Baltimore Orioles roundup: Machado update, power rankings and more
A roundup of Baltimore Orioles news from around the web including an update on Manny Machado‘s precautionary X-rays.
Entering Monday’s play, the Baltimore Orioles sit just a half-game behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East Division with a record of 25-17 after failing to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday afternoon at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. However, the Orioles did win the series by taking two of three from the Jays this past weekend.
First, on Friday night, Orioles’ starting pitcher Chris Tillman delivered his first quality start of the season, tossing six innings and allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts.
In his third game back since missing the first two weeks of May with a shoulder injury, Welington Castillo smashed two home runs including a 10th inning walk-off blast to lift the Orioles to a 5-3 victory in the series opener.
Welington Castillo had himself a game last night!
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 20, 2017
Two homers including the game winner. #Birdland #VoteBeef pic.twitter.com/TZExqGLK1O
The Orioles celebrated Maryland in the middle game of a three-game weekend series as sellout crowd filled Camden Yards.
Tie game! @Mtrumbo44's RBI single plates @SimplyAJ10 with two outs in the 1st. #CelebrateMaryland pic.twitter.com/4MJnAYUFB2
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 21, 2017
Like the night before, Castillo crushed a three-run home run that lifted the Orioles to their second straight win. Castillo combined for seven RBIs through the first two games of the series.
Machado update and roster move
Birdland can take a sigh of relief as third baseman Manny Machado’s precautionary X-rays Sunday on his left hand came black clean, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Machado’s x-rays come after being drilled in the left hand/wrist area by Blue Jays’ Joe Smith in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday’s series finale.
Kubatko’s report also revealed that Machado will start in tonight’s game against the Twins. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem set in stone just yet as the team wants to observe Machado during batting practice.
Machado is in lineup but #orioles want to see him take BP
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) May 22, 2017
Other Orioles news includes a roster move as the team recalled pitcher Tyler Wilson from Triple-A Norfolk and will be placed in the bullpen.
Baltimore Orioles news from around the web
Power Rankings: Astros still rule, but new challengers emerge – ESPN Week 7 Power Rankings
Sarah Lang from ESPN Stats & Information on Orioles fifth place ranking:
"It was a banner week for Chris Davis. On Tuesday night, he hit go-ahead home runs in the 12th and 13th innings of the Orioles’ game in Detroit. He became the second player in Browns/Orioles franchise history with two go-ahead home runs in extra innings; the other was Vern Stephens with the St. Louis Browns in 1943. On Thursday, Davis added his 250th career home run."
Flaherty receives PRP injection in shoulder (plus other notes) – Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com
"Flaherty figures to be out at least two weeks. He won’t make the 10-day disabled list period"
"Overall, not many left-handers have had success for the Orioles this season, and it is showing. Combined, all left-handers have a .280 batting average against them, while right-handers are hitting .283 and left-handers .266."
"The Birds were staring their fifth straight one-run loss in the face with two outs in the ninth before Mark Trumbo went yard to tie the game for one of the team’s biggest hits of the year. It took two more home runs by Chris Davis in the extra frames to secure the roller coaster win, but the streak was stopped."