Cal Ripken has watched first-round pick Manny Machado at Aberdeen and offers the following scouting report on the young shortstop: "I like the size, I like the strength. He made a couple of plays in the field really easy, and I like the way the ball jumped off his bat. He's definitely got some good size to him." A big guy like that can play shortstop? Ripken smiled. "A big guy like that can play shortstop," he replied. "He's got the right frame for a shortstop." Chris Tillman has...

Some of the longest and loudest ovations heard at Camden Yards are those reserved for Cal Ripken Jr. There was another today when the Hall of Famer threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the 15th anniversary of his playing in consecutive game number 2,130 to tie Lou Gehrig's record. "I keep milking it for whatever it's worth. It seems like time has gone by really fast. I only realize it when I look at the age of my kids. In many other ways it seems like that whole night was just a...

Cal Ripken's ceremonial first pitch was a perfect strike to Jake Fox. Knowing Cal, that shouldn't come as a surprise. Seeing Fox behind the plate was the shocker. But I digress... It was nice of the Rays to stand and applaud Ripken as he walked to the mound. They moved to the top step of the dugout. They stopped playing catch. Evan Longoria stood the closest to home plate, and he might have been clapping the hardest. Buck Showalter was managing the Yankees on the nights that Ripken tied...

The Washington Nationals today recalled right-handed pitcher Collin Balester from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Balester is 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA in six relief appearances this season with Washington. The 24-year-old went 3-3 with a 5.87 ERA in 35 games/5 starts with the Chiefs, including a 2-0 record and 3.38 ERA in 30 appearances as a reliever.

The Orioles announced that they have recalled RHP Chris Tillman from Triple-A Norfolk. He will start today's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Tillman, 22, went 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA (121.1IP, 45ER) in 21 starts for the Tides this season, including 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA (34.0IP, 12ER) in six starts in August. His ERA was tied for fourth in the International League and he was tied for 5th in the league in wins. Tillman is 1-4 with a 7.92 ERA (25.0IP, 22ER) in six starts over two previous stints...

Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott DH Felix Pie LF Corey Patterson CF Craig Tatum C Cesar Izturis SS Josh Bell 3B Chris Tillman RHP For the Rays: Jaso DH Zobrist 1B Crawford LF Longoria 3B Joyce RF Rodriguez 2B Upton CF Navarro C Bartlett SS Davis RHP Cal Ripken will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to celebrate the 15th anniversary of 2,130. No need to explain the significance of that number. Also, the Brooks Robinson replica jerseys are now available. They...

Tonight's attendance: 18,943. Buck Showalter has won more games as Orioles manager this year (18) than Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel. They don't hand out trophies for that accomplishment, but it's worth noting. Jeremy Guthrie set a season high with seven strikeouts tonight. He matched his season high with 116 pitches. He's gone at least six innings in 10 straight outings, with eight quality starts during that span. Is this the strongest Guthrie has felt this late in a season? "I...

Buck Showalter won his 900th game as manager, a feat that didn't leave a lump in his throat. More like a shrug in his shoulders. "My daughter called me a couple nights ago and left me a message, so she made me aware of it and I'd forgotten it a little bit," he said. "It means I've had some good players and someone's given me an opportunity to do this a long time. That's about the extent of it. I've had a lot of losses, too. You got them?" Yes, 846. "I remember just about every...

The Orioles ended their first three-game losing streak of the Buck Showalter era in resounding fashion tonight. Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven strong innings to gain his 9th win while the O's had 15 hits in an 8-4 win over Tampa. The victory was the 900th of Showalter's managerial career. He becomes the 64th manager in baseball history to reach the 900 mark and is 9th among active managers in wins. The Orioles are 18-13 since Showalter took over on August 3rd. Buck Showalter talks with the...

After finally being taken off the disabled list, Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock guided the Syracuse Chiefs to a victory Friday night, going six innings, scattering four hits, allowing one run with two walks and three strikeouts. "I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders (with Friday's win)," says Mock. "Now, I can prepare for the next one and if another start comes I want to be able to compete for six plus innings." "That is a huge feeling," he added. "I am not on...