Sunday Bird Droppings: The Orioles road losing streak is now a club record

Hello, friends.

Some day, presumably, the Orioles will win another baseball game on the road. Yesterday was not their day, despite Austin Wynns hitting a grand slam. I know, right? It seems like a shame to lose a game where something like that happens. The O’s dropped a 5-4 game to the Rays. Check out Harrison’s recap of the game for some not-so-lovely totals.

It’s going to be up to Baltimore’s own Bruce Zimmermann to try to carry the weight and pitch a good game in today’s 1:10 series finale to give the O’s a chance of breaking their ongoing 14-game road losing streak. Not that they’d be guaranteed a win even if Zimmermann pitches pretty well. They’ll need good offense too! They’ve gotten only nine hits in the two games of this series so far. It’s just a tough way to win.

There is once again no rest in sight for the Orioles. Their next scheduled off day is July 1. Whatever is going wrong, they’re going to have to work it out without the benefit of stopping to take a breath on a day off. There are some hitters stuck in a downward spiral. Austin Hays is hitless in the two games since his return from the injured list. Ryan Mountcastle has also been zero for the series. Same story with Maikel Franco.

Though the O’s were losers yesterday, they gained no ground in the race for the #1 pick in 2022. The Diamondbacks lost once again, a ninth straight loss, on Saturday, to drop to 20-45. The Orioles, at 22-41, are four games up in the loss column.

I don’t actually want the Orioles to lose tons and tons of games. It’s not fun to watch the team be under .400 for so long. Then there are those times where I sit there and think, well, if the Orioles are going to lose 14 straight road games - a lot of which overlapped with their 14-game overall losing streak last month - they might as well get the best chance at the best player in 2022 next year. There’s a lot of baseball left, so we’ll see how it goes. Maybe things will start getting well today.

Around the blogO’sphere

2021 is a test of consistency for the Orioles’ young outfielders. So far, only Cedric Mullins has passed. (The Baltimore Sun)
For several years now, I’ve been telling myself this is the year we’ll get a good outfield. Mullins had another two hits yesterday. It’s fun!

Prospect spotlight: De Leon emulates Lindor (Orioles.com)
Joe Trezza checks in with Isaac De Leon, who the Orioles received from the Marlins for Richard Bleier last summer.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1999, the Orioles set a new record for runs scored by the franchise with a 22-1 beatdown of the Braves. Future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. went 6-6, hit two home runs and drove in five runs. Teammate and fellow future HOFer Mike Mussina pitched seven innings for the win, and even added a pair of hits and three RBI himself. The Braves had a pair of future HOFers in action that day too: Chipper Jones got one of the team’s six hits, while John Smoltz allowed seven runs in 2.1 innings for the loss.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2011-13 reliever Pedro Strop, 1991 catcher Ernie Whitt, and 1955-56 catcher Tom Gastall. Gastall passed away prior to the end of the 1956 season at age 24.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: early Holy Roman Emperors Charles the Bald (823) and Charles the Fat (839), Mexican-American War general Winfield Scott (1786), poet W.B. Yeats (1865), author Dorothy Sayers (1893), mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. (1928), actress Ally Sheedy (1962), actor Chris Evans (1981), and famous twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (1986).

On this day in history...

In 1625, England’s King Charles I married a Catholic princess, Henrietta Maria of France. The colony of Maryland, settled by a number of Catholics, was named in honor of her middle name.

In 1777, Frenchman Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, arrived in Charleston, South Carolina to assist in training the Continental Army.

In 1966, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in Miranda v. Arizona, which said that police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

In 1971, the New York Times began to publish the Pentagon Papers, classified documents about the Vietnam War that revealed the scope of public lies told about progress and actions in the war.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 13. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!