Wednesday Bird Droppings: The Orioles are starting to look more like the team we expected them to be

Good morning, Birdland!

This Orioles season is starting to look a little bit more like what we were expecting, and it’s not ALL bad. Yes, the Orioles are losing more games than they are winning as of late. That is a bummer, regardless of a rebuild. However, some interesting things are happening.

The most obvious is the presence of Ryan Mountcastle. Through four games, the O’s young slugger has looked pretty darn good. He is 4-for-12 with two doubles, four walks and one RBI. We are still awaiting his first home run, but it’s only a matter of time. Plus, Mountcastle isn’t the only rookie on the roster.

Keegan Akin is back on the big league squad after a brief appearance earlier in the month. What his role will be is unclear, but he deserves a shot at a few starts prior to the end of the season. While it’s too early to pencil him into a long-term rotation spot, a brief audition in 2020 could offer a glimpse into the team’s future.

And while it has been pushed back a month by the oddities of this season, the trade deadline is nearly upon us. This, along with the first-year play draft, is typically the most exciting time of year for a rebuilding squad. Which veterans will the Orioles be unloading in exchange for future stars of the franchise? Probably very few this year, partly because of the rules restricting the trading of players not on a team’s 60-man roster, and partly because these O’s don’t have a ton of high-value players to move anyway.

Links & Notes

LeBlanc’s season over with elbow injury - Orioles.com
This isn’t too surprising considering how Wade LeBlanc left his start over the weekend. Rarely do players throw a pitch and then immediately motion for medical attention without it being really, really bad. LeBlanc is 36 years old and has had a tough season, making this injury even tougher to reckon with.

Top 50 Trade Deadline Candidates - MLB Trade Rumors
There are quite a few familiar names on this list, including a handful of current O’s. It is sounding like Mike Elias will make a move prior to the August 31 trade deadline with reliever Mychal Givens perhaps the easiest player for which to find a suitor.

5 trade partners for the Orioles ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline - NBC Sports
More trade speculation! With so many teams in playoff contention the Orioles could conceivably make a deal with just about anyone.

Camden Yards could be used as a Baltimore voting center for Maryland’s November election - Baltimore Sun
Have you been itching to get to the ballpark this summer? Well, you won’t be able to watch a baseball game at Camden Yards anytime soon, but you may be able to cast a ballot.

Orioles birthday

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Unfortunately, you do not share this day with any former Orioles players, according to Baseball Reference. But it is the birthday of a few non-O’s, like Maikel Franco (b. 1992), Elvis Andrus (b. 1988) and David Price (b. 1985).

Orioles history

1966 - Vic Roznovsky and Boog Powell hit back-to-back pinch-hit home runs in the ninth inning against the Red Sox, lifting the O’s to a 3-2 win. This marks just the third time in MLB history that back-to-back pinch-hit home runs have occurred.

2012 - The Orioles acquire left-handed pitcher Joe Saunders from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom.