Fifth loss in a row, Westburg is a stud, and Mayo is only getting better.
Good morning, Birdland!
The Orioles lost a fifth straight on Tuesday night, and that’s a bummer. The context might make it even worse. One of the fewer healthy starting pitchers they have, Cole Irvin, was bad (again). Most people assume that the front office will do something to help the pitching staff before the trade deadline, but that probably isn’t happening tomorrow. So, for now, the guys in-house just need to figure it out and hold on for dear life.
In general, I try to take a pragmatic approach to watching baseball. They play far too many games for your emotions to swing by the day. In this instance you can’t take a five-game sample to mean more than the previous 70+ games.
But I also have a strain of “sports radio caller” that runs through my veins. That part of my DNA tells me that I’m glad this swoon is happening to the Orioles, especially at this juncture in the season. It’s a test, one they aren’t doing particularly well at, but it will serve them as the season goes on. Most of this group already has the playoff sweep in their background. This current rough patch will only further harden them to these sorts of battles.
Plus, it is exposing holes at a healthy point in the season. The front office has a month in which they can evaluate solutions, both internal and external. And the club has a decent cushion in the playoff standings that gives them some room for error. Of course, there is a delicate balance at play. You don’t want that comfortable position to erode due to a lack of movement, but it feels like the right kind of urgency given the fact that the same team that is suddenly slumping took two out of three to the division leaders less than a week ago. There is no need to overreact.
All of that malarky out of the way, please win tonight so that I can experience happiness again! It feels like a perfect spot for a Grayson Rodriguez bounce back game to stop the bleeding before a weekend in which the O’s will be on national television twice.
Links
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Austin Hays chimes in about the state of the Orioles clubhouse during a losing streak. There’s no alarm bells ringing at the moment, nor should there be. These guys are too good, and they know it. Things will turn around.
One year into Orioles career, Jordan Westburg’s intensity has been a constant: ‘Mr. Routine’ | The Baltimore Sun
Westburg should be an all-star this year. You could even argue he should start for the AL. It will be interesting to see if he gets passed over simply because the Orioles have a handful of other guys that are also worthy, and the league seems to limit the number of all-stars from a single team to right around five or so.
How Orioles prospect Coby Mayo keeps getting better | The Baltimore Banner
Offense isn’t exactly the problem in Baltimore these days, but that shouldn’t stop the team from promoting Mayo at some point this summer to see if the team can simply slug their way to victory most nights.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Austin Voth turns 32. The righty was a helpful piece of the Orioles’ pitching staff in each of the previous two seasons. Over 117.2 innings he had a 3.67 ERA, serving in a swingman role.
- Luis Hernández is 40. He was a light-hitting utility option for the Birds in 2007 and ‘08.
- Mike Griffin celebrates his 67th birthday. During the 1987 season he pitched in 23 games for the Orioles, jumping between the rotation and the bullpen.
- Gene Green (b. 1933, d. 1981) was born on this day. He played in just one game for the O’s during the 1960 season.
This day in O’s history
1977 – The Orioles fall victim to the first shutout in Blue Jays history, losing 2-0 to their northern neighbors.