Nick Markakis

Number-crunching baseball fans who flock to Camden Yards today will eat this up: 9,200 hot dogs, 4,500 pounds of french fries, 3,700 soft pretzels, 2,500 Boog's pit beef sandwiches and 1,500 hamburgers. But the food stats that the Orioles throw out every year, based on how much gets gobbled up at Oriole Park on a typical Opening Day, don't tell the whole story this time. There's no telling how many gluten- and casein-free Asian noodle salads, "Turtle Bites" or Attman's coddies and knishes fans will down because no one's had the chance to eat them at the ballpark before.

Earlier this week, the Orioles were spiraling out of the American League East race, couldn't win at home and were watching helplessly as their staunch bullpen faltered and their starters routinely checked out early. Suddenly, after winning two straight against the division-leading New York Yankees - including Wednesday night's 6-3 victory - it's May again. There's no need for panic. For the moment, it's all Natty Bohs and roses (or Black-Eyed Susans) at Camden Yards. “I think so,” said Orioles' first baseman Chris Davis when asked if beating the Yankees in the last two games should calm the masses for a bit. “I think the fact that it was against New York, who's at the top of our division and a team we feel we can compete with, I think it was huge.

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.

Last season, Orioles manager Buck Showalter had the base of the right-field foul pole at Camden Yards painted black in order to help discern balls in play from home runs. Most stadiums have a yellow line on the top of the wall that serves as a marker in cases where there could be doubt. Camden Yards doesn't, and on most days here, you'll never notice. In the Orioles' 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon, that anonymous nook of the ballpark was the point of focus in front of an announced 37,704 at Camden Yards.

Last season, Orioles manager Buck Showalter had the base of the right-field foul pole at Camden Yards painted black in order to help discern balls in play from home runs. Most stadiums have a yellow line on the top of the wall that serves as a marker in cases where there could be doubt. Camden Yards doesn't, and on most days here, you'll never notice. In the Orioles' 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon, that anonymous nook of the ballpark was the point of focus in front of an announced 37,704 at Camden Yards.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, who has been out of action with a small disk herniation in his neck since he was scratched from the starting lineup on March 1, was cleared to resume baseball activities Thursday and could play in a Grapefruit League game by Monday, if all goes well. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Markakis will begin hitting off a tee and start throwing on Friday as part of a three- to four-day progression that will include soft-toss, light swinging and coach's batting practice.

The Orioles make their final road trip of the spring today -- and it is to Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla., to face the Minnesota Twins. This will be Kevin Gausman's last start for the Orioles this spring before heading to minor league camp. He'll be facing most of the Twins' regulars, but the most intriguing matchup will be Gausman versus another highly touted minor leaguer, Twins third baseman Miguel Sano. Sano, 19, is considered a Top 10 player on many prospect lists. The Orioles were close to signing the Dominican teenager when he agreed to a $3.15 million bonus with the Twins.

With the season-ending injury to right fielder Nick Markakis on Saturday night, Buck Showalter had to “shuffle the cards” as he says. And he sure did Sunday. Left fielder Nate McLouth, who has batted primarily third in the last month, will be moved up the leadoff spot. He's done that nearly 300 times in his career and compiled a .340 on-base percentage in those games. “I like it,” McLouth said of batting leadoff. “I know what type of hitter and what type of player I am. So I'm not going to change my approach in the way I go about things.  I'm just trying to put the ball in play and take advantage of whatever situation presents itself.” Davis, who has been relegated to DH with the emergence of McLouth, Manny Machado and Mark Reynolds' improvement at first, is now back in right field today - where he played 17 games (15 starts)

Looking to snap his squad -- and his struggling right fielder -- out of their funk, Orioles manager Buck Showalter on Wednesday busted out a bizarre lineup that brought back memories of Crazy Uncle Dave Trembley's final weeks in Baltimore (when Trembley was scrambling to resuscitate his team and save his job). Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero got the afternoon off, Felix Pie played in right field and Nick Markakis was moved to the infield and started at first base for the first time since high school.

