Another dicey forecast, IL updates (or lack thereof), and Holliday making tweaks.
Good morning, Birdland!
There was no baseball for the Orioles on Tuesday night due to some crummy weather in the area. The forecast is slightly more promising today. Rain is expected, but it should be light and intermittent, dissipating as the day goes on. Hopefully it is mild enough that the O’s and Jays start on time for today’s 12:35 first pitch, the annual Field Trip Day at Camden Yards.
Rather than utilizing the mutual off-day on Thursday of this week, the rainout from Tuesday will be made up when the Blue Jays are back in Baltimore in late July. That series will now begin with a doubleheader on Monday, July 29. Right now that feels like eons away. It’s post-All Star Break and right before the trade deadline. It will be interesting to compare where these two teams are then versus today.
Toronto will surely hope that they have jumped up the standings significantly by then. At the moment, they are buried, fifth in the AL East and four games out of a wild card spot. But it’s May. There’s time, and their roster is still brimming with promising talent. The Orioles could do themselves a favor by winning today and making that climb even more difficult for their division rivals.
Links
Orioles unsure of next step with Rodriguez or when Wells will begin throwing | Roch Kubatko
It feels like the Orioles are kind of hoping a decision gets made for them in terms of roster moves. Could Grayson Rodiguez come off the IL today and make a start this weekend? He seems healthy enough. But the O’s would have to boot someone off the roster to make room. The only pitchers with options are Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Yennier Cano, and Keegan Akin. They have all pitched well. Is there an injury anywhere on the staff? It wouldn’t be the first time something popped up out of nowhere.
Orioles’ Brandon Hyde has enough slack to be patient with struggling players | Baltimore Baseball
The thing is that basically all of the Orioles “struggling” players are guys that have lengthy track records of big league success. Also, while they may not be hitting their best, someone like Cedric Mullins has inherent value in his glove and his legs that don’t require him to be hitting .300 to unlock.
Orioles minor league report: With lower stance, Jackson Holliday is back to raking at Triple-A | The Baltimore Sun
Some interesting information included on Holliday playing with his stance a bit. Importantly, the Orioles aren’t asking him to abandon his pronounced leg kick, but he is sitting a bit lower and therefore simplifying the kick some.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Guillermo Rodríguez turns 46 today. The catcher appeared in seven games for the 2009 Orioles.
- Eric DeBose is 48 years old. From 2002 through 2006, the left-handed pitcher made his way into 52 total games with the Birds, split between the rotation and the bullpen.
This day in O’s history
2005 – The Orioles beat the White Sox 6-2 and snap the ChiSox streak of having lead at some point in the first 37 games of a season. It’s the longest streak ever to begin a campaign, and it it ties the 1934 Yankees and 1942 Cardinals for the third-longest span in MLB history.