Fan voting closes at noon as six Orioles position players make a bid to start the Midsummer Classic.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Have you cast your ballot yet for the MLB All-Star ballot? If not, what are you waiting for? Voting closes at noon today, so go do it now! I’ll wait here until you return.
(twiddling thumbs)
(checking watch)
…Ah, welcome back. Thank you for your service. With six Orioles pitted in one-on-one competitions at their positions, they can use every vote they can get. Per yesterday’s update from MLB, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson are leading the voting at their positions and are on track to start the game, but the other four Orioles — Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, Anthony Santander, and Ryan O’Hearn — are trailing against their more well-known competitors.
The All-Star starters will be announced at 7 pm on ESPN. If any of these Orioles aren’t voted in by the fans, they’ll still have a chance to make the team, either by getting voted in on the players’ ballot or selected as injury replacements. But let’s not leave anything to chance. Go vote!
Links
Architect and builder selected for Camden Yards renovations – The Baltimore Sun
Good news: the Orioles have a plan in place for upgrading Camden Yards. Bad news: there probably won’t be any significant changes until at least 2026. So get ready for another year of one of the worst ballpark sound systems in MLB.
Orioles ace Corbin Burnes welcomes twin girls; Dean Kremer set to return – The Baltimore Banner
There’s a picture of Burnes’ newborn twin girls in this article, if you feel like being overwhelmed by adorableness.
Should Orioles call up Coby Mayo? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
I know what my answer to this question would be. But as Rich Dubroff points out, there’s not an obvious position for Mayo to play at the moment, especially since he’s had some struggles defensively at third base.
Double-A Bowie’s Samuel Basallo is named to play in the All-Star Futures Game – Steve Melewski
Set your DVRs for some Samuel Basallo action, y’all. July 13 at 4:10 on MLB Network.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day, including right-hander Tommy Hunter (38), who spent parts of six seasons with the Birds, serving as a starter, closer, and setup man. He retired after 2023 after 16 big league seasons. Also born on July 3 are lefty Jeff Rineer (69) and the late outfielder Al Pilarcik (b. 1930, d. 2010).
The Orioles’ last win on this date came two years ago, a 3-1 in Minnesota that averted a three-game sweep (and extended the Birds’ fledgling sweepless series streak to 13 in a row). The O’s scored all three of their runs on solo homers by Rougned Odor, Trey Mancini, and Ryan Mountcastle, while Tyler Wells worked six strong innings against his former organization. After closer Jorge López had blown the save in each of the first two games of the series, Dillon Tate stepped in for a scoreless ninth inning to save the finale.
Random Orioles game of the day
On July 3, 1971, the Orioles romped to an 8-1 win at Tiger Stadium. Pat Dobson, who would go on to become one of the Birds’ four 20-game winners that year, threw a complete game and struck out 10, with a Jim Northrup home run providing the Tigers’ only run. Four Orioles hitters had multi-hit days, including a 3-for-4 performance by Merv Rettenmund, who finished a triple shy of the cycle. Paul Blair collected four RBIs with a pair of two-run doubles. With the win, the Orioles extended their AL East lead to 3.5 games.