Baltimore Orioles

Chris Davis pulled a Houdini against the New York Yankees on Monday, making a ball disappear.

The Baltimore Orioles first baseman, who has earned a reputation for sending balls out of the park, took one into his jersey on a bad swing.

August wasn't a particularly good month for the Baltimore Orioles. In 26 August games, the O's played to a 12-14 record and remain on the outside looking in in the race for the playoffs.

Surprisingly enough, the O's actually outscored their opponents 129-115. However, that means absolutely nothing.

While the Baltimore Orioles' 2013 season is far from over, it's never too early to speculate on the future of the ballclub.

The O's have a solid team and they don't have that many players who are free agents after this season, meaning their lineup probably won't look extremely different from this year's starting nine.

The Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a deal that will send Francisco Rodriguez to Baltimore in exchange for INF Nick Delmonico.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the trade that will ship arguably the best closer on the trading block to the AL East contender.

The Baltimore Orioles have filled one of their biggest needs, acquiring former All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for infield prospect Nick Delmonico. The Orioles announced this via their official Twitter feed:

Francisco Rodriguez, arguably the most sought-after reliever of the 2013 MLB trade deadline, is officially off the market.

1983 was a magical year for the Baltimore Orioles. 2013 has the makings of a magical year as well.

The Orioles haven’t captured a championship since 1983, but that could change this season. Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and the other big bats are leading the charge, and so far, the team is doing fairly well.

Manny Machado did it again.

The Baltimore Orioles' talented young third baseman showed off his cannon of an arm during the 2013 MLB All-Star Game.

Machado robbed what looked to be a clear hit for Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who hit a rocket down the third base line. Goldschmidt looked like he could cruise into first, but Machado took away the hit.

Baltimore Orioles fans have a lot to be excited about. Their team is just 2.5 games out of first place in the American League East, it just won its second consecutive game against the division-rival New York Yankees in dominating fashion and Chris Davis is doing some ridiculous things at the dish.

We've reached the midway point in the 2013 MLB season, and the Baltimore Orioles have provided plenty of intrigue during the first few months.

There have been plenty of surprises (Manny Machado's doubles, Chris Davis' home runs) and just as many disappointments (pitching struggles, injuries) throughout the season so far, as baseball often provides.

Heading into the second half, one interesting thing to keep an eye on will be whether or not players having strong years can keep that going as well as struggling players turning their years around.