Manny Machado continues to provide spark atop the order (O's lose 5-3)

Mike Wright's first start today since returning to the Orioles isn't going as smoothly as his first two major league outings. However, he's got a 2-1 lead to work with at 91-degree Camden Yards.

Wright allowed an infield hit to Brett Gardner leading off the top of the first inning and a two-out RBI double to Mark Teixeira, who's 5-for-9 with two doubles and two RBIs in the series.

Wright struck out Garrett Jones on his 23rd pitch of the inning.

machado-white-sidebar-swing.jpgManny Machado singled to center field leading off the bottom of the first, extending his hitting streak to eight games. He motored to third base on a hit-and-run single by Adam Jones, Chris Davis walked and Nolan Reimold delivered a two-run single. Reimold has five RBIs since having his contract purchased on Tuesday.

Yankees starter Adam Warren threw 29 pitches in the first inning.

Machado began today batting .293/.339/.490 with eight doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 18 RBIs, 11 walks and 26 runs scored in 39 games and 157 at-bats atop the order. Manager Buck Showalter mentioned Reimold as a leadoff candidate, but he seems content for now to keep Machado in that spot.

Asked why he chose Machado, Showalter replied, "As opposed to?"

"How many true leadoff guys, the way we've looked at them for years, are there in baseball anymore?" Showalter asked. "You've got (Dee) Gordon there, we saw in Miami. That's the blueprint. They're so hard to find, a lot because of the way the game has kind of headed over the years.

"A right-handed leadoff hitter is real unusual, but it also creates some good things for your batting order, how it matches up against bullpens. I really want to hit Adam third if I can and it allows me to hit Adam third.

"Manny's had a little different approach there. Sometimes, the characteristics of what people typically look at at that position, hitters will kind of try to fit in that mode. You see him bunt a little bit, you seem him more selective, you see him more baserunning frisky. It's not something we talked to him about. And also, he brings some pop in that spot. With Ryan (Flaherty) swinging the bat well, it also puts him in an RBI situation.

"As many off-speed pitches as they throw Jimmy (Paredes), it creates some situations where they have to attack Jimmy with the fastball more when Manny's on base, because he will steal a base if you get slow and don't pay attention. You can tell at second and first, he wants to run, and I'm fine.'

Showalter said he got "a little scared" last night on Teixeira's hard slide into Machado at third base. Machado got right back on his feet, but it was a tense moment for a guy with two knee surgeries.

"I think we all need to remember what he's had done with his knees the last couple of years," Showalter said. "That one wasn't a good feeling. I kind of turned my head making sure he got up. I'm not sure what that slide was all about. I think he just got caught in between steps."

I'm hearing that the Orioles are signing infielder Corban Joseph, Caleb Joseph's younger brother, to a Double-A contract.

Here are the pitching matchups for the four games against the Phillies - two in Baltimore and two in Philadelphia:

Monday: Wei-Yin Chen (2-4, 3.21 ERA) vs. Aaron Harang (4-7, 3.04 ERA)
Tuesday: Chris Tillman (4-7, 5.68 ERA) vs. Jerome Williams (3-6, 5.71 ERA)
Wednesday: Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 3.19 ERA) vs. Kevin Correia (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Thursday: Bud Norris (2-4, 8.29 ERA) vs. Sean O'Sullivan (1-5, 5.08 ERA)

Update: Wright allowed the tying run in the second on Gardner's sacrifice fly after he loaded the bases with no outs. Three of the five hits off Wright haven't left the infield and he's thrown 54 pitches.

Tyler Wilson was warming in the bullpen.

Update II: Joseph dumped an RBI double into right-center field with two outs in the fourth to break a 2-2 tie. Reimold scored after leading off with a walk and taking second on J.J. Hardy's single.

Joseph was 2-for-27 vs. the Yankees last season. He's 15-for-27 this year.

Update III: The Yankees scored three runs in the top of the fifth to lead 5-3.

Wright walked the bases loaded before Brian Matusz replaced him. Matusz walked Garrett Jones to force in the tying run, struck out the next two batters and allowed a two-run double to John Ryan Murphy.

Wright is charged with five runs and six hits in four-plus innings, with three walks, two strikeouts, a wild pitch and a hit batter. He threw 104 pitches, 62 for strikes.

Update IV: The Orioles winning streak ends at six games with a 5-3 loss to the Yankees before 36,343 at Camden Yards. They're .500 for the 10th time this season.

Tyler Wilson threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out Alex Rodriguez.




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