Irvin keeps throwing up zeroes, Means returns tonight, and Norfolk tosses a no-hitter.
Good Morning, Birdland!
Is Cole Irvin good now? Because he has been pitching like a guy that is good! Last night made it three consecutive outings in which he kept the opponent off the scoreboard entirely, and these haven’t been short starts. He has compiled 20 innings, allowed just eight hits, walked two, and struck out 11 in this recent run.
It took him just 72 pitches to get through 6.1 innings in Friday night’s 3-0 win. Had the score been a little more out of hand, Brandon Hyde likely would have let him try to go the distance. But you can understand the logic of turning to the bullpen there.
Irvin has a skillset that makes big league success somewhat challenging. He doesn’t have huge velocity, which makes pitching in the zone a dangerous proposition. But he really gets in trouble when he walks people, so a balance must be struck.
The curveball was Irvin’s best friend on Friday. It made up 51% of all pitches, by far the largest usage of his career. It’s emblematic of a change he has made this season, which is to lean on that pitch more often. You can’t argue with the results. His curve doesn’t get whiffs, but it does result in tons of weak contact.
Beyond Irvin, there was plenty of good news to be had in the win. Kimbrel returned and looked good, striking out all three batters he faced. Heston Kjerstad stepped in for Colton Cowser in left, and had a nice night; 1-for-2 with two walks. Gunnar Henderson had two more hits and a walk. And Ryan O’Hearn had a mammoth homer to seal the victory.
John Means will be on the bump for his season debut tonight. I am cautiously optimistic for this one. He has been such a good pitcher for the Orioles when healthy, and he wrapped up his rehab on a high note. Plus, the O’s have a fine insurance policy in Albert Suárez should things go awry.
Links
Triple-A Norfolk spins no-hitter behind No. 8 prospect’s 11 K’s | MLB.com
Combined no-hitters are not as magical as a solo performance, but it still means the Norfolk staff had one heck of a night. Chayce McDermott was the star, striking out 11 in his 6.2 hitless frames. The 6-foot-3 righty is putting himself in a position to help the Orioles at some point this season, whether that be as a weapon out of the bullpen or as part of a trade package.
Markakis, Crowley, Bowie elected to O’s HOF | Orioles.com
Three worthy inductees. I understand that the Orioles like to honor multiple generations in these inductions, but I thought it would be neat if Nick Markakis and Adam Jones went in together, reuniting “2110 Eutaw St!” But it seems Jones will need to wait a bit longer.
After surgery and setbacks, Orioles’ John Means learned to smile through tough times | The Baltimore Sun
I am a John Means fan. I also like when guys that were part of terrible teams get to enjoy the success of the rebuilds they live through. Means hasn’t had much of an opportunity to do that while healthy, so I really hope this works out.
Everything that happened with the Orioles before they could take the field | Roch Kubatko
A nice little recap of all of the awards the Orioles won on Friday, plus an update on Austin Hays. It sounds like the outfielder will be starting a rehab with Double-A Bowie sometime soon. What will the Orioles do once he is healthy? I wish I knew.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Ryan Meisinger turns 30 today. The Calvert County native was picked by the O’s in 2015 out of Radford University and eventually pitched in 18 games for the big league club in 2018.
- Joe Borowski is 53. He appeared in six games for the 1995 Orioles to begin is long career as a journeyman reliever in the league.
This day in O’s history
Nothing much of note has occurred on this date in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So, instead, here a few happenings from beyond Birdland:
1871 – The first professional baseball league, known as the National Association, begins its first season in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
1904 – The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal
1927 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is incorporated.
1961 – A new manned balloon flight record is set when Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather reach 113,740 feet in their Strato-Lab V.
1973 – The Sears Tower in Chicago, which is still under construction, reaches 1,451 feet to become the world’s tallest building.