Showalter Takes on The Evil Empire and Red Sox; Orioles Lose to Twins

Yesterday, the Orioles lost 5-2 to the Twins on the road in Grapefruit League action. The Orioles got solo home runs from Vladmir Guerrero and Adam Jones; however, the Brian Matusz struggled on the night as he lasted only 1 1/3 innings, gave up four runs on five hits.

It was not a good night for the Orioles, but they got to see a look at a part of their future as Manny Machado – the first round pick of the 2010 First Year Player Draft for the Orioles – came into the game in the eighth inning to play shortstop and got an at-bat.

He spoke about his brief appearance in the game (quotes from the Baltimore Sun):

“Oh man, it was great,” Machado said. “I was out there with a bunch of veterans and I felt great. I learned a lot from them from this game.”

I watched a bit of his appearance and he looked smooth in the field. Machado looked like he belonged out there and made quite an impressive play – that didn’t realty in an out – to almost nail a runner. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of him as he climbs the minor league ranks en route to the majors.

Finally, the big news from Florida for the Orioles on Wednesday came off the field, rather than on it.

Right now, arguably the most popular member of the Orioles, Buck Showalter let his feelings be known about his rivals in the American League East – mainly, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

>>> Read More