Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is growing into one of the top players in Major League Baseball. Thanks to a solid glove and tremendous offensive ability, Machado remains a crucial part to the current and future sucess of manager Buck Showalter's Orioles team. Playing in the always competitive American League East, the O's know they need all the offensive and defensive production they can get each and every time they take the field, which is why the news that Manny Machado's recent knee injury could end his season comes as a blow to the organization.
According to MLB.com, the 21-year-old is expected to miss the remainder of the 2013 season after suffering a brutal knee injury in a recent 5-4 loss to the division rival Tampa Bay Rays. Hitting a single in the seventh inning of the game, Machado's left leg struck the bag in an akward way, forcing him to collapse to the ground in obvious pain. Picked up and put onto a stretcher after a period of intense screaming, Machado was carted off the field while receiving a standing ovation from both teams and the Tampa Bay fans inside Tropicana Field.
"Manny's pretty down, as you can imagine," Buck Showalter said. "Somehow, they couldn't get the [X-ray] film developed here after they took the pictures. Doctors weigh in on something they shouldn't be, quite frankly. I've heard some early prognosis, but I think they should wait until they get all the tests back. Everybody needs to be quick to paint something negatively. But Manny will play for the Baltimore Orioles again at a very high level, and I'm real proud of him. Unfortunately, things happen when you're playing a game at breakneck speed like these guys try to again today."
Machado was a key member of Baltimore's playoff team a year ago and through 156 games and 710 plate appearances in 2013, the 21-year-old rising superstar is batting a crisp .283 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI's.
Dropping each of the 4 games played against the Rays, Baltimore has all but played themselves out of a Wildcard berth since the race now lies mostly between the Rays, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. While it's never fun to lose games, especially late in the season, situations become worse when players experience grueling injuries.
"It was a tough four days and it culminated in a lot of bad stuff today," Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said after the recent loss to Tampa Bay. "The losses and the injuries and feeling like we had a good chance coming in to Tampa, to walk out with this kind of feeling is tough for everybody."
With 6 games remaining in 2013, Baltimore is currently trailing the Cleveland Indians by 5 games for the final Wildcard spot.
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