Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where we wonder, is Jorge Mateo something?

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! You know what was the best thing about yesterday’s off day? The Orioles bullpen couldn’t give up a millions runs and ruin my day. Of course, they are playing again tonight so we’ll just have to wait and see if they can find a new way to torture us. They are least playing another team that is under .500 so maybe they have a chance.

If the Orioles game tonight does end up being a miserable slog (and odds are it will), you will hopefully be able to turn your attention to the Triple-A debut of Adley Rutschman. It’s not a sure thing that he’ll be in the lineup, but leaving him out would just be cruel. Rutschman has proven all he needs to at Double-A, and now it’s time to see what he can do at the next level.

If Rutschman does debut tonight, his battery mate will be the rehabbing Bruce Zimmermann. Maybe next year we’ll see them together in Baltimore!

Links

Jorge Mateo is the type of waiver claim the club’s rebuild has been waiting for - Baltimore Sun
This feels...premature? Although I will admit that watching Jorge Mateo was one of the few things I enjoyed about the Orioles this past weekend.

Orioles legend Brooks Robinson suffers fall, breaks arm, has surgery - York Dispatch
Oh no! Get well soon, Brooks. And be careful out there!

Orioles Prospect, Former D-III Star Toby Welk Flashing Power At Bowie - PressBoxOnline.com
Toby Welk got a story written about him! Best of luck to him in defying the odds.

Orioles trying to find ways to fix a frustrating situation - School of Roch
My suggestion is to get better pitchers.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, all who appeared in just one season in Baltimore.

Bob Chakales (b. 1927, d. 2010) was on the inaugural 1954 Orioles. A relief pitcher, his seven-year career included 38 games with the Orioles, putting up a 3.73 ERA. Sal Fasano (50), best known for his mustache, appeared in 64 games for the Orioles in 2005. And Dan Johnson appeared in three whole games for the Birds in 2013.

I’ll always remember Johnson as the guy who stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning in game 162 for the Rays in 2011. There were two outs, the Yankees were up by one run, and a win by New York would send the Red sox to the playoffs. Johnson, a pinch hitter batting .108, hit a game-tying homer to send the game to extra innings.

The Rays ultimately won that game just minutes after the Orioles defeated the Red Sox in Baltimore in what remains one of the single most exciting nights of baseball in my memory. So happy birthday, Dan Johnson! I hope you don’t mind that I’ll always remember you as a Ray.

On this day in 1963, Boog Powell hit three home runs in a game that the Orioles lost. That stinks.

In 1965, Brooks Robinson hit a ball that landed above the Green Monster at Fenway Park, but the bad umpire called it a triple. Brooks added a home run later in the game.

In 1998, the Orioles traded former first round pick Jeffrey Hammonds to the Reds for Willie Greene. This is notable to me because he’s the first high draft pick that I remember caring about. I have a memory of seeing him at Camden Yards in his Orioles jersey, announced to the crowd. I saw it on HTS, not in person. But I had never seen that before so young Stacey figured it really meant something.

Hammonds wasn’t bad, he just couldn’t stay healthy. A disappointing 4th overall pick to say the least. He had a few good seasons with other teams after he left.

In 1999, the Orioles defeated the Devil Rays 17-1 with every Oriole having at least one hit. Shortstop Mike Bordick had four hits in the game, picking up five steaks along the way.

On this day in 2018, the Orioles lost to the Red Sox and finished the game 46.5 games behind the first place Red Sox with 46 games to go. It was the earliest date a team had been eliminated from the division since the 1962 Mets.