Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles season is one-third over

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Can you believe the Orioles have already played one-third of their 2019 schedule? This season just seems to be flying by!

I’m joking, of course. The 2019 season, in large part, has been tedious, frustrating, and often difficult to watch, which is about what we expected before the season began. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: rebuilding isn’t pretty. But that makes the rare victories all the more special, such as yesterday’s taming of the Tigers. Check out my recap of the Orioles’ well-earned Memorial Day win.

Despite the victory, the Orioles still hold MLB’s worst record at 17-37 (the Marlins also have just 17 wins, but they’ve played three fewer games). The Birds are on pace to finish 51-111, which would be atrocious, of course, but would still mark a four-game improvement over last season.

What does the remaining two-thirds of the schedule hold for the Orioles? Will we start to see some of the young prospects make their way to the majors? And will it lead to a better brand of baseball? I look forward to finding out.

Links

Straily solid in relief in win, O’s make roster moves (updated) - Steve Melewski
Among the Orioles’ announced roster moves, they jettisoned Yefry Ramirez to the Pirates. So long, buddy. You were one of my 10 favorite Yefrys of all time.

Is DJ Stewart’s time approaching? - School of Roch
I certainly hope so. The guy has done everything humanly possible to earn a promotion. And the fact that he wasn't in the Norfolk Tides’ starting lineup last night is a pretty good sign.

O’s to roll back struggling closer Givens - Orioles.com
As you might have noticed when Shawn Armstrong came into yesterday’s ninth inning for the save, Mychal Givens is being held out of high-leverage situations for the time being. Probably a good call, but it makes an already thin O's bullpen even thinner.

Orioles' most high-profile trade candidates have dropped in value - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Speaking of Givens, he’s just one of several Orioles trade commodities who has torpedoed his value this season. As if the O’s didn’t have enough problems already.

Orioles reset: How is the club deciding which players to target on waivers? - Baltimore Sun
By virtue of having the worst record in the majors, the Orioles get first dibs on any player waived by another AL team. But they can’t just go claiming every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Here’s how they decide who to go after.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your Orioles birthday buddies are the control-challenged Daniel Cabrera (38), who averaged 5.1 walks per nine during his five-year O’s career from 2004-08, and the late Bob Kuzava, who pitched for the 1954-55 Birds. Kuzava died in 2017, thirteen days shy of his 94th birthday.

On this day in 1987, the Orioles’ Mike Young became just the fifth player in MLB history to hit two extra-inning home runs in one game, sparking a thrilling walkoff win over the Angels. After California took the lead in the top of the 10th, Young led off the bottom half with a game-tying homer. Two innings later, the Angels again scored a run to take the lead, only for Young to bash a walkoff two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th. Both blasts came off the same pitcher, DeWayne Buice.

We’ve reached the exact one-third mark of the season and the Orioles are on pace to allow 342 home runs, which would destroy the previous MLB and franchise records. But they didn’t give up any yesterday, so...progress!

The all-time record holders, the 2016 Reds, allowed three homers Game No. 54 at Coors Field — with Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, who bashed the Birds this past weekend, hitting two of them — but won the game anyway, 11-4. The franchise record holders, the 2017 Orioles, gave up one, a Hanley Ramirez two-run homer off Dylan Bundy in a loss to the Red Sox.