Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles are going through one of those runs where everything is falling their way. They deserve it after the nightmare that most of the season has been. Last night’s 4-3 win over the Red Sox was their sixth in seven games. It required them to wriggle out of a few tight spots, like Rico Garcia striking out the side with bases loaded in the eighth inning, or Yennier Cano getting a double play with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, or Corbin Martin leaving the tying run stranded
at third base in the 11th.
The win vaulted the Orioles above the Twins in the AL standings, and within 2.5 games of the three other teams directly ahead of them. Of course, that doesn’t really matter at all. The Orioles playoff odds remain miniscule. But it’s fun to win baseball games, and they should still aim to have as good of a record as possible. Finishing the season at .500 feels like a reasonable enough goal at this point, and even that will require the O’s to go 22-14 through the end of the year. It’s possible, but tough.
It will be interesting to see how this version of the Orioles navigates the gauntlet that is their remaining schedule. They have more games with the Astros and Red Sox on the immediate horizon. In September they face the Padres, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and a whole lot of Yankees. Playing “spoiler” isn’t what you aim for going into a season, but if the Orioles can help keep even one of their rivals out of the postseason that will be pretty neat.
If the Orioles can win a good chunk of these games, maybe it will finally turn some heads in the baseball world, who still seem confused about the quality of this team.
At the tail end of the “Condensed Game” recap that MLB posted of last night’s win, you hear the Boston announcer wonder if the Red Sox will regret losses to teams like the Marlins and Orioles, as if those clubs are clearly inferior and the Red Sox should not be losing to them. Just the other day, Buster Olney told Michael Kay (about 29 minutes in) that, despite their struggles, he believed the Yankees would make the playoffs because they end the season with a “soft” schedule, which includes games against the Orioles, Twins, and White Sox. But a quick check of the schedule results will confirm that the Orioles have actually been better than the Red Sox and Yankees since May 24. In fact, they have been better than every team in the AL except for the Blue Jays since that date. So, if anything, contending teams should not be excited about facing the Orioles, but rather scared of the positive regression that seems to be showing up for them the last three months.
Links
Orioles once more face injury uncertainty with Jordan Westburg, Adley Rutschman | The Baltimore Banner
Yeah, sure, why not. At least the Orioles seem better prepared to absorb these injuries now. Hopefully nothing is too serious, but you can be sure the O’s will be cautious. There is no reason to push players at this point in a season that will end in September.
Projecting what MLB realignment might look like with expansion on the horizon | The Athletic
What I like about this specific rendition is the attempt to keep the AL and NL together with as few tweaks as possible. The two teams that change Leagues are the Rockies and Rays, two new-ish franchises that do not feel as entrenched in the old timey set up any way.
Report: Apple drops MLB, NBC/Peacock in, ESPN to buy MLB.tv, Netflix nabs Home Run Derby | Awful Announcing
This potential outcome would be fine for me personally. Apple TV is not something I have ever bought, and I didn’t plan on it. Peacock and it’s coverage of English soccer and the Olympics is something that fits my viewing habits better anyway. But the ESPN purchase of MLB.tv will be something to monitor. It could be awesome, especially for anyone that already has the Disney+/Hulu Live TV bundle. At the same time, it seems impossible that a big deal like this happens without a significant price hike, so we will see.
Orioles Outright Jordyn Adams | MLB Trade Rumors
Adams sticks in the organization once again. Will he stay there throughout the offseason? Maybe. He seems like a fine minor league option to have in your back pocket. But evidently no other organization thinks so. Greg Allen, however, is hoping to find greener pastures.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Gene Kingsdale turns 49 today. The outfielder debuted with the Orioles as a 20-year-old in 1996 and was then up-and-down with them through 2001. In total he played just 71 games for the O’s over five seasons.
- The late George Zuverink (b. 1924, d. 2014) was born on this day. He tossed 378.1 innings and had a 3.07 ERA with the O’s from 1955 through ‘59.
This day in O’s history
1964 – Boog Powell collides with an outfield fence and fractures his wrist. That will keep him sidelined for two weeks.
