So how good is Manny Machado at third base? I decided to ask someone who owns 16 Gold Gloves at the position. "He's as good as anybody playing over there," said Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. If that's how No. 5 feels, that's good enough for me. "I see some of the games and read the papers and have watched the plays that he's made on TV," Robinson said yesterday during our phone conversation. "He has great hands, great instincts. The Orioles have been winning and he's a big part...

Sometimes, how a player fares in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game depends somewhat on the player's batting practice pitcher. For Chris Davis, that guy is Orioles coach Einar Diaz. A former big league catcher who played 11 seasons in the majors, the 40-year-old Diaz is in his sixth year in the O's organization and the first with the major league club. He was added this year when a new rule allowing a seventh coach came into play. Diaz is known for being a good batting practice...

The Orioles drafted 41 players in the June draft and they signed 32 of them. They signed all of their top 15 picks. To take a closer look at the O's draft and get some analysis about it, I turned again to Jim Callis of Baseball America. What is your overall take on the O's draft? "I thought it was solid. They get a real high upside high school arm in Hunter Harvey and one of the better high school athletes in the draft in Josh Hart. "After that, Chance Sisco is a young catcher from...

The man has a nice view from his office and I recently got to see it and interview O's executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette in his office at the Camden Yards warehouse. The topics were many and varied. You have read some of his thoughts already this week in this entry, where he talked about the O's international efforts. Today he discusses a few other topics. Duquette on what is important for the O's organization in trying to develop young pitchers: "The most...

The Orioles have become more of a factor in the last year or two in producing, adding and developing international talent. Their big league team has added a player like Wei-Yin Chen and the farm system has added players like Henry Urrutia and Eduardo Rodriguez, who played in the Futures Game on Sunday, while others like Jonathan Schoop have moved up the prospect ranks. When it comes to producing international talent, the Orioles, who once resided near the bottom of the majors in this category,...

Right-hander A.J. Cole pitched got the final two outs to earn the save as Team U.S.A. defeated Team World 4-2 at the All-Star Futures Game from Citi Field in Flushing, N.Y., on Sunday. With one out in the top of the ninth, Cole got a called third strike versus Ji-Man Choi. Then, Jesus Galindo grounded out to second base to end the game. Team U.S.A. held Team World to three hits in the game. High Single-A Potomac Nationals pitcher Cole was a replacement for Nationals right-hander Taylor...

After the game, Chris Davis was asked to comment on what it means to have a first half where he hit 37 homers with 93 RBIs. "That means I can take the second half off and coast," Davis said with a laugh. "No, it is something to be proud of. It means I've been doing my job, but it also speaks volumes about the guys in front of me swinging well. It goes unsaid a lot of the time, but Manny (Machado) has about 3,000 doubles, Jonsey (Adam Jones) is swinging well, Nate (McLouth) and Nicky (Nick...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter found out on Friday that pitcher Chris Tillman might be named as a replacement for Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander in the All-Star Game. It depended whether Verlander made his start today. "Proud of Chris Tillman today," Showalter said after the Orioles' 7-4 win over the Blue Jays that completed the first half. "Got to give him the golf clap in the locker room today. I was watching TV at 1:08 when Verlander threw his first pitch. Then he could call his mom...

Chris Tillman can tell you the exact time today that he found out he was being added to the American League All-Star team. Not long after he got the official word, he was being introduced to the crowd today as the fifth Oriole going to the game in New York. "It's an honor," Tillman said. "It was kind of a surprise to find out last minute. It's special for the city and special for me to go with my teammates. "I heard it was a possibility yesterday but didn't find out until today. Buck...

With each swing these days, it seems Chris Davis puts that seven-game stretch - where he went 1-for-24 - further and further in his rearview mirror. It seems like a distant memory now. Scott Feldman, with a strong outing, made his last start a distant memory also and picked up his first win as an Oriole today. Davis homered for the fourth straight game and had four RBIs today, and he heads off to the All-Star Game on a high note, as the Orioles beat Toronto 7-4 in front of 34,748 at Camden...