It's never a good thing when an umpire becomes a hot topic of discussion. Umpires are a lot like long snappers in football - you only really hear about them when they've made a mistake. Unfortunately, Angel Hernandez's name was brought up a lot last night. Hernandez, who isn't shy about putting his stamp on a game, called two balks from behind home plate and had what seemed like a shaky strike zone most of the night. He got quite a few nasty glares from players after what they felt were...

Orioles fans can escape the chill of winter and live out their fantasy of being a major league player at the team's Dream Week 2013. Held at the Orioles' spring training and minor league complexes in Sarasota, Florida from January 27 to February 2, 2013, Dream Week participants will play daily doubleheader intrasquad games and receive full major league treatment, including a personalized Orioles home uniform and Baltimore road batting practice jersey. Dream Week players will receive...

At 68-43 with 479 runs scored and 396 runs allowed, the Nationals have played great baseball. But one of the best things the Nationals have done is take advantage of opportunities on their schedule. The Nationals started the season on the road against the Cubs, who were believed to be in rebuilding mode before the season began, and the Mets, who were projected to be a last-place club in the NL East. Starting against these two teams was viewed as an opportunity for the Nationals to get off to a...

The Orioles are facing a left-handed starter tonight, with the Royals sending Will Smith to the mound. Manny Machado could be in the starting lineup at third base. Is he ready? I've been asked that question over and over, on the blog and via Twitter, since the Orioles announced late last night that Machado's contract was being selected from Double-A Bowie. There's only one way to find out - and I don't mean by using my crystal ball. The kid has to play. "One thing about Manny is he's a...

Can Orioles fans survive good news overload? Steve Johnson gets his first big league win, the Orioles tie for the wild card, Dylan Bundy moves to Double-A Bowie and Manny Machado gets promoted to Baltimore. Yikes, it has been quite a night. First, a few thoughts on Machado. Even though he has made 22 errors at short at Bowie this year, the fans will come to see and learn that the kid has big-time defensive skills. I think he can handle third base even though he has played just two games...

The Orioles announced after tonight's game that they plan to select the contract of infielder Manny Machado from Double-A Bowie before tomorrow night's game against Kansas City. He will be making his major league debut. Machado, 20, has batted .266/.352/.438 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI in 109 games with the Baysox this season, including a .275/.365/.505 line in 91 at-bats since the All-Star break. The Orioles' first round selection (#3 overall) in the 2010 First Year Player Draft out of...

The Orioles just announced that they're going to select the contract of Double-A Bowie shortstop Manny Machado before tomorrow night's game against the Royals at Camden Yards. How's that for a surprise? The Orioles stated in the press release that Machado, the third-overall pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, will be making his major league debut. However, he won't necessarily start tomorrow. And he's not going to unseat J.J. Hardy at shortstop. Machado, 20, is batting...

Manager Buck Showalter didn't give any assurances that Steve Johnson will remain in the Orioles' rotation. You will have to read between the lines. "Let us get through (tonight)," Showalter said. "We've got a lot of moving parts right now. He certainly presented himself well tonight." You decide. "Stevie was good, huh?" Showalter said. "That was fun to watch. I tried to watch it as a manager trying to win a game, but also a fan of those type of situations." Showalter went to his...

As Steve Johnson walked off the mound tonight after the top of the sixth inning, he had no idea whether he would come back out for the seventh. Manager Buck Showalter considered it - the sentimental side nudging at him - but he didn't want Johnson having another "up" and reliever Troy Patton perhaps entering an inning that wasn't clean. The night was a huge success anyway. No need to add to it. Johnson picked up his first major league win exactly 23 years after his father, Dave, did the...

Several Single-A Auburn Doubleday players have had great starts to their seasons with five of them being rewarded with invites to the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. The game is August 14 at Mahoning Valley. The five invitees are right fielder Wander Ramos, left fielder Estarlin Martinez, first baseman Shawn Pleffner, shortstop Wes Schill and catcher Craig Manuel, according to Auburn manager Gary Cathcart. Pleffner, a 26th rounder in 2011 and born in Washington, D.C., is hitting .322 in...