BALTIMORE -- Orioles third baseman Manny Machado stated his case Wednesday for the reduction of a five-game suspension he received for intentionally throwing his bat on the field against Oakland on June 8. Now hes got to wait for the verdict, which will probably be rendered before the end of the week. "Were hoping we made a good case and we got it down," Machado said. Machado tossed his bat in the direction of third base during a plate appearance in which Oakland reliever Fernando Abad threw successive high-and-tight pitches. After the bat went soaring, both benches emptied. Machado and Abad were ejected. Abad was subsequently fined but not suspended. The bat throwing was an extension of a feud that began in the series opener two days earlier. Machado yelled in the face of Oaklands Josh Donaldson after the third baseman tagged him on the chest, knocking Machado off his feet. The dugouts also emptied after that confrontation, but no one was ejected. Machado was subsequently suspended and fined an undisclosed amount. He immediately appealed the punishment and has been playing for Baltimore since that time. Machado, his agent and Orioles executive vice-president Dan Duquette spoke for about an hour Wednesday with Joe Garagiola Jr., senior vice-president of standards and on-field operations at Major League Baseball. The meeting took place at the warehouse behind Camden Yards. "We got it done," Machado said. "Now its just sit back and wait and see what is going to happen." He hoped to get a reduction of the suspension, and if possible, have it wiped out entirely. "At this point, theres nothing to talk about," Machado said. "Just wait and see how many games Im going to get suspended, hopefully I dont and just get fined." Asked why he was optimistic, Machado replied, "I didnt throw the bat at anybody. And thats it. All the other cases that have gotten suspended have been when they go ahead and intentionally throw the bat at the person. I dont want to jinx anything. I just want to try and get as least games as possible." If a suspension does occur, Machado and the Orioles hoped the decision would be rendered after Fridays split doubleheader against Tampa Bay. "Hopefully, it doesnt hurt the team that Im down with those two games," Machado said. Cheap Nike Shoes . New York (16-9-8) took over first place in the Eastern Conference and has the best record in the league with one game remaining. Houstons five-game unbeaten streak was snapped, and the Dynamo (13-11-9) are sixth in the East with one game remaining. Nike Shoes Sale . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/. Both sides came closest to scoring in the first half, when Roma had a goal from Mattia Destro waved off for offside and Inters Rodrigo Palacio headed high. "A draw was a fair result. Neither squad had many chances," Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic said. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . - After a back-and-forth battle throughout the season, Alex Guenette has earned the 2013 rookie of the year award for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 by just one point over Ryley Seibert. Cheap Nike Shoes For Sale . -- The Sacramento Kings and guard Jimmer Fredette have completed a buyout of his contract, clearing the way for the former BYU sensation to become a free agent.While the Toronto Maple Leafs signed head coach Randy Carlyle to a two-year extension on Thursday, the contract includes a team option for the final year. Carlyle had one year left on his existing deal, meaning his new contract runs through the 2016-17 season. "Leafs are not locked into Carlyle. If things dont work out, hes gone next year or year after," tweeted TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Carlyles assistants Dave Farrish, Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon were not retained for next season. "We feel that this group can continue to grow into a higher level of a hockey club," said Carlyle during a conference all on Thursday. "We just have to find and continue to push for a little bit more from the individuals and we are going to do everything we possibly can to change some of the things that are happening with our group.&" The Maple Leafs started the 2013-14 season on a 10-4-0 run, but Carlyle worried at the time that his team was getting away with sloppy play in the defensive zone.dddddddddddd Going into and coming out of the Olympic break, the Leafs were rolling despite being badly outshot on most nights. When they beat the Kings in Los Angeles on March 13, they were in second place in the division. But starting goaltender Jonathan Bernier aggravated a groin injury that night, and though it was not considered serious at the time, it proved to be devastating. James Reimer lost five straight games and was pulled March 23 against the New Jersey Devils before Bernier returned and lost three more. The final night of that losing streak, March 29 against the Detroit Red Wings, was effectively the death knell for Torontos playoff hopes. ' ' '