Hello, friends.
It’s a two for the price of one kind of day for the Orioles today. When I was a younger person, these events were not to be missed. If your life leaves you free to get to Camden Yards today, I heartily recommend going. You can probably get a cheap ticket on the secondary market and you can hang out and watch five or six hours of Orioles baseball. Sure, they might suck. A certain horrendous blowout was the first game of a doubleheader. Anything might happen. That’s part of what makes
it interesting.
Even on a day where they were rained out, the Orioles managed to introduce some chaos into the roster picture. On Wednesday night, the team announced that Trevor Rogers has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 26 – the day after his most recent start. Rogers’s injury was listed as “illness.” I will tell you as someone who’s been writing for this website a long time that “illness” doesn’t come along too often as an IL explanation, at least not that we’re several years beyond the peak pandemic time. Hopefully Rogers is back to good health soon.
As an immediate replacement for Rogers on the roster, the team has recalled reliever Cameron Foster. This sets up a likely second roster move to bring up a starting pitcher for tomorrow, the day that the Orioles would have had Rogers pitch otherwise. No one seems to fit for that on the roster right now. Cade Povich, who last pitched on Sunday, seems like a decent candidate there. He has been back down with Norfolk for long enough to be recalled without needing any “replace an injured player” finagling.
Today’s doubleheader probably means one more pitcher gets added to the roster for today only. A doubleheader day allows for a 27th man to be added to the roster. This can be a player who was recently optioned to the minors and otherwise within the 10 day limit. Jose Espada, you might be getting one more day of big league pay today.
A little farther down the road, one further side effect of today’s doubleheader is that the team will need a starting pitching solution for Sunday as well. With both Chris Bassitt and Brandon Young pitching today, neither one of them will be on regular rest when Monday rolls around. That’s a problem to be solved on Monday, assuming they can get through the weekend without anyone getting hurt. Perhaps recently DFA’d, released, and re-signed pitcher Albert Suárez will come back from his new minor league contract for a spot start. And then maybe even designated for assignment again.
The single admission doubleheader is set to get under way at 12:35 this afternoon, with the second game following roughly 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
The only thing consistent about the Orioles is their inconsistency. They’re not sure why. (The Baltimore Banner)
Going back to last year and continuing in a somewhat different way through the first part of this season, the Orioles just can’t put everything together for long stretches of good play even though it seems like a lot of the pieces should be there.
Orioles prove that sometimes baseball is a confidence game (Baltimore Baseball)
Peter Schmuck thinks the Orioles bounced back nicely from a disappointing weekend. But, added to the above, can they stay bounced back for another few games in a row?
For Pete Alonso, is the “want to” getting in the way? (Steve Melewski)
I’m really going to be glad when Alonso has raised his OPS by more than 100 points and we don’t have to get stories like this one any longer.
Pete Alonso, elite defender? This tiny glove explains why. (The Baltimore Sun)
It’s hardly the weirdest baseball practice technique I’ve ever heard. If it works for him, great.
Now dad of four sons (including newborn twins), Kittredge back to dealing out of Orioles pen (Orioles.com)
Kittredge had his injury rehab assignment interrupted for the paternity list. That combination doesn’t happen every day.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Through 29 games a year ago, the Orioles were 11-18. They lost the 29th game to the Yankees by a 15-3 score, falling to 11-18. Kyle Gibson was blasted for nine runs in 3.2 innings and they never had a chance. The Orioles won the next two games, though, so they’d have to sweep the doubleheader here today to remain the same distance ahead after 31 games.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021-22 pitcher Zac Lowther, 2019 catcher Jesús Sucre, and 1997-99 infielder Jeff Reboulet. Today is Reboulet’s 62nd birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777), Challenger pilot Michael J. Smith (1945), actress Kirsten Dunst (1982), and actress Ana de Armas (1988).
On this day in history…
In 1492, Spain commissioned Christopher Columbus, naming him as admiral of the open sea, as well as viceroy and governor of any territory that he discovered on his exploration.
In 1789, George Washington took the oath of office to become the first president of the United States. As the capital was in New York City at the time, this oath was administered at Federal Hall on Wall Street.
In 1803, the United States completed the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. Exactly nine years later, a part of that territory dubbed the Orleans Territory was admitted as a state called Louisiana, the 18th state of the union.
In 1975, the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon was captured by North Vietnamese forces. The Vietnam War came to an end with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
