On his first day in the major leagues, Manny Machado got to hear the roar of the crowd several times tonight at Camden Yards, and he got a standing ovation when he came to bat his first time up. The cheers for the Orioles' top position player prospect began several minutes before first pitch. "When I went out there, the fans started clapping once I started walking out," Machado said. "It was a great feeling. J.J.(Hardy) started laughing and said, 'Sink it in.' It was great. The fans love...

Do you want the good or the bad first? Let's start with the good, which would be Manny Machado going 2-for-4 with a triple and run scored in his first major league game. "I thought Manny did well," manager Buck Showalter said following an 8-2 loss to the Royals that halted the Orioles' winning streak at five games. "Presented himself well tonight. I'm proud of him. There was a nice calmness about him and a good start. He handled the situation well, all things considered. "He's up...

Here is all you need to know about Wei-Yin Chen's night. He had given up just seven earned runs over five starts since the All-Star break. Tonight, he gave up seven in just 4 2/3 innings. Kansas City batters jumped on Chen early and often on their way to an 8-2 win over the Orioles tonight in front of 21,226 at Camden Yards in the opener of a four-game series. The loss snapped the Orioles five-game win streak, which matched their season best. The last time they had a six game winning streak...

Hey, the game's in Texas; I figured I should toss a country reference in there. After struggling a bit (and getting some bad breaks) in his last outing, Jordan Zimmermann is back to his dominant self tonight down in Houston. Zimmermann has cruised through five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. He has a 2-0 lead going to the sixth. The righty has already tied his season high for strikeouts in a game, which he posted back on May 12. Zimmermann needed seven innings to...

The Kansas City batters did not give Wei-Yin Chen the Royal treatment in the first inning tonight. Maybe it was the rude treatment. Alex Gordon led off the game with a solo homer and, three batters later, Billy Butler hit a three-run shot to left and it was 4-0 before some fans had settled into their seats. KC added two in the third and has scored one in the fifth as Chen has been knocked out this inning and the Orioles trail 7-0. Butler always seems to treat O's pitchers rudely and Brad...

Anyone know how to say "do over" in Mandarin Chinese? Wei-Yin Chen threw 26 pitches, served up two home runs, gave up four hits and took a shot off his left knee in the first inning. That's no way to celebrate your own T-shirt night. Or is this Manny Machado Night? I've sort of lost track. Alex Gordon hit his eighth career leadoff home run, and his third this season. Back-to-back singles by Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain - the latter on a ball that scooted past a diving Machado at...

Adam Jones made his first appearance in the majors at the age of 20 and Manny Machado will debut at age 20 tonight for the Orioles. Jones can remember his first big league game for Seattle at Toronto on July 14, 2006 but said there wasn't quite the hype on that game as there is on with Manny's debut tonight. "I don't think it was this big," Jones said this afternoon in the Orioles clubhouse. "I don't remember much media coverage about it. I do remember first at-bat I faced Casey...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't revealing his plans for Manny Machado beyond tonight's game at Camden Yards. The same is true for Wilson Betemit and any other players who could be impacted by Machado's arrival. Machado is batting ninth and playing third base tonight. Whether he starts again tomorrow and is a regular presence in the lineup is assumed, but not confirmed. "We'll see how it goes tonight, see where it takes us," Showalter said. "We have 25 guys here who have...

Davey Johnson suggested last night that he would probably give Bryce Harper a day off today, and that's what he's done. Mired in a slump, which has seen him hit just .176 since the All-Star break, Harper is not in the Nationals lineup today. The rookie outfielder also made an ill-advised throw in the ninth inning last night, allowing the Astros to put the potential game-winning run in scoring position. It was after that play that Johnson said he decided Harper could use a breather, or a...

You only play your first major league game once and for Manny Machado that one time is tonight. The 20-year-old, 2010 O's first-round pick will bat ninth and play third base at Camden Yards against the Kansas City Royals in his major league debut. "I just want to go out and be myself. Do what I've been doing the last two weeks and the last two years. Go out there and just have fun," Machado said. Machado will have six family members here to watch his first big league game including his...