It wasn't Luke Hochevar's intention Friday night to turn rookie Manny Machado into a Baltimore folk hero. Just as it wasn't Hochevar's intention to hang a couple of breaking balls.
The latter fueled the former. Machado marked his second big-league game by hitting two homers and carrying the Orioles to a 7-1 victory over the Royals at Camden Yards. And, no, it hasn't yet sunk in.
"It's happening so fast," Machado said, "but I'm having a good time."
Machado, 20, was the third overall pick in the 2010 draft and was at Class AA Bowie when summoned to the majors before Thursday's series opener to play third base. He played last month in the All-Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium.
"It's a new era," Machado said. "We haven't won in a long time, and this ballclub has been winning without me. And, hopefully, now that I'm up here, I can contribute to the team and help them (keep) winning."
The pitches from Hochevar weren't good pitches. But say this: Machado didn't miss them. His first homer came on a full-count offering while leading off the fifth inning and extended Baltimore's lead to 3-1.
Orioles rookie Machado hits two homers in 7-1 victory over Royals
Kansas City Star 8/11/2012
Leave it to the Marlins to find a new -- and very rare -- way to lose. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Arizona on Saturday on Gerardo Parra's home run off Tom Koehler on the very first pitch of the game.
That doesn't happen often.
Heck, according to Stats LLC, it hasn't happened in any MLB game
David Ortiz is at it again.
The Red Sox designated hitter almost single-handedly carried his team to an 12-5 win over the Twins Saturday night at Target Field, with Ortiz claiming the 40th multi-home run game of his career via a pair of blasts. It marked the fourth time in Ortiz’ career he has
Before Saturday’s game, Reds manager Dusty Baker said to no one in particular: “We got to beat these Phillies. I’m tried of losing to them.”
The Reds granted his wish with a 10-0 shellacking of the Phillies before 41,817 on a rainy day at Citizens Bank Park.
It is not surprising that B
A horde of season-ticket holders ringed the warning track of Yankee Stadium on Saturday morning. They awaited an opportunity to meet their beloved Yankees, general manager Brian Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.
On his way to the field, preparing to press the flesh with the f
Jose Reyes rejoined the Blue Jays in New York Friday night, and after bouncing around the field and looking like he was ready to play, the thought was the personable shortstop could be back in the lineup sooner than projected.
Reyes, though, cautioned against any speculation about his return from a
The thing about pinch hitting is, it only takes one swing. One minute, Chad Tracy can be sitting in the Washington Nationals dugout, a bystander as victory nears. The next, he may be running to the end of the tunnel for two emergency warmup hacks. One night, he may be staying up in bed wondering whe
Who was the true difference-maker in Friday night's 10-9 Rockies victory at Coors Field?
If you said Jordan Pacheco, whose fifth-inning grand slam off Madison Bumgarner broke a 5-5 tie, thanks for playing and better luck next time.
The answer is Colorado center fielder Dexter Fowler, who made a te
It must be catching — because look who has become a strikeout pitcher.
Of sorts.
Rick Porcello, his season continuing to mend since a first-inning nightmare in Anaheim, made it four consecutive strong starts Friday night in the Tigers' 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers.
As the winning pi
After inviting a record 84 players to camp this spring, the Yankees might just need to use each and every one of them before the season is over.
On Friday, Andy Pettitte became the latest banged-up Bomber to land on the disabled list. That makes 13 players on the DL this season, 11 of whom are ther
CC Sabathia is the resident ace based on past performance and salary.
Andy Pettitte, who went on the disabled list yesterday with an upper back muscle problem is the wise old head others go to for advice.
Then there is Hiroki Kuroda, who is easily the Yankees’ best pitcher.
Kuroda pounded
It was a no-brainer.
The Mets allow Ike Davis to take at-bats every day, so what could be the harm in letting Matt Harvey hit in the seventh inning yesterday with two outs and the go-ahead run at second base?
“That was awesome,” Harvey said after his RBI single pushed the Mets to their sec
The Braves were finally home Friday night, with their lineup at full strength for the first time all season and playing in front of 43,238 fans at Turner Field. The stage was set. All they needed was somebody to shock them back into rhythm.
Enter Justin Upton.
The man who homered 12 times to get t
Paul Goldschmidt clubbed two home runs and added two more hits in the Diamondbacks’ 9-2 rout of the Miami Marlins on Friday night, and perhaps the ultimate compliment for the burgeoning superstar is that no one seemed the least bit surprised.
“Every time he goes to the plate,” third baseman
The New York Yankees have placed veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left trapezious muscle, according to multiple reports. The 40-year-old was forced to exit Thursday’s game against the Seattle Mariners after just 4.2 innings on Thursday. The Yankees have
The A’s just announced that Brett Anderson has a stress fracture in his right foot and will be re-evaluated again in four weeks, which means he will be out closer to two months, or maybe more, because obviously he will have to go through rehab and build his innings back up. Anderson told me the o
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As we count down the hours before Jason Heyward returns to the Braves lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Dodgers, can somebody please kindly remind me how to get from Sandy Springs to Turner Field?
The Braves have played just six home games since Heyward was placed on the disabled l
On the eve of Heath Bell’s return to South Florida, the pitcher who took the place of the much-reviled closer in the Marlins bullpen brought back memories of his predecessor.
Steve Cishek coughed it up Thursday in a 5-3 loss to Cincinnati.
Just after the Marlins rallied in the ninth to tie t
Catcher A.J. Pierzynski is on track to return to the active roster from a strained oblique muscle Tuesday, the first day he is eligible.
Pierzynski took batting practice on the field Thursday for the first time since going on the DL on May 10, retroactive to May 6. The tentative schedule is for h
Mike Scioscia jinxed it.
"I think we have guys down there right now who can hold leads if we get 'em," the Angels manager said Thursday. "We just haven't got enough of them to really let those guys impact our record the way they can."
A few hours later, Scioscia pulled starting pitcher Jerome
Maybe it's the Miami in Paco Rodriguez, where endless sweltering days turn into long balmy nights until all you know is heat.
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Maybe that explains why th
The surgery was successful, and Roy Halladay may pitch again this season.
But it seems just as possible he may not.
Phillies team doctor Michael Ciccotti addressed the media Thursday afternoon to field questions following the team's announcement that Halladay underwent successful arthroscopic
Right fielder Jayson Werth was scheduled to play for Class A Potomac on Thursday, but he went to see his doctor in New York because he felt tightness in his right hamstring.
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Trailing 3-1 and down to their final strike in the ninth inning, the Red Sox scored three runs on Will Middlebrooks’ bases-loaded double against Tampa Bay Rays closer Fernando Rodney.
But if not for a pair of stellar catches by right fielder Shane Victorino in the eighth, the game may have been
Will Middlebrooks’ slump finally died last night.
It happened at about 10:30 p.m., so you probably missed it, considering the Bruins were thundering away in overtime back home. But down to his last strike, and with the Red Sox trailing by two runs with two outs in the ninth inning, Middlebrooks
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