Sunday Bird Droppings - K Train keeps chugging

Tim Beckham's 4 hits highlight night as Orioles pound A's - USA Today
"Tim Beckham hit a two-run double in his second plate appearance of the first inning as the Orioles matched their biggest frame of the season with a seven-run first and went on to beat the Oakland Athletics 12-5 on Saturday night."

Orioles' Dylan Bundy trending upward as once-elusive strikeouts mount - Baltimore Sun
"Me and [catcher Welington Castillo], we were really throwing the slider in to lefties and away to righties today. They didn't let many fastballs go by without swinging at them, so we had to constantly mix pitches tonight." - Dylan Bundy

Mancini's adjustments at the plate, Beckham's draft day and more - School of Roch
“It’s kind of been a cycle, I’d say,” Trey Mancini said. “Like, at first I got challenged a lot at the beginning of the year with fastballs and everything. And then I think after I started having some success, they went to a lot of breaking stuff for a while. Then, I had a little tough go of it at first and kind of adjusted to that. Now, I think they’re just kind of mixing everything.

Orioles notes: Starters impressing new teammate Hellickson; Tillman staying ready - Baltimore Sun
"I've seen all these guys pitch before. I knew what they were capable of and how good they were. That hasn't surprised me since I've been over here. But I think that's just how baseball works — good days and bad days." - Jeremy Hellickson

Tim Beckham's model at shortstop is J.J. Hardy, the player he's likely to replace for Orioles - Baltimore Sun
“Watching him three to four years now, he catches the ball and throws the ball, and keeps it simple. His throws are always on the money. And on making routine plays consistently, I’m just picking his brain to get his thoughts on being a shortstop. He’s a hell of a shortstop who’s won multiple Gold Gloves, so of course there’s something I can learn from it.” - Tim Beckham

Tides infielder Paul Janish will retire after season, take coaching job - Pilot Online
Paul Janish, the Norfolk Tides’ 34-year-old shortstop, said he will retire at the end of the season after a 14-year professional career to accept a job as an assistant coach at Rice.

Baltimore Orioles Draft Pick Jack Conlon Heading to College - FanSided
“Jack Conlon failed his physical with the Baltimore Orioles, and there was a collective shrug. Now that he failed his physical with the San Francisco Giants, albeit for a different reason, and is heading to Texas A&M, it may be time to rethink the Orioles procedures.”

Birthdays and History

Happy Birthday to former Orioles Corey Doyne, Corey Patterson, Will Ohman, Jeff Ballard, and Tom Niedenfuer. They share today with famous people including sharpshooter Annie Oakley 1860; director Alfred Hitchcock 1899; golf champion Ben Hogan 1912; Cuban dictator Fidel Castro 1926; singer Don Ho 1930; singer Dan Fogelberg 1951; and Patridge Family actor Danny Bonaduce 1959.

On this day in Baltimore baseball history...

1969 - Baltimore's Jim Palmer leaves no doubt about his comeback with a 8 - 0 no-hitter against Oakland. Reggie Jackson, leading the American League with 42 home runs, walks three times, as the A's drop two games behind the Twins in the West. Palmer, now 11-2, pushes the O's lead to a comfortable 14 1/2 games.

1978 - The Yankees erupt for five runs in the 7th inning to take a 5 - 3 lead over the Orioles before heavy rains force a delay of the game. Thanks to the stalling tactics of Earl Weaver and some slow-moving Baltimore groundskeepers, the game is called, and the score reverts to the last complete inning. This rule will be changed in 1980, and the game today would have been suspended. The Orioles win, 3 - 0, with Scott McGregor the winner.

1998 - Baltimore's Harold Baines becomes the all-time leader in RBIs by a designated hitter when he drives in his 824th run in a 7 - 4 win over the Indians. Hal McRae was the previous record holder.

On this day in world history..

1521 - Present day Mexico City was captured by Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez from the Aztec Indians.

1784 - The United States Legislature met for the final time in Annapolis, MD.

1932 - Adolf Hitler refused to take the post of vice-chancellor of Germany. He said he was going to hold out "for all or nothing."

1942 - Walt Disney's "Bambi" opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY.

1959 - In New York, ground was broken on the $320 million Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

1960 - "Echo I," a balloon satellite, allowed the first two-way telephone conversation by satellite to take place.

1961 - Berlin was divided by a barbed wire fence to halt the flight of refugees. Two days later work on the Berlin Wall began.

Consider this your discussion space for kittens and rainbows. And people being nice to each other. We could use some of that today.