Monday Bird Droppings: Where we’re wishing the best for Trey Mancini

Hello, friends.

There are now 17 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. The uniform number 17 is currently in use by Alex Cobb and in the past has belonged to Brian Matusz, Aubrey Huff, and B.J. Surhoff.

Today is the lone scheduled off day of the Orioles Grapefruit League schedule, so there will be no O’s baseball today. Yesterday, they tied the Yankees, 5-5. That leaves the O’s with a spring training record of 8-6-3. Pitcher Kohl Stewart made his spring training debut as the starter, giving up three runs in three innings, and Mychal Givens gave up a two-run homer to a minor leaguer with a career .661 OPS.

On the plus side, the Chris Davis renaissance was not abated by this game action, as he drew two walks and also had an RBI single. Yusniel Diaz and Dwight Smith Jr. each had a pair of hits and Hunter Harvey, Richard Bleier, Shawn Armstrong, Cole Sulser, and Tanner Scott all threw a scoreless inning each.

The biggest Orioles story from over the weekend, not that anyone would have known it from tuning in to yesterday’s MASN broadcast of the game, where it didn’t come up until the third inning and was only discussed once, is that Trey Mancini is headed for a “non-baseball medical procedure” that led manager Brandon Hyde to say this:

We’ve been keeping in constant contact with Trey, and sometimes, things happen that make you open your eyes a little bit from what’s important.

And teammate Alex Cobb said this:

He treats everybody so well, so to see him have to go through what he’s going through, it’s heartbreaking, but it gives us all an opportunity to show how much we love him and rally around him and be there for him during this. There’s no doubt in my mind, the competitor that he is, that he’s going to get through this with no problem. It’s going to be difficult, but he’s going to get through this and he’s going to come back stronger, and with definitely a new perspective on life and an appreciation of the game that he probably didn’t have before. I’m eager to see that take place.

What it is hasn’t been announced yet. All of the quotes from the clubhouse give the impression of a certain baseline for how severe it could be. The manager doesn’t sound like that for the flu or for someone getting a tooth pulled.

Mancini issued a statement in the form of a couple of tweets on Sunday evening, thanking fans and teammates for their support so far:

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their kind sentiments and well wishes. It further drives home the fact that I am surrounded by the best family, friends/teammates, and fans that I could ever ask for. Once there is more clarity, I will be sure to keep everyone updated over the next few days. I look forward to a healthy recovery and being back on the field soon!

Healthy recovery from what, one can’t help but wonder. We’ll have to wait a few days to see what comes out. For now, all I can say is that I hope Mancini is OK soon.

Around the blogO’sphere

Orioles support Trey Mancini during medical setbacks (Orioles.com)
Every vague statement just sounds so ominous. It is nice to know they are all on his side for whatever it is.

Hays feeling good about his game even as hits are slow to come (Steve Melewski)
Hays is batting .160/.267/.280 so far this spring, but it’s only been nine games, so it’s not time to worry about that yet.

Orioles catchers give their impressions of Adley Rutschman’s first camp: ‘You could tell he wants to get better’ (Baltimore Sun)
It’s hard not to get excited about the future for Rutschman when you read stuff like this.

Brandon Bailey: “I believe I’m a big leaguer” (School of Roch)
If you missed it on Friday, the O’s returned the two Rule 5 picks, Brandon Bailey and Michael Rucker, to their original teams. Bailey is undeterred in his big league dreams.

Orioles claim Hector Velazquez (MLBTR)
Mike Elias didn’t waste any time in filling one of the 40-man roster spots opened up by returning the Rule 5 picks. Velazquez, 31, figures to be in competition for some kind of swingman role, though he has a minor league option remaining.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

There is one former Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 39th to 2011 lefty reliever Clay Rapada.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454), Stanford founder Amasa Leland Stanford (1824), first man in space Yuri Gagarin (1934), actor Oscar Isaac (1979), and gold medal skier Julia Mancuso (1984).

On this day in history...

In 1847, the American military launched its first large-scale amphibious assault in beginning the Siege of Veracruz during the Mexican-American War.

In 1862, the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia dueled to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads. This was the first naval battle between ironclad ships.

In 1959, the Barbie doll debuted, appearing first at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 9 - or at least, unless something happens later down in Florida. Have a safe Monday.