Manny Machado

NEW YORK -- After going through an early-season 1-for-18 slump, third baseman Manny Machado is starting to find his comfort zone in the No. 2 spot in the Orioles batting order. Since hitting the game-winning home run in the team's 8-5 comeback win in Boston on Wednesday night, Machado is 6-for-12, including a three-hit game Thursday and two hits Friday against the New York Yankees. His game Friday will be remembered for hitting into a triple play that ended the eighth, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter said before Saturday's game that he's proud of the way Machado has put some early struggles behind him in his first full big league season.

The Orioles' 3-2 extra-inning win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon was a long time coming - in more ways than one. The Orioles needed 14 innings - and five hours and 14 minutes - to complete a three-game sweep of the division-rival Rays, a monumental win for the long-suffering baseball fans of Baltimore. The victory, delivered on rookie Manny Machado's two-out walk-off single to left before 25,130 at Camden Yards, was the Orioles' 81st of the season, guaranteeing them at least a .500 record and snapping the club's streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons.

NEW YORK - Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has said repeatedly that he is just soaking up the playoff atmosphere, trying to have fun and not do too much. He's here to do what he can to contribute, not be a savior. That sentiment works, until you start making history. Machado led off the fifth inning Wednesday by hitting a slider from New York Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda into the visiting bullpen to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Orioles third baseman Manny Machado suffered from a bout of meningitis this offseason, but the organization's top young position player has recovered and is expected to be ready for spring training. Machado was hospitalized for a day and a half about a month ago, but he has since recovered. He resumed full workouts two weeks ago, and the Orioles consider the illness a non-issue. Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters about Machado's illness Tuesday afternoon during his media session at the winter meetings.

  Orioles manager Buck Showalter usually has an answer for most questions thrown his way, but he didn't have a quick response for one interesting inquiry this weekend in Anaheim. Before Saturday's game, Showalter was asked why he believed Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, the team's phenom 20-year-old third baseman, isn't mentioned in the same breath as fellow young phenoms like the Angels' Mike Trout and the Nationals' Bryce Harper. Showalter was stumped. He said he'd really have to think about it. The easy answer is that Machado didn't arrive in the big leagues until last August, and by that time, Trout and Harper had already established themselves as fixtures on contending teams.

TORONTO - It's become a popular question this year, whether Orioles third baseman Manny Machado belongs in the same class as the Angels' Mike Trout and the Nationals' Bryce Harper. That question was presented on MLB Network before Friday's game in Toronto, and at the time, a few Orioles players -- Machado among them -- were watching in the visiting clubhouse of the Rogers Centre. “Forget that,” reliever Tommy Hunter said jokingly as he turned to Machado. “I'm taking either one of the other two guys.” If there is a gap, Machado continues to close it -- and he's doing it with fine all-around performances on the road, the latest one coming in Friday's 10-6 win over the Blue Jays . Machado became the second player ever under the age of 21 to compile five straight road games with three or more hits and the first since 1907.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado once again showed maturity beyond his tender years when it became a foregone conclusion that he would exceed the maximum number of major league at-bats to be eligible for next season's American League Rookie of the Year award. He said all the right things. Sure, it would be nice to have a chance to compete for one of baseball's major postseason awards, he told The Sun's Dan Connolly earlier this week, but he's pursuing a bigger prize right now as a member of the first Orioles team to make a serious playoff bid in this century.

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.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Around this time last year, Manny Machado spent his spring on a nomadic journey shuffling between the Orioles' minor league and major league camps. He wore No. 95. When he made appearances in the major league camp, he dressed in an auxiliary clubhouse isolated from the big league players. But after an early-August call-up from Double-A Bowie - a move that helped propel the Orioles to the playoffs - the 20-year-old Machado is entrenched in the clubhouse this spring.

Orioles left fielder Nate McLouth entered Thursday's game with 11 stolen bases, second most in the American League. McLouth credits Manny Machado's patience at the plate hitting behind him with allowing him to be aggressive on the basepaths. "Eventually, he'll probably hit farther down the lineup, but he's a really good two-hole hitter for that reason," McLouth said. "He's willing to take pitches if he sees me go. If it happens to be early in the count, he's not afraid to get behind in the count and that's definitely important.