It's a beautiful day in Birdland. The Orioles won last night to guarantee the series and season win against the Angels, who have been lauded as the second-best team in the A.L. all year long. Well, right now they don't seem so scary. I wonder how much better the Orioles record would improve this year if they got to play the 2014 versions of the Astros and Rangers 18 times each? So far the Angels have gone 18-6 against them.
As far as the standings, the Red Sox continue to be useless as the Blue Jays finished their sweep of them last night. The Jays remain 2 1/2 games behind the Orioles. Happily the Yankees lost to fall 5 1/2 games back and the Brewers cooled off the red-hot Rays.
On to links!
School of Roch: Showalter on Gausman, Jones and 4-3 victory
Get your Buck quotes here. He likes his guys!
Possible Orioles Trade Partners: National League | Press Box
Paul Folkemer reviews the Orioles' potential NL trade targets, including Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo and Martin Prado. WARNING: Giant Papelbon pic.
Are Traded Prospects Worth Less? | Camden Depot
There are way too many numbers in this article for me, but it boils down to the fact that teams are getting better and better at determining which prospects will pan out.
What will Rusney Castillo cost? | Orioles Nation
If the Orioles want to sign Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, they'll probably have to shell out the millions.
Chris Tillman's Camden Yards ERA Ranks Near Mike Mussina's | Roar From 34
Say what?
Should the Orioles trade for Papelbon? | Orioles Uncensored
This guy thinks the Orioles should trade for Jonathan Papelbon. This guy obviously does not recall Jonathan Papelbon's face, which is reason enough not to do it.
Bat-flip angers players with 'look at me' approach | USA Today
Talk of unwritten rules, etc. Kind of tiresome, but I like the Showalter POV expressed in this article where he says his generation doesn't like that kind of thing, but just because he doesn't like it doesn't mean that he's right and others are wrong. I personally don't mind the bat flip, it's the stare downs and slow trots I could live without. While the bat flip seems like a celebratory reaction, the other two seem mostly about showing the pitcher up.
Tourists hitters thrive under Devereaux | Citizen Times
Remember Mike Devereaux? He's the hitting coach for the Asheville Tourists of the Sally League, and critics are raving.
Manny Machado will help O's win East - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
People predicting the Orioles to win the A.L. East makes me nervous.
Jon Lester to the O’s and 2 other big MLB trades that should happen | USA Today
This columnist says that Lester and Stephen Drew to the Orioles probably won't happen, but it should. So then why are we talking about it?
Ubaldo Jimenez may not be our favorite pitcher right now, but at least he's a good guy. If you haven't already seen it, check out the tweet from my favorite Ironbird, Nigel Nootbaar:
Thanks to Ubaldo Jimenez for the steak and lobster for dinner tonight. #Orioles
— Nigel Nootbaar (@NigelNootbaar20) July 30, 2014
Today is the birthday of former Orioles Joe Durham, Rip Coleman, Earl Stephenson, and Mike Figga. On this day in 2000, the Orioles traded a teary-eyed B.J. Surhoff to the Braves to cap off their four-day fire sale that also resulted in the trade of Mike Bordick, Mike Timlin, Charles Johnson, Will Clark, and Harold Baines. On this day last year the Orioles traded for Bud Norris.