World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966 American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969 American League Wild Card 2012, 1996 Thursday, September 24, 2015 Game Stories: Manny Machado's homer lifts fired-up Orioles over Nationals The Sun 9/23 Machado's HR puts O's within 4 of WC spot MLB.com 9/24 Game update and Showalter on Machado milestone (O's win 4-3) MASNsports.com 9/23 Machado home run lifts Orioles past Scherzer, Nationals 4-3 AP 9/23 Machado hits and gets hit leading Orioles to 4-3 win over Nats CSN Mid-Atlantic 9/24 Machado provides fireworks as Orioles edge Nationals Reuters 9/23 Columns: Orioles didn't need more reason to dislike Jonathan Papelbon The Sun 9/24 Orioles notes: Buck Showalter remembers Yogi Berra The Sun 9/23 Manny Machado drilled by pitch after hitting go-ahead home run in 7th inning The Sun 9/23 Manny Machado is youngest Orioles player to reach 500 hits The Sun 9/23 Machado gets best of Scherzer in key spot MLB.com 9/24 Pap, Machado differ on closer's intent on HBP MLB.com 9/24 O's righty Gonzalez progresses with sim game MLB.com 9/23 O's-Nats finale key to postseason pursuits MLB.com 9/23 Fellow No. 8 Ripken reflects on Berra's legacy MLB.com 9/23 Leftovers for breakfast and a look ahead MASNsports.com 9/24 Wrapping up a 4-3 win and the benches-clearing incident MASNsports.com 9/23 Showalter on Berra: "He's as much as everything we try to be about in America" MASNsports.com 9/23 Ryan Flaherty's start, Miguel Gonzalez's sim game and Zach Britton's status MASNsports.com 9/23 Taking another look at Machado and Jimenez milestones (updated) MASNsports.com 9/23 A take on Papelbon, the umpires, Machado's homer and more MASNsports.com 9/24 Manny Machado's homer off Max Scherzer lifts Orioles over Nationals MASNsports.com 9/23 O's game blog: Orioles are 10-8 this year against the NL MASNsports.com 9/23 Orioles-Nationals Preview AP 9/24 In their words: How sports world is remembering Yogi Berra AP 9/23 Orioles go for three-game sweep against Nationals CSN Mid-Atlantic 9/24 Buck Showalter remembers Yogi Berra as kind, wise CSN Mid-Atlantic 9/23 Jones out of the lineup for second straight game with back spasms CSN Mid-Atlantic 9/23 Gonzalez feels good after simulated game, start next? CSN Mid-Atlantic 9/23 Machado: Jonathan Papelbon is a coward NBCSports.com 9/24 Baltimore Orioles – PlayerWatch Reuters 9/23 Orioles RP Darren O'day earns fifth save of the season CBSSports.com 9/23 Harper: 'I'll ... get drilled tomorrow' after Papelbon throws at Machado CBSSports.com 9/23 Manny Machado on getting plunked by Jonathan Papelbon: 'That's coward stuff' Yahoo! Sports 9/24 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-va-sp-orioles-nationals-0924-20150923- story.html Manny Machado's homer lifts fired-up Orioles over Nationals By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun September 23, 2015 With the Orioles and Washington Nationals holding on to faint playoff hopes in the regular season's final days, this week's “Beltway Series” had lacked its typical energy. But that was before both dugouts emptied Wednesday night in the ninth inning of the Orioles' 4- 3 comeback win over the Nationals. After Machado hit a go-ahead two-run homer, he was hit on the left shoulder by a 93-mph fastball from reliever Jonathan Papelbon in his next at-bat. As Machado glared toward the mound and had words for Papelbon, who was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Mark Ripperger, Orioles manager Buck Showalter played intermediary, sprinting out of the dugout to calm his third baseman. “It's something that's uncalled for,” Machado said. “It's something that you don't do. I expect more from a guy like that with the [resume] that he has. … You don't throw at somebody's head. ... I think we've just got to keep playing baseball.” Machado and the Orioles had the last laugh. Two innings earlier, Machado sent his 30th homer of the season rocketing into the stands in left-center field at Nationals Park. But Papelbon's first pitch to Machado in the ninth was high and tight, and after a second-pitch curveball, Papelbon pelted Machado “Pitchers out there, the ball can slip out of your hand, but when you throw at the head on first pitch right from the get-go, then you throw