four-seamers before retiring him on an 89 mph fastball. Adam Jones struck out on a 98 mph fastball from Harvey in the second inning on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. The ball tailed up and in. Jones, who laid off a 2-2...

As the Nationals rest and refocus for the second half run, here's a quick look around the minor league system reveals a few names that you could see playing time for the Nationals by the end of the season. Already we have seen what Anthony Rendon and Ian Krol can do, plus the additions of Taylor Jordan, Fernando Abad, Nathan Karns and Ross Ohlendorf have meant to the Nationals roster as they tried to get through the first half, and battle to stay barely above .500. Jordan could stick for a...

Yeah, Bryce Harper didn't bring home the Home Run Derby trophy, finishing in second place behind Athletics slugger Yoenis Cespedes, but there is a silver lining here: With Harper just 20 years old, imagine how many more times we'll get to watch him hit bombs in the Derby and take a run at that hardware. Harper put on quite a show last night, and it had to be truly special to compete on that stage with his dad, Ron, pitching to him. I don't know of many father/son activities that are better...

The Osceola County Board of Commissioners met tonight to discuss whether to proceed with a $98 million proposal to construct a new spring training facility for the Nationals in Kissimmee, Fla., but delayed until Aug. 19 a vote on the matter. By delaying the vote for slightly more than a month, reported the Orlando Sentinel, the commissioners will allow taxpayers, opponents of the proposed complex and the Chamber of Commerce of Kissimmee/Osceola County additional time to review details of the...