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Good morning, Camden Chatters.
It’s been a good week in Birdland. The Orioles have won five of their seven games since returning to Camden Yards last Tuesday, and they’ve clinched a winning homestand no matter how their two-game series against the Phillies turns out. They’ve won two series in a row after winning just two of their first 11 series of the year.
The Orioles need to get their wins in now, because after the Phillies series, they head back out on the road for their longest trip of the season: 11 games against the Red Sox, White Sox, and Rays. Those last two might not sound like formidable opponents, but remember that the Orioles are shaping up to be historically terrible on the road. They’ve lost 12 away games in a row and haven’t won a road game all season anywhere other than Yankee Stadium. The upcoming trip could easily deflate any good feelings O’s fans might have garnered from this homestand.
But that’s a problem for future us. For now, let’s enjoy Orioles wins where we can get them.
Links
Inbox: Has strategy changed with O's winning? (MLB.com)
Britt Ghiroli opens up the e-mailbox and assures fans that the Orioles should still be in sell mode, despite their recent hot streak.
Myriad Orioles Thoughts: Still break up the O's; Nunez move; Baby Bird battery - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Dan Connolly is on the same page as Ghiroli: winning is nice and all, but it shouldn’t change the reality that the Orioles need to trade away Manny Machado and other veterans. I just hope O’s ownership agrees.
Better late than never, the longballs and runs arrive - Steve Melewski
The Orioles' bats are finally starting to heat up this homestand after a month and a half of futility. Let's see what happens when the O’s go on the road again, where they've got a .229 average and .654 OPS this season.
No game leaves Orioles with more time to figure out roster - School of Roch
The Orioles’ four transactions on Saturday might be just the tip of the iceberg, with more roster maneuvering likely on the way this week. Time to fire up the Norfolk shuttle, possibly with stops in Bowie this time.
After taking care of the kids, Orioles are offering ticket package for seniors (Baltimore Sun)
If you’re 60 or older and are thinking of going to the Orioles’ June 28 game against the Mariners, have they got a deal for you!
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies, including catcher Guillermo Rodriguez, who turns the big 4-0 today. Rodriguez appeared in seven games for the 2009 Orioles, and if you have any memory of him, you’re a better person than I. And it’s the 42nd birthday of 2002-2006 Orioles lefty Eric DuBose, who was arrested for DUI in 2005. Upon being asked by officers to recite the alphabet, DuBose allegedly said, “I’m from Alabama, and they have a different alphabet.”
On this day in 1991, during a U.S. visit, Queen Elizabeth II attended the Orioles-Athletics game at Memorial Stadium at the invitation of President George H.W. Bush. It was the queen’s first (and probably only) trip to a baseball game.
Players and staff got to meet the queen in the Orioles dugout before the game. Said O’s manager Frank Robinson: “It was thrilling and very exciting. I just shook her hand and said, ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘Your Highness.’” A’s outfielder Jose Canseco, meanwhile, said, “I got to meet the queen and the president, but I didn’t know what to say.”
The queen and the president, along with Prince Philip and First Lady Barbara Bush, watched the game from the owner’s box, which had been protected with bulletproof glass for the occasion. They left after two innings.