a curveball and then you throw again at the head ... it's coward stuff,” Machado said. “It's just cowardly.” Showalter said he had no doubt Machado was hit intentionally. After the game, Papelbon didn't make a strong case for himself, saying only that be believed Ripperger was influenced by the response from a pro-Orioles crowd late in the game. “Perception is reality,” Papelbon said. “If Manny thinks I hit him, then that's what he thinks. I'm not going to sit here and go back and forth whether I did or whether I didn't, because it doesn't matter. If he thinks I did, that's what he thinks.” The Orioles hadn't done much against right-handed starter Max Scherzer — he struck out 12 over 62/3 innings — but the Nationals stuck with the former American League Cy Young Award winner for one pitch too long. With Nationals fans on their feet, urging Scherzer to throw a final strike to complete seven strong innings, Machado sent Scherzer's season-high 122nd and final pitch into the night. “He's one of the best pitchers in the game right now,” Machado said. “He's battling the whole game, striking everybody out, making good pitches. I finally got a pitch to hit and I drilled it. It's one of the hardest balls I've hit all year and one of my hardest home runs.” It was undoubtedly among the Orioles' biggest blasts of the season — and they'll need more to keep their fading postseason hopes alive. Machado's shot whipped the Orioles dugout into a frenzy. Machado slowly stepped out of the batter's box before rounding the bases, then jogged back to his teammates and yelled an emphatic “Let's go!” “It was awesome,” Machado said. “Every game counts. Every pitch. Every at-bat. We're down against one of the best in the game and you come up and do what you did. It's all emotion. He's striking guys out and walking around and doing the same thing we do when we hit. I think it's just coming to October. It's October baseball and everybody is fighting for a spot.” Papelbon said he didn't have a problem with Machado's slow walk out of the batter's box on his home run. “No, I don't have a problem with it,” Papelbon said. “If a guy takes someone deep, they want to do whatever they want, that's fine with me. That's baseball. Whether or not I'm out there and someone thinks I show them up with a fist pump or someone pumps a home run, that's baseball. Just play the game. Don't let the game, or let fans dictate otherwise. Play the game of baseball.” Showalter has implored his team to avoid scoreboard watching as the regular season winds down. The Orioles must first win games to make any of it matter. But before Wednesday night's game, players couldn't help but peek at the clubhouse televisions showing the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels, two of the four teams they're chasing for the second AL wild-card spot. With their win and the Astros' loss, the Orioles (75-76) are four games out of the second wild- card spot with 11 regular-season games left. “I haven't even looked at it,” Showalter said of the wild-card standings. “I'm just trying to win every game and see where it takes us. But thanks for telling me now I've got to grind on that. I'm trying the ignorance-is-bliss thing.” Right-hander Chris Tillman (10-11) earned the victory despite losing a 2-1 lead with a 40-pitch fifth inning. “It was frustrating to begin with,” Tillman said. “I think the hitters let me know right away it wasn't good enough and I had to start making better pitches and we were able to do that and get to that point in the game where you feel like you've done the job.” After allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base in a scoreless first inning, Tillman took control early. He needed just 54 pitches to get through four innings and retired 12 straight Nationals batters before issuing a one-out walk to Michael Taylor. Wilson Ramos then tied the game, sending an 0-2 pitch down the left-field line, scoring Taylor from first to make it 2-2. Scherzer then singled to put runners at first and third, and Anthony Rendon's sacrifice fly to right scored Ramos to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead. Scherzer overcame an early deficit, holding the Orioles scoreless after yielding a two-run homer to Steve Pearce in the first inning.