No AL East title, a weekend in Minnesota, and an Earl Weaver story.
Good Morning, Birdland,
Unfortunately, the Orioles will not be repeating as AL East champs. While that was rather apparent for some time now (thanks to the multi-month collapse), it was confirmed on Thursday when they fell 10-1 to the Yankees. So despite having a winning record against everyone within the division, the Birds will have to settle for second place.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. The O’s won the series in New York, they clinched a wild card spot, and they have a chance this weekend to end the regular season on a high note.
The Orioles are in Minnesota to take on a desperate Twins team. The only way for the Twins to get into the postseason is to sweep the Orioles and then hope that either the Tigers (playing the White Sox) or the Royals (playing the Braves) also get swept. FanGraphs pegs the Twins’ chances of sneaking into the playoffs at 3%.
Wins won’t matter quite as much to the Orioles. Their spot as the top wild card is clinched with either one win of their own or a Tigers loss at any point this weekend. Of course, they will hope to take all three. That would make it two series wins in a row, and it would make September their first winning month since June. If you believe in momentum in sports, that could be worth something.
Most important, however, will be leaving Minnesota with a healthy squad that is in position to make a run. The Orioles have had a recent turn in fortune that has seen Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías, Ryan Mountcastle, and Danny Coulombe all return in the last week or so. The news that Grayson Rodriguez will not make it back is a bummer but ultimately unsurprising given how slow things seemed to be going.
If the Orioles can stay healthy this weekend, lock up the top wild card spot, and emerge with a somewhat rested bullpen, that is a success. The decision to pull Corbin Burnes from Thursday’s game after just 69 pitches was done with this approach in mind. Don’t be surprised if we see some key position players get a breather at some point this weekend as well. The team will have an off day on Monday prior to starting the playoffs, but getting off your legs for any amount of time at this point in the year can be helpful.
Links
Orioles targeting home Wild Card and possible roster resolutions in Minnesota | Roch Kubatko
There will be some tough roster decisions to make for the postseason. Does Jackson Holliday make it despite not playing much anymore? Will Heston Kjerstad stick around as a power bat off the bench? I would like to see Cade Povich make the team. He has been so good lately and I would see a scenario where a multi-inning lefty would pair well with all of the righty starters.
How Earl Weaver once tried to win a pennant race by starting a lefty at shortstop | The Athletic
Like an opener, but on offense. Earl really was a thinker and tinkerer. You can’t argue with the results, both in this instance and for his entire career. We are unlikely to see someone of his kind ever again in the dugout.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Radhames Dykhoff turns 50 today. He pitched in one game for the 1998 Orioles, his only big league opportunity.
- Carlos López is 76 today. The outfielder spent the 1978 season in Baltimore, posting a 74 OPS+ with four home runs.
- The late Dick Hall (b. 1930, d. 2023) was born on this day. He had two stints with the Orioles, first from 1961-66 and then again from 1969-71. In total he spent nine seasons in Baltimore and compiled a 2.89 ERA over 770 innings while helping them to win two World Series titles. The O’s inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 1989.
This day in O’s history
1953 – The St. Louis Browns play their final game, and “earn” their 100th loss of the season. The team will move to Baltimore during the offseason and become the Orioles.
1970 – Birthday boy Dick Hall wins his 10th game of the season with three innings of hitless, walkless relief. He finishes the season giving up just six walks across 61 innings, the first time since 1919 that a pitcher has accumulated more wins than walks in a campaign.
1996 – Orioles’ second baseman Roberto Alomar is ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire John Hirschbeck. During the altercation Alomar spits in Hirschbeck’s face, and then has some incendiary things to say about the umpire in the postgame. Alomar would be handed a five-game suspension, but his appeal would push the punishment until April of the following season.