Manny Machado

The Orioles played one of their better all-around games of the young season Sunday, using three homers and strong pitching to shut out the Minnesota Twins, 6-0, while capturing their ninth series victory in 12 opportunities. And yet the Orioles fly out of Minnesota for an extended homestand with the potential of losing their most consistent starting pitcher - Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen - for a few weeks. “I don't even want to think about it,” said Orioles first baseman Chris Davis.

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Orioles. five -- consecutive quality starts for Chris Tillman. Right-hander Chris Tillman pitched seven strong innings Tuesday night, allowing four hits and one earned run to give the Orioles his fifth straight quality start (closer Jim Johnson could not secure the win for him, though). Over Tillman's past five starts, he has a 1.87 ERA and opponents are batting .195 against him. He recorded three wins and the Orioles won four of those five games.

It was about this time last year - give or take a week - that it became apparent the Orioles had undergone some kind of karmic transformation. The exact date was May 6, 2012 and the team was at Fenway Park. Nobody has to tell a real fan the rest. Chris Davis came out of right field and shut out the Boston Red Sox for two innings. Adam Jones launched a three-run homer in the 17th to carry the Orioles back into first place in the American League East. That was the point in their turnaround season when everybody realized something really special was taking place.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who has not pitched since developing a deep blister on his right thumb May 3 in Anaheim, is getting closer to appearing in a big league game. Gonzalez threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday, the last few without a bandage covering the thumb (he won't be able to use a covering in a game). He said he came out feeling “really good.” “The ball was coming out good,” Gonzalez said. “The breaking pitches were fine. I was pretty happy about my performance.” Gonzalez is next scheduled to pitch in a simulated game Friday afternoon at Camden Yards so that the team can best control the environment.

When he charges onto the infield grass, makes that barehanded pickup and throws a rocket to first, Manny Machado reminds Orioles fans of a superstar third baseman of yesteryear. When he breaks out of the batter's box on a liner into the gap and hits first base in full stride on his way to another double, Machado shows old-school hustle. And when he quietly strolls through clubhouse, proudly wearing his "Hakuna Machado" T-shirt while nodding to teammates, and, occasionally, breaking out an infectious smile, he flashes a necessary balance of confidence and respect.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado confirmed on Thursday that he is engaged to be married to girlfriend Yainee Alonso, but he did not say whether a date has been set for the wedding. Alonso is the sister of one of Machado's closest friends, San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso, who played college baseball at the University of Miami. Machado said he and Yainee were brought together by the baseball connection with her brother, but it's also the result of the close-knit nature of the sports community in Miami.

SEATTLE - When Orioles rookie phenom Manny Machado lined a RBI double in the seventh inning Sunday against the Oakland Athletics, he ignited an important rally for the Orioles, again demonstrating his value to the bottom third of the team's lineup. His next at-bat in the eighth, his 131st since his surprise Aug. 9 call-up from Double-A Bowie, represented something a little more disappointing for Orioles fans. It pretty much guaranteed that the 20-year-old third baseman will not become the club's first American League Rookie of the Year since pitcher Gregg Olson in 1989.

Can we go a little over the top here? OK, here goes: maybe we'll remember this just-concluded 7-4 Orioles road trip to the West Coast as the time where the legend of Manny Machado really took off. Sure, he got lots of attention last season when the Orioles brought him up from the minors to  play third base and the kid immediately solidified a shaky infield defense as the O's surged to 93 wins and their first playoff appearance since the Clinton...

OAKLAND, Calif. - A week ago, Manny Machado was about to head onto the field from the dugout at Camden Yards when someone yelled out to him, "Hey Manny. " It's not an unusual occurrence these days for the young third baseman, who is increasingly becoming the center of attention for fans and national media. But this one was different. It was Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson who wanted a few seconds of Machado's time. "He actually called me out, 'Hey Manny,' and he introduced himself," Machado said.

He had replayed the moment in his mind many times before growing up, but Manny Machado didn't know exactly what playing in his first major league game would feel like. One thing was certain: Knowing it was a once-in-a-lifetime event, he wanted to make sure he was able to make Thursday night memorable. Less than 24 hours earlier, he came off the Double-A Bowie team bus after Wednesday night's game in Altoona and be told by manager Gary Kendall that he was about to become a big leaguer the next day. He was surprised, to say the least.

