Thursday Bird Droppings: The Orioles June magic is on hold, for now

Hello, friends.

The Orioles early June magic is on hold for one day at least, after the shellacking they got at the hands of the Mets last night. It was the kind of blowout we’ve seen all-too-frequently in this 2021 season; the 11-1 defeat is the 13th blowout loss (five or more run deficit) the team has suffered so far. One out of every three losses has just been completely noncompetitive in that way.

Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game if you’re looking for the not-so-lovely totals. There were really not many good things to be said. The Orioles batters only safely reached base seven times in nine innings. That is a hard way to win even without giving up eleven runs.

Matt Harvey got blasted out of the game after only three innings. It’s getting hard to see this experiment keep going. He hasn’t pitched at least five innings since May 1. On the other hand, the choices at Norfolk are not plentiful. After the game last night, manager Brandon Hyde told Orioles reporters, “There is no talk of taking (Harvey) out of the rotation.” So I guess that’s that. For now. Harvey himself said to reporters, “It’s been a couple of years now of being really horseshit.” I do feel bad for the guy. There’s no doubt he cares.

Let’s look on the bright side. However bad last night’s game was, the result of the series was a split. If the O’s play .500 from here on out - unlikely, I’m just saying, if they did - they would end up with 73 wins. And here’s some more bright side: A phenomenal catch made by Cedric Mullins on the first batter of the game last night:

The Orioles are really interested in people voting for Mullins for the All-Star Game. He has been the most pleasant surprise of the 2021 Orioles season and the way he’s played, he deserves a bid. So does Trey Mancini, though of course, it would be highly unlikely for a team as bad as the Orioles to get two spots on the roster. We’ll know about that in another month.

The team cannot lose today because they are off. They will next take the field against the Rays at the Trop on Friday. Though the O’s lost on Wednesday, they gained no ground on the worst team in MLB, the Diamondbacks, who also lost to fall to 20-43. That Arizona team has now lost seven straight games, and that’s after having lost 13 straight in the second half of last month.

It’s a bad baseball team. Whether they or the Orioles are worse in the end, the next 101 O’s games will tell. After Wednesday’s loss, the O’s are on pace for a 58-104 record. In the wake of a game like last night’s, 58 wins feels generous. On the other hand, in the poll I posted just yesterday, after two straight big O’s wins, 83% of voters believed they’d equal or exceed their then-pace of 59 wins. What a difference a day makes.

Around the blogO’sphere

How Orioles hitting coach Don Long helped Trey Mancini clear his mind and regain his swing: ‘He makes you think deeply’ (The Baltimore Sun)
Trey Mancini had a tough first two or three weeks of the season. He credits the hitting coach with helping bring him out of that funk.

Orioles rotation unsettled after Akin (School of Roch)
Hyde told reporters before Wednesday’s game that the rotation for the weekend against the Rays is Keegan Akin, TBA, and TBA. That’s always fun to hear.

Ex-O’s prospect now on The Bachelorette (Orioles.com)
It’s true: A former Orioles 29th round pick is on this season of The Bachelorette. Joe Trezza informs us that Mike Planeta received a rose on the first night of the season.

Orioles prospect Terrin Vavra: ‘Fun to be a part of’ successful Bowie team (Press Box)
In line with the philosophy of the jinx, Bowie lost 9-1 last night after this article was written, with Vavra going 1-4, and the one was only a single. Vavra was hitting .263/.407/.474 heading into last night’s game. Pretty good!

Latest mock draft: O’s look for underslot pick at #5 (MLB Pipeline)
With about a month to go until the draft, this latest mock draft from Jim Callis has the Orioles picking Boston College outfielder Sal Frelick at #5. That would be an underslot pick in the vein of last year’s Heston Kjerstad selection. I’m still hoping the O’s just take the best player they can get at #5. In this mock, Kumar Rocker, Jordan Lawlar, and Brady House all remain available.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2005, the Orioles played and beat the Reds, 4-3. The game was significant for being the first time in history that three 500 home run club members all played in the same game. Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro played for the O’s. Ken Griffey Jr. was in the Reds lineup.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021 one-game reliever Jay Flaa, 2006 reliever Julio Mañón, 1975-84 outfielder Ken Singleton, 1961 catcher Hank Foiles, and 1958 reliever Ken Lehman.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: first female US Senator Rebecca Latimer Felton (1835), Academy Award-winning actress Hattie McDaniel (1895), novelist Saul Bellow (1915), actress Judy Garland (1922), gold medal figure skater Tara Lipinski (1982), and model Kate Upton (1992).

On this day in history...

In 1190, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowned while leading an army towards Jerusalem to wage the Third Crusade. His forces largely returned home and the crusade did not lead to Jerusalem being recaptured.

In 1854, the first graduating class completed its time at the United States Naval Academy.

In 1935, Dr. Robert Smith and Bill Wilson founded Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron, Ohio.

In 1967, the Six-Day War between Israel and Syria ended when the sides agreed to a cease fire.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 10. Have a safe Thursday.