Monday Bird Droppings: Where the two worst teams play one more time

Hello, friends.

The Orioles made it official over the weekend that the rebuilding process will include at least back-to-back 100+ loss seasons. We might hope, perhaps a bit foolishly, that the success of the 2019 Bowie Baysox could lead to MLB-quality players bubbling up to the Orioles in the second half of next season in order to avoid another 100+ losses in 2020. Whether reality will be so kind is a question for next year.

For now, we are stuck with the 2019 O’s for another 13 games, including today’s series finale against the Tigers, which will determine whether the O’s have a winning record or a losing record against the team that’s currently worst in MLB. Check out Drew Bonifant’s recap of the 8-2 win on Sunday that sent the season series to the seventh game to settle things, and don’t forget to vote in the Most Birdland Player poll.

By holding the Tigers to just two runs yesterday, the O’s pushed back for another day another poor record that they’re on the verge of setting. The Orioles have now allowed 910 runs for the season. The most that they have allowed in any one season since arriving in Baltimore for the 1954 season is 913. The 2000 Orioles hold that distinction, though not for long, perhaps not even through the end of today.

If it makes you feel any better, the Orioles have already scored 33 more runs than they did last year, so that’s one more way this year’s O’s aren’t as bad as last year’s. Though they lost #100 over the weekend, they also won a pair, giving them 49 wins for the year - two better (and counting) than last year’s bums. It’s not exactly a big sign of progress in the rebuilding effort, but it’s better than nothing.

The Orioles did not allow a home run in Sunday’s win. They sit at 283 home runs allowed with their 13 games left to play. It is still possible, though not too likely, that they could avoid going over the 300 mark. The O’s remain the only team to have passed the old record of 258 by the 2016 Reds. The Mariners and Rockies are still on pace to do so. I feel a little better about the whole home run thing in light of the 2019 O’s passing the 2018 O’s in the win column.

Sunday’s win over the Tigers does just about seal that the O’s will finish ahead of them in the standings, and in turn, behind them in the 2020 draft. The O’s are 4.5 games ahead of Detroit. If this were a playoff race, Detroit’s hopes would be minimal. In the other direction are the Marlins, currently holders of the #3 pick. Miami lost on Sunday and is now three games ahead of the O’s, who hold a tiebreaker over anyone for a draft pick by virtue of a worse 2018 record.

Mike Mussina was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame 240 days ago. The Orioles have not yet announced any plans to retire his jersey number or add his statue to Legends Plaza at Camden Yards.

Around the blogO’sphere

Multiple minor league playoff runs prove Orioles farm system has turned a corner (Baltimore Sun)
The headline might be getting a little carried away. It’s been fun to see how several of the affiliates ended up the season, though.

Orioles using 37 of 40 players on roster (School of Roch)
With all but three of their 40-man roster players up for September, Roch digs into the three missing names and why they’re not here.

Two O’s prospects among pitching prospects who boosted their stock in 2019 (MLB.com)
Grayson Rodriguez moving from 51 to 44 and DL Hall moving from 64 to 60 is what they’re calling a stock boost. I’ll take it, but given how many prospects probably graduated off the preseason top 100 I don’t know how much the O’s guys actually boosted here.

Chris Davis rewarded for his work off the field (Baltimore Baseball)
Davis is once again the Orioles nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

The manager who had his eyes on Anthony Santander in 2016 (Steve Melewski)
Bowie’s current hitting coach, Keith Bodie, was one of the people stumping for the Orioles to take Santander in the Rule 5 draft that winter after seeing him play against the Frederick Keys while managing there in 2016.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2012, the Orioles won their 82nd game of the season, officially ending the 1998-2011 streak of losing seasons. The O’s picked up a 9-5 win over Oakland, with Matt Wieters hitting two home runs against eventual 2019 Orioles home run machine Dan Straily.

In 2014, the Orioles clinched their first AL East title since 1997 in a 8-2 victory over the Blue Jays. I did not go to this game because I thought there was no chance of clinching when Ubaldo Jimenez was the starter. I was wrong.

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2007 reliever Paul Shuey, 1992-93/96 catcher Mark Parent, 1988-90 catcher Mickey Tettleton, and 2001 four-gamer and Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Napoleon foe Mikhaul Kutuzov (1745), auto engineer W. O. Bentley (1888), actress Lauren Bacall (1924), musician B.B. King (1925), novelist John Knowles (1926), baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount (1955), actress Amy Poehler (1971), and Jonas brother Nick Jonas (1992).

On this day in history...

In 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England with a destination of what is today Massachusetts.

In 1810, Mexican Roman Catholic Priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued his Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores), recognized as the beginning of Mexico’s war of independence against Spain.

In 1959, in a live TV demonstration, the first successful photocopier, the Xerox 914, was introduced to the public.

In 1961, the US government dropped cylinders of silver iodide into the eye walls of Hurricane Esther. After a subsequent 10% drop in wind production, the government launched Project Stormfury, a nine-year effort, ultimately failed, to prove there was a connection.

In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer went into force. The treaties involved in this process are the first universally-ratified treaties in the history of the United Nations.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on September 16 - or at least, until the Orioles finish off their season series against the Tigers later today. Have a safe Monday. Go O’s!