Poor pitching, Brown talks to the press, Cano honors his son, and more!
Good Morning, Birdland,
Maybe Corbin Burnes just isn’t a fan of August? I get it. It is arguably a bad month. Summer is coming to an end, and the weather is often uncomfortably humid. There are better times of year, in my opinion. Perhaps that is at least part of the explanation for why Burnes has posted a 9.00 ERA this month, including an atrocious start on Friday night.
August has historically been a bad month for Burnes. His 4.00 career ERA in August is the worst of any month, and it is sandwiched between his two best. In July he has a 2.46 ERA, and in September he has pitched to a 2.68 ERA.
The reason I’m saying all of that is partly therapy. Our ace is going to be alright, folks! If I say it enough times, it might come true. At least, I hope it does. To be fair, August has not be an unmitigated disaster altogether for the pitcher, but he was bad on Friday.
Burnes wasn’t the only problem last night, though. Craig Kimbrel was also dreadful, and Burch Smith had a bad inning. It was just one of those games where it seemed like every pitcher was doomed. That was true for the Red Sox as well.
Hopefully those bad vibes dissipate from the mound by the time Cade Povich steps on it tonight. The Orioles are recalling the rookie to make a spot start. Fingers crossed he can turn his tough season around.
Links
Coulombe on throwing progression, Holliday on Mayo’s demotion, more | Roch Kubatko
It still sounds like Danny Coulombe will be back in late September. Hopefully that is enough time for the Orioles to get him reacclimated to big league games. Given the current state of the bullpen, they need him.
Orioles Q&A: Kevin Brown on his extension with MASN, work with ESPN, new ownership and more | The Baltimore Sun
Kevin Brown is just the best. I’m not sure how the Orioles were able to luck into him, but however they did it, it was extremely smart. Following someone like Gary Thorne was not an easy task, but five years later he has been seamless. Brown is well on his way to joining the likes of Chuck Thompson in Orioles lore.
Cano honoring son with custom cleats for Players’ Weekend | MLB.com
Adorable! This is just the start of these sorts of stories, which will be dotted throughout the weekend. Yes, it’s PR, but it’s also cool to learn about these players on a more personal level.
Orioles to promote pitcher Cade Povich, who will start Saturday | The Baltimore Banner
It has not been a particularly smooth debut season for Povich. For him, it seems as simple as getting the walks under control. When he does that, he is far more effective. Of course, that is not always as easy to implement as it is to say.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Chris Waters turns 44 today. He pitched in 16 total games for the Orioles between 2008 and ‘09.
- Boog Powell is 83. The team legend played 14 seasons in Baltimore from 1961 through ‘74. That run included two World Series wins, an MVP award, and four all-star games. The O’s inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 1979, and his name continues to don “Boog’s BBQ” on Eutaw Street at Camden Yards.
- The late John Buzhardt (b. 1936, d. 2008) was born on this day. He pitched in 7 games with the O’s in 1967.
- A posthumous birthday for Vern Bickford (b. 1920, d. 1060). His one Orioles appearance came in their inaugural 1954 season.
This day in O’s history
1963 – Orioles pitcher Dick Hall extends his run of perfection going. He tosses a clean inning against the Athletics to make it 28 consecutive batters he has reired, dating back to July 24th.
1966 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox for a second straight day after scoring five runs in the ninth inning in both games.
1989 – Cal Ripken Jr. plays his 1,208th straight game, moving past Steve Garvey on the all-time list into the third-place position. Ripken also records three hits to help the O’s beat the Blue Jays.
2009 – The Orioles trade Aubrey Huff to the Tigers for prospect Brett Jacobson.