Saturday’s Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles found their power

Good morning, Birdland!

Friday night’s win over the Giants was one of the few times it has been fun to be an Orioles fan this season. So much good stuff was happening. Home runs were flying. Jonathan Villar was stealing bases. The bullpen did not implode. There were a few nice defensive plays. It was just good baseball.

It’s been a rare sight at Camden Yards this season, and I totally understand why. My focus is all on the long term, where Adley Rutschman will lead the Orioles to five consecutive World Series rings. I know that, and that will be great.

In the meantime, it’s cool to see the O’s play intriguing baseball that doesn’t send me scurrying to find the remote and check for what else is on.

Links

O’s to zero in on top pick ‘on day of the Draft’ - MLB.com
This is definitely the most excited I have ever personally been for an MLB draft. Maybe it’s because I have actually paid attention to the process this time around with the understanding that the O’s get their pick of the entire field, or maybe because it’s more interesting than what is going on at the big league level this season.

Ben McDonald, 30 years after his wild Orioles summer - The Athletic
I like Ben McDonald a lot! He had a nice MLB career, and I have always enjoyed the times I’ve heard him on the radio broadcasts. But I think we all hope that the O’s are able to nab a player with a little higher ceiling than the right-handed pitcher ended up having.

Trey Mancini reunites with Mike Yastrzemski - YouTube
This is a pretty fun interview that MASN’s Sara Pearlman had with Mancini and Yastrzemski prior to Friday’s game. It’s definitely worth five minutes of your time and will make you like both players even more.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Only one former Oriole has a birthday today. The late Ray Moore (b. 1926, d. 1995) was a right-handed pitcher in Birdland for three seasons from 1955 through 1957. During that time, he had a 33-30 record, 3.93 ERA, 95 ERA+ and 3.91 FIP.

1975 - Nolan Ryan of the California Angels notches his fourth career no-hitter and the 100th win of his career, beating the O’s 1-0.