With the Orioles in the midst of their champagne and beer spewing celebration Friday night in the visitor's clubhouse at Rangers Ballpark, one player really stood out - the one guy who seemed to take it as a personal challenge to soak every human being in the room. That's what happens when arguably the team's most competitive player has had to sit out for a month with a broken thumb while his teammates chase an extended playoff run. So injured right fielder Nick Markakis wrapped his left hand in a plastic baggy and took to the offensive with beer and champagne, spraying it and kicking up the puddles and drenching anyone he could.

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.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, decided not to use his specially made MaxBat black bat with a pink label Sunday. Players on the Orioles and Twins used various pink apparel and equipment on Mother's Day as part of a MLB campaign promoting breast cancer awareness. Markakis donned pink cleats, pink wristbands and pink batting gloves, but used his regular MaxBat bat with an orange label instead of the one that likely would have cost him a $1,000 fine.

MINNEAPOLIS - Dating back to last season, the Orioles often have struggled offensively when they can't hit the longball. On Friday, in a 9-6, 10-inning victory over the Minnesota Twins, they flourished despite not going quite deep enough. That's what happens when you get a season-high 18 hits and seven of your nine batters have at least two hits apiece, the first time the Orioles have done that since exactly two years ago -- May 10, 2011 against Seattle. Instead of homering on Friday, the Orioles smacked a season-high seven doubles, including four in a three-run sixth and two more in a three-run seventh to wipe out a 6-0 deficit.

MINNEAPOLIS - An annual Major League Baseball undertaking to provide exposure and money to cancer-awareness charities became embroiled in a bit of a controversy Friday, with an Oriole being one of the players inadvertently involved. On Sunday, as part of its Mother's Day celebration, participating players will wear and use pink equipment - to bring more awareness to breast cancer issues - as they have since 2006. The items will then be auctioned off with proceeds going to charities including Susan G. Komen For The Cure, which has championed breast cancer research for decades.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - In this Southern California landscape full of highways, Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman grew up just about 15 miles away from Angel Stadium. As a kid, he rooted for the Angels. And despite having 56 major league starts under his belt over parts of five big league seasons, Thursday night's against the Angels was his first one in a long drive back home. It was worth the wait. In Tillman's homecoming, he turned in one of his most dominating starts of his big league career, allowing just three hits over eight scoreless innings to lead the Orioles to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of this four-game series.

The Orioles' 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night gave them a 5-3 record eight games into this 11-game West Coast road trip. Perhaps even more important is that the win improved the Orioles' record to 9-3 when coming off a loss. That means that the Orioles have had back-to-back losses just three times this season. One of those times was this road trip, when they lost the final game against the Oakland Athletics and the first game against the Seattle Mariners. But the Orioles have avoided those consecutive loss slides that have foiled so many Orioles teams of the past.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis has made enough progress in his recovery from abdominal surgery that he will make his first Grapefruit League appearance on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. The original plan called for Markakis to play in the last 10-12 exhibition games, so the Mar. 14 start is a modest acceleration of his rehabilitation program. He'll make his first start in the designated hitter slot and probably continue to DH for a few games before going out to right field.

MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles' experiment batting right fielder Nick Markakis in the leadoff spot is paying off. Markakis began hitting leadoff in the Orioles' first game after the All-Star break. In seven games since moving there, Markakis is batting .387 (12-for-31). He was 1-for-5 with an RBI in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Twins. "It's something I always had in the back of my head," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I think Nicky's capable of hitting just about anywhere in the order.

The moment seemed perfectly scripted for Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis. With Monday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays on the line on a chilly night at Camden Yards, the steadiest of the Orioles' bats resonated calm at the plate. Down to his last strike, Markakis delivered the Orioles their second walk-off win in five games as his game-winning, two-out, bases-loaded single off Toronto reliever Aaron Loup gave the Orioles a 2-1 win over the Blue Jays and their fourth win in their past five games.

Some criticized the Orioles for not acquiring middle-of-the-order bat this offseason, but so far in this young season, they have gotten excellent production from the third, fourth and fifth hitters in their batting order. Through 18 games, hitters for the Orioles in those spots have combined for a .356 average with 18 doubles, 14 home runs, 43 runs scored and 47 RBIs. In the weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camden Yards, hitters in those spots went 7-for-11 with three runs scored, a double, a homer and two RBIs.