Fresh off playing in the All-Star Futures Game, the Orioles' top two prospects, pitcher Dylan Bundy and shortstop Manny Machado returned to their respective teams to continue on a path that just about everyone suspects will one day take them to Baltimore. Bundy is 5-2 with an ERA of 1.87 in 15 starts this year between Single-A Delmarva and Single-A Frederick. Over 62 2/3 innings, he has walked 13 and fanned 74 batters with a .165 batting average against. Bundy gave up just five hits and no...

Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Nate McLouth has been named the International League's Player of the Week. Left-hander Brian Matusz has been named Pitcher of the Week. And you thought the Orioles didn't have enough depth in their farm system. Shame on you. McLouth must have edged out Tides outfielder LJ Hoes, who extended his hitting streak to 19 games yesterday. The kid's been raking. Hoes, the youngest player in the league at 22, moved into a tie for fourth place on Norfolk's list of...

The first half is in the books, and perhaps the better word to describe it is midterm exclamation. Even after losing the series to Colorado, there have still been 83 games played through injury and devastating heat to a result that few Nationals fans would have believed possible at the start. Suffice it to say that the Nationals have aced the first half of the season. They have the best record in the National League and are on pace to win 97 games. It is not difficult to think back to March...

The break has arrived. Sleep in past the alarm. Play some golf. Hit up the beach and improve that tan. OK, maybe not you. You might end up losing your job if you decide to just not show up these next four days. The Nationals, however, get to enjoy a well-deserved break after playing 83 games over the last three months. They enter this relaxation period on a bit of a sour note after yesterday's loss to the Rockies, but had no reason to hang their heads leaving the home clubhouse last night....

The first-half awards: * AL Cy Young Award: Justin Verlander, Tigers. He has nine wins and a league-leading 128 strikeouts with a 2.58 ERA, but this is a close race. The Angels' Jered Weaver, who has been injured, is 10-1 with a 1.96 ERA and 73 strikeouts. The White Sox's Chris Sale is 10-2 with a 2.19 ERA and 98 strikeouts. This one will be interesting to watch. * AL Most Valuable Player: Mike Trout, Angels. How could it be any one else? He's been in the big leagues for a little bit...

The Orioles are 45-40 at the All-Star break. They are in second place in the American League East and are in second in the AL wild card race right now. Time to take a look back at the first half and ahead to what we may see over the second half of the season. What went right: The Orioles' tremendous bullpen performance coupled with their ability to win close games served them well during the first half. They are an amazing 29-13 in games decided by one and two runs. That .690 win percentage...

OK, so I'll admit, the first few times Chris Davis ran out to right field, I was super excited. Granted, he's not the fastest, nor does he position himself well. It's not that I'm confident in his skills, but it was definitely entertaining to see him make some diving plays in a position that most were unaware he could play. Maybe it's the summer heat getting to me, but when I was trying to describe how I feel about Davis, the best thing I could think of was the classic summer example:...

The move of Ryan Perry from reliever to starter continues to progress in a positive direction. Although not as overpowering as his recent starts, Perry continues to make hits difficult to come by for opponents. Perry allowed just two hits over five innings Sunday as Double-A Harrisburg defeated Erie 3-1, improving his record to 1-1 as a starter. He gave up two walks and struck out three, marking the second start in which he lasted at least five innings. The plan was to ramp him up each start...

Remind me again whether Orioles fans are supposed to be more concerned about the rotation, offense or defense. The Orioles didn't stagger into the All-Star break; they crawled to it on their hands and knees. They've lost 13 of their last 19 games and haven't scored in their last 22 innings. They served up four home runs to the Angels today in a 6-0 loss, and starter Wei-Yin Chen didn't record an out in the fifth before manager Buck Showalter gave him the hook. Otherwise, things are...

The Nationals are certainly frustrated with how today's game finished and the fact that they cost Jordan Zimmermann another win. But two guys in the Nats clubhouse feel that today's loss might actually benefit the team in the long-run. "I look at it as good timing," Tyler Clippard said. "You know, I think you don't ever want to get too comfortable or too confident out there, so this is a little, maybe, check for ourselves. We can kind of regroup and move forward with a new beginning in...