Connor Norby debuted and we looked at possible trade scenarios
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! Last night was another good night for Birdland. The Orioles traveled north of the border to face the Blue Jays and came away with a 7-2 victory. It was a good night for Grayson Rodriguez, who pitched 6.2 innings and gave up just one earned run. And it was a very good night for the maligned Austin Hays. He hit two home runs in the game, his first two of the season.
I have been a proponent of giving Kyle Stowers more playing time, but if Hays is getting his act together and finally heating up, it would be huge for this team. The same goes for Ramón Urías, who celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday by coming in as a defensive replacement and immediately making a great defensive play. He then homered to cap things off. I have less faith in an Urías bounce back than I do for Hays, but I am all for the players making things hard on the decision-makers.
The other big news for the night was the call-up of Connor Norby, the Orioles’ #6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. With the promotion, four of the Norfolk Five have made it to the big leagues at some point this year. Norby joins Kyle Stowers on the active roster while Heston Kjerstad and Jackson Holliday do what they can to return to majors later this year.
Of the vaunted group, only Coby Mayo hasn’t seen time in Baltimore. But he is getting closer to his return from a broken rib and I bet we see him at some point. That is, unless the current players play so well that it’s impossible to find him a spot. If you’re wondering if Mayo is jealous of all his teammates getting a shot, he reposted the Orioles promotion announcement with the comment, “Norbsss <3”
Norby went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his major league debut, but that’s ok. You don’t see many pitchers like Kevin Gausman at Triple-A. Even a struggling Gausman is a tough customer. Norby will have a few more chances to prove himself with Jorge Mateo on the seven-day concussion IL for at least the next six days. I hope that Mateo is ready to come back on his first day eligible but that Norby makes them think twice about demoting him.
Today the Orioles will attempt to make it 20 straight series against an AL East opponent without a series loss. Over their last 19 series against AL East teams, they are 14-0-5. They have a good chance with staff ace Corbin Burnes scheduled to pitch.
Links
O’s Connor Norby: “It’s what you dream of” – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko has Connor Norby’s pre-game comments before last night’s major league debut. I like him!
Orioles pitching injuries: 10 potential trade candidates for Baltimore after losing John Means, Tyler Wells – CBSSports.com
R.J. Anderson has 10 possible trade targets for the Orioles, who need at least one more starting pitcher. How about Erick Fedde? He looked pretty good when the Orioles faced him.
Orioles starter John Means has second Tommy John surgery, team says – The Baltimore Banner
If you missed the news, John Means ended up having a second Tommy John just two years after his last surgery. There was a chance he needed something less invasive but unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. We’ll miss you, John.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies. A very happy birthday to Mr. Billy Hunter, who turns 96 years old today. He had a six-season major league career, including 125 games with the inaugural Baltimore Orioles in 1954.
After the ‘54 season, he was part of a huge 17-player trade between the Orioles and Yankees that brought Gus Triandos, Willy Miranda, and others to Baltimore. I would love to see a 17-player trade in current times. How wild.
Also celebrating today are late-80’s catcher Terry Kennedy (68), 1986 16-gamer Ricky Jones (66), lefty journeyman J.C. Romero (48), and 2009-10 relief pitcher Cla Meredith (41).
On this day in 1959, the Orioles played 17 innings against the Chicago White Sox. As a sure sign of the times, they used just three pitchers! Jerry Walker took the loss when he allowed a two-out home run in the bottom of the 17th. It was his sixth inning of work. Time of game: 4:37.
In 1987, the Orioles released pitcher Tippy Martinez after 11 seasons and 499 games with the team. He’d had rotator cuff surgery the previous August and spent time rehabbing in Florida but refused to take a minor league assignment. He was 36 years old, I don’t blame him.
In 2019, the Orioles won a game against the Rangers by a score of 12-11. They took a 12-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth when Richard Bleier and someone named Josh Lucas combined to give up six runs in 0.1 innings before Mychal Givens came in and got the last two outs. Pedro Severino hit three home runs, Dwight Smith Jr. had six RBI, and Hanser Alberto had four hits.
In draft history, it was on this day in 2019 that the Orioles drafted Joey Ortiz (4th round), who they went on to trade for Corbin Burnes; and Darell Hernaiz (5th round), who they went on to trade for Cole Irvin. In 2018, they drafted Grayson Rodriguez in the first round.