The Orioles top the power rankings, Cowser got a new bat, and more in today’s Bird Droppings
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice day off yesterday and enjoyed some non-Orioles activities. In my house, we caught up on a little TV and did some puzzling.
The New York Yankees were not off yesterday but probably wish they were. They traveled to Chicago to play the White Sox, a team that already has 91 losses, and lost big. We’re talking a 12-2 beatdown. The loss drops the Yankees to a half-game below the Orioles in the standings.
As for the Orioles, they are back at Camden Yards for a six-game homestand after 10 games on the road. They play two against the Washington Nationals starting tonight followed by four against the Boston Red Sox.
The Nationals are not having a great year but have gone 5-5 so far in August, same as the Orioles. The Red Sox are doing their best to stay relevant and are three games back of the final Wild Card spot.
It’s a really weird time for the Orioles and their fans. The only thing that has kept them in first place is the fact that the Yankees have been playing just as poorly as the Orioles. And yet they are in first place, so it’s in their hands what happens. With 43 games remaining, they control if they can get to the postseason for a second straight year. It’s a good position to be in. This is what I try to tell myself as I fret over the fact that I don’t trust any of the relief pitchers.
Pitching tonight for the Orioles is Trevor Rogers. It’ll be his third start since being traded to Baltimore and his first at home. His last start didn’t look great overall at 5 IP, 2 ER. But he definitely looked stronger than his debut. He has already expressed that the Orioles have given him more data on his pitching than he ever got with the Marlins. Hopefully he can use that data and the Orioles’ coaching staff to put together some strong starts down the stretch.
Links
MLB’s parity gives any team, including Orioles, a chance – Baltimore Sun
Jacob Calvin Meyer points out that no team in baseball as truly pulled ahead of the pack, which is good news for the Orioles. In many years their injuries would have been too much to overcome.
Colton Cowser getting bigger results with a bigger bat for the Orioles – The Baltimore Banner
When someone who slugs like Anthony Santander tells you to get a longer bat, you might want to listen.
MLB Power Rankings for week of August 11 – MLB.com
MLB.com puts the Orioles in the top spot in the power rankings. It’s hard to understand when you’ve been watching this team every day, but the standings speak for themselves I guess.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have a whopping five Orioles birthday buddies. Let’s go through them in order of most games played for the Orioles:
- Corey Patterson (45) played 357 games with the Orioles from 2006-07 and in 2010. I admit I had forgotten all about Patterson’s second stint with the Orioles, but he got into 90 games! Once he tossed a ball to my little cousin, so that was cool. Another time I watched him fall down trying to catch a routine out.
- Jeff Ballard (61) spent five seasons from 1987-91. He made 113 starts and appeared in 144 games total with a 4.63 ERA.
- Tom Niedenfuer (65) is best known as a Los Angeles Dodger, but he played in 97 games with the Orioles in 1987 and 1988. Do you think he and Jeff Ballard got a joint birthday cake?
- Will Ohman (47) has a fantastic name for an Oriole, but he didn’t make it a full season with the team. He pitched in relief in 51 games in 2010 with a 3.30 ERA and was traded to the Marlins for Rick van den Hurk at the deadline.
- Cory Doyne (43) pitched in five games for the 2007 Orioles for his only MLB experience.
On this day in 1969, Jim Palmer pitched a no-hitter against the Oakland A’s. The Orioles won easily, 8-0. Palmer walked six batters in the no-no, including Reggie Jackson three times.
In 1978, the Orioles blew a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning when they gave up five runs to the Yankees. Before the Orioles could come to bat in the seventh, the game went into a rain delay. It was called after 36 minutes and the Orioles won 3-0. The Yankees protested the outcome, claiming that manager Earl Weaver intimidated the umpires and that the grounds crew moved too slowly in covering the field. Their protest was denied. The rule was changed in 1980 and the game would now be suspended.
One year ago today, the Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3 in 10 innings. Tied 2-2 going into the top of the ninth, Jorge Mateo beat the throw home on a ground ball to second base to give the Orioles the lead. Mike Baumann allowed a home run in the bottom of the ninth to re-tie the game. It would have been two homers but Cedric Mullins robbed the other with an insane catch. He then homered in the top of the 10th to put the O’s back on top for good. You can read my game recap if you want to re-live the glory.