Wednesday Bird Droppings: I don’t want to talk about the bullpen

It’s hump day, Camden Chatters! We’re halfway through the work week and tonight we get to watch Ubaldo Jimenez take the mound. Make of that what you will. The Orioles ended their losing streak last night in a dramatic and painful fashion, but they all look the same in the standings. If you were asleep when it happened, like me, be sure to check out Randy’s recap.

Quick story about last night’s game. After the Orioles scored seven runs in the third inning and Wade Miley immediately started giving up home runs, I told my husband that if the Orioles blew this game I wasn’t watching baseball for the rest of the year. It looked like they were going to call my bluff by the time I went to bed, but they somehow pulled it off and saved me.

Links!

Adam Jones Q&A: On race, America and why he continues to speak out - Yahoo Sports
If you missed this story yesterday, it's definitely worth your time. Adam Jones is my favorite baseball player.

Bullpen at full strength now that O’Day back from “tired shoulder.” - Baltimore Sun
This is from before yesterday’s game when O’Day was one of the few pitchers who actually looked decent. But I have a few thoughts about it. One, it seems like bad news when a guy has a tired shoulder in May. Two, I’d argue that the bullpen will not be at full strength until they get an additional arm in there.

How is Dylan Bundy Doing This? - Camden Depot
He's not striking out a ton of guys, and he's not getting a lot of ground ball outs. But Bundy has been great, so what's going on? Joe Wantz is on the case.

PED suspicion is up now that home runs are back in baseball | SI.com
Tom Verducci takes on the current steroids landscape, and the story includes a brief interview with Alec Asher. I didn't realize he had tested positive in the past. One thing I disagree with Verducci on is his opinion that there are too many home runs in baseball now. I think that there is no such thing.

Behind Enemy Lines: The Orioles are afraid of Jordan Zimmermann - Bless You Boys
Our own Chris Booze answered some questions for SBN's Tigers blog, so check it out. It's actually one of my favorite non-Orioles SBN blogs. They're good people.

Gassaway running on all cylinders for Keys; Mountcastle and Akin also leading Frederick - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Dean Jones has his take on how minor leaguers of note are doing on the farm.

A new-and-improved Jonathan Schoop: Will it last? - Baltimore Sports and Life
Schoop looks pretty good these days, which makes me happy. And if you're worried about him because he came out of the game last night, Buck Showalter says he had a cramp so hopefully that's all it is.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have quite a few Orioles birthday buddies but I’m not ashamed to admit that I don’t know who most of them are. Today you’re celebrating with Jack Voigt, a utility guy who played in the early 1990s; Ozzie Virgil, who played in parts of nine different seasons in the majors and had exactly one plate appearance for the 1962 Birds; Billy Hoeft, who spent four seasons with the O’s in the early 1960s as a relief pitcher; and Jim McDonald, who had a 7.17 ERA in 1955.