Thursday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles have lost five straight

Hello, friends.

Another day has dawned with the Orioles in last place in the American League East. They are now a whopping 22 games behind the first place Red Sox and they remain eight games behind the fourth place Blue Jays. They have the worst run differential in MLB and they remain just percentage points ahead of the White Sox in the quest to avoid the worst record in MLB.

In the 1988 season, those woeful Orioles won their 56th game, unlike the current Orioles. They edged the Tigers, 4-3, with Eddie Murray driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. The future Hall of Famer batted after fellow future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. was intentionally walked. Murray doubled in Billy Ripken, who doubled ahead of his brother.

This gave the 1988 team a record of 14-42. The cushion between the 2018 team and the 1988 one has shrunk: At this point, the 1988 O’s had won three out of four. The 2018 O’s are now just three games better than the 1988 O’s were at this point. Still, the 1988 O’s didn’t win their 17th game until they were 17-47, so unless the 2018 O’s lose the next eight in a row...

However, the 2018 Orioles are now on pace, based on their .304 winning percentage, to win just 49 games. The 1988 O’s famously won only 54 games. We are not out of the woods yet.

If you missed last night’s game, make sure to check out Stacey’s recap for the not-so-lovely totals. The game was a lot like a number of stupid Orioles games in May, with the exception that it’s a trifle less embarrassing getting completely dominated by an amazing pitcher like Max Scherzer rather than like, Jeremy Hellickson or whoever.

Around the blogO’sphere

Chris Davis on trying to find positives, David Hess on his start (Steve Melewski)
“I don’t think anything is necessarily wrong (with the offense),” Davis said. Uh, Chris, I’m going to have to go ahead and respectfully disagree with you on that conclusion.

Poor roster construction dooms Orioles again (Baltimore Baseball)
Dan Connolly was rightfully hung up on why a series of bad Orioles decisions added up to a mess in Tuesday’s loss to the Nationals.

Orioles players pose with puppies and kittens for 2019 pet calendar (Baltimore Sun)
Yeah, the Orioles lost yesterday’s game, but everyone who gets a 2019 pet calendar wins - and so does BARCS. So that’s something.

Valencia on paternity leave, Hart joins Orioles (School of Roch)
If you missed the Wednesday roster move, Danny Valencia is on the paternity leave list for a couple of days and Donnie Hart has been summoned in his place.

Britton fans three for Frederick, is ‘pleasantly surprised’ in first rehab outing (Baltimore Sun)
Britton keeps getting closer to a return to the Orioles. They need him to start building up some trade value.

MLB draft profile: RHP Cole Winn, Orange, CA (Minor League Ball)
A recent MLB.com mock draft suggested that the Orioles would take Winn, a high school righty from California. Our friends at SB Nation’s Minor League Ball take a look at him.

Cliff Lee was drafted by Orioles, but didn’t sign (MLB.com)
On the bright side, we don’t have to be haunted by this because there’s no way that the Orioles would have developed him into what he ultimately became anyway.

Birthdays and anniversaries

There are two former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 1988-92 outfielder Joe Orsulak, and 1976-86 reliever Tippy Martinez.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: poet Walt Whitman (1819), movie man Clint Eastwood (1930), Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham (1948), hip-hop pioneer Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels (1964), and actor Colin Farrell (1976).

On this day in history...

In 1223, a Genghis Khan-sanctioned Mongol raiding force defeated the army of Rus in the Battle of the Kalka River in modern-day Ukraine. This is regarded as the longest cavalry raid in history - the Mongols were mounted for three years and traveled more than 5,000 miles.

In 1669, famous English diarist Samuel Pepys made the last entry in his diary, citing poor eyesight. Though that’s what he wrote in 1669, Pepys, whose diary chronicled the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London, lived until 1703.

In 1859, the clock tower in the Houses of Parliament in London, colloquially known as Big Ben, began keeping time.

In 1889, a flood struck Johnstown, Pennsylvania after a dam failed, leading to the death of more than 2,200 people.

In 1916, the British and German navies waged the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of what we now know as World War I. This was also the last battle ever fought primarily between battleships. There is still debate today about who actually won this battle.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on May 31 - or at least, until something happens later when the Orioles play the Yankees, even if no one can guarantee it will be any good. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!