Nate McLouth is batting third tonight for the Orioles, with Chris Davis dropping down to seventh. Manny Machado remains at third base and in the eighth slot. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Nate McLouth LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Wilson Betemit 1B Chris Davis DH Manny Machado 3B Omar Quintanilla 2B Chris Tillman RHP

Since coming back from a broken wrist on August 2, Jayson Werth has done a little bit of everything. He's gotten on base in big spots, setting the table for his teammates. He's put together his power stroke, showing he hasn't lost the form he displayed early in the season before his injury forced him to miss 75 games. He's added even more stability to a Nationals lineup which is really rounding into form. In nine games since his return (eight starts), Werth is hitting .400 (12-for-30)...

The Nationals have become a machine. Rolling through the National League, they have amassed 70 wins, the first team in the majors to do so. With Jayson Werth back in the lineup and Michael Morse swinging the hottest of bats, the Nationals have added consistent offense to what has been the best pitching in the league for the first 100 games. And then there are the Phillies. Wait a minute, you mean, and then there are the Braves. Absolutely, the Braves are also humming along. They have...

I've heaped a lot of praise on manager Buck Showalter this season, and rightfully so, but let's not forget that former scouting director Joe Jordan used the third pick in the 2010 player draft on Miami prep shortstop Manny Machado. The Orioles had serious interest in Texas high school right-hander Jameson Taillon, but the Pirates grabbed him with the second pick. That left Machado, who wasn't getting past the Orioles. Here are the top 10 selections from that year: 1. Bryce Harper, OF,...

After a four-day stretch which featured three absolute nailbiters against the worst team in the majors, you've got to believe last night's 9-1 throttling of the Diamondbacks was highly appreciated in the Nationals dugout. The Nats smacked 11 hits, seven for extra bases. They held the D'backs to just three hits all night, including one through the first eight innings. They went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and outscored the opposition by eight runs, their largest margin of...

I'm pretty sure that Manny Machado must have hit two homers in one game in his career before last night, but he never did it in 219 Orioles minor league games at places like Delmarva, Aberdeen, Frederick and Bowie. In fact, as best my research can tell, Machado had just one four-RBI game in the O's minors, and that was this year on June 21 for Double-A Bowie against Erie. This season for the Baysox, Machado hit just two homers in the season's first two months. That covers 52 games and 184...

With all due respect to new leadoff hitter Nick Markakis, the bottom third of the Orioles' lineup did the heavy lifting last night. No. 7 hitter Nate McLouth, No. 8 hitter Manny Machado and No. 9 hitter Omar Quintanilla were a combined 7-for-12 with a double, three home runs, seven RBIs and four runs scored. Seven RBIs. In a 7-1 victory over the Royals. That's heavy lifting. Manager Buck Showalter didn't want Quintanilla's two-run homer in the second inning to get lost in the Machado...

We'll be getting a heavy dose of both the Nationals and Diamondbacks bullpens tonight. Stephen Strasburg and Trevor Cahill have both thrown well tonight, but through five innings, each starter has a pitch count in the 90s. Strasburg has tossed 93 pitches, while Cahill has needed 92 to get through his five frames. Strasburg might very well be done before reaching the sixth, and if he is indeed finished, he leaves with at least a three-run lead. The righty uncharacteristically walked four,...

Manny Machado had a crowd of reporters waiting for him after tonight's game. He also had traces of the shaving cream pie he received still wedged in his ears. I suppose he wouldn't mind having to clean it off every night. "I wouldn't mind that at all," he said. Machado had a pretty good idea that the first ball was going to settle into the left field seats. "I put some good wood on it," he said. "I kind of figured it was going to go out." And the second one? "Yeah, no doubt,"...

Manager Buck Showalter would like to keep the Manny Machado hype at a reasonable level. You can tell by the tone of his voice and the measured responses, how he points out the small number of games that the kid has played and how a new one is coming up tomorrow. Machado isn't make it easy on Showalter. "He had a nice night, put a couple good swings on some breaking balls that were left out over the plate," Showalter said after Machado hit two home runs to lift the Orioles to a 7-1 victory...