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Good morning, Camden Chatters.
This is where I normally would offer my thoughts about the latest Orioles news. Except there’s no Orioles news, given that teams are generally pretty quiet during the playoffs. So let’s talk about those playoffs.
They’ve been pretty exciting, haven’t they? Sometimes the playoffs are kind of a snoozefest with a lot of non-competitive games, but this time there have been some real barnburners, especially in the National League. The Cardinals and Braves are headed to a decisive Game 5 to settle a wild roller coaster of a series, in which three of the four games were decided in the ninth inning or later. I don’t particularly like either of those teams, but they’ve certainly played some thrilling baseball.
Meanwhile, the wild-card Nationals have held surprisingly tough against the heavily favored Dodgers, forcing a Game 5 of their own. Two winner-take-all contests on Wednesday? Yes, please, I’ll sign up for that. And in the AL, the Rays fended off a sweep from the Astros with a blowout win yesterday, adding at least a little bit of intrigue to that series, and assuring we’ll have more baseball to watch today.
Baseball can really be a beautiful game. Even if watching the Orioles the last few years has made us forget that sometimes.
Links
Orioles’ Dylan Bundy looks to Astros’ Zack Greinke as model for his ever-evolving pitch mix - Baltimore Sun
If you’re going to try to emulate a guy, Zack Greinke is a pretty good choice, his rough start in the ALDS yesterday notwithstanding. It may be the last time we see Dylan Bundy and Zack Greinke mentioned in the same sentence, though.
Inbox: Will Villar return to the O’s in 2020? - Orioles.com
Joe Trezza answers readers’ questions, and says Ryan Mountcastle won’t be on the 2020 Opening Day roster because the Orioles “want him to get more seasoning.” He misspelled “want to gain an extra year of team control.”
Digging into Orioles’ past - School of Roch
Roch Kubatko wonders why Andy Etchebarren isn’t in the Orioles Hall of Fame, and it’s a good question, considering his many years not just as a player but a coach in the organization. I can certainly think of less deserving candidates who have been inducted.
Wilkerson's versatility is the key to a 2020 return with the Orioles; Remembering Andy Etchebarren - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Stevie Wilkerson may not actually be a good player, but danged if he isn’t a load of fun. Not mentioned: his delightful “Dr. Poo Poo” nickname.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with four Orioles, the most recent being former first round pick Keith Reed (41), who played just six major league games. On the other end of the spectrum are Enos Cabell (70) and Mike Morgan (60), who combined for 37 years in the majors, with Cabell playing for the O’s from 1972-74 and Morgan in 1988. Also born on this day was the late Bob Mabe (b. 1929, d. 2005).
Oct. 8 has been another successful day in Orioles postseason history, with the club going 4-1 on this date. Most notably, they iced the ALCS against the White Sox in 1983 with a 10-inning shutout in Game 4, scoring three runs in the top of the 10th while the Storm Davis/Tippy Martinez duo blanked the Sox.
Also on this date, the Orioles won Game 3 of the 1966 World Series, 1-0, behind Wally Bunker’s complete game shutout of the Dodgers. Paul Blair provided the game’s only run with a fifth-inning homer. In 1997, the O’s won Game 1 of the ALCS against the Indians with — what else? — a shutout, this one thrown by Scott Erickson and Randy Myers. Brady Anderson and Roberto Alomar homered. And in 2012, the Birds beat the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS, 3-2. The only O’s loss on this date came in 1974, when the Athletics’ Vida Blue outpitched Jim Palmer in a 1-0 shutout in ALCS Game 3.