Wednesday Bird Droppings: The Orioles have a winning record again

Good morning, Birdland!

Folks, I am proud to formally announce that this Orioles team is, in fact, fun.

I will admit that I thought the Orioles chances of sniffing a winning record again in 2020 were all but gone following that four-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins last week. Now, the Birds have won three straight with their latest victory coming in incredible entertaining fashion and now sit at 8-7 on the year.

Their 10-9 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night had everything you could hope to see in a baseball game: an extremely dumb error, a wild attempt to steal home, and a game-winning inside-the-park home run. Even better, it came against the Phillies, who have a fanbase that is best known for their measured response to team struggles.

Of course, there are some things to worry about, namely the bullpen, which gave up a lead two different times and almost made it three in the bottom of the 10th. But it all ended up with a win, and that is what will go down in the record books.

Links & Notes

Orioles place Means on injured list for testing; Hyde talks about use of Givens; Wojciechowski’s thoughts on 2020 - Baltimore Baseball
Brandon Hyde has indicated that he is essentially approaching the ninth inning with a closer-by-committee strategy. Perhaps he is, but it has been Cole Sulser’s job more often than anyone else thus far. Although that could change as Sulser blew his second save in five chances on Tuesday night.

O’s Cinderella status potentially boosted by Giancarlo Stanton injury - Yahoo! Sports
I mean, sure. Giancarlo Stanton is a good player, and the Yankees are worse without him. But going on the injured list is nothing new for him. Stanton played in just 18 games last year and the Yanks still won 103 games. Something tells me they will be OK without him.

Cobb looking like chip and O’s win in bizarre fashion - School of Roch
This is the Alex Cobb that the Orioles hoped they were signing a few years ago. He has always had it in him. Injuries have just gotten in the way. But man, when that split-finger fastball of his is working this guy is straight up nasty.

Phillies analyst calls loss to Orioles an ‘embarrassment to baseball’ - NBC Sports
OK, pal. That game was also a whole lot of fun from the perspective of just about any non-Phillies fan.

Orioles birthday

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Happy 32nd birthday to Jhan Marinez. The right-handed pitcher appeared in eight games for the 2018 Orioles, accumulating a 2.250 WHIP in 8.0 innings.

Lew Ford turns 44. The former outfielder got into 25 games for the 2012 Orioles, making his return to the big leagues after five years outside of affiliated baseball.

Finally, it is the 64th birthday of infielder Bobby Bonner. He spent parts of four seasons with the Orioles from 1980 through 1983, batting .194/.219/.259 over 61 total games.

Orioles history

2015 - The Orioles are no-hit by Mariners hurler Hisashi Iwakuma in a 3-0 defeat. It was the first complete game and shutout of Iwakuma’s MLB career, and he became just the second Japanese pitcher to throw a no-hitter after Hideo Nomo.

2019 - Once again, the Orioles lose to the Yankees, this time twice in one day, 8-5 and 11-8. Gleyber Torres hits three home runs on the day, bringing his total against the O’s to 13 on the year. That is the most by one player against the same team in a single season since the start of the divisional era.