Saturday Bird Droppings: Where even the Orioles’ wins are ridiculous

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The Orioles pulled out perhaps their most ludicrous victory of the season last night and into this morning, outlasting the Braves in a 15-inning marathon in which the O’s fell behind in the eighth, pulled off a stunning comeback in the ninth, then immediately choked away a four-run lead behind a Zach Britton meltdown in the bottom half, only to hold the line for another six innings before Manny Machado’s game-winning homer in the 15th. If you missed any of this roller coaster affair, Mark Brown’s recap breaks down all the madcap action. You don’t want to miss this one.

There’s no rest for the weary. The Orioles and Braves will be back at it at 4:10 PM this afternoon. Will today’s game be less ridiculous?

Links

Machado homers in 15th and Orioles defeat Braves 10-7 (updated) - School of Roch
From the looks of it, Buck Showalter’s post-game press conference was shorter than usual. Everyone just wanted to go home.

Chris Davis returns to Orioles lineup (MLB.com)
Chris Davis was back in the O’s starting lineup after an eight-game hiatus to, as he says, “get back to who I was.” His dinger last night was a good start.

Orioles Find Their Disappointing Season ‘Mind-Boggling’ « CBS Baltimore
Various Orioles chime in on how surprised they are by the horribleness of this team. Join the club, guys.

Why Orioles Fans Should Consider Rooting For The Braves (PressBoxOnline.com)
With the Orioles’ season in the crapper, Glenn Clark has firmly jumped on the Atlanta Braves bandwagon. Sometimes I want to like the Braves, but then I see their fans doing the Tomahawk Chop and I’m all, “Nope.”

Markakis isn’t stressing over All-Star status - School of Roch
True to form, Nick Markakis is understated about his chances of making his first All-Star team.

Inside Baseball MLB Notes | Nimmo breakout rare positive for Mets (Fan Rag Sports)
Among Jon Heyman’s brain dump of random thoughts about every major league team, he mentions that the Astros and Indians are two interested parties in Zach Britton. This was written, of course, prior to Britton’s implosion last night that likely sent any potential suitors fleeing for the hills.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your lone Orioles birthday buddy is 6-foot-9 lefty Mark Hendrickson, the multi-sport athlete who spent four seasons in the NBA and then 10 in MLB, finishing his major league career with three years for the O’s from 2009-2011. He was 8-11 with a 4.80 ERA for the Birds. Hendrickson turns 44 today.

On this day during the Orioles’ inaugural year of 1954, the O’s and Red Sox played a 17-inning game at Memorial Stadium that set a new record for longest game by time (four hours, 58 minutes). The O’s won, 8-7. That record has since been broken by an eight-hour, six-minute, 25-inning contest between the Brewers and White Sox on May 8-9, 1984.

In 1973, O’s righty Jesse Jefferson had a memorable major league debut on this date. One out away from a complete game shutout at Fenway Park, he coughed up a Rico Petrocelli homer to tie the game in the ninth. The O’s, though, got the lead back in the top of the 10th and Jefferson finished things off in the bottom of the inning for the victory.

2018 Orioles vs. 1988 Orioles

The 1988 Orioles lost their 74th game, coughing up 10 runs to the Red Sox for the second consecutive day. Starter Oswaldo Peraza was blistered for seven runs (four earned) in 1.2 innings to inflate his ERA to 6.65. The ‘88 Orioles were 20-54 at that point, two games worse than this year’s club.

The Royals improbably beat the Astros in Houston, 1-0, tallying the game’s only run in the top of the ninth. That keeps the Orioles with the worst record in baseball for now. Meanwhile, the White Sox split a doubleheader against the A’s.