Saturday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are on a winning streak

Morning, Birdland!

No, no, no! I won’t let this team suck me back in. They’re bad I tell you. They can’t pitch. They can’t field. They can’t hit. They stink! A rebuild is coming. Manny Machado is going to the Dodgers. Jonathan Schoop isn’t signing an extension. This is a nightmare.

But Kevin Gausman has been really good lately. Machado’s bat won’t quit. Mark Trumbo has come off the DL on fire. Heck, they even got rid of Chris Tillman for the time being. The Indians went on that long winning streak last year. Why couldn’t these guys do the exact same thing? You know what, they’re actually pretty good now that I think about it. They can do this thing. It’s not so crazy...oh god.

I have a problem.

Links

David Hess tabbed to start opening game of Orioles’ doubleheader - Baltimore Sun
The right-hander certainly deserves the promotion, but he will only be on three day’s rest. That could mean we see the bullpen early regardless of how well he does. These are the sorts of moves that can make this team interesting, even if they don’t compete.

Just How Bad Has Chris Tillman Been Lately? - Camden Depot
As bad as possible while still remaining employed by a major league team.

Showalter on Tillman, plus injuries - MASNsports.com
This is a tough one for Buck Showalter. Tillman is one of “his guys”, but he stinks. So, he goes on the DL for now, but then what? He’s not good enough. It’s not fair to keep other, more deserving pitchers out of the rotation once he returns.

Manny Machado on his big night and his 150th homer - MASNsports.com
It’s awesome to see the O’s shortstop playing so well, but each home run also feels like a tiny punch to the gut too. If this team could have just played poorly in the first month of the season rather than being completely pathetic. Imagine the possibilities.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy Birthday!

Evan Meek celebrates his 35th with you. The right-handed reliever appeared in 23 games for the 2014 AL East champion Orioles. He had a 5.79 ERA that year, and will almost surely be remembered for giving up a walk-off single to Derek Jeter in his final MLB at-bat.

Joining the party is Kevin Bass, who batted .244/.303/.336 over 111 games as a right fielder for the 1995 Birds. He turns 59.

Joe Nolan will be 67. He was a catcher for the O’s between 1982 and 1985, so he has a World Series ring. Across his four seasons in Baltimore, he slashed .249/.313/.374 as Rick Dempsey’s backup.

Other famous birthdays: Emilio Estevez (1962), Tony Hawk (1968) and Jason Biggs (1978)

1784 - The Treaty of Paris takes effect.

1937 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are crowned.

1962 - Craig Anderson, relief pitcher for the New York Mets, wins both games in a double header. He would never win another game in the majors, losing 19 consecutive decisions to finish his career.

1965 - Luna 5, an unmanned Russian spacecraft, lands on the Moon.

1970 - Ernie Banks hits the 500th home run of his career.

2000 - Pedro Martinez strikes out 15 Orioles in a 9-0 win. Combined with the 17 strikeouts in his previous start (against the Rays), it tied an American League record for K’s across two games.

2001 - A.J. Burnett throws a no-hitter for the then-Florida Marlins.