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Baltimore Orioles Manny Machado showcases defense in win over Rays

By Kristen Bentley |
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 24: Manny Machado
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 24: Manny Machado

The Baltimore Orioles star third baseman Manny Machado showcased his hitting ability and his defensive prowess against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Baltimore Orioles not only got the win, but they actually got a shutout in the first game of the series at Tropicana Field.

While the 5-0 shutout was notable, the real story of the game belonged to Manny Machado and his awe-inspiring defense.

One of the most amazing plays of the game happened in the beginning of the game. In the bottom of the first, Machado paired up with Jonathan Schoop for one outstanding double play. While the play may look rather simple at first – Machado catches the ball, throws it to Schoop, who throws it to Mark Trumbo – there is nothing simple about it at all.

Check out the video and the reaction of the people at FOX Sports Florida in the Tweet below:

What makes this play so difficult is the components of it. Machado had to make the catch, while the ball was bouncing up the left-field line. As a right-handed player, Machado had to pivot to catch the ball backhanded – all while running. Then, as he went into foul territory, he had to fire the ball all the way to second base. This had to be done while Machado was running away from second base. To get the ball to Schoop, Machado had to stop and in mid-air fire as his body was still moving away from second base. The fact that the ball gets right into Schoop’s glove, on time, is what separates Machado from the crowd.

How many other third basemen could make that play? Not many. Nolan Arenado definitely could, but I’m not so sure about Kris Bryant or Josh Donaldson – they have the range to make the catch, but do they have the upper body strength to make that throw?

Later in the game, Machado proved he can catch while falling backward. And, without losing his gum. He chased down a foul ball all the way to the bullpen mounds, then caught it as he tumbled backward without dropping the ball. Check out the footage below:

These defensive plays seemed to put some spark into Machado’s offense, too. No one could accuse him of boring baseball tonight!

Machado, who has been quieter than usual at the plate, came to life tonight. Even though he only hit a single in his four at-bats, he was credited with two RBIs. At the time, bases were loaded with Ruben Tejada on 3rd, Joey Rickard on 2nd, and Adam Jones on 1st. Unfortunately, no one could drive him in. After the single, the O’s led the Rays 3-0. Jonathan Schoop did hit a sac fly in the same inning to drive in Jones for the 4-0 lead.

What brought the at-bat to life was not just that it scored two runs, but that it got Machado on the bases. When Trey Mancini was up, Machado got to steal a base. With stolen bases becoming more of a rarity, it is a joy to see someone who loves action to get one for free. This is his sixth stolen base of the year. He did not steal any in 2016, but had a career high of 20 in 2015. He now leads the team in stolen bases with Rickard closely following with five of them.

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So as not to discount the other big events of the game, let’s take a quick look at the other highlights. Adam Jones scored first with a big home run to left field in the third inning. This is his 19th of the year which puts him two behind Schoop. Jones went 3 for 5 with one RBI (his own).

The pitching was also worth mentioning, simply because it was so good. Kevin Gausman threw for the O’s standard six innings. He allowed five hits and struck out eight. Darren O’Day continued his consistency in the seventh inning, getting his 13th hold of the season. He was followed by Brad Brach and Richard Bleier who also keep the Rays at zero runs.

Next: Orioles vs Rays pitching match up preview

This win puts the Orioles’ record at 48-51. If they can continue to play like this, a .500 record in Birdland isn’t hard to imagine.

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