Wednesday Bird Droppings: The Orioles cannot be stopped on the road

Good morning Birdland,

These Orioles won on the road again Tuesday night. They are now 7-3 away from Camden Yards. No other team in the American League has more away wins than the Orioles. So, we can all agree that the O’s are the league’s ultimate road warriors. Case closed. Let’s pack up and leave.

OK, it has not been the toughest slate of games. The three-game sweep of the Red Sox now looks a bit fluky given their current state of play. And it’s quite likely that the Rangers and Marlins end up pretty bad when it’s all said and done. But it’s still fun to see the O’s getting some work in on the road. Now if they could just bring some of this offense in their carry-on back to Oriole Park.

It was not all good news last night. Right fielder Anthony Santander left the game in the first inning with a sprained left ankle after retreating back to first base awkwardly on a pick-off attempt. Ironically, he was replaced in the game by Austin Hays, a guy who had just returned from an IL trip himself earlier that day.

As of this writing, Santander remains on the active roster, but that’s probably going to change soon. He didn’t seem able to put any weight on the foot after he was helped off the field, although Brandon Hyde did say that X-rays were negative. That’s good, I guess? But that won’t say how severe the sprain is anyway. Basically, we will need to prepare for life without the right fielder for the time being.

Links & Notes

Kjerstad to report to O’s alt site (source) | MLB.com
This is huge news! The Orioles made Heston Kjerstad the second overall pick of the 2020 draft with the idea in mind that the college bat could move fairly quickly through the minor leagues and cause opposing pitchers headaches in the middle of their order next to Adley Rutschman. But a lengthy bout of myocarditis has kept him away from the team and baseball activities for quite some time. Now he can start to inch his way back to the field.

Santander leaves tonight’s game with injury | School of Roch
This is a real bummer. Anthony Santander is a crucial part of an Orioles offense that has seemed more competent in recent games. Hopefully he is able to make a swift recovery.

A few notes on another O’s road win | Steve Melewski
Stock up: Freddy Galvis, Trey Mancini, and Matt Harvey. Stock down: Shawn Armstrong and the Orioles defense.

Breaking down how the O’s corner bats have begun the season | The Baltimore Sun
It has been a struggle for the O’s bats, and much of that is because their various corner bats have been downright bad. But that has seemed to of gotten better recently. It doesn’t mean it will stay that way. But it seems impossible for guys like Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, and Austin Hays to perform so poorly for an extended period of time.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Ryan Adams appeared in 29 games for the 2011 Orioles, serving mostly as a second baseman. He turns 34 today.
• Ronny Paulino celebrates his 40th birthday. He spent 20 games as the O’s backup catcher in 2012.
• Happy 64th birthday to Jesse Orosco. The southpaw spent 24 seasons in the majors, including a five-year stint in Baltimore from 1995 through 1999.
• Al Bumbry turns 74. The 1973 AL Rookie of the Year had a 13-season run with the O’s from 1972 through 1984. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1987.

Orioles history

1957 - For the first time in history, a major league game is stopped due to a power outage. The O’s and Washington Senators have to pause following the outage at Griffith Stadium.

1996 - Orioles leadoff hitter Brady Anderson begins his night with a home run for the fourth straight game.