Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles’ final homestand begins

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Have you had the opportunity to take in a game at beautiful Camden Yards this season? If not, this week is your last chance.

The O’s will wrap up their 2019 home slate starting tonight, playing three games apiece against the Blue Jays and Mariners, before hitting the road for their final six games of the year. Without checking, I’m going to assume that good seats still remain.

When the O’s last left Baltimore, they were a 99-loss team. They’ve since reached triple digits, as the four-game series between the two worst teams in baseball ended the only way it could, with a split. I recapped yesterday’s lackluster loss in Detroit.

As ugly as Orioles baseball may be right now, it’s better than no baseball at all. So if you’re able, get out to the ballpark this week and say a fond farewell to the 2019 Orioles, who shall forever live in our hearts, at least until next year.

Links

Means with rough start and finish in 5-2 loss (updated) - School of Roch
A cavalcade of Orioles comment on the club’s latest loss. Trey Mancini is not pleased about his game-ending strikeout, but as one of the few O’s hitters who actually contributed, he should be a little easier on himself.

Orioles Claim Eric Hanhold, Designate Ty Blach - MLB Trade Rumors
I could carefully guide you through a bunch of links and info about this new pitcher, but really, that would be too much hanholding. (Yes, I used that same line on Twitter, but I don’t think it got the attention it so richly deserved.)

Orioles make staff changes, hire Matt Blood to run minor leagues - BaltimoreBaseball.com
I don’t know anything about this guy, but Matt Blood is an A-plus name. Or should I say A-positive? (I’m on fire, folks!)

Handling 100: Why these Orioles aren’t fazed by another 100-loss season – The Athletic
The Orioles have lost 100 games for the second year in a row, but other than being a round number, it doesn’t matter much. As Richard Bleier says, “What if we lost 95, is that considered good?”

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your only O’s birthday buddy is the late Wayne Krenchicki, an infielder with the O’s from 1979-81, who died last October. He would have been 65 today.

On this day in 1999, Orioles GM Frank Wren ordered the team plane to take off without Cal Ripken Jr., who was running a few minutes late. Cal was forced to make his own travel arrangements. When Orioles ownership fired Wren less than a month later, their press release cited that incident as a contributing factor: “The Orioles management cannot and will not abide having a general manager operate in such an unreasonable, authoritarian manner and treat anyone in this way, especially someone such as Cal who has done so much for the Orioles and for baseball.”

The moral of the story: don’t disrespect Cal Ripken Jr., especially when you’re a first-year GM.

Later that night, O’s reliever Jesse Orosco set a new MLB record by pitching in his 1,072nd career game. Orosco eventually retired after 1,252 appearances, which is still the most in baseball history.