Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice weekend. If you’re a Ravens fan, it was another brutal one. Did anyone have the Ravens being worse than the Orioles on their list of predictions for
the NFL season?
If you’re not into football, there was plenty of baseball to be had. And by far, the most awesome thing that happened in baseball over the weekend was the complete destruction of the New York Yankees.
Look, I cannot stand the Blue Jays. I hate them because they are in the AL East. I hate them because in my formative baseball years, they won back-to-back World Series and then Cito Gaston ruined the 1993 All-Star game. I hate them because they have fans who throw beers at Nate McLouth and Hyun Soo Kim. I hate them because one time a Blue Jays blogger made a list of the top ten things about being a Blue Jays fan, and one of them was, “At least we’re not the Orioles.”
Even with all that hate, I obviously still would choose them to win the ALDS over the Yankees. I thought it would be a tougher thing to root for, though, because I want them both to lose. But that was before the Blue Jays spent the weekend beating the stuffing out of the Yankees. The Yankees lost both games and allowed a combined 23 runs in the process. It was glorious.
For the most part, the Wild Card round featured tight games with good pitching, the way you expect postseason baseball to be played. The kind of baseball that showcases the best of the league. And then the ALDS started. While the Tigers and Mariners continued that trend with two very close contests, the Yankees have just absolutely fallen apart. I love it.
In game one, the Yankees were held to just one run on six hits by Kevin Gausman and the Jays’ bullpen. The Jays knocked starter Luis Gil out of the game early and then feasted on the Yankees’ bullpen. In game two, rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage no-hit the Yankees for 5.1 innings and racked up 11 strikeouts. The Yankees stormed back against Toronto’s bullpen, but it was too late. The Jays had gotten to Yankee ace Max Fried for seven runs in three innings and 13 runs overall.
The Yankees are now one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs. And not losses as the result of hard-fought, close battles that could have gone either way. No, the Yankees are being embarrassed. And it turns out I love that more than I hate the Blue Jays.
The Yankees won’t have the chance to embarrass themselves today, as both AL series have an off day to travel to a new city. The Yankees and Blue Jays play game three in New York and the only thing better than the Yankees getting destroyed would be the Yankees getting destroyed in New York.
If you want to watch baseball today, you’ll have to stick with the National League. The Dodgers and Phillies play at 6:08 EDT, while the Brewers and Cubs start at 9:08. The Dodgers staged a big comeback in game one to beat the Phillies, 5-3. And the Brewers scored six runs in the first against the Cubs for an easy game one victory.
There is still no news on the Orioles front, but you don’t expect to hear much during the playoffs.
Links
Orioles must find a hitter to improve lineup and leadership – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko is looking to the outfield as a place to plug in a solid hitter and a veteran leader. His choice? Cody Bellinger.
Basallo on Orioles’ future: ‘A lot of us in this room have superstar potential’ – Baltimore Baseball
Samuel Basallo seems like a thoughtful guy.
The Orioles believe in Tyler O’Neill’s ability to produce. There’s still one issue. – The Baltimore Banner
Can you guess the one issue?
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies, including Radhames Liz, who turns 42 years old today. Liz pitched for the Orioles from 2007-09, making 21 starts and seven relief appearances. He was not a successful pitcher, with a 7.50 ERA for Baltimore. I did see him get the win on the road in Chicago in 2008, which was a lot of fun.
Other former Orioles born on this day include Matt Wotherspoon (34), Freddy Garcia (49), Greg Walker (66), and Joe Frazier (b. 1922, d. 2011). All four were one-season Orioles who appeared in a combined total of 72 games with Baltimore. So if you don’t remember them, I won’t judge.
On this day in 1966, Jim Palmer became the youngest player in history to get a win in the World Series as the Orioles defeated the Dodgers, 6-0. Palmer was nine days shy of his 21st birthday.
In 1969, the Orioles defeated the Twins, 11-2, to sweep them out of the ALCS. Palmer picked up another postseason win with the complete game. Paul Blair had five hits and five RBI.
In 1973, the Orioles took game one of the ALCS vs the Athletics. Guess who got the win? Palmer struck out 12 batters in nine innings. Tommy Davis had three hits in the 6-0 win.
In 1974, the Orioles lost to the Athletics in game two of the ALCS. Dave McNally took the loss despite allowing just one earned run (two overall) in 5.2 innings. The Orioles had just five hits in the 6-0 shutout.
In 1979, Baltimore punched their ticket to the World Series an 8-0 win over the California Angels. Scott McGregor pitched a CGSO. Ken Singleton had three hits but Pat Kelly struck the biggest blow with a three-run homer.
In 1983, Mike Boddicker struck out 14 in the Orioles 4-0 win over the White Sox in game two of the ALCS.
