Hello, friends.
There are now 164 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. The next several months will be full of trying to find fresh ways to express that there is uncertainty as to whether any game will be played on that date, whether spring training report dates will happen as scheduled, and so on.
For now, there are the MLB playoffs continuing as a diversion from the harsh labor situation to come. The Guardians and White Sox took their series to five games, with the decisive game taking
place yesterday. Future Hall of Famer José Ramírez hit a two-run home run in a game the Guardians won, 2-0, to take the series.
Cleveland pitchers recorded 21 strikeouts in the clincher, with starting pitcher Gavin Williams leading the way with 12 of them. Williams struck out 248 batters in the regular season to lead all AL pitchers and he’s already struck out 24 through 11.2 innings in this postseason.
On the National League side, the LCS between the Dodgers and Brewers – a rematch of last year’s NLCS – gets under way tonight at 8pm. Good luck to the Brewers. Mostly because I think it will be pretty boring if the Dodgers get the three-peat, and I am not interested in the way a Dodgers three-peat will contribute to the CBA negotiation discourse. Somebody beat these guys already. Thanks!
Orioles stuff you might have missed
We are in the time of year where you may encounter links repeated on multiple days, particularly on weekends. Sorry!
Wondering how Orioles would have fared in the postseason (Baltimore Baseball)
This topic has been on my mind as well. Rich Dubroff lays out that the O’s may have had a nice set of starting pitchers to go around, but otherwise thinks the team is far off from even the low level of the Guardians-White Sox series.
One of the best stories of 2026: Brandon Young (Steve on Baseball)
The Orioles went 19-9 in Young’s starts, and how he pitched had a whole lot to do with that. He might be the difference between the team having a win total in the 60s and not.
Down to Earth: On ground ball rates and Aron Estrada (Green Spreadsheets of the Mind)
This prospect-interested Substack crunched some numbers about prospects with high ground ball rates and their likelihood of becoming successful big leaguers, with particular notice of my guy Aron Estrada.
Are the Orioles listening? Their fans think they aren’t. (The Baltimore Banner)
Here’s the thing for me. If the front office listens to the fans, they’re going to get fired. The fans don’t know anything. If the business operations aren’t listening to the fans, they’re going to have problems with keeping fans.
How Colton Cowser believes he can return to form in 2027. (Orioles.com)
Among the goals are avoiding having the bad months be as bad as they were. This should be an achievable goal, which is not to say it’s guaranteed to be achieved.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1971, the Orioles won Game 2 of the World Series against the Pirates, with Brooks Robinson setting a World Series record by reaching base five consecutive times. The Orioles won the game, 11-3, to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Let’s not think too hard about the rest of that series.
In 2012, the O’s pulled to a 2-2 tie with the Yankees in the ALDS that year, with J.J. Hardy driving in the go-ahead run in the 13th inning. Let’s not think too hard about the rest of that series.
In 2014, the Orioles played the second game of the ALCS. Let’s not think about that series at all.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2025 pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, 2009-10 infielder Ty Wigginton, 1988-93 pitcher Gregg Olson, 1968 infielder Mike Fiore, and 1956-60 catcher Joe Ginsberg.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Heinz founder Henry J. Heinz (1844), first lady and diplomat Eleanor Roosevelt (1884), former Orioles broadcaster Jon Miller (1951), Mystery Science Theater 3000 guy Mike Nelson (1964), former Baltimore Ravens defensive standout Terrell Suggs (1982), and rapper Cardi B (1992).
On this day in history…
In 1899, settlers of the Dutch-speaking Boer republics of southern Africa launched preemptive strikes against the British colony in South Africa, sparking the Second Boer War, which lasted nearly three years and ended with those republics being absorbed into the British empire.
In 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt flew in a plane, becoming the first president to ever do so. He was flown around by a pilot named Arch Hoxsey.
In 1968, the Apollo 7 mission launched. This was NASA’s first successful crewed mission in the Apollo program. Over 11 days, the three astronauts in the crew tested a variety of functions of the spacecraft that would later take men to the moon.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 11. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
