Wednesday Bird Droppings: Where the baseball season ends tonight

Good morning, Birdland!

This is the final day of MLB game action in 2019. Either the Houston Astros or Washington Nationals will win Game 7 of the World Series and then ride off into the sunset tonight.

It’s bittersweet. Bitter because baseball is the best and it will be a bummer to go without it on our TVs for a few months. But sweet because this means the Orioles are inching closer to relevancy. The sooner these rebuild seasons end, the sooner we can get back to competitive baseball at Camden Yards.

So, who ya got in tonight’s showdown? Houston or D.C.? Max Scherzer or Zack Greinke?

Much of what happens tonight likely comes down to Scherzer’s health. Can he pitch through his neck issues? It sounds like he was experiencing incredible pain. If he has to leave the game early, then the Nats could be in trouble.

Game 7’s are the best. The traditional norms of baseball go out the window. Every pitcher is available. The benches get used. There is no tomorrow, so play for today.

Here’s hoping that this one’s a classic!

Links & Notes

A sad goodbye to Orioles’ FanFest - Baltimore Baseball
I have never been to a FanFest, but I understand why fans like it so much. Many other clubs offer something similar, so I can’t believe that the Orioles will never replace it with something. It just may be in a different format.

How Stewart’s surgery impacts the outfield competition - School of Roch
Roch runs through all of the Orioles current outfield options. It’s bleak. Austin Hays is the only one that really elicits any sort of excitement. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Mason Williams for a bit longer. That will probably come in the spring if he makes it through the off-season. The 2021 season will likely be more interesting with Yusniel Diaz, Ryan McKenna and possibly Ryan Mountcastle playing a bigger role by then.

Orioles, Ravens Groundskeepers Challenged By Climate Change - CBS Baltimore
Nicole Sherry is the Orioles head groundskeeper, and she is the best in business. Yes, I am very biased in that I have attended Camden Yards more than any other professional sporting venue, but that grass is always looking nice. The same cannot be said for other places.

Daydreaming About A 2013 Gold Glove Defense - Birds Watcher
How in the world has it been six years since that ridiculously good defensive Orioles team? The current iteration is a while away from having another Gold Glover patrolling the field. Are there any candidates even near the big leagues in Baltimore? Adley Rutschman could rocket through the minors and emerge as a top defender behind the plate in the next two years. Mason McCoy gives me some J.J. Hardy vibes in Bowie. And Hays has been a lot of fun to watch when in MLB.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

The only former Oriole celebrating a birthday today is dark ages center fielder Luis Matos. The 41-year-old spent 494 games in the black and orange between 2000 and 2006 before spending a few weeks with the Washington Nationals.

1986 - The Orioles trade Storm Davis to the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Terry Kennedy and minor league hurler Mark Williamson.