Saturday’s Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles haven’t lost a series in a while

Good morning, Birdland!

First-half John Means is back! The left-handed pitcher has now put together two impressive back-to-back starts, allowing three runs and striking out 11 over 14 innings while lowering his ERA from 3.75 to 3.55. Folks, he is back on track to be a Hall of Famer. Rejoice!

The O’s are suddenly playing pretty good baseball. If they win again on Saturday, that will mean they have not lost a series in nearly two weeks. For this team, that is quite the achievement. Over the last 10 games only the Red Sox and Athletics have a better record in the AL.

Of course, another win would also inch the O’s dangerously close to losing the second overall pick. It would pull the O’s and Royals tied in the standings. While it would be better to have a higher pick, I kind of want the Orioles to keep on winning and prove that all of the articles about how disgraceful the team is can look even more stupid than when they were first published.

Links

Mike Elias is overhauling the Orioles front office (Ep. 42) - The Warehouse Podcast
Need something to please your ears this Labor Day weekend? Give the latest episode of The Warehouse Podcast a listen while you’re mowing the lawn, grilling burgers, hanging at the beach or just sitting on the couch in relative silence.

Richie Martin embraces family ties to Negro Leagues - Steve Melewski
Martin’s grandfather played on the same team as Jackie Robinson. That’s pretty darn awesome!

Playoffs next week; Rutschman’s adjustment; Mountcastle’s success - Baltimore Baseball
It’s starting to seem like Adley Rutschman might be a slow starter. That’s cool. It will all even out eventually and make his multiple MVP awards even more impressive.

No One Can Hit The Delmarva Shorebirds Starting Staff - Birds Watcher
Who knows is the Orioles will get their next ace to emerge from this current generation of youngsters, but they will almost certainly be able to boast a deeper group of arms than they have had in a long time.

Orioles’ Brandon Hyde: Recent dugout altercations distract from ‘the culture that we really feel good about’ - Baltimore Sun
I can buy this. I’m sure that it is very difficult to be a part of a team that is playing so poorly. These guys are professionals who have been successful for most of their lives. Losing nearly every day has to be draining, and it likely results in these outbursts.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

It is a jam-packed day of birthdays for former Orioles. Chief among them is the late Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (b. 1935, d. 2018). The outfielder played six seasons with the O’s between 1966 and 1971, winning two World Series titles, an MVP and a Triple Crown in the process.

Also celebrating today are 2012-13 pitcher Steve Johnson (b. 1987), 2010 reliever Armanda Gabino (b. 1983), 2014 hurler Ramon Ramirez (b. 1981), the younger Tim Raines (b. 1979), 1995 three-gamer Mike Hartley (b. 1961) and 1971 pitcher Tom Dukes (b. 1942).

1992 - The Orioles make a trade with Padres, sending pitcher Erik Schullstrom and a player to be named later to San Diego in exchange for pitcher Craig Lefferts. The PTBNL would end up being minor league infielder Ricky Gutierrez.

2007 - Steve Trachsel is dealt from the O’s to the Cubs in a swap that lands Scott Moore and Rocky Cherry in Baltimore.