Saturday’s Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles keep on losing

Good morning, Birdland!

Eyes on the prize. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing worth having comes easy. It will all be worth it. Uh...I’m running out of sayings. When in Rome?

Whatever you have to do or think to get through this Orioles season is understandable. The guys lost again last night and have just one win in the month of June so far. On top of that, half of the roster is injured or playing through some sort of minor malady.

But at least we have each other...right? That’s worth something!

Links

Adley Rutschman could transform Orioles with his talent, but might do more with ‘Mudita’ - Baltimore Sun
It seems like the Orioles have drafted the perfect human. Former coaches love him. His teammates love him. And he’s been a great baseball player. As an O’s fan, I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop, but hopefully it doesn’t with Rutschman

Health review and pending roster move - School of Roch
The Orioles players have been dropping like flies the last few weeks. I suppose it is getting to that point in the season. These guys are playing a lot of games. Bumps and bruises happen. Next month’s All-Star Game should provide a much needed respite for most of the team.

Three Trades The Birds Could Make - Birds Watcher
Potential trade talk is a lot of fun! The three players mentioned here (Dylan Bundy, Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini) are likely candidates to be moved prior to the July 31st deadline. The return packages are speculative, of course. Orioles fans tend to overestimate the value of one of their own, especially Mancini. He’s a nice hitter, but that’s pretty much where the value ends. Another team is not going to hand over a king’s ransom for a 1B/DH type that remains at least a tier below the elite hitters in the league.

Jim Palmer lists Little Italy apartment for $775,000 - Baltimore Sun
These are some pretty swanky digs. But would you expect anything less for the Hall of Fame pitcher? I say every interested CC reader puts in a couple bucks and we all take turns living there. You in?

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Former Orioles relief pitcher (and Harry Caray impersonator) T.J. McFarland turns 30 years old. Lenn Sakata, a middle infielder for the O’s from 1980 through 1985, is 65. George Brunet (b. 1935, d. 1991), an O’s pitcher for 16 games in 1963, posthumously celebrates his birthday. As does Eddie Gaedel (b. 1925, d. 1961), a St. Louis Browns player who made just one plate appearance (a walk) in his career and is best remembered for being the shortest player in major league history, standing 3-foot-7.

And we send a special birthday shoutout to Mark Belanger (b. 1944, 1998). The late shortstop played 17 of his 18 big league seasons with the Orioles. During that time, he won eight Gold Gloves and earned a trip to the 1976 All-Star Game. The O’s inducted Belanger into their team Hall of Fame in 1983, the season after he retired.

2013 - The Orioles select Federico Castagnini from Creighton University in the 30th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft. The infielder becomes the first born-and-raised Italian to be drafted. He went on to hit .192/.278/.231 in 117 career minor league games, topping out with Delmarva in 2014.