Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Turns out there are no problems with the Orioles that a series against the Chicago White Sox couldn’t fix.
The O’s took full advantage of their matchup against the perennial worst team in the American League, completing a three-game sweep with yesterday afternoon’s 5-3 win. In typical Orioles fashion, the club made its fair share of frustrating mistakes, including an embarrassing two-error play by Kyle Bradish on a toss back to the mound that allowed the White Sox to score
the go-ahead run. But for the third straight game, the Orioles ultimately proved less inept than their woeful opponent, and eked out another close victory. Check out Andrea SK’s recap for the all the details.
Sweeping the White Sox isn’t necessarily a sign that the Orioles are surging back to life, but it’s not meaningless. You can only play the team that’s in front of you, and the O’s did well to take care of business against a club they should beat. The win got them back to .500 for the road trip and for the season. Incredibly, at 6-6, the Orioles are tied for the fourth-best record in the AL. Only three teams — the Yankees, Guardians, and Rangers — have winning records right now. Just your daily reminder that it’s still very, very early in the season.
While the series in the Windy City continued to expose some of the Orioles’ flaws — sloppy defense, erratic offense, and some mightily struggling homegrown players — there were some promising developments that helped wash away the stink of their previous three-game set in Pittsburgh. This was the first series in which all three O’s starting pitchers worked at least five innings (it’s a low bar, yes, but you gotta start somewhere). Gunnar Henderson surged to life with three extra-base hits, including two homers. Taylor “Two Bags” Ward ripped an astounding five doubles in the three games. And the O’s bullpen was excellent, allowing just one run in 11 innings. There’s something to build from.
Can the Orioles continue the positive vibes against a team that’s not the White Sox? We’ll find out. After today’s off day, they’ll return to Camden Yards for an interleague weekend series against the Giants, a team that’s also struggling but is ostensibly better than the Pale Hose. Their Saturday tilt will pit the Birds against San Francisco ace Logan Webb, so good luck to the O’s offense as they try to figure things out.
Links
Why is Taylor Ward Orioles’ leadoff hitter? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Heck, at this point I would write Taylor Ward’s name into all nine spots in the lineup.
Good on Bradish for taking accountability for his foolish defensive play, and good on Craig Albernaz for immediately talking to him about it. The O’s clearly don’t want to be bad at defense. Whether they’ll actually improve, well…
The Orioles’ Double-A affiliate has a spiffy new performance center with state-of-the-art batting cages and much more. I love that the O’s are investing in things like this. It’s a drop of the bucket for the organization that can make a huge difference for the players.
Eflin undergoes ligament-reconstructive elbow surgery in Texas – School of Roch
The sad but expected news about Eflin was announced yesterday. It’s a terrible turn of events for a guy who had fought so hard to come back this year and was expected to be a big part of the team. Maybe an Eflin reunion with the Orioles will be in the cards someday.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day, including 2021 five-game righty and Ben McDonald’s nephew Mac Sceroler (31), pitcher-turned-outfielder-turned-pitcher-again Adam Loewen (42), and right-hander and NPB legend Dennis Sarfate (45).
On this date in 1959, the Orioles turned a triple play, becoming the first team in MLB history to do so on Opening Day. It happened in the bottom of the fifth against the Senators, with first baseman Bob Boyd snaring an Ed FitzGerald liner and then doubling off the runners at both second and first base. Despite the nifty play, the Orioles lost, 9-2.
Random Orioles game of the day
On April 9, 1987, the Orioles beat the Rangers, 8-6, to win the rubber game of their season-opening series in Baltimore. Ken Gerhart, Fred Lynn, and Ray Knight each hit their first home run of the season, Cal Ripken was 2-for-5 with a double, and all nine batters in the O’s lineup contributed a hit and/or RBI. The O’s built up an 8-2 lead before the Rangers rallied late to make things close, but Don Aase retired the final three batters to secure the win.
