Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are winning on the road

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

While you were at work yesterday, the road warriors known as the Orioles bagged another victory, an 8-1 rout in the annual 11 a.m. Patriots’ Day game in Boston. If you missed any of the action because of that pesky thing called a job, I recapped the satisfying O’s win.

The Orioles have now emerged from their first three road series, each against AL East opponents, with a 6-4 record. They’ve won two series and split one. Last year, the Orioles didn’t win their second road series until June. It took them until their 10th road series to do so.

Heck, last year, the Orioles didn’t even win their sixth game on the road until May 24. At that point, their road record was 6-21.

The 2019 crew, at least so far, has proven much more capable away from Baltimore than the 2018 disaster. But now they’ll face their toughest test, heading to Tampa Bay to face the red-hot Rays, who hold the best record in baseball at 12-4. Even considering how spunky the O’s have looked on the road, they’ll have their work cut out for them in this three-game set.

Links

Orioles split series with 8-1 win over Red Sox (updated) - School of Roch
Post-game quotes galore from the Orioles, including Brandon Hyde’s thoughts on the umpiring call that got him in a dander -- and got him ejected for the first time as O’s manager.

Orioles rookie Richie Martin’s grandfather played with Jackie Robinson. On Monday, he wears Robinson’s number. - Baltimore Sun
Yesterday’s Jackie Robinson Day held even more significance to Richie Martin, whose grandfather was a teammate of Jackie Robinson in the Negro Leagues. It’s a small world.

Can Orioles Outfielder Cedric Mullins Break Out Of Platoon Role? - PressBoxOnline
Former Camden Depot and Athletic blogger Matt Kremnitzer is now writing for PressBoxOnline, and here he weighs in on whether Cedric Mullins will ever be able to hit lefties. Heck, right now, he’s not even hitting righties.

The 30: Coming off red-hot weeks, Rays and Astros rise to the top – The Athletic
Two weeks ago, Jonah Keri placed the Orioles 30th in his ranking of MLB clubs. This week, they’re 29th. Give it another 56 weeks or so, and the O’s will be right at the top!

The Ex-Oriole report: How are last year’s Orioles faring in their new homes in 2019? - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Join me in catching up with all the Orioles from last year’s team who have gone elsewhere, from the Joneses and Machados of the world to the barely remembered also-rans.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your big day with one current Oriole, Richard Bleier, who turns 32 today. Bleier, unfortunately, will have to celebrate while on the injured list. He’s currently sidelined by left shoulder tendinitis and isn’t expected to return for a while. Your other Orioles birthday buddy is 1972-73 catcher Sergio Robles, who turns 73.

On this day in 2012, the Orioles beat the White Sox when Matt Wieters crushed a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth, and then cranked a grand slam in the 10th. It was the first of 16 consecutive extra-innings wins for the Birds after they’d lost their first two of the year.