Sunday Bird Droppings: The Orioles are going for another series win

Hello, friends.

The Orioles are 12-8. That’s a real, true thing that is happening in the opening weeks of this 2020 season. They are a third of the way through and they are on pace to finish 36-24 over the 60 games. This is something that would have seemed unbelievable a month ago. It seemed unbelievable after the O’s got blown out in an ugly game on Opening Day! Yet here we are now. It’s something.

On Saturday night, the Orioles picked up their latest win against the defending champion Nationals by winning a 7-3 game. They have now guaranteed a winning record in 2020 against those same Nationals, since they’re now 4-1 with just one game left to play today in the season series. Guys are getting big hits. Guys are getting big outs. I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m going to try to enjoy it for as long as it does.

If you missed last night’s game, check out Alex Church’s recap of another fine win, and don’t forget to vote in the MBP poll.

Ahead for the Orioles, starting tomorrow, are three games against the Blue Jays and then four against the Red Sox. Those happen to be the fourth and fifth place teams in the division right now. Nothing is guaranteed, but if the Orioles are actually better than people think, they should be able to make some hay against these teams who’ve stumbled out of the gate.

The Orioles close out their series against the Nationals with a 1:05 scheduled first pitch this afternoon. John Means is expected to be activated from the COVID intake process to start the game. He’ll be opposed by Max Scherzer. The Orioles have already done stranger things in the 2020 season than win a game where Scherzer starts for the other team.

Around the blogO’sphere

Hyde hoping Hays can return in 10 days (School of Roch)
One piece of news from yesterday is that Austin Hays is on the injured list with a rib fracture. They hope that he will be back soon.

Anthony Santander trusting ‘el trabajo’ in his, Orioles hot starts (Baltimore Sun)
It means “the work.” If you’ve done the work, sometimes it really shows.

MLB to honor 100th anniversary of Negro Leagues (Orioles.com)
There will be special ceremonies across MLB today.

New O’s RHP Lopez looks forward to fresh start with Orioles (Steve Melewski)
The other roster move on Saturday was that the Orioles activated recent waiver claim Jorge Lopez. If he can make the most of the fresh start here, that would be another interesting thing to happen with the 2020 Orioles.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1969, Boog Powell hit an inside-the-park home run in a game in Seattle against the Pilots. The homer, which he hit in the ninth inning, came off of former Oriole Steve Barber. The O’s won the game, 15-3.

In 1998, Eric Davis went 0-3 in a game against the Indians, snapping a 30-game hitting streak. This remains the longest hitting streak since the franchise came to Baltimore in 1954.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1995 infielder Bret Barberie, 1966-68 pitcher Gene Brabender, and 1955/58-60 outfielder Gene Woodling.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: British army officer T.E. Lawrence (1888), football hall of famer Frank Gifford (1930), author Diana Wynne Jones (1934), talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford (1953), movie man James Cameron (1954), singer-songwriter Madonna (1958), actor Steve Carell (1962), and actress Cristin Milioti (1985).

On this day in history...

In 1792, Robespierre presented a petition from the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which called for the establishment of a revolutionary tribunal.

In 1858, President James Buchanan inaugurated a transatlantic telegraph cable by sending a message to the United Kingdom’s Queen Victoria. However, the cable’s service was shut down within weeks.

In 1896, three men including the excellently-named Skookum Jim Mason discovered gold in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on August 16. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!