The Orioles are in Pacific Time and the All-Star voting is heating up
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice off day yesterday, and I hope you are well rested because the Orioles are now on the West Coast. They kick off a six-game road trip tonight at 9:40 p.m. with Grayson Rodriguez on the mound. It’s a great pitching match-up to kick things off as Rodriguez will face off against George Kirby. Too bad I will be asleep for most of it.
If you’re invested in the All-Star voting, an update on phase two was released last night and there is good news for the Orioles. Our favorite superstars, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, have a commanding lead over the Royals they are matched up against. Henderson leads Bobby Witt, Jr with 67% of the vote and Rutschman has an even bigger lead over Salvador Perez with 72%.
Two other Orioles are hanging tough in their races. Ryan O’Hearn is just 2% behind Yordan Alvarez at DH, and Anthony Santander is close to grabbing the last outfield spot. There are two outfield spots available. Juan Soto is in first with 29% of the vote and Steven Kwan is at 28. Santander sits at 26%. The total numbers haven’t been released but 2% seems doable.
Ryan Mountcastle (43%) and Jordan Westburg (41%) are in a longshot position, but voting isn’t over yet. You can still vote today and again tomorrow before noon, so get to it! Here is the link.
Most years I don’t care much about the All-Star game but this year, with so many Orioles in the mix, I am all about participating. Funny how that works.
Links
Ryan Mountcastle could always hit. Now he’s playing All-Star-caliber first base too. – The Baltimore Banner
All-Star caliber! So get out there and vote!
Should Orioles bat Mullins or Mateo leadoff? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff is going through his mailbag and answers a bunch of questions, including a guy who asks if Cedric Mateo or Jorge Mullins should bat leadoff because, I assume, they are fast. Dubroff answers correctly.
Norby passes through Baltimore again, talks about Mayo’s monster season – Blog
Connor Norby was on the taxi squad over the weekend and people took that time to ask him about Coby Mayo. Kinda rude.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies but you probably don’t remember either. Pedro Araújo turns 31 years old today. He pitched in 20 games with the 2018 Orioles and one in 2019. Pete Burnside was born on this day in 1930. He had an eight-year major league career, including six games with the Orioles in 1963. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 92.
On this day in 1975, Don Baylor homered in each of his first three plate appearances in a 13-5 win over the Tigers. Baylor had also homered in his final plate appearance the day before, giving him four straight homers.
For all of you saying that it’s too early in the season for a pitching trade, it was on this day in 2013 that the Orioles traded Pedro Strop and Jake Arrieta to the Cubs for Scott Feldman. That trade did not turn out so well for the Orioles.
One year ago today, the Orioles and Twins engaged in a pitchers’ duel between Sonny Gray and Cole Irvin. Gray threw six shutout innings and Irvin gave up one run in six. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Orioles tied the game on an RBI single by Aaron Hicks and went ahead on a bases-loaded HBP by Jordan Westburg. Félix Bautista took over and struck out the side to notch his 22nd save. I miss him.