Corbin Burnes had another stumble of an outing on Wednesday night, which isn’t much fun.
Hello, friends.
The Orioles…? I’ll be honest, I don’t know what to say about them because I’ve gone to bed before Wednesday night’s game has ended and this will be posted before I’m awake, so if you’re checking Bird Droppings right at 7am to see if the O’s won last night, sorry to let you down. One bit of good news from Wednesday regardless of what did or didn’t happen with the O’s is that the Yankees lost.
Further good news is that the Twins and Royals also lost, slightly reducing the chance that one of the lower wild card teams jumps up ahead of the Orioles into the WC1 spot. All of these teams are running out of time to make the pass. It’s not impossible, but there’s a solid margin with 28 O’s games remaining. This is even more true regarding the O’s making the postseason at all, although the Red Sox won on Wednesday, so that math didn’t change.
There was some roster juggling done yesterday that presumably the Orioles think could help boost their chances of improving or at least holding in to their playoff position. The team claimed outfielder Forrest Wall off waivers from the Marlins. Wall, 28, was originally drafted by the Rockies in 2014 and only wound his way around to an MLB debut with the Braves last year. Those early games went very well for Wall but weren’t enough to have Atlanta want to keep him around.
Across parts of five different seasons at the Triple-A level, Wall has hit a combined .269/.355/.385. That’s a solid OBP to contemplate as a reserve outfielder for a September callup. Wall is a lefty batter who helps provide some balance to the bench, and he’s got a decent amount of experience at all three outfield spots.
When one comes in, one goes out. The corresponding move here is that the Orioles designated Dillon Tate for assignment. Tate was a solid part of the 2022 bullpen but he just did not come back from the injury that caused him to miss last year looking like it was 2022 again.
Tate had a 4.59 ERA in 29 games to give him a -0.3 bWAR. He wasn’t striking people out. He is 30 years old now and the O’s can’t wait for him to turn it around. They need reliable relievers right now. If Tate getting sent to the great DFA in the sky results in his being claimed by another team, that would leave Dean Kremer as the last guy in the organization from the 2018 Dan Duquette fire sale.
Another late night awaits for Birdland tonight as the Orioles will finish off their series against the Dodgers with a 10:10 Eastern scheduled start time. Cade Povich is scheduled to pitch for the O’s, with Bobby Miller in action for LA. Miller has a 7.49 ERA in nine starts, so… y’know.
For those looking to do some scoreboard watching today, there’s not much of immediate interest to the Orioles fortunes to follow. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins are all off. If you really feel the urge to watch the Royals play the Astros, you can do that starting at 8:10. I won’t be watching, but I might check the Gameday a couple of times.
Around the blogO’sphere
Brandon Young close to a big league call from the Orioles (Orioles.com)
The undrafted free agent from 2020 might be the next pitching prospect in line to get a shot. I hope it doesn’t need to happen this year! Some interesting tidbits in here, including that Young only retired his flip phone and finally got a smart phone this year.
Orioles claim Forrest Wall on waivers and sign Nick Anderson to minor league deal (School of Roch)
Roch has more on yesterday’s roster movement, plus a minor league contract that may very shortly be impacting the MLB-level bullpen.
No one is more excited for the Oasis reunion than Orioles announcer Kevin Brown (The Baltimore Banner)
Having an unapologetic nerd in the Orioles broadcast booth is a continuing delight for me. I don’t know enough Oasis song lyrics to slip one in to this item.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2002-06 infielder Eddie Rogers, 1973-81 infielder Doug DeCinces, 1957-61 catcher Frank Zupo, and 1960-62 outfielder Dave Nicholson. Nicholson passed away last year at age 83.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: philosopher John Locke (1632), actress Ingrid Bergman (1915), actor Richard Attenborough (1923), King of Pop Michael Jackson (1958), actress Lea Michele (1986), and One Direction crooner Liam Payne (1993).
On this day in history…
In 1498, the explorer Vasco da Gama departed from Calicut, India to return to Portugal. da Gama’s expedition was the first European one to reach India from the sea.
In 1756, the Seven Years’ War began with Frederick the Great leading a Prussian force into Saxony.
In 1952, John Cage’s composition 4’33” – famously containing no sound except for ambient noise in the venue – had its premiere performance in New York.
In 1966, the Beatles played a concert at Candlestick Park that turned out to be their final concert in front of paying fans.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on August 29. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!