Saturday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles played a really good game

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

I hope you got a chance to watch the Orioles play against the Mariners last night. And no, I don’t mean that sarcastically.

It was actually a very well-played game for the O’s, the kind of effort that’s been sorely lacking for most of the 2019 season. The pitching and defense were particularly — and uncharacteristically — stellar. Aaron Brooks, coming out of the bullpen as the bulk guy behind opener Richard Bleier, had his best outing as an Oriole, pitching seven, one-hit innings. Hanser Alberto made two sensational fielding plays; Austin Hays had one for the second straight night.

There were no ugly mistakes, no bullpen meltdowns. Just good, quality baseball, which gave the O’s their 50th win of the year. Be sure to check out Stacey’s recap for all the lovely details.

“That’s what we want, to play the game just like that,” Alberto said on MASN after the game.

Can the O’s keep the good vibes rolling in their final two games at Camden Yards? Stay tuned.

Links

Trey Mancini “honored” and “proud” to be named MVO - Steve Melewski
Considering how noticeably bummed Mancini was when he didn’t make the All-Star team, it’s nice to see him get some well-deserved accolades.

Hyde on Mancini: “Class guy, everything you want” (O's up 5-3) - School of Roch
More discussion of Mancini’s MVO honors, as Brandon Hyde gushes over the impact Trey has had in the clubhouse. Apparently teammates are asking him for advice on their 401k, and no, that’s not a joke.

Where the 2019 Tigers and Orioles stand among the worst single-season winning percentages in MLB history - CBS Sports
Chris Bengel runs down the 10 worst teams in major league history. I was most surprised by the fact that the 2018 Orioles weren’t on this list.

2019 Fan Appreciation Weekend - Orioles.com
As usual, the Orioles are pulling out all the stops for their final home games of the season. So come on out to Camden Yards this weekend if you want to get some free stuff.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your lone O’s birthday buddy is 2010-11 lefty Zach Phillips (33). The journeyman is still trying to make a go of it; he just finished his third season in the Mexican League.

On this day in 1984, Jim Traber made his major league debut for the Orioles...and sang the national anthem before the game! As if his playing in the bigs for the first time weren’t nervewracking enough, they also made him sing?

And on this date in 2012, the Orioles finally beat Red Sox ace Jon Lester, who had started his career 14-0 against them. Miguel Gonzalez outpitched Lester at Fenway Park, and O’s closer Jim Johnson notched his team-record 46th save of the year. He ended up with 51 saves that year, still a club record.