Monday Bird Droppings: Where the simulated Orioles are winless

Hello, friends.

If all had gone according to plan, there’d now be three Orioles games in the books this season. Instead there is none of that and a whole lot of us are stuck inside. I hope you all keep on staying safe.

There is one little facsimile of a baseball season going on. Baseball Reference is using the game Out of the Park 21 to simulate the 2020 season while things are postponed. You can read a little bit more about that here. So far, the Orioles are one of five teams that has yet to win a game. An opening series sweep would not have surprised any of us in the real world.

Detailed play-by-plays and box scores are not available (that I’ve found) for individual games, but you can see each day’s outcomes as well as the simulated team’s statistics to date. The BR OOTP Orioles lost on Sunday to the Yankees by a 3-2 score thanks to what appears to have been a ninth inning bullpen meltdown. If you click these links after noon, you’ll get Monday’s results included as well. The O’s would have been starting a series against the Red Sox today.

The simulated Orioles look a lot like the regular Orioles probably would have, though there are a couple of surprising names who have appeared in games so far.

A pitcher named Keyvius Sampson - who in real life last pitched in MLB for the Reds in 2016 - found his way into the top three of the simulated rotation and struck out eight in 5.2 innings. Another guy who probably won’t be on the Opening Day roster (whenever that may be) is Isaac Mattson from the Dylan Bundy trade, who has also had his imaginary self throw some scoreless innings.

Around the blogO’sphere

Memories of some media missteps (School of Roch)
We’ve reached the “Roch tells a story about a time he ate at a Hooters” stage of the coronavirus delay. I guess it’s possible that we will revisit this stage later.

Orioles are not letting postponements get in the way of their pitchers’ development (NBC Sports Washington)
I’m sure every team believes this right now. I’m looking forward to when things settle down and we can find out who is right. Hopefully the Orioles are among that number.

Another look at what could be coming in a 2020 MLB season (Steve Melewski)
Steve runs through some of the significant impacts for the Orioles in MLB and the players union’s deal reached late last week that sifted through some of the issues that may crop up from either a shortened or a canceled season.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Of all the players to ever play for the Orioles, not a single one was born on this day.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Constantinople conqueror Mehmet II (1432), Salem witch trial victim John Proctor (1632), painter Vincent van Gogh (1853), heroic Holocaust-era diplomat Carl Lutz (1895), actor Warren Beatty (1937), musician Eric Clapton (1945), rapper MC Hammer (1962), singer-songwriter Celine Dion (1968), and musician Norah Jones (1979).

On this day in history...

In 1855, a pro-slavery militia from Missouri crossed the border into the Kansas Territory to seize control of polling places in order to elect a pro-slavery legislature in the territory.

In 1856, the Treaty of Paris brought an end to the Crimean War. Among the conditions of the treaty was that Russia would demilitarize in the Black Sea. This lasted about 15 years, until the balance of power was shaken up in Europe again by the Franco-Prussian War.

In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan, shooting Reagan in the chest as he returned to his limousine. Hinckley was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 30. Have a safe Monday.