The question came at Buck Showalter a few minutes after the Orioles' shaky 8-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, when it seemed the only bright spot at Camden Yards all afternoon was the white-hot bat of Manny Machado. "Is the way Manny's hitting even starting to amaze you guys?" a reporter asked. Showalter grimaced like a man who'd just dropped a brick on his foot. Then the Orioles manager put a finger to his lips in the classic "Shush" sign and looked around the room and said: "What else?"

I'm a little afraid to toss this question around in the bar today. I'm afraid some of you may be throwing haymakers if the discussion gets heated. It could turn into a donnybrook or brouhaha if things get ugly. (Yes, I know it is a fake bar, there will be no physical altercations. But it allowed me to get the words donnybrook and brouhaha into a blog. I'm forever grateful for my imagination). Anyway, for Tuesday's paper I wrote a story about Orioles third baseman Manny Machado and his rapid ascension from prospect to one of the best young players in the big leagues.

Ever since the Orioles drafted Manny Machado with the third pick overall out of a Miami high school in 2010, there were comparisons with another former Miami phenom. Machado may never shake the Alex Rodriguez comparisons - which was the ultimate compliment a few years ago. But with Rodriguez's injury and off-field issues, no one wants to be called the next ARod anymore. Regardless, Rodriguez was an amazing player almost from the start of his big league career. And Machado has been excellent in his short time with the Orioles.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Tuesday that pitching prospect Kevin Gausman is not a candidate to fill the team's two vacant starting pitcher spots over the next week. With starters Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen on the disabled list, the Orioles have rotation spots to fill on Saturday and Tuesday.  “Gausman is doing fine,” Duquette said. “I'm going to tell you. He's not a candidate for us to recall. He's doing fine at Double-A and he's getting used to professional baseball.

When he charges onto the infield grass, makes that barehanded pickup and throws a rocket to first, Manny Machado reminds Orioles fans of a superstar third baseman of yesteryear. When he breaks out of the batter's box on a liner into the gap and hits first base in full stride on his way to another double, Machado shows old-school hustle. And when he quietly strolls through clubhouse, proudly wearing his "Hakuna Machado" T-shirt while nodding to teammates, and, occasionally, breaking out an infectious smile, he flashes a necessary balance of confidence and respect.

The Orioles played one of their better all-around games of the young season Sunday, using three homers and strong pitching to shut out the Minnesota Twins, 6-0, while capturing their ninth series victory in 12 opportunities. And yet the Orioles fly out of Minnesota for an extended homestand with the potential of losing their most consistent starting pitcher - Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen - for a few weeks. “I don't even want to think about it,” said Orioles first baseman Chris Davis.

Video from Manny Machado's impressive ninth-inning barehanded play in Tuesday night's 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.   Your browser does not support iframes.

Before today's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Orioles manager Buck Showalter got on top of his pregame soapbox and talked about how most barehanded plays don't need to be made. He reminisced about his days as an analyst at ESPN and about how he thought the network too often fell in love with a barehanded play that was more style than substance. But third baseman Manny Machado's ninth-inning barehanded throwout of  Desmond Jennings in Tuesday's 5-4 win over Tampa Bay wasn't one of those plays.

It was about this time last year - give or take a week - that it became apparent the Orioles had undergone some kind of karmic transformation. The exact date was May 6, 2012 and the team was at Fenway Park. Nobody has to tell a real fan the rest. Chris Davis came out of right field and shut out the Boston Red Sox for two innings. Adam Jones launched a three-run homer in the 17th to carry the Orioles back into first place in the American League East. That was the point in their turnaround season when everybody realized something really special was taking place.

Can we go a little over the top here? OK, here goes: maybe we'll remember this just-concluded 7-4 Orioles road trip to the West Coast as the time where the legend of Manny Machado really took off. Sure, he got lots of attention last season when the Orioles brought him up from the minors to  play third base and the kid immediately solidified a shaky infield defense as the O's surged to 93 wins and their first playoff appearance since the Clinton...