Thursday Bird Droppings: The sage Orioles wisdom edition

Hello, friends.

After nineteen straight losses by the Orioles, it was the sage that finally ended it. You’ve got to be willing to try the weird stuff after that much losing, and according to the O’s players following last night’s win, the weird stuff that they tried was the sage that Trey Mancini brought in. Players took to the task of burning it all through the bowels of the stadium with gusto, and lo and behold, nine innings later, the O’s had a 10-6 comeback win. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for the lovely totals.

There was a lot of justifiable angst from O’s fans during that losing streak. There was a lot of piling on by national baseball media writers with an axe to grind against ownership or against the front office. There will probably be more of that stuff to come over the final 37 games of the season, perhaps starting up again today as the O’s close out the series against the Angels with a 1:05 start time.

For now, the streak is over. It turns out that these Orioles are not, in fact, bad enough to set a new franchise record losing streak by surpassing the 21 straight losses that began the 1988 season. or any of the losing streaks in MLB history that are even worse than that one. Or at least, if they are that bad, they’re going to have to lose a bunch more games to get there. Please don’t immediately go and lose a bunch of games again, Orioles. I don’t need that in my life.

If the idea of the Orioles getting the #1 pick in next year’s draft turns you into The Joker, do not fret about last night’s win. The Arizona Diamondbacks were also victorious yesterday, so the Orioles stay where they are in the draft pick standings. The O’s are now on a 51-111 pace for the season, which would suggest they’ve got another 12 wins in them. That feels like a lot of wins, especially with a stretch of games looming against the Rays, Yankees, and Blue Jays.

I don’t hold very much hope of the O’s making it two games in a row this afternoon, mostly because Keegan Akin is the starting pitcher. His 7.92 ERA is what the French might call tres bad. Jaime Barria, who sports an also bad, but not as bad, 5.87 ERA, pitches for Los Angeles.

I also did not hold very much hope of the Orioles winning last night, with Shohei Ohtani pitching and hitting against them. They ended up hitting three home runs against him - the first team to do so in the same game - and held him hitless at the plate. So, you really never know.

Around the blogO’sphere

They are No. 1: O’s move to top of farm system rankings (Steve Melewski)
MLB Pipeline published new farm system rankings yesterday that reflect draft pick additions, trade movement, and improved (or not) player performance across the minors this season, and the Orioles came out on top. There is a brighter future coming. People hoping for that are not complete idiots. It’s just not here yet.

Breaking down the O’s top-ranked system (Orioles.com)
Joe Trezza goes deep on what was already here when Mike Elias arrived and what prospects he’s added to the mix to get the Orioles on top.

Angels manager Joe Maddon offered support for Brandon Hyde during losing streak: ‘Hyder’s the right man for the job’ (The Baltimore Sun)
There was consistent praise from opposing managers for Brandon Hyde as the streak dragged on. “It should never be angry,” said Maddon.

McGregor, Orsulak remember the 0-21 1988 Orioles: ‘How are we going to lose this one?’ (Baltimore Baseball)
I, for one, am glad that we can put this genre of story to bed for a few weeks at least.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1966, the Orioles trailed 2-0 heading into the ninth inning against the Red Sox. They tied the game thanks to back-to-back pinch hit home runs, including one by Boog Powell, eventually winning the game in 12 innings. It was only the third time ever that there were back-to-back pinch hit home runs.

There is one current Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 27th birthday to Tyler Wells. Yes, even though he’s a Rule 5 guy, he’s not that young. It’s also the birthday of very recent former Oriole Maikel Franco, and that’s it. Until 2021, this day was empty for O’s birthdays.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743), Mother Teresa (1910), jazz man Branford Marsalis (1960), and actor Chris Pine (1980).

On this day in history...

In 1346, the English and French fought the Battle of Crecy, in which the English, outnumbered 2-1, triumphed. The battle was significant in military history as the one that showed the effectiveness of the longbow in combat.

In 1883, the volcano Krakatoa, which had been erupting since May, entered its final and most catastrophic stage, leading to more than 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago being destroyed due to the volcano collapsing into a caldera.

In 1920, women gained the right to vote in the United States upon the Nineteenth Amendment taking effect. Tennessee was the state whose ratification made the amendment official. Maryland did not approve the amendment until 1941.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on August 26. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!