Manny Machado returns to first-place Orioles following suspension
Manny Machado returns Friday night to a Baltimore lineup that is pounding home runs and has the surprising Orioles in first place in the American League East Division with the All-Star break just around the corner.
Machado served a four-game suspension for charging the mound earlier this month in a game against Kansas City after being hit by a 99mph pitch by Yordano Ventura. Machado punched Ventura before both players went to the ground and were eventually separated.
Baltimore went 2-2 with Machado out of the lineup and holds a 1.5-game lead over Boston in the division with Tampa Bay, the last-place team in the division, in town for a four-game series.
You can watch Baltimore try to widen its lead in the division in Yahoo Sports’ MLB Free Game of the Day. The game, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET, can be streamed on Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home and right here in the story you’re reading. Local blackouts apply.
Machado is one of the best young players in the game and his bat has been invaluable to the Orioles’ success in the first half of the season. He is hitting .317 with 17 home runs and 42 RBI. The Orioles haven’t been lacking power without Machado the past four games. This team leads all of baseball with 111 home runs so far this season, but getting Machado’s bat back makes Baltimore even more formidable, especially for a starting pitcher like Tampa Bay’s scheduled starter Matt Moore, who has surrendered 15 home runs in 14 starts this season.
The Rays come into this one looking a bit desperate, having lost seven straight and struggling with inconsistent pitching all season. But the Rays also are a power-hitting club, ranked fourth in MLB with 100 home runs to this point. There could be a lot of balls flying out of Camden Yards this weekend.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
