It’s going to be at least a .500 homestand for the Orioles. Can they do better than that?
Hello, friends.
It’s easier to feel better about the Orioles the day after they win, isn’t it? Yesterday’s contest was particularly good for boosting morale, since the O’s really put a hurting on a thus-far excellent starting pitcher in Hunter Greene, Jordan Westburg snapped his big hitless streak, Ramón Laureano hit two homers off the bench, and the Orioles beat the Reds, 9-5, to guarantee at least a .500 record over this eight-game homestand. Check out Paul Folkemer’s recap of the lovely totals.
Especially enjoy the fact that the Orioles won yesterday’s game because lined up for this Easter Sunday is starting pitcher Charlie Morton. The 41-year-old is rocking an 8.84 ERA across his first four starts and has yet to do anything in any one of those games to make it look like it was a good idea to sign him. His Statcast page is all bad.
What’s more, the Orioles are probably going to need to ride Morton up to 100 pitches today, regardless of how well he’s pitching or not, because as fun as yesterday’s win over the Reds was, the O’s also used up every reliever except for Cionel Pérez. We already know they’ll be trying to stay away from Félix Bautista (who got the save) on back-to-back days and others may be unavailable as well.
The most long reliever-capable guy was Scott Blewett, who was designated for assignment to make room for Brandon Young as the rookie was recalled for his MLB debut. The Orioles can’t have Morton go only four innings (or even really only five) today because there aren’t going to be enough guys to pitch an inning or two otherwise. It would sure be nice if Morton could have his first good or even mediocre outing in an Orioles uniform in this game.
The Reds may also have a bit of pitching staff chaos going on. Greene’s abbreviated outing led to them using Carson Spiers for four innings and 94 pitches of long relief yesterday afternoon. That’s notable because Spiers was listed as today’s Reds starting pitcher. So, they’ll have to figure something out.
This could turn out to have an easy solution for Cincinnati, if it ends up that lefty Nick Lodolo, who was placed on the paternity list on Friday, is already back for Sunday. Lodolo was originally supposed to start the Sunday game. That would be bad news for the Orioles, as Lodolo is a lefty starting pitcher and the O’s stink against those guys this year. If the Reds are not bringing back Lodolo to start the game, then it could get weird for them too. The finale is set to get under way at 1:35 this afternoon.
Around the blogO’sphere
Amid slow start to season, Orioles fans want more (The Baltimore Sun)
The fact that the second half of last season was merely a .500 record connects to the slow start here. It’s been a while since they’ve done unambiguously and consistently well.
Orioles to get second opinion on Grayson Rodriguez’s shoulder (The Baltimore Banner)
This one from Friday remains significant for the team’s fortunes for the rest of the year. A cliche that I have picked up in my years of doing this: If the first opinion is good news, they don’t get a second opinion.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1988, the Orioles officially set the major league record for consecutive losses to begin a season as they dropped an 8-6 game to the Brewers to fall to 0-14. Those O’s, as you probably know, went on to extend this record to 0-21 before winning a game.
Of all the players to ever play for the Orioles, not a single one has been born on April 20.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Lincoln Memorial statue designer Daniel Chester French (1850), musician Tito Puente (1923), actor George Takei (1937), author Peter S. Beagle (1939), singer-songwriter Luther Vandross (1951), and rapper Killer Mike (1975).
On this day in history…
In 1792, the revolutionary government in France declared war on who they termed the “King of Hungary and Bohemia” (who also happened to be the Holy Roman Emperor), marking the start of a decade of conflict of the French Revolutionary Wars. This first conflict, now known as the War of the First Coalition, ended more than five years later with French annexation of a variety of land.
In 1946, the League of Nations formally dissolved, with most of its power being transferred to the newly-created United Nations.
In 1972, the Apollo 16 mission landed on the moon, with astronauts John Young and Charles Duke joining the ranks of men to have walked on the surface.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 20. Have a safe Easter Sunday. Go O’s!