Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are back in the cellar

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

As dawn breaks on another day, the Orioles have lost again. The only excitement in last night’s game came in the ninth, and not because of any great Orioles plays, but because of umpire shenanigans that led to the ejections of Darren O’Day and a steaming mad Buck Showalter. Check out my game recap for the full details.

After a couple days over the weekend in which the Orioles didn’t have the worst record in baseball, they’ve returned to that dubious title, thanks to their loss and the Royals’ win last night. It was fun while it lasted. The Birds’ next eight games are all against winning teams, including three more in their series against the Mariners, so it might be a while before they reclaim “not-the-worst” status. If they ever do.

Links

Full-strength lineup falters in O’s loss (MLB.com)
If a “full-strength” lineup is one that manages four hits in nine innings, the Orioles are in even more trouble than we thought.

Bundy could miss Thursday start with ankle injury - School of Roch
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: National League rules are stupid. Dylan Bundy might have to go on the DL because he rolled his ankle running the bases. The universal DH can’t get here soon enough.

Orioles’ Chris Davis hopes to feel more at home after big weekend in Atlanta (Baltimore Sun)
Davis says he’s feeling more confident after his eight-game benching. Of course, that was before he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts last night, but who’s counting?

Baltimore Orioles’ Chris Tillman has rehab assignment with Shorebirds (Delmarva Now)
Speaking of struggling Orioles named Chris, Tillman is still around and rehabbing in Delmarva. He’s not exactly making a strong case to get back to the bigs, what with his inability to retire low-A minor leaguers.

Camden Depot: Is Zach Britton OK?
The Orioles had better hope so, or their upcoming fire sale -- if it happens -- could bring a more paltry haul than we’d like.

Amid attendance woes, Orioles and Ravens aggressively court fans (Baltimore Sun)
Gotta give credit to the O’s promotions department; they’re certainly trying their best to draw fans with some interesting events and giveaways this year. But there’s only so much you can do when the team stinks.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, including Luis Hernandez (34), the defensive wizard who was expected to replace Miguel Tejada as the O’s starting shortstop in 2008 despite a career .634 OPS in the minors. It...did not go well. It’s also the birthday of 1987 right-hander Mike Griffin (61) and the late Gene Green, an outfielder who appeared in just one game for the 1960 Orioles. Green died in 1981 at 47 years old. He would’ve been 85 today.

On this day in 1978, Earl Weaver used two position players to pitch in the same game. With the Orioles already losing 19-5 to the Blue Jays after four innings, Weaver first called on outfielder Larry Harlow. Harlow had a miserable experience on the mound, giving up five runs on four walks, a wild pitch, a single, and a homer.

Weaver then turned to catcher Elrod Hendricks with much more success. Hendricks was outstanding as a pitcher, holding the Blue Jays scoreless for 2.1 innings. Despite that brilliance, Hendricks never made another pitching appearance in his career.

2018 Orioles vs. 1988 Orioles

In their 77th game, the ‘88 Orioles lost to the Blue Jays, 4-2. Toronto lefty Jimmy Key, who would pitch for the Orioles nine years later, held the O’s in check with 6.2 strong innings, and the Jays broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a three-run rally that featured a Billy Ripken error. The Orioles fell to 22-55, one game worse than this year’s club.

As mentioned, the Royals won, blanking the Angels 2-0 behind someone named Brad Keller. That slips them a half game behind the Orioles in the race for the league’s worst record. The White Sox were off Monday and are now a full three games off the pace.