Friday Bird Droppings: Where only rain can save the Orioles

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Rejoice! The Orioles didn’t lose a game last night. That’s mainly because they didn’t play last night, with rains washing out the scheduled game against the Yankees after a two-hour delay.

With the White Sox idle, the Orioles had a chance to drop to the worst record in the majors if they’d lost. Mother Nature assured that wouldn’t happen. But the race between the two teams for the 2019 No. 1 draft pick is heating up. Starting Friday, the White Sox will be hosting a three-game series against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, so look for them to rack up a few more losses. Will it be more losses than the Orioles suffer to the Yankees this weekend? Time will tell.

Links

Yankees-Orioles postponed by rain; makeup set for July 9 DH - The Washington Post
In case you didn’t believe me in that opening paragraph, the Orioles were indeed rained out last night. Here’s more info.

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop working through challenging season at the plate (Baltimore Sun)
Jonathan Schoop is underachieving at the plate this season. Sadly, you could swap out Schoop’s name with any Oriole hitter besides Manny Machado and that first sentence would still hold true.

Showalter on Schoop, Peterson, Britton and more (postponed) - School of Roch
Roch Kubatko checks in with notes on the slumping Schoop, new leadoff man Jace Peterson, and the rehab progress of Zach Britton and other Orioles we care less about.

Hess impresses, but don't expect many more O's youngsters on horizon soon - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Hey, David Hess has been pretty good! But if you’re expecting him to lead a wave of game-changing rookies onto the O’s roster this year, you’re probably going to be disappointed.

Getting caught up in the draft - School of Roch
Buck Showalter says he doesn’t get involved in deciding who the O’s should draft: “I’m not going into a heart surgeon’s surgery and telling him how to stitch an aortic valve.” I feel like “stitch an aortic valve” is kind of a specific term for someone who claims not to know about heart surgery.

More People Attend Live-Streamed Caps Game Than Live Orioles-Nats « CBS Baltimore
One team is playing for the Stanley Cup while the other is battling for the worst record in the majors. Their respective attendances reflect as much. Now, would a live-stream of an Orioles World Series game outdraw a crappy NHL regular season game? Sadly, we may never find out.

The Orioles will host legendary composer John Williams and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | MLB.com
June 11 is John Williams night at the ballpark, and the BSO will hold a pre-game performance to honor the Oscar-winning composer. I now have the themes to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and Raiders of the Lost Ark playing in my head on a loop.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your lone Orioles birthday buddy is the late right-hander Ray Moore, a Maryland native who pitched for the O’s from 1955-1957. He was born in 1926.

On this day in 1975, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan threw a no-hitter against the Orioles, the fourth of his seven career no-nos, in a 1-0 California Angels win. Ryan struck out nine and walked four. It was also his 100th career win; he finished his career with 324 victories.