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Orioles vs. Royals: Manny Machado’s debut spoiled by Kansas City

By Dan Connolly,August 10, 2012

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado throws to first on a groundball hit… (Gail Burton/ASSOCIATED…)

BALTIMORE — Thursday at Camden Yards was supposed to be about third baseman Manny Machado, the Orioles’ top hitting prospect who was making his big league debut directly out of Class AA.

To paraphrase one of Orioles Manager Buck Showalter’s favorite sayings, however, the Kansas City Royals didn’t cooperate.

Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen turned in the worst start of his brief, big league career in an 8-2 bashing by the Royals that snapped Baltimore’s five-game win streak. It was the fifth time this season the Orioles (60-52) attempted to win a season-best sixth straight. And the fifth time they fell short.

Machado, the club’s first-rounder in 2010 who was a surprise call-up Thursday, provided the main highlights for the announced crowd of 21,226, which stood and cheered when he was introduced in the second inning.

After grounding out in his first at-bat, Machado tripled to right-center against Royals rookie left-hander Will Smith in the fifth for his first hit.

Moments later he scored the first run of his career and the first for the Orioles on the night by dashing home on a sacrifice fly to left by Nick Markakis.

Machado picked up his second hit in the seventh with an infield dribbler that second baseman Chris Getz couldn’t handle. He popped up to end the game, going 2 for 4 with one run scored.

Matt Wieters hit his 16th homer of the season in the sixth against Smith — a solo shot that was his third in three games. He is now 7 for 18 with eight RBI in this four-game homestand.

— Baltimore Sun